On Tuesday April 24th, the Ontario Legislature passed the 2012 Budget Motion – a crucial vote that averted an election campaign (at least for the time being). In Ontario's current minority government situation – the first since the 1980s – the three parties in the Ontario Legislature have to collaborate and negotiate more than ever. In the midst of a massive deficit and subsequent austerity measures, our politicians are tasked with responsibility to do the right thing for Ontario, for Ontario families and for Ontario Health Care.

During this time, Ontarians should be asking questions about what Health Care policies are considered in this budget and how these policies will affect our lives. As an organization committed to leading and advising our politicians instead of waiting for them to act, the Campaign to Control Cancer team has asked, "Is the Provincial Government Taking Action on Cancer Control?" We know that many cancer deaths in Ontario are preventable by applying what we know about prevention, screening and treatment. So how can we be more proactive in our quest to control cancer?

This is an exciting time for the Campaign to Control Cancer. We will soon be launching our "More Screening, Less Cancer" campaign and we have already launched "Engaging Emerging Leaders in Cancer Control". This 2 year project, funded through the Ontario Trillium Foundation is a student driven, campus-based initiative – a project that takes a hard look at the effectiveness of each university's campus health policies and provides more cancer control advocacy where needed. The C2CC team is taking action in cancer control – so what about our Provincial Government?

After reading the 2012 Provincial Budget, this is what we've found out: The government is acknowledging that more screening is necessary in high-risk populations. However, the government has not yet acknowledged that increased screening is needed across the board to all populations. The 2012 Ontario budget tells us on page 25 and 26:

"The government is committed to promoting healthy living and supporting better management of chronic conditions by…providing all Ontarians with access to an online Personalized Cancer Risk Profile that will use medical and family history to measure cancer risk and then link those at higher risk to prevention supports, screening or genetic testing…" (source: Ontario Ministry of Finance 2012 Budget)

As promised during the 2011 General Election platform, the Liberal Government is renewing their commitment to an online Personalized Cancer Risk Profile. The C2CC supports this policy, as it is a step in the right direction. This profile system, if successfully implemented, would use family & medical history to assess individual cancer risk. The rationale is that if you were deemed 'high-risk' for cancer, then you would be able to intervene to help reduce risk or be monitored to detect cancers early. Thus, cancer deaths in the high-risk category could be reduced.

The Ontario budget also mentions:

"…continuing to expand comprehensive screening programs for cervical, breast and colorectal cancer. Participants will be notified and reminded when they are due for their next screening." (source: Ontario Ministry of Finance 2012 Budget)

C2CC strongly supports the government investment in screening reminders from physcians, along with public awareness campaigns. We also want to encourage healthy Ontarians to include conversations about cancer screening as part of their regular health check with their family doctor, dentist or other health care provider.

The C2CC also believes that tax dollars are well-spent in the promotion of existing screening programs. Ontario recently launched a new print ad series to help increase participation rates for all cancer screening programs.

The Ontario Budget, despite its challenging austerity mandate, has acknowledged commitment to effective cancer-control policies. And the Liberal platform on cancer is reflected in this budget. We want to ensure that the Ontario government – and all governments for that matter – understand this simple statement: More appropriate screening means less cancer. We want to stay healthy; we want appropriate screening!

The C2CC will continue monitoring all levels of government throughout Canada to ensure that Canada is doing everything it can to control cancer. In the meantime, please sign up for the C2CC Newsletter and visit back soon for updates on our actions to control cancer. If you are a University student, contact us to find out how you can get involved with our E2C2 campaign on your University campus.