Good afternoon, and thank you very much for the opportunity to present to you today on the needs of the charitable sector and to share a perspective from one of this country's largest charities. My name is Andrea Seale. I'm the CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society.
The pandemic is testing us in more ways than we ever thought possible, and we're rising to the challenge on many fronts. It has exposed vulnerabilities and sharpened our focus. I'm very happy to see that so many of the people who support our most vulnerable have taken their rightful place as our real-life superheroes. Also, I'm happy to see that our health care system is evolving quickly, and elected officials such as you, and governments across the country, have really shown incredible leadership.
Charities are in a dire situation. It's estimated that registered charities in Canada will lose between $9.5 billion and $15.7 billion, and will lay off more than 100,000 staff as a result of the pandemic. Job losses in occupations related to the non-profit sector are already 1.4 times higher than in the rest of the economy.
The Canadian Cancer Society is one of the largest charitable organizations in the country, and I can truly tell you that we have never faced a greater financial challenge in our 80-year history. The hundreds of fundraising events that we have had to cancel across the country have led us to forecast a drop in donations of between $80 million and $100 million for the year ahead. That's roughly half of our budget. We have already laid off more than a third of our staff, and we've closed community offices across the country. With projections that the economic downturn will continue for some time, we're really being forced to overhaul and reduce programs.
Organizations in the charitable sector, as you all know, care for Canada's most vulnerable populations, and we fill in where the social safety net and our health care system fall short. I think charities are really too important to the fabric of Canada and to our global community to be forgotten during this crisis. The steps taken to date have been helpful, but are not enough.
The Canadian Cancer Society is the only national charitable organization that's dedicated to funding life-saving research on all cancers and to advancing cancer prevention health policy that saves millions of lives. We also provide essential support services to the one in two Canadians who will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.
In addition to this mission, our organization, like so many others in the charitable sector, values efficiency and good management. We have led the consolidation of the cancer charity sector to reduce duplication and ensure donor dollars are well spent. We have amalgamated three of the largest cancer charities in the country in the last few years—that's with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and Prostate Cancer Canada.
Since COVID-19, the services that we offer, like our toll-free helpline and our online peer support community, have been in very high demand. People with cancer are facing isolation and anxiety, as the pandemic is so greatly impacting the health care system they rely on. They're also isolated from their usual support networks. Their clinical trials are cancelled. Their treatment is being delayed. Some tell us that they feel as though they are collateral damage of the pandemic. Others say that they feel as though they're on the Titanic, and only those with COVID-19 are getting into the lifeboats.
While their needs have never been greater, our reduced fundraising dollars mean that we're struggling to provide them with support to make the difference we know we need to make for those living with cancer.
Cancer is not taking a break during the pandemic, and of course neither are we. We are here to help take pressure off the health care system and to help patients cope. We see the need extending for many months as the health care system deals with the backlog.
I ask you to please consider the requests that you've heard from Imagine Canada and from other leaders in the charitable sector, and also from the Canadian Cancer Society in our submission to this committee, which targets the important needs of people with cancer and their caregivers. Specifically, we are seeking funding to work in partnership with government to continue to provide these support services for the million-plus Canadians who are living with, and beyond, cancer.
We're really here to help.
I'm looking forward to any questions, and I really thank you for listening.