All right, thank you.
Good afternoon. Thank you, Chair and committee members, for having us here today. Thank you to my fellow witnesses.
I'm speaking from Vancouver, from the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people: the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh.
My name is Andrea Seale. I'm the CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society. I'd like to share with you today the perspective of one of Canada's largest health charities, and to share the experience of cancer patients during the pandemic.
I think it goes without saying that the pandemic is testing us in more ways than we ever thought possible and that we're rising to the challenge on many fronts. It has exposed vulnerabilities and sharpened focus. I'm really happy to see that all the people who support our most vulnerable have taken a rightful place as real-life superheroes, and our health care system is evolving quickly. Elected officials, such as yourselves, and governments across the country have shown incredible leadership for our country.
Canada's charities and, of importance for this committee, Canada's health charities are in a very dire situation. It's estimated by Imagine Canada that registered charities in Canada will lose between $9.5 billion and $15.7 billion, and will lay off between 100,000 and 200,000 staff as a result of the pandemic. Job losses in occupations in 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. I can truly say that this is the greatest financial challenge we have faced in our 80-year history. We're just youngsters compared to the Canadian Lung Association.
The hundreds of fundraising events that we've had to cancel across the country have led us to forecast a drop in donations of between $80 million and $100 million in the year ahead. That's roughly half of our budget. We've laid off more than one-third of our staff. We've closed community offices across the country. With projections that the downturn will continue for some time, we're being forced to reduce our services and our support for cancer research funding.
The pandemic is also having an incredible impact on cancer patients and the caregivers whom we represent. Of course, the reality is that cancer doesn't stop being a life-threatening, life-changing disease in the middle of this global health crisis.
You may know that more than one million Canadians are living with and beyond cancer. They're among the most vulnerable in our communities right now, because they rely so heavily on a health care system that's forced, at the moment, to turn them away. They rely on community organizations that are overwhelmed. They rely on a support system of their friends and families, who must also stay away right now. In the words of one cancer patient, “I feel like I'm on planet Leukemia, and the rest of the world is on planet COVID. And I am not entirely certain where Earth is anymore or if I will ever get back there.”
For a sense of the scale of this challenge, one in two Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. When you or someone you love has cancer—and many of you probably know this from personal experience—your sense of time is different. It's measured in hours, or in days or in weeks. It's measured in the visits to your doctor or the number of times you're going to be able to hug someone you love. As we delay these activities in the name of social isolation, imagine how hard it is for someone with cancer to wait.
Clinical trials have stopped, in many cases. Radiation, chemotherapy and surgeries are postponed. There are those who haven't yet been diagnosed and are waiting to find out if they have cancer. Almost a quarter million Canadians are diagnosed with cancer each year, and right now they're left to deal with their anxieties and fears, not knowing when they're going to begin treatment and hoping that their cancer hasn't spread. We know that when the pandemic is over and we're getting to see some light at the end of the tunnel, there will be a backlog to our health care system still to come, of many months or perhaps years.
During all of this, the Canadian Cancer Society is here to help. We're here for everyone, in 200 languages, including 14 indigenous languages. We're only a click or a phone call away. As the only national charity that supports Canadians with all cancers in communities across the country, we're the voice of Canadians who care about cancer. That's why I'm so pleased to speak with you today.
Through our online and telephone services we're hearing first-hand about the worries and anxieties. We're helping people, as well as their loved ones, navigate their new realities by addressing their concerns or separating the facts from all the fake news that's out there about COVID and cancer, and providing them with emotional support and resources to help them cope.
For a sense of what they're telling us, when the pandemic began, patients and caregivers were reaching out for information on COVID and specific information about the virus and cancer. Over time, these concerns have shifted to coping with feelings of isolation and depression, and are now moving toward frustration and fear as their treatments are delayed indefinitely and as people worry this will affect their ultimate prognosis. Some tell us that they feel like collateral damage from the pandemic. Others say that they feel like they're on the Titanic and only those with COVID-19 are getting into the lifeboats.
How does the Canadian Cancer Society provide these services? We fundraise almost $200 million a year through grassroots events, donations, sponsorships and online fundraising. We use that to fulfill our mission, which is to provide the support services I described, but also to fund life-saving research on all cancers—we're the largest funder of cancer research outside of the Canadian government—and also to advocate for health policies to prevent cancer.
As a result of the crisis, we estimate a large decline in our revenue and reductions in our research funding and our services. We're doing everything we can to adjust, adapt our fundraising and stay connected to donors across the country, but as you make critical decisions about Canadian health care and emergency funding, we want to ensure that cancer patients and cancer charities are not forgotten.
I ask that you please consider what you hear from the Health Charities Coalition of Canada and from Imagine Canada about the request on behalf of our sector, and please consider the Canadian Cancer Society's submission to the standing committee, targeted to address the needs of people with cancer and their caregivers, and specifically to provide funding to be able to continue our support services for the many Canadians living with cancer. We can help them cope with the pandemic now, and help them cope through the backlog in the health care system that's going to impact their well-being for many months. As we all get through this together, we're here to help.
Thank you very much for taking a few moments to hear from me today.