Health Committee on Feb. 12th, 2024

[Dr. Shannon Salvador]

I think a lot of it has to do with how strong the provincial message has been about cervical cancer. When you have a province has a very strong database, moms are watching themselves getting called to come and get their pap test—“Come for this, come for this, come for this.” If they themselves have then ever had to go for a colposcopy, it's really at the forefront of their brain when they're making decisions about vaccinating their own children.

If you have a very strong and robust message coming from your province that this is an important issue and that they should get screened, any woman in the room knows how it is to get screened. It's not pleasant, so if they can prevent that for their own children, they would absolutely go for it.

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Do you want to just briefly mention the value of vaccinating boys for HPV?

I have two teenage boys. When I first read the request for consent, I kind of went, “What? Boys?” I would assume that it relates to herd immunity. How many potential deaths are you saving by vaccinating boys as well?

[Dr. Shannon Salvador]

It's actually related to two things. It's not just related to herd immunity, which is obviously beneficial; you're also preventing the other cancers.

Men have a high risk for anal cancer and throat cancer. Yes, they don't come until much later in life and are usually things that are now happening in their 60s and 70s, but if you ask any of the ear, nose and throat doctors, the ENTs, they'll say that because smoking has dropped so significantly, they're no longer seeing throat cancers due to smoking causes. All of them are HPV-related now.

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

How much time do I have left, Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

You have a minute and a half.

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Okay.

Let me get to my moon shot question. I think it was Dr. Hanley who said something about the goal of a 50% decrease in cancer deaths by 2035. Maybe you could just reiterate that for me, because I didn't really hear it.

Let me say that President Biden, in one of their moon shots, is endeavouring to decrease the number of cancer deaths in the United States by four million by 2047, which is 25 years from now. Should Canada be making a similar effort to decrease cancer deaths?

Anyhow, let me start with Dr. Hanley, and then maybe I'll move on to some of the other people in the room.

[Dr. Gillian Hanley]

At the gynecologic cancer initiative in British Columbia, where we're working across disease sites and across institutions and across disciplines to address all gynecologic cancers—because we can learn from each other, as I think you've seen here today—we have a goal to reduce death and suffering from gynecologic cancer by 50% by 2034. We put this in place in 2019. This includes prevention of cervical and ovarian cancers. It includes improving treatments for endometrial cancer. It includes improving survivorship for those living with and beyond gynecologic cancer.

We have a very complex plan that we would be very happy to share with you if you want to come and visit us in B.C.

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

That would be great. Thanks.

Dr. McAlpine and the others here in the room, could you give a quick answer? We're running out of time.

[Dr. Jessica McAlpine]

I have nothing to add over what Gillian said, except to say that the science and the initiatives are there. We need to use them.

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Other people in the room...?

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Perfect. Thank you very much.

That concludes the rounds of questions for this panel, but it doesn't conclude our meeting, colleagues, so don't run away. We still have 30 minutes of in camera business to deal with.

To the expert witnesses before us today, thank you for being with us. I expect that you're incredibly busy people. We certainly appreciate the professional and patient way in which you provided such comprehensive answers. They will be of great value to us in this study. Thanks for what you do for your patients and thanks for being with us today.

We will suspend briefly while we switch to our in camera meeting.

[Proceedings continue in camera]