Mr. Speaker, last Sunday was National Cancer Survivors Day. This, the fourteenth annual edition, offered hope to a number of people affected by cancer.
Cancer is a terrible disease affecting far too many of us. Yet many Canadians who have a brush with cancer have strong chances of recovery. The latest figures show a drop in cancer death rates.
People who learn that they have cancer are no longer facing an automatic death sentence. Thanks to new screening techniques, the greater availability of information and state of the art treatments, they have hope of a full recovery and a return to a normal life.
Sunday's celebration provided all those who have recovered from cancer and those close to them with the opportunity to demonstrate that life after a cancer diagnosis can be a reality, thus sending a message of hope to all those who have this disease.