Mr. Speaker, one in 15 Canadians will be diagnosed with lung cancer. Lung cancer affects thousands of Canadian families, including my own. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada, and one of the least survivable, with only a 22% five-year survival rate. Many Canadians would be surprised to know that lung cancer kills more Canadians than prostate cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer combined. It is usually undetectable until its final stages.
Stigma remains because of the association between lung cancer and smoking, which may explain discrepancies in research and treatment funding compared with other cancers. While smoking is a factor in 70% of lung cancer cases, nearly 30% of patients have never smoked. If one has lungs, one can get lung cancer. I ask Canadians to treat all cancer patients with compassion and with the best hopes for new, life-prolonging therapies to add years of survival for our loved ones.