Health committee  I think the next step—and hopefully it will be quick—is for January to be recognized as firefighter cancer awareness month across the country and to have funds. If you want something, you have to pay for it. We want the funding for research, for prevention and for awareness to be

Health committee  I would say as much as is financially responsible.

Health committee  On the most advanced list, I would mention the Province of Manitoba and some of the new changes in Nova Scotia, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador and the Yukon. They are leading the way. There is still work to be done because a lot of the latency periods that were applied were

Health committee  I agree wholeheartedly. I want to thank you for your comments, and I echo your thanks to the sponsor of the bill, MP Romanado. Screening is important, and sometimes there can be a disconnect with primary care practitioners, who may not be aware of risk factors. The National Acad

Health committee  Absolutely, it is. As mentioned, we are exposed to a number of chemicals. That affects us in a way that oftentimes practitioners are not fully aware of. A lot of great studies that have come out of the disaster with the World Trade Center show that solid tumour formation can occu

Health committee  I will defer the update to those within the IAFF who were specifically involved with that process. I do know that flame retardants—organophosphates, brominated flame retardants—have posed a hazard to firefighters for quite some time. In terms of jurisdictions in the U.S., Propo

Health committee  I'm uncertain as to what the challenges and barriers are for a complete ban. As a representative of the International Association of Fire Fighters, and specific to my role in health, safety and medicine, I would like to see the precautionary principle put into effect. I would lik

Health committee  There's a wide gap. There are five provinces that presently cover 19 cancers. Ontario covers 17, I believe, and there are potentially nine in Quebec. I believe there are 10 in New Brunswick. Newfoundland and Labrador just acquired eight additional cancers to be added to their pre

Health committee  As I mentioned earlier, products of combustion include a number of things. There are aerosols; particulates, a lot of which gather chemicals that attach to them; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, many of which are recognized by IARC to be known human carcinogens. There are en

Health committee  I think this bill is a fantastic start. What I'd like to see is that it's passed quickly. This bill has been recognized. My colleagues in the U.S. have recognized it. Different state legislatures have recognized it. It's really setting the benchmark for progressive legislation

Health committee  The exposures are wide and varied for firefighters. Overall, just so you understand, we carry a high body burden of toxins, chemicals and carcinogens. The respiratory route of exposure is still real and still there. A lot of the work done by Dr. Ken Fent and Dr. Gavin Horn has sh

Health committee  The recognition is what's important for most families. They're willing to give up weekends and holidays with their family member who's serving in the community as a firefighter. There are certain risks to that, like not knowing whether their family member will come home at the en

Health committee  There are many different jurisdictions that operate differently. Some will recognize any cancer that is attributable to an IARC-recognized chemical, which allows for certain jurisdictions to be flexible with their coverage. For instance, in a lot of provinces, esophageal cancer i

Health committee  Thank you very much, honourable members and Mr. Chair. My name is Neil McMillan and I'm from the International Association of Fire Fighters. I serve as director of science and research. I'm here today, invited by the member of Parliament for Vancouver Kingsway, Don Davies, to sp