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Message from the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health
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Cancer Relay for Life — Celebrating and Remembering
June 2011
Cancer is a disease that touches many of us, either because we have been diagnosed with it or we know someone who has. Close to half of all Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime and about one in four will die from the disease.
The good news is that you can make a difference in your own life by 
minimizing your risk of developing cancer. Studies have shown that healthy eating, engaging in regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding tobacco smoke and minimizing environmental and sun exposures are all ways you can help prevent cancer. Regular screening tests can also detect some cancers at an early stage: the earlier cancer is found, the more successful treatment is likely to be.
You can make a difference in other people's lives by participating in the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Communities across the country hold fundraising events, bringing people affected by cancer together with family and friends to celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost to cancer and contribute to finding a cure.
To help combat this disease, the Government of Canada supports organizations such as the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC). The Government recently committed $250 million over five years to extend CPAC's work in cancer control. The Government is also making substantial investments in cancer research through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, which spent more than $159 million in 2009-10 alone to develop treatments and search for a cure.
All of these efforts fund cancer research and prevention initiatives and deliver support services to people living with cancer and those who care for them.
I encourage all Canadians to visit the Canadian Cancer Society website for more information on how to participate in a Relay for Life event.
Leona Aglukkaq
Minister of Health
Government of Canada
