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Federal Election 2011

The Issues

Vote for action on lung health!

This election gives us an important opportunity to draw attention to the reality of respiratory health in Canada:

  • Six million Canadians face daily challenges from lung disease – whether from asthma, COPD, lung cancer, respiratory allergies, or sleep apnea.
  • Air pollution, smoking, radon and other respiratory hazards claim the lives of tens of thousands of Canadians every year and damage the health of millions more.
  • Lung disease costs our country an estimated $15 billion annually, in direct health care costs and in losses to our economy.

It’s time for action on lung health!

Here’s what’s needed now:

  1. Support for Canada’s first national action plan on lung health
    • Three years of hard work have created the first plan for co-ordinated, national action to greatly improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of lung disease across the country.
    • Now we need continued federal government support to put the plan into action – to save lives and reduce the heavy burden of lung disease. (Learn more ...)
  2. Action to clean up the air we breathe
    • Canada needs strong regulations and management to achieve cleaner air. Fortunately, the answer is nearly here: the new Air Quality Management System under development by health and environmental organizations, industry and Canada’s governments. The new national system to reduce air pollution must be funded and in place by 2013.
    • Canadians need to know more about the air quality hazards we face every day – so we can make decisions to protect our health. The federal government should expand the Air Quality Health Index to all parts of the country – and make it a part of the everyday lives of Canadians. (Learn more ...)
  3. Increased funding for lung health research
    • Lung health research has been sorely underfunded for years – receiving significantly less federal money than other diseases, including cancer and heart disease. We are urging the federal government to increase respiratory research funding every year for 5 years to reduce the heavy burden of lung disease.
    • Priority should be given to research that brings early benefits to patients, e.g. reducing emergency room visits for children with asthma and hospitalizations for people with COPD. (Learn more ...)
  4. Action to control tobacco products and reduce smoking
    • Far too many Canadians are still lighting up: today over 18% of Canadians smoke, including 23% of young people from 20-24 years old. Smoking rates in First Nations and in Inuit communities are even higher at 60% and 70% respectively. Considering that 50% of all long-term smokers die from smoking-related disease, this remains a health disaster.
    • Canada needs ongoing, effective efforts to discourage young people from taking up smoking and help existing smokers to quit – along with action to eliminate cheap contraband cigarettes and flavoured tobacco products that are helping to fuel addiction.
    • We are urging the federal government to renew the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy, which has been invaluable for supporting national action on tobacco and smoking. (Learn more ...)

Use our handy election tools to press for action:

Thank you for supporting action on lung health!