Tomás Shea, NDP Candidate – Windsor Lake

First, I would like to thank you for reaching out to myself and other candidates during this election season about such important matters as cancer care/diagnosis. I have lost many members of my family due to cancer and am proud to champion the strength of my Aunt every day as a person who was not only diagnosed and treated for cancer but had a second occurrence of it and has recently been able to ring the bell here in St. John’s. I hope that my answers to your questions below satisfy you and the other members of the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network.

Question 1: National Pharmacare


If elected, will your government support the implementation of a national pharmacare program that guarantees access to prescription medicines and a plan that goes beyond a formulary that meets the lowest common denominator?

Answer:
Yes, If I am elected to government or my party forms government we will support the implementation of a national pharmacare program that guarantees access to prescription medicines that goes beyond simply satisfying the lowest common denominator

Question 2: Information on Breast Density

If elected to government, will you commit to ensuring that women are notified about their breast density as part of their mammogram reports?

Answer:
Yes, this is a simple step that can dramatically improve the level of examination accuracy.

If elected to government, will you support a campaign to raise public awareness and improve education on breast density?

Answer:
Yes!

Question 3: Second Hand Smoking

If elected, what steps will your party take to address perimeter bans on second-hand smoke around buildings?

Answer:
 If elected our party will make aim to issue a revision of the province’s existing Smoke-Free Environment Act changing so as to prohibit smoking around the perimeter of and within all multi-unit dwellings just as it has previously been implemented around other public buildings. Also likely increasing the fines/penalties for smoking-related offices to quickly curtail any people who wish not to abide by the new regulations.

If elected, what steps will your party take to address drifting smoke in multi-unit buildings?

Answer:
As per my answer above we will aim to revise the province’s existing Smoke-Free Environment Act and increase the penalties for those who continue to think more about themselves then the health and environment all around them.

Thank you once again for reaching out to me on this matter.