1.a) Will your government increase cancer screening and treatment capacity by a minimum of 10
percent over pre-pandemic levels starting in 2022 and continue for a period of three years?
b) Will your government prioritize cancer surgeries to end the surgery backlog in 2022?
c) Recognizing that the postponement of cancer services causes a healthcare crisis, how will your
government ensure the continuation of cancer screening, surgeries, and treatment?
We are now facing a backlog for care, with thousands of people still waiting for
health care, support, and services. It’s even more challenging for rural, remote,
and Northern communities, where there were staffing shortages even before
the pandemic. With surgery backlogs and an understaffed sector, now is the
time to expand a publicly funded, publicly delivered healthcare system that is
equitable, accessible, and comprehensive for all Ontarians.
The Green Party is committed to work with the federal government to provide
surge funding to reduce the backlog in surgeries, imaging, and other services.
We recognize that the postponement of cancer services during the pandemic
has created a crisis in healthcare that must be addressed through funding,
realignment of services and the increase of options for primary care.
When it comes to healthcare, a wide variety of services are needed for early
detection and treatment of illnesses in community clinics, community hospitals
and regional cancer centres.
2 a) Improve access to lung cancer screening by adding new sites in Peel, southwestern Ontario, eastern
Ontario, and northern Ontario to eliminate barriers to care?
b) Expand access to lung cancer screening for those who are at risk individuals who do not currently or
have never smoked, specifically including those who are determined to have incidental pulmonary
nodules?
c) Create and fund an awareness program that will encourage people to get screened for lung cancer
and help reduce the stigma associated with the disease?
As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. While
other parties wait for every crisis to reach a boiling point, our Green Party vision
is to try to solve problems at their source.
When it comes to healthcare, this means it’s about early detection and
treatment of illnesses in community clinics rather than the hallway of a hospital.
Improved access to lung cancer screening by creating accessible sites to
eliminate barriers to care would be a priority.
We intend to invest in new and expanded hospitals as needed to meet demand
in high growth areas in all areas of the province. The Green Party would
improve integration and connectivity across healthcare service providers using
digital data sharing and patient health coordinators.
Improved screening through more sites, widened parameters of screening and
improved awareness encouraging screening all fit the Green Party of Ontario’s
vision of an improved publicly funded health care system.
3. a) If elected to government, will your party allow women to self-refer for a mammogram, starting at
age 40?
The Green Party is dedicated to exemplary health services to women across the
province in several ways which would improve early detection of breast cancer
and therefore result in better outcomes. Women should direct their healthcare
including mammograms and women need the means to do so to be accessible
and timely way. We would expand the number of and fully fund women’s
health clinics and abortion clinics in Ontario. We would also expand access to
family health teams in communities across the province and increase
opportunities for physicians to join team-based models of care. This would
include a diverse array of healthcare providers in the teams to ensure a holistic,
connected, comprehensive approach to health. As well we would make
permanent the 50 community wellness nursing positions supporting First
Nations communities while investing in increasing the number of Indigenous-led
health clinics. We would expand the roles and scope of nurse practitioners as
primary health care providers, especially in areas that lack primary care options.
The Green Party of Ontario is committed to improving health care in Northern
Ontario and would use incentives to bring physicians and allied health
professionals to Northern and rural communities. We would create
opportunities for specialist and subspecialist trainees to undertake electives and
core rotations in the North. By improving access and expanding healthcare in
Northern Ontario we would alleviate some pressures on the healthcare system
in Southern and Eastern Ontario as well.
These improvements to healthcare in Ontario would provide better cancer
detection, early intervention, and result better care and outcomes for all cancer
patients.