New Canadian cancer strategy has focus on Inuit, First Nations and Métis people – Radio Canada International

The Canadian Partnership against Cancer has released its latest 10-year strategy and it includes a special focus on Inuit, First Nations, and Métis people.

The report is called the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control and relies on consultations with dozens of Indigenous organizations across the country, including nearly all the land claim organizations in the Northwest Territories.

The most common concerns raised in the report were a lack of cancer services near home, and racism in the health-care system. There were also calls for more Indigenous-specific data on cancer outcomes.

Cheryl Smith, a Métis board member with the partnership, says featuring the concerns of Indigenous people in the new strategy is important because First Nations, Inuit and Métis patients experience poorer cancer outcomes than other people in Canada.

Read More: http://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2019/06/13/cancer-strategy-canada-indigenous-focus/