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  • The Quebec Cancer Foundation Submits Its Brief to Reduce Preventable Cancers
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The Quebec Cancer Foundation Submits Its Brief to Reduce Preventable Cancers

February 12, 2026

In 2025, nearly 70,000 Quebecers were diagnosed with cancer—equivalent to one new case every eight minutes. Cancer does not affect just one person; it impacts families, workplaces, and the healthcare system as a whole.

Building on the finding that nearly four out of ten cancers are preventable, the Foundation submitted its brief, Reducing Preventable Cancers: Prevent, Screen, and Act Early, as part of the Quebec Minister of Finance’s pre-budget consultations. This brief is a direct call for the government to invest where every dollar can save a life.

“If we intensify action on modifiable risk factors, we could see up to 69 fewer cancer diagnoses every day. By making the right choices—both individually and collectively—we can achieve a tremendous human, social, and economic impact across Quebec,” said Anne-Marie Morel, Director, Patient Policy and Advocacy.

Through 10 concrete recommendations, the Foundation is calling for increased investment in prevention and screening—measures aimed at better preventing cancer, improving early detection, and supporting people affected by the disease. By adopting these recommendations, Quebec can reduce preventable cancers, improve the quality of life of those living with cancer, and strengthen the sustainability of its healthcare system.

Our 10 Recommendations

  1. Immediately extend free HPV vaccination coverage up to age 26, and assess the relevance of expanding public vaccine coverage to all adults up to age 45.
  2. Integrate radon awareness initiatives and provide subsidies for radon testing and mitigation within energy‑efficiency renovation programs, and support municipal initiatives aimed at reducing residential radon exposure.
  3. Increase investment in prevention to gradually reach a minimum of 5% of the healthcare budget, and ensure sustained and adequate funding for the National Prevention Strategy to support the adoption and maintenance of healthy lifestyles.
  4. Provide Santé Québec with the financial resources required to address its digital infrastructure gap, modernize the management of screening invitations, ensure seamless integration with the electronic medical records, and engage the public to improve the performance of screening programs.
  5. Expand eligibility criteria for Quebec’s breast cancer screening program to initiate routine screening at age 40 for non‑Caucasian women from higher‑risk communities.
  6. Implement an organized colorectal cancer screening program for individuals aged 45 to 74.
  7. Mandate INESSS to reassess the eligibility criteria for lung cancer screening.
  8. Fund the rapid rollout of HPV testing in underserved regions and introduce HPV self‑sampling tests across Quebec.
  9. Conduct an inventory of outdated laboratory and imaging equipment and develop a technological catch‑up plan to improve efficiency, in collaboration with the healthcare professionals who use this equipment.
  10. Establish a working group to identify support measures that could help reduce the financial hardship experienced by people living with cancer, and raise awareness of available resources to ease their financial burden.

 

Read the full brief (available in French only)