VANCOUVER – New Democrat Health Critic Adrian Dix is proposing the provincial government implement a colorectal cancer screening program across British Columbia.

“An estimated 1,100 British Columbians will die of colorectal cancer this year alone,” said Dix. “These are real people with real lives. It is time to take the preventative steps that will bring that number down.

“The Campbell government has failed to act – so I will be introducing legislation in hopes of getting the Premier to take note and take action,” said Dix.

Dix will introduce a Private Member’s Bill that will establish a comprehensive screening program. The bill is modeled after programs recently established in Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta.

The program would involve the following elements:

- Access to Biennial Fecal Occult Blood Tests (FOBT) for all B.C. men and women between 50 and 74;
- FOBT test kits available in doctor’s offices, walk-in clinics, community health centres and pharmacies;
- A central lab managed by the B.C. Cancer Agency to ensure quality standards and streamlined results;
- Distribution of kits by mail to B.C. residents in selected health regions to assess impact of home receipt of FOBT test kits on participation rates;

- Establishment of a registry to send Reminder Notices to all B.C. residents to take the test;
- Investments in technology and resources to expand access to colonoscopy; and
- Creation of a Colorectal Cancer Awareness and Screening Fund with an advisory board of experts and colon cancer survivors to assess the success of the program and other screening methods and support awareness and healthy lifestyles.



“Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer fatality for men and the third leading cause for women,” said Dix. “The Campbell government has been dragging its feet on putting a screening program of this nature in place. The recommendations by the B.C. Cancer Agency are solid and well founded, but the Health Minister and the Premier aren’t paying attention.

“Less than 10 per cent of B.C. residents over 50 years of age take a Fecal Occult Blood Test on a biennial basis,’ said Dix. “The simple fact is that by increasing the rate of testing we can save lives. It is just a common sense solution to have effective preventative health strategies like this in place.”