Diabetes Canada launches letter writing campaign to federal election candidates
With the federal election officially in full swing, Diabetes Canada is urging all candidates and political parties to get behind a proven and evidence-based strategy that will help address one of the biggest healthcare threats to our nation—diabetes. Diabetes 3600 is a comprehensive strategy aiming to tackle specific and high priority issues impacting the 11 million Canadians living with diabetes or prediabetes.
“Canadians want candidates to make healthcare a focus in this election and with diabetes prevalence continuing to soar in this country, it is a threat to our people and economy if governments continue to ignore the seriousness of this epidemic,” says Dr. Jan Hux, president and CEO, Diabetes Canada. “Diabetes is a complex disease that can often be misunderstood given the types (type 1, type 2, gestational, prediabetes), risk factors and serious consequences such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and amputations that are all often a result of the disease.”
Throughout the summer, more than 11,000 Canadians showed their support of the Diabetes 3600 strategy by signing a petition calling on federal political parties to commit to addressing diabetes. To keep up the momentum and awareness, Diabetes Canada has launched a campaign urging the public to send a letter to all candidates running for federal office in their riding asking for their support. Just one minute can make the difference in the lives of millions of Canadians currently impacted by the disease.
“With the 100th anniversary of the Canadian discovery of insulin just around the corner in 2021, our hope is the incoming government will make diabetes a priority healthcare issue in its mandate so we can once again show the world that Canada is a global leader in the fight against this challenging disease.”