January 27th 2021
Hon. Patty Hajdu
Minister of Health
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario Canada
K1A 0A6
Minister Hadju,
I’m writing to you today to bring to your attention the importance of supporting the diabetes 360° strategy to better help the 11.5 million Canadians living with diabetes or prediabetes conditions.
In the past twenty years, the number of Canadians who live with diabetes has doubled and as the COVID-19 pandemic is overloading our healthcare system, many health practitioners are worried about the significant impact of undiagnosed chronic disease increase among the Canadian population. This situation could result in a lot of people not having access to the care they need in time.
In short, diabetes 360 is a comprehensive nation-wide strategy that aims to build an integrated framework around the determinant of health including access to healthy food and physical activity, it is time for Canada to lead and take on this innovative approach supported by 126 experts.
In 2021, the world will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin in Canada, yet today we’re in the worst third of OECD countries for diabetes. We can’t wait another 100 years to end the impact of diabetes on Canadians. Which is why we must fund this strategy in Budget 2021.
I hope to see your government continue the leadership it has shown on health files through the pandemic and take a significant step in the fight against chronic diseases.
Sincerely,
Jenica Atwin
MP Fredericton