Question Period Note: Private members bill C-244 (national framework on cancers linked to firefighting act)

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• On January 31, 2022, Liberal MP Romanado (Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, Quebec) introduced Private Member’s Bill C-224.
• Bill C-224 calls on you, as Minister of Health, to develop a national framework designed to raise awareness of cancers linked to firefighting and to support improved access for firefighters to cancer prevention and treatment; table in Parliament a report on the framework one year after the Act comes into force, and prepare a report on the effectiveness of the framework five years thereafter; and designate the month of January as “Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month”.
• The Government of Canada has heard concerns about the higher rates of cancer experienced by firefighters, who every day put their lives on the line to keep Canadians safe.
• We are taking the necessary action to protect these first responders in their lifesaving work. With the Firefighter Action Plan, we are working to better protect firefighters from harmful chemicals released during household fires.
• The Government of Canada welcomes Bill C-224 to further strengthen our efforts and we look forward to working with our provincial and territorial partners, as well as firefighters and other stakeholders, to continue to protect firefighters’ health.

IF PRESSED ON PROVINCIAL/TERRITIORIAL JURISDICTION …
• In Canada, protecting firefighters from occupational cancers is a shared responsibility across federal, provincial and territorial governments. Amendments to the Bill are needed to respect the provincial and territorial government’s mandate for health care delivery and occupational health and safety.

IF PRESSED ON GOAL OF FRAMEWORK ...
• Through a national framework, the Government would aim to raise awareness of cancers linked to firefighting with the goal of improved access to information on cancer prevention and treatment for firefighters throughout Canada.

Firefighters in Canada
There are 32,000 career firefighters and 100,000 volunteer firefighters in Canada.

Most firefighters fall under provincial/territorial (P/T) regulations. Of the 32,000 career firefighters, over 1,000 firefighters are federally regulated employees.

Federal firefighters work for the Department of National Defence, Public Safety Canada, Transport Canada, Parks Canada and Indigenous Services Canada.

Cancers Linked to Firefighting
Firefighters are exposed to higher levels of chemicals and have a higher incidence of cancer, as compared to the general population. The higher exposures to potentially harmful chemicals experienced by firefighters are incurred while responding to fire suppression situations, but also from their personal protective equipment and fire stations.

Between 2006 and 2015, cancer was the leading cause of occupational fatality claims among firefighters in Canada, representing over 86 percent of total claims.

Firefighters develop nine percent more cancers of all types and are 14 percent more likely to die of cancer than age-matched controls in the general population.

On July 1, 2022, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, confirmed the human carcinogenicity of “occupational exposure as a firefighter”, meaning that there is sufficient scientific evidence to conclude that firefighters’ occupational exposure causes cancer (IARC Group 1 classification).

The IARC evaluation found that:
• firefighters’ exposure is particularly linked to mesothelioma (a type of lung cancer) and bladder cancer; and,
• there is limited evidence that firefighters’ exposure causes five other types of cancer: colon, prostate, testicular, melanoma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Bill C-224
On January 31, 2022, a Private Member’s Bill (C-224) was introduced that proposes a national framework for the prevention and treatment of cancers linked to firefighting.

On June 22, 2022, the Bill was unanimously adopted at Second Reading and referred to HESA.

Government of Canada Action Plan to Protect Firefighters
In August 2021, the Ministers of Health and Environment and Climate Change Canada established an Action Plan to help protect firefighters from harmful chemical exposures released during household fires. The Action Plan includes regulatory, communications, and research actions within federal jurisdiction, notably to:
• assess flame retardants to determine whether they are harmful to human health or the environment;
• ban or risk manage harmful chemical flame retardants;
• support product innovation to protect the health of Canadians, by encouraging regulated parties to use safe flame retardants as well as non-chemical alternatives to meet consumer product flammability performance requirements;
• conduct research and monitoring to better understand levels of exposure;
• identify practices for firefighters to reduce harm, such as improvements to personal protective equipment; and,
• share information and raise awareness.

The Minister of Health’s Mandate Letter from December 16, 2021, committed the Department to implement an action plan to protect Canadians, including firefighters, from exposure to toxic flame retardants found in household products.

Federal Leadership in Cancer Research and Prevention
The Government of Canada supports and undertakes research activities on cancer prevention, including specifically pertaining to cancers linked to firefighting. Notable examples include:
• Health Canada conducts collaborative scientific studies to better characterize firefighters’ exposure to chemicals, including flame retardants and combustion-derived carcinogens, and the potential effectiveness of interventions to mitigate exposure, such as dermal decontamination (skin-wiping) after exposure to a fire-suppression scene.
• Health Canada also provides funding to CAREX Canada, a team of researchers and specialists that develop, maintain and communicate occupational and environmental carcinogen exposure estimates in the workplace, including among firefighters:
• Health Canada is the sole funder of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. This organization leads the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control to reduce the burden of cancer on all Canadians, including firefighters, with a focus on prevention, more timely and accurate screening, delivering world-class care, eliminating barriers, and survivorship care.
• The Canadian Institutes of Health Research funds research conducted by scientists in academic institutions across the country on cancer prevention, including some focused-on firefighters.
• The Public Health Agency of Canada supports work on cancer prevention for the general population, including surveillance of chronic diseases and their risk factors, by supporting the development of preventative care guidelines for primary care practitioners, and by supporting community-based programming aimed at preventing chronic diseases.

• Firefighters are exposed to higher levels of chemicals and have a higher incidence of cancer, as compared to the general population. 86% of occupational fatality claims by firefighters are linked to cancers.
• The International Association of Fire Fighters has voiced concerns related to higher cancer incidence and mortality related to occupational chemical exposures.
• In August 2021, the Government of Canada announced a comprehensive action plan to protect firefighters from harmful chemicals released during household fires.
• Bill C-224 was introduced on Jan 31, 2022, unanimously supported at Second Reading and referred to HESA on June 22, 2022.