Non-profit organizations for cancer patients: We need financial help from Quebec government

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

QUEBEC — This letter is co-signed by the leaders of five provincial non-profit organizations supporting cancer patients and their loved ones. Together, they provide services to more than 55,000 Quebecers every year.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, non-profit organizations supporting cancer patients across Quebec are faced with their greatest financial crisis to date.

Back in mid-March, for the first time in our collective history, we had to suspend all our in-person fundraising activities, leading to a significant loss of revenue for our organizations. With most of our funding secured from those activities, this loss of revenue had a major impact on our abilities to continue to ensure the same level of support to cancer-stricken individuals. Without a swift response from the government, this crisis will only worsen.

Each one of our organizations is responsible for specific services within the healthcare continuum: Housing and accommodations, direct financial assistance, transportation, homecare support, helplines, research funding, psychosocial support, information resources, and support groups. The services we provide are multifaceted and play a crucial role in an already overextended healthcare system. Every year, more than 55,000 Quebecers receive a cancer diagnosis and are supported by our organizations.

With Quebec hit especially hard by the pandemic, many cancer patients and their families have seen their care and treatments suspended or postponed and had to rely on our support more than ever. In this context, our organizations have to constantly reinvent ourselves to minimize financial loss and maintain our services. It is important to remember that cancer does not take a break, even in a pandemic.

In the face of this extraordinary situation, an equally extraordinary action was quickly required, including combining our efforts to speak with one voice. In early May, we alerted the government of our current situation and the inevitable consequences on our respective service offers should the government fail to extend an exceptional assistance to our organizations.

After repeated promises of imminent solutions over the past few months, most of us have yet to receive any tangible support despite numerous reminders. At the time of writing, only two organizations received a response, and while we salute the support extended to transportation and housing/accommodations, the proposed solution is not viable in the medium term. Consequently, what is at risk is the temporary or permanent suspension of direct assistance services provided across the province to a population who is already suffering greatly from the repercussions of the pandemic.

Thus far, the federal government aid programs shielded our organizations from the worst. However, and despite the remarkable innovation and ingenuity of our teams, it is inconceivable to imagine returning to pre-crisis levels of revenue in the short term. The financial crisis arising from the current global health crisis greatly impacts the philanthropic capacity of both corporate and individual donors. These limitations will be felt, not only in the current year but also for several years to come.

While we have been able to maintain our service offer up to now, we will sadly not be able to do so for much longer. For this reason, we appeal to the Gouvernement du Québec to recognize the essential contribution of our services to cancer patients and their families and to respond to the calls for financial support we have made over the past months.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already caused enormous harm to cancer-stricken individuals and their loved ones. While a great many consequences were almost impossible to avoid in the spring, the Gouvernement du Québec now has the power and duty to act and prevent further harm.

- Pascale Bouchard, Executive Director Leucan – the Association for children with cancer; Marco Décelles, Director General Quebec Cancer Foundation; Julie Desharnais, Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives Canadian Cancer Society – Québec; Karine Ippersiel, President and CEO Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation; Laurent Proulx, President and CEO PROCURE – The Force Against Prostate Cancer