Consultez la version française de cette campagne
Colorectal cancer doesn't wait until age 50, and Quebec's screening program shouldn't either.
Across Canada, provinces are taking action: Prince Edward Island and Ontario have both announced they are lowering their colorectal cancer screening age to 45. Quebec is being left behind.
Colorectal Cancer Canada is calling on the Quebec government to lower the colorectal cancer screening age to 45, and to finally move from an opportunistic model to the proactive, invitation-based approach that other provinces have offered their residents for more than a decade.
Why Screening at 45 Matters
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common and deadly cancers in Canada. Rates among people under 50 are rising, and too many Quebecers are diagnosed only after symptoms appear.
By then, the cancer is often more advanced and harder to treat.
Colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable and 90% curable when caught early. Yet Quebecers aged 45 to 49 are currently excluded from the provincial screening program entirely. What makes this even harder to accept: Canada is not standing still.
The results of the REFRAME model, based on Quebec incidence trends and population projections tailored to the Quebec context, show that lowering the age for colorectal cancer screening to 45 could, between 2025 and 2071:
- prevent approximately 2,870 cases of colorectal cancer;
- prevent nearly 1,200 deaths;
- prevent more than 16,000 potential years of life lost;
- generate approximately $60 million in savings for the Quebec healthcare system.
Prince Edward Island was the first province to commit to screening at 45. Ontario has now announced it will follow. Other provinces have been proactively inviting eligible residents to get screened for more than a decade.
Quebec, by contrast, still relies on an opportunistic model, meaning people only get screened if they visit Clic Santé. That is not a screening program. That is chance.
And we cannot fight cancer based only on luck. We need political willingness.
What We’re Asking For
We are calling on the Quebec government to:
- Lower the colorectal cancer screening age to 45 for average-risk individuals
- Adopt a proactive, invitation-based screening model, as other provinces have done for years
- Ensure that Quebecers have equitable access to the same life-saving screening available to Canadians in other provinces
This is a practical, evidence-based step that can reduce late diagnoses, improve outcomes, and reduce long-term pressure on Quebec’s healthcare system.
What You Can Do!
Write a letter to your local MNA and Quebec's Minister of Health. Tell them that Quebecers aged 45 to 49 deserve the same access to screening as Canadians in PEI and Ontario.
If you or a loved one has been affected by colorectal cancer, especially in your 40s, your story is exactly what decision-makers need to hear. Make sure to highlight why early screening in this age group is so vital in your text.
