The official petition is on OurCommons.ca. SIGN HERE: [e-6492]

(Change.org is great for awareness, but OurCommons.ca is where it counts! Check after May 19 when parliament reopens.

 

 

 

 

“A nurse, mother, the last one to leave a campfire and not surprisingly a fighter till the end—Heather smile reflects a life dedicated to love, family, and community care.” A registered nurse of thirty five years of her community in Newfoundland, she passed away on May 5, 2024. My mother wasn’t one to “step on toes.” But with this petition, we’re stepping up to say that in Canada, years of inaction have created a system that abandons cancer patients to face death with no real hope on the horizon of improving survival rates.

 

 

 

 

Introduction 👋 

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, with only 10% of patients surviving beyond five years. 70% of those diagnosed will be dead in the first year, and for many, survival is measured in weeks. It sounds bad, right? But it gets worse.

Most Canadians are diagnosed with Stage IV, where survival drops to just 3%. At this stage, the standard of care—chemotherapy—offers no curative intent, meaning the goal is not to cure but to extend survival by a matter of months.

• 10% survival rate beyond five years.
• 70% of patients die within the first year.
• Most are diagnosed at Stage IV, where survival is just 3%.
• The only chance at improving survival? Clinical trials.

Survival improvements are dependent on Canadians participating in clinical trials. Research shows that clinical trials improve survival and quality of life, which is why advocacy organizations, including the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, emphasize that every patient should have the opportunity to participate. These opportunities drive medical advancements and lead to the discovery of new procedures and drug approvals.

Yet all this progress in medical science means little if the infrastructure to provide timely access isn’t in place. Case in point, Onivyde—approved by Health Canada SEVEN years ago—still unfunded due to failed negotiations by Canada's regulatory body, pCPA.

 

Why This Matters

Pancreatic cancer remains a near-certain death sentence for most, with survival rates stagnant and progress limited. For Canadians, especially those outside major provinces like Ontario, Alberta, B.C., and Quebec, accessing life-saving clinical trials and treatments is often impossible.

Key challenges include:

 • Unfunded life-saving treatments: Drugs like Onivyde, approved by Health Canada in 2017, remain inaccessible due to stalled negotiations.

 • Limited access to clinical trials: Trials are concentrated in a few provinces, excluding most Canadians.

 • Rural inequities: Patients outside urban centers face delays, fewer treatment options, and increased costs for care.

 • Lack of national guidelines: Without consistent standards for testing and care, patients face unequal access to critical tools like somatic testing.

What We’re Fighting For

We’re demanding bold federal action to address these inequities. Specifically, we ask the government to:

 

1. Establish National Pancreatic Cancer Care Guidelines

The government should develop and implement national guidelines to standardize pancreatic cancer care across all provinces and territories. These guidelines must include:

 • Genetic and Somatic Testing Protocols: Ensure every patient has access to biomarker testing at diagnosis, regardless of location or financial status.

 • Clinical Trial Integration: Outline clinical trial access as part of standard care, mandating healthcare providers to inform patients of clinical trial options early in their treatment plans.

 • Treatment Navigation Support: Recommend assigning dedicated case managers to help patients understand available resources, clinical trials, and testing options, reducing disparities in care.

2. Fund and Expand Access to Clinical Trials Nationwide

Expand precision medicine and clinical trial access beyond urban centre’s to allow equitable opportunities for participation. This includes:

 • Decentralized Clinical Trials: Fund hybrid decentralized models to bring trials to underserved areas and ensure patients from rural communities can participate.

 • Travel Subsidies and Reimbursement Programs: Provide financial assistance for patients traveling from remote locations to access life-saving trials and treatments.

 • Specialized Training for Providers: Ensure healthcare providers are trained to discuss and identify eligible patients for trials, standardizing the approach to offering these options.

 • Commit to equity in somatic testing: Provide low-cost or free testing to align treatment with patient-specific biology and open access to precision medicine trials.

3. Accelerate and Increase Transparency in Drug Approval Processes

To address delays in drug approvals, such as Onivyde, the government must ensure that approvals are efficient, transparent, and publicly accountable by:

 • Implementing Public Reporting: Establish a system for reporting the status and progress of ongoing drug negotiations, including reasons for any delays beyond two years.

 • Introducing Maximum Timelines: Set clear deadlines (e.g., a maximum of two years) for completing negotiations on critical treatments.

 • Creating a Review Mechanism for Delays: Mandate an independent review of any drug negotiation delayed beyond the maximum timeline, ensuring no unjustified delays.

 

4. Fund Nationwide Biomarker and Genetic Testing Programs

The government should guarantee that all pancreatic cancer patients have access to both genetic and somatic testing. This includes:

 • Funding Testing as Part of Standard Care: Provide federal funding to cover costs associated with both types of testing, ensuring affordability and availability for all Canadians.

 • Partnering with Regional Cancer Centers: Work with centers across provinces to centralize testing information, making it easier for healthcare providers to refer patients for testing and track outcomes.

 • Public Awareness Campaigns: Increase public awareness and education about the benefits of biomarker and genetic testing, helping patients advocate for these options in their care.

 

5. Introduce Accountability Measures to Track Progress and Improve Patient Outcomes

To ensure meaningful change, the government should introduce tracking and accountability mechanisms to measure progress across provinces. This should include:

 • Annual Progress Reports: Publish annual reports on pancreatic cancer care improvements, including clinical trial access, guideline adoption, and drug approval timelines.

 • Patient Impact Assessments: Conduct assessments to measure how policy changes affect patient survival rates and quality of life, with a focus on identifying remaining barriers.

 • Recognition Programs for Provinces: Establish recognition for provinces that implement guidelines and improve access, encouraging others to follow suit.

 

 

 

 

Why Now?

Pancreatic cancer is projected to become the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Canada by 2024. The time to act is now. On World Pancreatic Cancer Day (November 21, 2024), we’re calling on Canadians to demand action by signing and sharing this petition.

How You Can Help

 • Sign the Petition: Add your name to support federal action. Once authorized, we’ll need at least 500 signatures to present this in the House of Commons.

 • Share the Petition: Spread the word on social media to amplify our message.

 • Support Advocacy: Join groups like Craig’s Cause and Pancreatic Cancer Canada to raise awareness.

Together, we can build a future where surviving pancreatic cancer is no longer the exception but the expectation.

 

Call to Action

Sign and share today. Join us on March 7, 9, or 12th in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador as we promote awareness of e-6492 in our first in-person event. Help us send a powerful message to lawmakers: Canadians deserve equal cancer care, regardless of their postal code.

 

 

 

 

About The Heather Cutler Foundation

Inspired by Heather—a registered nurse who dedicated over 35 years to her community—our foundation is built on her journey from caregiver to patient.

The Heather Cutler Foundation is a Canadian nonprofit based in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador. Founded in 2024, the volunteer-led organization was created in memory of Heather Cutler, a registered nurse whose transition from nurse to patient exposed major gaps in access to care for Canadians facing pancreatic cancer.

The Foundation advances national conversations on clinical trial access, precision medicine, research funding, and support for Canadians living with pancreatic cancer. Its work focuses on addressing systemic barriers, particularly for those living outside major urban centres.

In 2024, the Foundation initiated e-petition e-5186, the first federal petition in Canada focused exclusively on pancreatic cancer. This was followed in 2025 by e-petition e-6492 (Health), the first pancreatic cancer petition to receive an official government response. The petition calls for national action to improve clinical trial access; the establishment of national guidelines that incorporate precision medicine—including somatic testing—and clinical trials; expanded research funding; the removal of geographic and financial barriers; and investment in clinical trial modernization through Health Canada’s modernization efforts and the Canadian Remote Access Framework for Clinical Trials (CRAFT) led by 3CTN.

In 2025, the Foundation launched ‘Pancreatic Cancer Policy Builders of Tomorrow,’ a national research and training program for undergraduate students at Memorial University of Newfoundland. The program combines hands-on policy research with stakeholder engagement and culminates in an annual policy submission to the Standing Committee on Health.

In June 2025, the Foundation expanded its proclamation outreach beyond Newfoundland and Labrador to municipalities and cities across Canada to raise nationwide awareness and drive community-level action on pancreatic cancer.

 

 

 

 

The Foundation is a member of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, Cancer Action Now, Volunteer Canada, and Imagine Canada.

 

 

 

Daughter, Bethany Cutler delivers opening words to Kicking PancreAS participants at Quidi Vidi in 2024. Video Credit: HCF

From our founding, our incorporation as a federal non-profit, to joining hands with the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, Team Heather has raised over $14,000 for pancreatic cancer research through Craig’s Cause #KickingPancreAS fundraiser, and our petition for cancer care reform has gathered over 800 signatures.

Now, with the support of some of the world’s strongest voices, we’re more determined than ever to take this fight forward.

 

Press Contact

Lisa Gillespie
The Heather Cutler Foundation
(647) 221-6247
press@heathercutler.ca