The B.C. Conservative Caucus, had meetings this spring and fall, with various stakeholders in the province. We usually meet in Vancouver but last fall we met in West Kelowna and in September we completed meetings in Parksville on Vancouver Island.
Inspire Health, an organization with a mission to improve and transform our approach to health care and personal wellness, discussed an alternate approach to the increasing costs of pharmaceutical treatments. Eleven of the last 12 oncology drugs approved by FDA cost $100k or more per treatment course, extending life by two to three months and are associated with significant side effects.
Our current health- care system focuses on treatment of illness (expensive), not health or prevention. Various studies cited proved that exercise has a direct improvement for cancer patients. Three thousand women with stage-one to stage-three breast cancer reduced their risk by 20 per cent by doing a brisk walk for one hour weekly and 50 per cent when exercising three to five hours per week.
Men reversed progression of early prostate cancer by improving their lifestyle, reducing their PSA. This was a very interesting presentation, great information, as we proceed to meet the health-care challenges in the future.
A number of stakeholders presented on the issue of fisheries. Omega Pacific Hatchery provided stats on survival rates of Chinook smolts relative to the time and size of smolts. If the hatchery delays the release until smolts are a larger size the survival rate goes up 15 to 20 times. We also heard a presentation on fish farming challenges and successes regarding on-land containment tanks.
A presentation concerning the possibility of re-establishing salmon on the Columbia River and a report on the talks with the U.S. government as well as the challenges in providing waterways for spawning fish to bypass existing dams along the Columbia River were also an exciting prospect.
Caucus members were briefed on the Tsilhqot’in v British Columbia Supreme Court ruling. This ruling was a no-game-changer, but a clarification on aboriginal title and the Crown. I cannot go into details because of the political sensitivities but I believe that after the presentation the federal and provincial jurisdictions were not compromised.
There were 14 presentations which helped your B.C. representatives from the federal government become better informed on issues facing our constituents in B.C.
- Colin Mayes is the member of Parliament for Okanagan Shuswap.