Honourable senators, I rise in the Senate today to pay tribute to Maggie, Hannah, Cameron, Peter and the countless others affected by childhood cancer. As we begin the month of October, I want to highlight that the end of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month was September 30.

Childhood cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in children in Canada, with almost 1,000 children being diagnosed with cancer each and every year. This September, Canadians across the country wore the gold ribbon pin to honour all the children and families impacted by pediatric cancer, as well as those dedicated health care workers and researchers committed to curing this disease.

Honourable colleagues, this August, I sent letters to each of you with a gold ribbon pin to wear in support of, and to help raise awareness for, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. As I mentioned in my letter, gold is a precious metal, just as our children are our most precious treasure.

I want to thank each of you who wore this pin during the month of September to show your support of, and raise awareness for, these children and their families. I would like to share a note of thanks I received earlier this month from Childcan: “Your support helps to shine a light on their experience and reminds them that they are not alone.”

Throughout all the hardships these children face, they embody remarkable strength, resilience and an unwavering hope for their future. They are the real superheroes, and I am inspired by the bravery and courage they exhibit in the face of this adversity.

Every year, the lives of these children and their families are turned upside down. Without warning, their days become filled with hospital stays, appointments and procedures. Thankfully, numerous organizations like Ronald McDonald House Charities, or RMHC, and Childcan are doing selfless work to support these children and their families — from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond.

Ronald McDonald House Charities helps families who have to travel to receive treatment for their sick child, ensuring that families can stay together to support each other during this time of need. Other organizations like Childcan specifically help families and children fighting cancer, starting at diagnosis. They fund research, provide financial assistance, emotional support and social programming to remove some of the burden from these families’ shoulders so they can focus on their child’s care.

Thank you to all the passionate workers across our country who are making a significant impact on these families’ lives. We need to ensure that organizations like Childcan and RMHC continue to be supported so they can continue to empower children and give families the ability to focus on their sick child.

September has come to a close, marking the end of another Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, but pediatric cancer does not stop with the end of the month. We must continue raising awareness for this disease to promote more investment in research in order to reduce the number of children lost far too soon to childhood cancer.

Thank you. Meegwetch.