4 minute read
PROFILE
Brampton MP Sonia Sidhu champions diabetes awareness in Canada
By Ramya Ramanathan
Did you know that diabetes affects 11 million Canadians and can lead to lifethreatening complications if not treated? That in Canada’s South Asian community, one in six residents suffers from diabetes or pre-diabetes and the rate is only growing?
Since her election in 2015 as the member of parliament (MP) for Brampton South, Indian-born Sonia Sidhu has been on the forefront of the #LetsDefeatDiabetes campaign in Canada. After dozens of consultations over the years, MP Sonia Sidhu has put forward Private Member’s Bill C-237 towards tacking diabetes, which received unanimous support from all parties and will be sent to the Senate after finishing its third reading in the House of Commons.
Bill C-237, also known as the National Framework for Diabetes Act, aims to raise awareness about diabetes and prediabetes, guide health care and other professionals in preventing and treating diabetes, and promote research, data collection and information sharing to prevent and treat this disease.
Once this act comes into force, the minister of health will publish a national framework for diabetes for the nation to follow.
This journey to this bill, and it being only a couple of steps away from becoming Canadian legislation, spans beyond the six years in politics for MP Sidhu. With 18 years of experience as a health care professional, Sidhu entered the world of politics with a deep understanding of health care needs across the country, most notably diabetes.
“I saw a lot of newcomers affected by diabetes over many years. The rate of diabetes has increased over the years, affecting South Asian Canadians predominantly. Being a South Asian Canadian, I saw the need for better care and support among my friends and neighbours in Brampton,” she says.
The disease is spread across all communities. “Diabetes also disproportionately affects First Nations, who are three to four times more likely to have it than the general population. Having seen the effects of this disease up close and knowing that it is often preventable, I know we must be proactive in this fight,” she says.
Sidhu was aware that the number of diagnoses in Canada had doubled in the last 20 years, and that patients with cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, amputation or high blood pressure, would often have diabetes as an underlying and complicating condition. November as Diabetes Awareness month was passed unanimously in the House of Commons.
“Canadians recognize that this is one of the most common chronic conditions in the country, and most people have a friend or family member living with diabetes. This is why my motion to declare November as Diabetes Awareness month was passed unanimously in the House of Commons, and this recognition was also made by Brampton city council,” she says.
Whether it be helping fellow members of parliament understand the potential impacts of diabetes, meeting with doctors from across the country, or speaking with the local community, Sonia Sidhu has introduced the lens of diabetes in all fields of her work nationally and internationally. This has included a series of consultations with Canadians regarding Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy, revisions to Canada’s Food Guide, and reducing the marketing of unhealthy foods to children.
Sidhu has been committed to putting into place a national plan for tackling this disease for over two decades.
“Canada needs a single national strategy to fight diabetes, created in cooperation with the provinces, territories, indigenous groups and all other stakeholders. We need to raise awareness and promote education about best practices. We need to standardize treatment across the country, so your level of care is not dependent on where you live. And we need to fund research so that Canada can eventually lead the way to a cure,” she says.
She also highlights that the current pandemic has caused many challenges that need to be dealt with.
“The economic insecurity, lack of physical activity and mental health struggles associated with the pandemic all have a negative impact on those living with diabetes. Unfortunately, many Canadians are also delaying regular health appointments during the pandemic, so it is likely that many people developing diabetes are having their cases go undetected.”
Last year on World Diabetes Day, Sonia visited the house where Canadian scientist, co-discoverer of insulin and Nobel Prize winner Dr. Frederick Banting grew up in London, Ontario. Here she rekindled the Flame of Hope – a symbolic torch which has burned since 1989 to honour his discovery, which is to be only extinguished when there is a true cure. That is why MP Sidhu finishes every speech with: “Canada gave insulin to the world. Why can we not lead the way?”
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