Thank you, Mr. Speaker. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in Canada. The Beaufort-Delta region has the NWT's highest rates of colorectal cancer and the lowest rates of screening, according to the NTHSSA. I can honestly say that most people from my region have been personally affected by this disease. I would like to give my condolences to all the families in the NWT who have lost loved ones to colorectal cancer as many of my friends and family have. To those who are survivors of colorectal cancer, please continue to be champions of colorectal screening. If caught, nine out of 10 people can be cured. This means screening is essential to prevent deaths from this disease.
Mr. Speaker, last February, the NTHSSA announced it was going to begin a pilot project, and the first phase of that pilot project will focus on the Beaufort-Delta region, that they would be sending out fecal immunochemical tests, or FIT kits, out in the mail to those who met the screening criteria. During that announcement, the stats were only 16 percent of the eligible population of the Beaufort-Delta region participated in colorectal cancer screening. This is less than the territorial average at that time of 21.9 percent and extremely less than the national goal of 60 percent.
Today, I would like to bring awareness to screening for colorectal cancer. Those aged 50 to 74 with no family history, those who have immediate family diagnosed, you are at an increased risk. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all residents to discuss this screening with their healthcare practitioner. We need to make sure that our residents are aware of the screening criteria and ensure that we see our screening rates rise so that we can prevent any further deaths for our loved ones. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services.