May 12, 2008

The president of the Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women says the Cameron Inquiry must complete its work without interference.

“We need to know what went wrong and why,” says Leslie MacLeod. “The inquiry must proceed until those answers come out. Anything short of that is an insult to breast cancer patients, their families and the people of this province.”

According to the Commission of Inquiry on Hormone Receptor Testing website, Part I “will include inquiry into what happened to cause or contribute to the problems, when the problems came to light and whether or not they could have been detected earlier. Part I will also examine which protocols were in place during the relevant time frame and what steps, if any, were taken by responsible authorities upon becoming aware of the problems.”

“The inquiry is doing exactly what it was intended to do,” says MacLeod. “We can’t fix the problems in the system by rushing through the inquiry and worrying about the price tag. Lives have been lost; lives have been dramatically altered. The only way to make sure it doesn’t happen again is to take a long, hard look at the system and the people involved.” 

MacLeod, who attends the inquiry regularly, is pleased with its direction.

“I have every faith Justice Margaret Cameron can lead this inquiry and complete the job she has been given by government,” says the President of the Advisory Council. “The inquiry is very methodical in its approach—it’s far from a witch hunt.”

The Advisory Council calls on government to ensure the inquiry has the time and money to complete its mandate.

-30-

Media Contact:

Leslie MacLeod
President
Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women
709 753 7270

Danielle Finney
Communications Director
Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women
709 753 6007