December 11, 2013
London, England
Good afternoon.
I'm Rona Ambrose, Canada's Minister of Health.
I want to begin by thanking Secretary Hunt for hosting this G8 Dementia Summit.
This meeting represents a new level of international collaboration when it comes to addressing the health and economic challenges of dementia. By working together and learning from each other, we can accelerate efforts that will make a real difference internationally.
As Canada's Minister of Health, I'm pleased to be a signatory to the Declaration Secretary Hunt just referred to. Canada recognizes dementia as a significant public health priority. But we also know that many of the challenges before us cannot be tackled by the health sector or by governments alone. To improve the quality of life, care and treatment for those affected by dementia; industry, academia and others must work together to support research, innovation and new approaches.
That being said, the Government of Canada is doing its part by investing in research on neurological conditions such as dementia and related illnesses to better understand what causes these conditions, how to delay their progression and how to support those living with these conditions, and their caregivers.
We are using surveillance data to measure the impact of conditions such as dementia on Canadians and the healthcare system to identify needs. And we share our knowledge, in Canada and internationally, to further our mutual attainment of goals.
Continuing in this spirit of collaboration and knowledge exchange, Canada will co-host a workshop with France in 2014 to discuss how we can harness the discoveries stemming from dementia research. This workshop will ensure networks are in place so that important research discoveries can be transformed into meaningful solutions for people living with dementia and those who care for them.
You may be wondering why we are focusing on networks to turn research into solutions — surely they must already exist? Quite simply, the research landscape is changing, and so we must change our approaches as well.
Traditionally, academia and the pharmaceutical industry have worked together to transform discoveries into solutions. But, despite enormous investments and efforts, no one has yet been able to solve the mystery of the neurodegenerative diseases responsible for causing dementia.
Now we are seeing a shift in the approach of pharmaceutical companies — moving away from in-house research focused on a limited number of avenues, to external model that recognizes the complexity and multidimensionality of the dementia challenge. At the same time, we're seeing the medical device and information technology industries emerging as new partners for solutions to dementia.
This shift in the world of research has created new opportunities to transform collaborative research partnerships between industry and academia. This is why I am so pleased that Canada, in collaboration with France — its long-standing partner in dementia research and leader of the EU Joint Programming in Neurodegenerative Disease — is planning this workshop. What better time to use this shift in research to uncover new approaches and innovations in addressing dementia?
Partnering with France on this workshop is a natural fit. The first international collaborative research program launched by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research was a program to foster collaborations between France, Canada and Quebec researchers in dementia in 2009.
Canada has also collaborated on many other fronts, becoming the first non-European country to be fully integrated in the EU Joint Programming in Neurodegenerative Disease. Canada has been the founding partner, with UK and Germany, of the Centers of Excellence in Neurodegeneration and has worked with the US-based Alzheimer's Disease Neuro-imaging Initiative.
I believe that international endeavours such as these are key to unearthing the discoveries we need to tackle the global challenge of dementia. I look forward to working with our G8 partners to build upon our discussion held today so that, together, we're better equipped to help those living with dementia and their families and caregivers.
Thank you.
