Make your voice heard! Join Defeat Duchenne Canada in our urgent advocacy efforts for accessible and affordable treatments for those living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Canada.

How you can get involved:

The Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders (CORD) has developed a toolkit to make it easy to engage with candidates and campaign teams in your riding:

STEP 1: Find the candidates in your riding

Visit Elections Canada and type in your postal code.

STEP 2: Develop your key messages

Now that you know who your candidates are, what do you want to say to them? Very important: when interacting with candidates, make it personal – share your experiences with rare diseases and how they have affected you or someone you know. And don’t forget to communicate your ask(s)! Three suggestions are below:

1. Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Share your story along with the following message: Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rare, genetic, muscle wasting and life-limiting condition diagnosed in early childhood. There are currently six treatments approved outside of Canada that could delay disease progression and help our children stay stronger for longer. Help us gain access to these treatments for our children in Canada.
2. National Rare Disease Strategy: We urge all candidates to jump-start the implementation of a comprehensive Canadian Rare Disease Drug Strategy building on the committed $500 million in annual federal funding starting in 2022.
3. Federal Drug Pricing Reforms: Withdraw the proposed reforms of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) because they will limit access to treatments, clinical trials, and health research.

STEP 3: Start engaging!

Election candidates will already be very active in your community, hosting town halls and taking part in meetings invited by or alongside community leaders. The best way to follow candidates is through their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, emailing or visiting their campaign office, or even when they knock on your door.

Click the button below to see CORD’s full Election Toolkit.