news // 4

 

Angela Espinoza
News Editor

| Minews
_ @theotherpress.ca

or the past decade,

November has served as a
month of awareness regarding
prostate exams. “Movember,” as
the month is nicknamed, sees
men each year grow mustaches
to raise money and help seek
better cures for prostate cancer.

This year’s Movember

health movement is pushed by
recent claims that the prostate-
specific antigen (PSA) test, the

: be frequently inaccurate.

: The Canadian Task Force

: on Preventative Health Care

: (CTFPHC), a volunteer medical
: panel, published on October

: 27 an article and condensed

: statement stating that those

: over the age of 55 should not

: receive PSAs when testing for

: prostate cancer.

The condensed version

: specifies that those who have

: been tested between the ages

: of 55 and 69 have experienced

: “moderate quality evidence”

: in testing for cancer. CTFPHC

: defends that there has been

: conflicting evidence in the past

most common form of checking : that PSAs provide accurate

for prostate cancer, may actually = information regarding the state

“a

PSAs may pose dangers rega

» ‘Movember’ may need to seek better testing methods

: of men’s prostates, and have
: been incorrect often enough
: that the tests now present the
: group with cause for concern.

James Dickinson, a

: University of Calgary professor
: of Family Medicine and

: Community Health Sciences,

: told CBC, “Despite 20 years, the :
: amount of evidence [regarding
: accuracy] that’s been brought

: forward is disappointingly

: small” Dickinson, who is

: alsoa member of CTFPHC,

: added, “The enthusiasts are

: enthusiastic despite minimal

: evidence.”

The statement reported

: that the group’s main cause
: for concern is over-positivity;

: testing that frequently ends ina :
: wrongly positive result. As such, :
: more men are being treated for :
: prostate cancer they may not
: even have.

However, Prostate Cancer

Canada defends the usefulness
: and otherwise accuracy of

PSAs when testing patients for

: the disease. Prostate Cancer

: Canada’s Stuart Edmonds told
: CBC, “PSA isn’t the bad actor

: in this, it’s actually decision-

: making along the process that’s :
: part of the problem, how the
: PSA is being interpreted or

: how men are being pushed or
: choosing to have treatment

: when actually treatment may
: not be necessary.”

theotherpress.ca

rding prostate exams

Besides PSAs, digital rectal
exams are the next leading tool
in testing for prostate cancer.

: There is also currently research
: looking into whether or not

: magnetic resonance imaging

: (MRIs) can be used to test

: patients for prostate cancer.

: MRIs are currently best-used

: in detecting more aggressive

: forms of prostate cancer.

After skin cancers, prostate

: cancer is the most common

cancer to occur in men, and

: the third highest cause of

: cancer-related death for men

: in Canada. To get involved in

: fighting against prostate cancer,
: visit Canada’s Movember site

> ca.movember.com/

 

Government looks to

» Potential changes to National Security Regime following Couture-Rouleau attack

Brittney MacDonald
Staff Writer

rior to Martin Couture-

Rouleau’s October 20
targeted hit-and run-attack
on Warrant Officer Patrice
Vincent, and one other soldier
in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu,
Quebec, Couture-Rouleau had
been posting radical, pro-ISIS
messages to his Facebook page.

The revelation has led the
Conservative government to
announce its consideration
of including additional laws
criminalizing public support
of suspected extremist and
terrorist groups in their
upcoming re-examination of

regime, roughly scheduled for

: later this year.

The specifics of the law

: changes have not yet been

: revealed publicly, but in a

: statement to CBC, Jennifer

: Geary, a representative for

: Justice Minister Peter MacKay,
: stated:

“Our government is

: exploring options to build

: on our record to better equip

: our security agencies and law

: enforcement with the tools

: they need to intercept threats

: and ultimately convict those

: who pose a danger to Canadian

: families and communities.”

: Couture-Rouleau had been :

: under investigation and his

: passport seized, but according

the Canadian national security ; £0 RCMP Superinte ndent .
: Martine Fontaine in a public

: statement, “We did not have

: enough evidence to charge him :
: and to detain him.”

Fontaine went on to say,

: “We could not arrest someone
: for having radical thoughts. It’s :
: not a crime in Canada.”

Concern has been raised

: at the ambiguity of what

: defines public endorsement of
: suspected extremist groups.

: Independent Member of

: Parliament, Brent Rathgeber

: raised the issue to CBC news,

: asking, “If one is opposed

: to the Israeli actions in

: Gaza, does that make her

: an anti-Semite? If one is

against Operation Impact [an

: American military mission
: seeking out ISIS agents in Syria :
: and Iraq], is that a ‘pro-ISIS
: sentiment’?”

According to Rathgeber,

: “This is a very slippery slope
: ... and is going to have to be :
: dispassionately and reasonably :
debated.” He also voiced doubt :
: in the government’s ability

: to adhere to an unbiased

: approach, saying, “I see little
: evidence the government is

: interested inacollaborative —:
: approach, which is unfortunate :
: given what is at stake...” :

Various other members

: of Parliament from many

: different parties, as well as

: some independents have

: decided to reserve judgement:
: until the details of the bill have :
: been released.

Last year the Conservative

: government removed specifics
: on hate speech from the
: Canadian Human Rights Act,

criminalize online hate speech

Concern has

been raised at the
ambiguity of what
defines public
endorsement

of suspected
extremist groups

: and instead added offences of
: hate speech to the Criminal

Code. The decision did not go
; unopposed due to the removal

of power from the federal

: Human Rights Commission to
investigate such matters, and
; instead making any offence

: punishable for up to two years
: in prison.