Yvonne Jones, then newly elected Liberal MP from Newfoundland and Labrador, asks a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday June 4, 2013. Jones is taking a leave of absence to deal with a resurgence of breast cancer. CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – Labrador member of Parliament Yvonne Jones is taking a leave of absence to deal with a recurrence of breast cancer.
The parliamentary secretary to the ministers of natural resources and of northern affairs says in a social media video that she was diagnosed in September.
Jones says the diagnosis came in the early stages of the disease, adding that she’ll be stepping back from her duties to undergo treatment and surgery as required.
She has been in politics since the early 1990s, serving first as mayor of the Labrador town of Mary’s Harbour before moving to the provincial legislature and then to Ottawa in 2013.
She was first diagnosed with breast cancer 12 years ago while serving as leader of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Liberal party.
In her message today, Jones says she is proof that early cancer detection can save lives, and she encourages women to seek regular testing if they are of the appropriate age.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2022.
