Cancer Is Showing Up Earlier in People

Monday, January 13, 2025

This week from The Walrus:

Why Are More Young People Being Diagnosed with Cancer?

Better screening is only a small piece of the puzzle

BY SANAM ISLAM

A young woman wearing a hospital gown sits on a bed, looking down at the ground.

A 2022 study found that, in addition to people having more Westernized diets over the past three decades, today’s adults were exposed to other risk factors—such as environmental hazards and more sedentary lifestyles—at younger ages compared to the generations before them. Researchers believe that may be why cancer has started to show up earlier in patients’ lives now when compared to the 1970s and ’80s. And while more screening does play a role—the authors acknowledged that enhanced testing could explain some of the diagnoses—it doesn’t account for the spike in cases we’ve seen in recent years.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stands in front of a podium microphone and purses his lips into a frown.

Trudeau’s Exit Could Save the Liberals (from Oblivion)

New poll sparks hope his exit will help party rebuild

BY PHILIPPE J. FOURNIER

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talks to media in the foyer outside the House of Commons prior to Question Period in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.

Ten (Other) Times Justin Trudeau Could Have Stepped Down

There have been a lot of scandals

BY HARLEY RUSTAD

Is Canada Ready for Life Without the CBC? Pierre Poilievre Thinks So

Saving one of Canada’s most controversial institutions won’t be easy

BY TOM JOKINEN

Pope Francis, wearing white, raises his hand to bless a smiling group of nuns, dressed in black, grey, and white habits.

The Pope’s Feminism: Progress for Women, Just Not Too Much

As calls for female ordination grow, the Vatican grapples with its limits

BY MICHAEL W. HIGGINS

In a photo illustration, a woman tries to hold up an enormous tower of books looming and leaning over her.

I List Therefore I Am: Letting Go of Reading Goal Anxiety

What if tallying up books at the end of the year was less about numbers?

BY TAJJA ISEN

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For decades, Tim Hortons has marketed itself as distinctly Canadian, connecting its brand to fuzzy feelings of love and shared traditions, writes Tom Jokinen. This wholesome branding created a political phenomenon: the “Tim Hortons voter.” What does author Douglas Hunter describe this voter as?

Yes, I Know the Answer

In this episode of What Happened Next, host Nathan Whitlock is joined by writer, artist, and filmmaker francesca ekwuyasi. Her most recent book is Curious Sounds: A Dialogue in Three Movements, a collaboration with celebrity chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and visual and recording artist Roger Mooking. They talk about how having her first book—Butter Honey Pig Bread—on the CBC’s Canada Reads was directly responsible for her second, about how writers should let themselves explore whatever theme or territory has them in its grip, and about how she has finally discovered the joy of writing at an actual desk.

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Canada is feeling the squeeze. Rents are soaring, grocery bills keep climbing, and for too many families, the math of daily life just doesn’t add up. These aren’t isolated struggles—they’re systemic challenges tied to policy decisions and political choices. And they’re exactly what’s at stake in the 2025 federal election.

But here’s the thing: understanding these issues, and the solutions being proposed, isn’t easy in a world awash with misinformation and partisan spin. That’s where The Walrus comes in. Our mission is to cut through the noise, to connect the dots between the policies debated in Parliament and the realities playing out in your neighbourhood.

To do that—to keep reporting with depth, rigour, and clarity—we need your support. This election is about more than picking a leader. It’s about charting a future for Canada. Help us keep telling the stories that matter. Donate today.

Carmine Starnino
Editor‐in‐Chief, The Walrus

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