Oakville North-Burlington Member of Parliament Pam Damoff is sponsoring an e-petition initiated by Burlington resident and Canadian Football League Hall of Famer Tony Gabriel to have Terry Fox featured on the back of the newly proposed $5 bill.

In 1980, after losing one leg to osteosarcoma, Terry Fox embarked on the Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada run to raise awareness of, and funds for, cancer research. For 3,339 miles, Terry ran a marathon a day for 143 days before his cancer returned and he had to stop running. Those 143 days made Terry a household name and Canadian hero who reminds us of the power of hope and the possibility of dreams.

CFL Legend Tony Gabriel at the Burlington, ON Terry Fox Mile Marker

Tony Gabriel is a former professional Canadian football pass receiver who played in the Canadian Football League from 1971 to 1981 for both the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Ottawa Rough Riders. He was the leading receiver in the Eastern Conference of the CFL five times, and had more than 1,000 yards in receptions five of his 10 professional years. His three last-minute catches helped the Tiger-Cats win the 1972 Grey Cup and he caught the game-winning touchdown in the 1976 Championship for the Ottawa Rough Riders. Tony was named the Canadian Player of the 1976 Grey Cup game and inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Tony’s reasons for initiating the e-petition in honour of Terry Fox are very personal. He lost his father as a young boy to environmental lung cancer due to his work in a chemical factory that manufactured pesticides. In 1990, his youngest son Shane was diagnosed with B-cell leukemia at the age of 10 and a decade later, he lost his eldest brother Joe to aggressive pancreatic cancer six short weeks after diagnosis. And just last year, Tony’s dear friend and mentor, lawyer David Gavsie, passed away after a diagnosis of late stage pancreatic cancer. Tony attributes his son’s recovery from leukemia to advancements in leading-edge cancer research and treatments and in the decade between his brother Joe’s death from pancreatic cancer and his friend David’s death from the same disease, advancements in pancreatic cancer treatment allowed his friend to live for 16 months post-diagnosis, instead of the six weeks his brother lived.
"Terry Fox's unselfish efforts were so inclusive in bringing renewed hope to all Canadians, regardless of background, gender or age,” said Tony. “Terry stood tall and ran and hopped on that prosthetic leg for all Canadians, so that future generations of Canadians' health would benefit. Terry's legacy is that over $800 million has been raised to date over 40 years for Canadian cancer research in his name."

This year saw the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Marathon of Hope. On July 1, 1980, Tony Gabriel greeted Terry Fox at Lansdowne Park for the ceremonial kickoff at the Ottawa Rough Riders football game. Tony didn’t know it at the time, but he had just as much influence on Terry as Terry had on him.

MP Pam Damoff is a long-time supporter of the Terry Fox Foundation. In 2019, after 3 years of hard work, she secured $150 million over five years from the Government of Canada for the creation of the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network. The Network unites cancer centres across Canada for the first time, accelerating the implementation of precision medicine so that Canadian cancer patients can access the right treatment at the right time for their cancer, no matter where they live.

“I am thrilled to sponsor Tony’s e-petition to honour my hero, Terry Fox.,” said MP Damoff. “Terry is one of the most recognizable Canadians in the world and has literally changed the face of cancer research and treatment here in Canada and internationally. Terry said, ‘I might not make it - if I don’t, the Marathon of Hope better continue.’ And it has. As a life-long CFL fan, assisting Tony Gabriel to see this fitting and well-deserved recognition of Terry to have him pictured on Canada’s $5 bill, is something I am really proud to do.”

Canadian citizens and residents can sign the petition before 4:00pm on January 2, 2021 at https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-3005

Media Contact:
Keri Schoonderwoerd
Communications Manager
Office of Pam Damoff, Member of Parliament
Oakville North-Burlington
[email protected]