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The Voice of People With Breast Cancer
Education
Publications
& Resources
Q&E Session:
CancerAndWork.ca Experts Answer Your Questions About Navigating Work and Cancer: September 16, 2026
After watching, please take a few minutes to complete our post-session survey and share your feedback with us.
About: Managing work during or after a breast cancer diagnosis can be challenging. Whether you are working through treatment, planning your return or looking for a new job, it is normal to have questions about your options and the supports available.
In this live Questions & Experts session featuring Maureen Parkinson, a Vocational Rehabilitation Counsellor and Dr. Christine Maheu, professor at the Ingram School of Nursing at McGill University, both founding members of cancerandwork.ca, answer questions and share practical advice for helping you navigate work and cancer.
Key Topics:
- Returning to work after treatment
- Working during treatment
- Workplace accommodations
- Talking with your employer
- Your rights at work
- Financial supports
- Vocational rehabilitation services and building a support team
- Balancing work and your health
- Job searching after cancer
Expert Speakers:
Maureen Parkinson is the co-lead and content lead for https://cancerandwork.ca/. She has worked for 30 years at the BC Cancer as the provincial vocational rehabilitation counsellor where she helped individuals with returning, remaining and finding work after cancer. As well she is an instructor for the Cancer and Worker Support for Pacific Coast University. She created the Cancer and Returning to Work: A Practical Guide for Cancer Patients and developed and taught return to work and job search seminars for cancer survivors. Previously, she has worked as a rehabilitation hospital vocational rehabilitation counsellor, a vocational rehabilitation consultant for a private consulting agency; and as an instructor/facilitator teaching job search and career exploration for Service Canada funded programs.
She has a Masters in Counselling Psychology, is a Canadian Rehabilitation Counsellor.
Dr. Christine Maheu, RN, Ph.D., is an Professor at the Ingram School of Nursing at McGill University and an affiliate scientist at the McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, Cancer Program. Dr. Maheu’s research interests include developing interventions that address the following cancer survivorship issues: return to work, fear of cancer recurrence, managing cancer-distress, uncertainty and coping. Dr. Maheu is the Co-Director of Cancer and Work (https://www.cancerandwork.ca), a Canadian bilingual website created with a multidisciplinary team and expert writers to address the gap in return-to-work support for cancer survivors.
Resources:
- Cancer and Work Homepage: https://cancerandwork.ca/
- Tips for communication: https://cancerandwork.ca/survivors/communication-and-teamwork/
- Legal questions: https://cancerandwork.ca/survivors/legal-questions
- Who gets to know: How to exercise your power of “disclosure” https://cancerandwork.ca/survivors/communication-and-teamwork/how-to-exercise-your-power-of-disclosure/
- Finance and Disability: https://cancerandwork.ca/survivors/finances-and-disability/
- Benefits for self-employed people: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-self-employed-workers.html
- Step 5 of 10 of Return to work is 'Take Control': https://cancerandwork.ca/survivors/returning-to-work-staying-at-work/develop-a-formal-return-to-work-plan/
- Human rights section: https://cancerandwork.ca/survivors/legal-and-legislation/reasonable-accommodation-employers-employees-and-unions/
- CNESST: https://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/en/client-services/complaints-recourses/labour-standards-complaints
- Step 8: work simulation: https://cancerandwork.ca/survivors/returning-to-work-staying-at-work/managing-expectations-at-your-workplace/
- Workplace accommodations: https://cancerandwork.ca/survivors/workplace-accommodations/
- Step 2 of 10 of iCanWork is Assess function: https://cancerandwork.ca/healthcare-providers/returning-to-work-staying-at-work/return-to-work-steps-for-health-care-providers/assess-functioning/
- Emotional assessment Guidance for healthcare professionals: https://cancerandwork.ca/healthcare-providers/returning-to-work-staying-at-work/return-to-work-steps-for-health-care-providers/assess-functioning/
- Workplace wellbeing: https://cancerandwork.ca/survivors/workplace-wellbeing/
- Government of Canada - Caregiving: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/caregiving.html
- Cancer and Work caregiver resources: https://cancerandwork.ca/healthcare-providers/caregivers/resources-for-caregivers/
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