All Dr. Gail Beck wants is $300 million. Beck is the president of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada, a lobby group pushing the federal government to fund a new vaccine for women. Called Gardasil, the inoculation helps prevent cervical cancer and genital warts caused by the human papilloma virus, or HPV. Gardasil, however, costs roughly $400 for three shots over six months, and none of the provinces or territories pay for it at the moment. Beck wants Ottawa to come up with the hefty cash infusion in its March 19 budget, for a national program to make Gardasil readily accessible. It'll be money well spent, Beck argues, calling Gardasil "the biggest health breakthrough for women in many years."

HPV is sexually transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. It can cause cancers in both males and females, but only very rarely in males. Merck & Co., the vaccine's manufacturer, says an average of one Canadian woman dies of cervical cancer every day. About three-quarters of sexually active people will contract one of several different HPV infections over their lifetimes, yet only a small fraction become ill. Health Canada last year approved Gardasil for females between the ages of nine and 26. Tests in males are underway.

Last October during pre-budget hearings, Beck called for the $300-million injection before the Commons standing committee on finance. "The committee is made up of a lot of Conservatives," Beck says. "It was clear that this recommendation resonated with them."

As Canadians await news on funding, the U.S. experience may well offer guidance. In Texas and New Mexico, attempts to introduce laws to make the vaccine mandatory for sixth-grade girls led conservative groups to claim promiscuity could rise. Some parents said laws would violate their right to choose. The outcry forced Merck to stop lobbying state legislatures. In Canada, with $300 million at stake, things may only be heating up.

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