Lisa Raitt, federal transport minister, confirmed cancer-free

Transport Minister Lisa Raitt, who had surgery last month to remove a growth on her ovaries, says testing has confirmed it wasn't cancerous.

"I have received the test results from my Nov. 4 surgery, and am thrilled that there is no sign of malignancy," Raitt said in a statement to CBC News.

"While recovery can take some time, I am pleased with my progress and continue to improve while tending to my responsibilities as member of Parliament for Halton and minister of transport.

"I would like to extend my most sincere thanks and appreciation to my medical team at St. Michael's Hospital for the excellent care they gave me both during and following the operation. I'd also like to express my thanks for all the thoughts and prayers that were sent my way."

Raitt said in early November that she would be taking some time off for the operation and wanted to avoid speculation about why she was off.

She also said she wanted to tell other women to be vigilant about any reproductive issues they experience.

"You start telling the stories, you realize there is a lot of commonality in terms of symptoms and they can be treated. But as well, they should be investigated. You have to check these things out and women have to talk about uncomfortable issues associated with symptoms that aren't pleasant to talk about with others," she said in the interview, broadcast on Global TV's The West Block.

Raitt admitted she was not as vigilant as she should have been after she first started noticing problems three years ago.

"I had some real complaints associated with reproductive issues and I didn't let them go. I continued to talk about them with my doctor and became concerned." Still, she added: "I actually let a year go by in lapsing, in terms of getting a test done, and I shouldn't have done that. I should have been more diligent with my health and I should have followed the advice that I was given."