Bill C-435 (Historical)

Rare Disease Day Act

An Act to establish Rare Disease Day

This bill was last introduced in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session, which ended in September 2019.

Sponsor

Tom Kmiec  Conservative

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of Feb. 28, 2019
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

This enactment designates the last day in February in each year as Rare Disease Day.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Rare Disease Day ActRoutine Proceedings

February 28th, 2019 / 10:10 a.m.
See context

Conservative

Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-435, An Act to establish Rare Disease Day.

Mr. Speaker, as members know, Rare Disease Day is today. It is held every single year on the last day of February, which means that every four years it will come on a leap day, the rarest day of all.

As many members know, three of my living kids—my three young children—and my wife suffer from a rare disease. My youngest daughter, who passed away last year, suffered from a different rare disease, so this private member's bill has special meaning for me. It would proclaim in Canada a rare disease day.

There are 7,000 rare diseases and over one million Canadians who suffer from them. Two-thirds of children who suffer from a rare disease will not live past their fifth year. It is high time for Canada to recognize the international Rare Disease Day.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)