Thank you.
With me today is Jim Libbey, chief financial officer for the Public Health Agency. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to the supplementary estimates (B) for 2010-11 as they pertain to the agency.
Our commitment to chronic disease prevention and control is among our highest priorities for the coming year and this year.
Chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, remain the greatest cause of death and disability in Canada.
It is remarkable that much of this is preventable. It demonstrates an ever-increasing need for Canadians to focus on their own health. And it underscores the necessity of collaboration between governments at all levels, their partners, communities, and individuals to help prevent these diseases and to increase awareness and understanding.
In September the Minister of Health announced a landmark declaration on prevention and promotion, including Canada's first intergovernmental framework for curbing childhood obesity.
The declaration is a visionary public statement of our intent. Governments across this country are working together on these crucial issues. We are providing the foundation for much of our future work.
This fiscal year $685.6 million has been allocated to the agency. As I noted in June, we are devoting over $115 million this year to efforts surrounding chronic disease.
That includes efforts to increase capacity and knowledge in prevention and control of diseases, such as HIV and AIDS.
It also helps us gather and analyze data on the rates, trends, and patterns of injuries and disease in Canada. As an update since June, the agency will also be transferring funds worth approximately $4.3 million this fiscal year, much of which will complement those initiatives. For example, $600,000 dollars will be transferred to the Canadian Institutes for Health Research to support intervention research and knowledge translation to address chronic disease prevention.
There is one other major item I would like to mention before I close.
Breast cancer, as members know, is the most common cancer among Canadian women.
Hundreds of Canadians are newly diagnosed with breast cancer each week. It is imperative that the government continue to support cancer prevention, control, and research, and to do its part to reduce the burden of cancer in Canada.
For these reasons, I am pleased to report that, through a permanent transfer of $3 million to the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the agency is helping to fund targeted breast cancer research.
I am confident this funding will go a long way towards improved survival rates, and improved prevention and quality of life for those suffering from breast cancer.
This represents our single biggest transfer for these estimates. I have only touched the surface of the agency's priorities this year. The H1N1 pandemic, for example, which lasted into this year, solidified our place, we believe, as global leaders in responding to infectious disease outbreaks.
2010 saw the agency continue to build on the lessons learned from H1N1, focusing efforts on continued collaboration with all partners. These efforts will strengthen our preparedness for future pandemics and outbreaks.
Madam Chair, these supplementary estimates show that the Public Health Agency's vision remains constant and relevant to healthy Canadians and communities in a healthier world. All of Canada, we believe, will benefit from our efforts.
Thank you for your time. I will be happy to answer questions later.