I would also like to thank the witnesses who are here today.
First of all, allow me to quote certain passages from the document entitled: The Economic Burden of Injury in Canada presented to us by the SMARTRISK group. This document describes the situation in each of the provinces. Madam Chair, may I be allowed to read what is being said about Quebec. This is at page 103 of the French translation, and at page 99 of the English version. The document states:
In Quebec, the network of public health organizations has been consistently active within the area of injury prevention for the last 20 years. The injury prevention initiatives in the province are an expression of the Loi sur la santé publique (The Public Health Act) and the Programme national de santé publique 2003-12 (The Provincial Public Health Program 2003-12). The latter document identifies the priorities to be addressed by the public health and social services networks throughout the province.
I will skip a few lines and go to the second paragraph that I will quote in its entirety:
The initiatives that have been implemented so far have yielded successful results in decreasing the number of injuries and deaths on the road, at home, and in sports and recreation. Successful initiatives have been those that have targeted individual behaviour, produced safer environments, or enforced safety regulations. As it was mentioned above, success has been dependent on collaborative efforts among a wide range of related stakeholders.
And finally, I will read the last paragraph in its entirety:
To a group of leading organizations in the field of injury prevention in the province, the WHO has offered the designation of “Centre collaborateur OMS du Québec pour la promotion de la sécurité et la prévention des traumatismes (Quebec WHO collaborating Centre for Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention)”. The Centre operates under the supervision of l’Institut national de santé publique du Québec, and works closely with the World Health Organization and the Pan-American Health Organization. The Centre addresses the safety and injury prevention needs of the international community as well as those of the international network of French-speaking safety and injury prevention organizations.
Madam Chair, I have finished reading the portion of the report pertaining to Quebec.