Mr. Speaker, November has been proclaimed awareness month for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, better known as CPR.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Canada and the leading cause of death among older women. More than 60,000 Canadians die every year from heart attacks and strokes.
The basic skills of CPR can be learned in as little as four hours, yet fewer than 3 per cent of all Canadians can perform it. Therefore Health Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, together with the Red Cross Society, St. John Ambulance, the Canadian Ski Patrol, the Royal Lifesaving Society of Canada, and the Advanced Coronary Treatment Foundation encourage all Canadians to take the time to learn CPR.
On behalf of the members of the House, I would like to support the initiatives of CPR awareness month and urge all Canadians to familiarize themselves with CPR. We should all know that a few hours of training could save the life of someone we love.