Mr. Speaker, the number one cause of death in men aged 19 to 44 in the major metropolitan areas of Canada is AIDS.
Today is World AIDS Day. The World Health Organization's theme this year is shared rights and responsibilities. This theme highlights the need for equality and solidarity in global responses to AIDS. Its message is clear. Everyone has the right to information, preventive skills and tools, to avoid infection. Everyone has the right to access to appropriate care free from the burden of discrimination.
The World Health Organization message balances these rights with the responsibility of the individual to protect self and others from infection, the responsibilities of families and communities to educate the public about HIV prevention and to care for those infected with AIDS.
Themes are usually rhetoric unless followed by action. Let us in the House commit ourselves to actively ensure those rights and responsibilities become reality. AIDS creates too much tragic waste of human life and potential to do otherwise.