Mr. Speaker, November 4 to 10 is Pharmacy Awareness Week in recognition of the contribution that pharmacists make to the good health of all Canadians.
Tragically, 12,500 lives are lost each year because they did not take their medications properly. In fact, it is estimated that 50 per cent of Canadians do not take their prescription medications exactly as prescribed.
The cost to Canada's health care system is $7 billion to $9 billion a year, and we can and should do better.
During this week pharmacists are organizing and participating in a range of activities to encourage all Canadians to seek the advice and information they need to avoid potential problems.
I commend the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association, its related organizations and pharmacists for their efforts to identify, prevent and resolve drug related problems in the best interests of the good health of all Canadians.