Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that October is National Menopause Awareness Month.
Menopause is a major health concern of Canadian women. By the year 2000 approximately four million women will be entering or will already have experienced menopause. There is a need to build greater awareness through the dissemination of information on the effects of menopause.
Menopause can act as a trigger to accelerate the risk of certain diseases such as osteoporosis, which affects one in four women because of estrogen depletion.
The Liberal government has made a commitment to women's health through the establishment of five centres of excellence for women's health. These centres are mandated to conduct research and provide information to the public on key health issues affecting women.
Through the initiative of these centres and the work of other national organizations such as the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, greater awareness on menopause will make our health—