Mr. Speaker, on October 1, 1999 the Canadian Medical Association joined the United Nations in celebrating the International Day of Older Persons which was put in place to recognize the contributions to society of our older citizens.
Older persons across the country and around the world are an active and important part of society. As fellow members of society, it is our duty to ensure these older persons receive the health care and special services they need and deserve. The federal government recognizes these needs and is committed to working with Canadians to continually improve our health care system.
We must accommodate the changing demands of our aging and increasing population. The International Day of Older Persons gave us the opportunity to really look at this important sector of our population. Older persons have special health care needs and services which must be made readily available to them.
I would like to applaud the Canadian Medical Association's efforts during this international day. I urge Canadians to work together with each other and with the government to ensure our older persons are well taken care of.