Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to table in the House today a petition from several hundred Canadians from across the country calling on parliament to officially declare November as Incontinence Awareness Month and to support local communities in Canada in educating and informing constituents across the country about incontinence.
I have one point that is very important. According to statistics, in any group of 300 adult Canadians of all ages, approximately 15 of them experience incontinence. I remind everyone in the House that we have 301 adult Canadians sitting in the House. I ask members to do the arithmetic and draw their own conclusions.
Incontinence often leads to depression and isolation, and is, for many care givers caring for an aging spouse, the last straw before admission to a long term care facility. It is one of the three leading causes of institutionalization.
It is my honour to table this petition in the House today.