Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to remind the House, and all the people of Canada, that February is Heart Month.
Health Canada has collaborated with the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the provinces in the Canadian Heart Health Initiative, in order to encourage Canadians to adopt a healthy lifestyle and to create living and working conditions conducive to healthy choices.
Canada has decided to adopt a public health-centred approach to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the first-ranking cause of death, and one of the top causes of disability in Canada.
Canada has won some important battles in the war against heart disease and stroke, but there is still a great deal left to be done if we are to continue to reduce the risk factors relating to these diseases: high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol levels, and diabetes.
By investing in heart health, we can make a considerable reduction in the incidence of heart disease. And by encouraging all of society to make this investment, we will be able to improve the quality of life of countless numbers of Canadians.