Mr. Speaker, January 2000 marked the beginning of the bone and joint decade. The secretary-general of the United Nations has launched this decade in collaboration with the World Health Organization and various national and international organizations for people with musculoskeletal disorders.
There are currently 21 countries whose national governments have officially endorsed the decade but Canada is not one of them. Fortunately however, Canada has put into place a national action network which includes 18 organizations that are working on the promotion of this issue. The Arthritis Society of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research are both supportive of and taking part in this initiative.
I would like to take this opportunity to bring attention to this global initiative and thank all of the organizations that are part of the efforts in Canada.