Mr. Speaker, Saturday, March 24 is World Tuberculosis Day. The theme of this year's global campaign is “Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course—TB Cure for all”.
In commemoration of World TB Day, Results Canada and the Canadian Lung Association hosted an awareness raising breakfast yesterday, where the Minister for International Cooperation reaffirmed Canada's commitment of over $32 million to reduce TB deaths by 50% by the year 2010.
Tuberculosis is killing more people today than ever before. It knows no borders. It causes two to three million deaths annually and more than one-third of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis.
The World Health Organization in collaboration with various governments like Canada's is working to establish a new drug facility to treat TB. I call on all my colleagues to join the global campaign to stop TB.