Mr. Speaker, with the holiday season fast approaching I would encourage all members and all Canadians to give to the Canadian Lung Association's Christmas Seal Campaign.
This campaign began when a Danish postman, Einar Holboell, looked at the needy children around him and had the idea that a single extra stamp on each Christmas letter would cost each individual so little but do so much good. Canada's first Christmas Seal Campaign was in 1927. The money raised supports research and treatment of lung disease, tuberculosis as well as raising funds for sanatoria and community programs. Although TB is no longer as serious a problem in this country as it was in the earlier part of this century, there are still about 3,000 cases every year, and the occurrence of other lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthma has increased enormously.
This Christmas I encourage everyone to put a Christmas seal on their Christmas cards, websites or e-mail greetings.