Mr. Speaker, June is Cardiovascular Disease Awareness Month.
Every year, some 50,000 Canadians die or suffer a severe disability as a result of this disease. Cardiovascular disease is the greatest cause of extended disability among adults and leads to close to 17,000 hospitalizations every year.
The direct annual cost related to cardiovascular disease is approximately $2.7 billion, including hospital care, drugs, medical consultations and research. There are also enormous indirect costs, such as the loss of productivity due to death or short or long term disability.
We are proud of the work done by through the Canadian Stroke Network, and by others to encourage Canadians to adopt a healthier lifestyle. All of us can, and should, call on all of society to invest in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.