Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to inform the House and Canadians that February is Heart Disease Awareness Month.
Heart disease, the leading cause of death in Canada, is responsible for 36% of all deaths in Canada, approximately 80,000 Canadians, each year. This is a terrible toll.
Health Canada is proud of its 15-year collaboration with the Canadian Heart Health Initiative, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Coalition for High Blood Pressure Prevention and Control, and numerous other organizations dedicated to encouraging healthy living for Canadians.
By eating right, keeping physically active and not smoking, we can control the major risk factors and prevent or slow down the onset of this disease.
By working together, we can reach our objective of eliminating this modern epidemic of heart disease and improve the quality of life of all Canadians.