Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House and all Canadians that April 17 is World Hemophilia Day.
Hemophilia is a hereditary disease spread primarily from mother to son. There are approximately 3,800 hemophiliacs in Canada.
April 17 is the birthday of Frank Schnabel, a hemophiliac and founder of the Canadian Hemophilia Society and the World Federation of Hemophilia.
The Canadian Hemophilia Society is dedicated to assuring better care for all people with inherited bleeding disorders, like von Willebrand disease. This disease is the most common of all inherited bleeding disorders and can affect up to 1% of the population, hitting both men and women, who, for the most part, are not diagnosed.
I invite everyone to join me in congratulating the Canadian Hemophilia Society on its remarkable efforts and wishing it all the best on this World Hemophilia Day and on its 50th anniversary.