Mr. Speaker, this year, National Safe Driving Week is from December 1 to 7. In the past 50 years, some 200,000 people have lost their lives on Canada's roads. This is a staggering figure and exceeds the total number of Canadians who were killed during both great world wars.
During National Safe Driving Week, it is our duty, as elected members, to remind our constituents to be careful and responsible on the roads, especially as the holidays draw near.
It is a season in which we enjoy good times and good meals, and often indulge in a drink or two. Although there are increasingly fewer victims of car accidents in which alcohol is involved, the fact remains that driving while impaired is still the cause of far too many tragedies on the road.
I am calling on everyone to be responsible and not to drink and drive, or to call a designated driver service such as Operation Red Nose in areas where that service is provided.