Mr. Speaker, today volunteers living with diabetes in communities across Canada have come to Parliament to raise awareness of the disparities in treatment and effects of living with this difficult illness.
The facts are alarming: of the two million Canadians living with diabetes today, over 80% will die of heart disease or stroke. Diabetes dramatically increases a person's likelihood of kidney failure, blindness, nerve trauma and amputation.
Canadians do not have equal access to prescription medications to treat this chronic disease. Some provinces restrict access to less than six of the 17 possible diabetes medications available in Canada today.
In all our families, near or far, there are people with this disease. In my family it is my father who has been living with diabetes for many years.
The time has come for every level of government in Canada to work together to improve and harmonize the drug plans to help these courageous Canadians who deserve our support.