Mr. Speaker, February is heart month in Canada. Cardiovascular disease causes many preventable deaths. Heart disease and stroke take one life every seven minutes and are the leading cause of death among women.
Many factors contribute to heart disease, including lack of exercise and poor nutrition. Sodium is also a major factor. Canadians consume double the amount recommended by Health Canada. By reducing sodium intake, we can prevent at least 10,000 deaths and 23,000 cardiovascular disease events per year. That is why we need a national sodium reduction strategy, such as the one laid out in Bill C-460, which was introduced by my colleague from Vancouver East, to help people make informed choices about heart health.