Mr. Speaker, this is Emergency Medical Services Week across Canada, and Canadian paramedics have a message that we should take to heart: defibrillators save lives. Every year, over 35,000 Canadians die of sudden cardiac arrest. Having quick access to a nearby defibrillator can help save them, and the chances of survival can go up by 75%.
The Government of Canada owns, operates or regulates a vast array of facilities. However, there is no consistent national policy on defibrillators. Some departments and agencies have them, but about half do not. The RCMP cannot say how many it has, and neither can Public Works Canada.
Paramedic Chiefs of Canada asks that all federal facilities be properly equipped with defibrillators, and The Heart and Stroke Foundation agrees.
Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time. The Government of Canada should be a role model, adopting one consistent national policy and putting life-saving defibrillators in every facility under federal jurisdiction.