Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize June as ALS Awareness Month, as my previous colleague has mentioned.
Over 3,000 Canadians are currently living with ALS, and until recently, this included my dear friend and our colleague Mauril Bélanger. Many members in this chamber remember how he bravely struggled against this brutal and unforgivable disease that ultimately took his life too quickly.
In honour of Mauril and the thousands of Canadian who fought or are still fighting this faceless demon, I introduced my own private member's motion that increases our commitment to a comprehensive strategy for ALS research funding and awareness. I thank the members in this chamber for their support. We must continue trying to make ALS a treatable and non-terminal disease.