Mr. Speaker, I am here today to discuss a motion that asks the government to follow the example of other Canadian police services by equipping all RCMP vehicles with automated external defibrillators, and save hundreds of lives each year. As deputy shadow minister for health, I have a responsibility to ensure that the government is providing adequate health resources, and access to this medical device is imperative for the health and safety of Canadians. I would like to thank my colleague Alain Rayes for bringing this motion forward as a result of his moving incident where his friend was able to survive cardiac arrest due to an AED.
The automatic external defibrillator, also known as AED, is a device intended to restart an individual's heart in the event of cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function due to the heart's electrical system not functioning properly. When the heart stops beating, the patient has no blood or oxygen circulating. In that instance, every second counts more than the last as the brain cannot survive long in those conditions. An AED works by sending an electrical shock to the heart in an attempt to reset it so that it will beat properly once again. They are small, portable devices that can not only provide the electric shock but analyze the person's heart rhythm, determine whether a shock is actually needed, and even provide directions to the individual administering the device on a person. These are life-saving devices.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, there are approximately 40,000 cardiac arrests in Canada each year. Eight in ten cardiac arrests occur in public places or at home, but only one in ten people survives a cardiac arrest that happens outside of a hospital. AEDs need to be easily accessible, because the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest double when early CPR is used in combination with an AED in the first few minutes.
AEDs are easy to use, not just for first responders, but for the general public as well. They come with voice prompts and a screen to help the user monitor and administer the electrical shock. They are safe, easy to use, and fast-acting. Installing AEDs in easily accessible locations in public places will save lives.
In some situations, police have a much faster response time than paramedics. Most homes and many public places do not have AEDs. That is why we depend on our emergency services to provide them. Ideally, there would be an AED in every police car, but we can start with RCMP cars. First responders play a vital role in our society, and this initiative is a great way to help them.
Mr. Speaker, imagine this: You are up at the cottage, and a loved one goes into cardiac arrest. You call 911 to get immediate medical assistance. The first person who arrives at the door is an RCMP officer, but you find out that the officer can only perform CPR and must wait for an ambulance or the fire department to arrive to provide an AED. While you endure the very long wait for either the fire department or an ambulance to arrive at your remote location, your loved one does not make it, because a small, simple device that anyone could use was not there. Fortunately, AEDs are placed in so many public areas, such as shopping malls, schools, and the workplace, but we also need them where it makes sense the most, in the hands of all first responders.
AEDs are normally quite small and compact. They weigh four to five pounds and are smaller than a shoebox. Fortunately, I do not know what the inside of a police car looks like, but I imagine they would be able to fit in numerous places, such as in the trunk, under the front seat, or maybe even in the glovebox or the middle console. They would essentially go unnoticed until an emergency that requires one comes up. They are purchased in bulk at approximately $1,000 apiece, and training costs are essentially zero because cops are already trained with this device.
Dozens of Canadian police forces, including the RCMP, already equip some of their patrol vehicles with AEDs, but this coverage is not complete. Based on the successes of municipal police departments that currently equip their patrol vehicles with AEDs, equipping all RCMP patrol vehicles with AEDs would save hundreds of lives every year.
The Ottawa Police Service equips all of its vehicles with AED devices and has a survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest double that of the provincial rate. Imagine the impact we could make by putting AEDs in RCMP vehicles across the country.
AED programs are important to Canadians and the Conservative Party of Canada, which is evident in the national automated external defibrillator, AED, initiative, which we implemented while we were in government. Promoting access to AEDs was a national initiative to install AEDs and provide training to those working in arenas across Canada. Our priority was to protect the health and safety of Canadians while encouraging active and healthy lifestyles. This program has installed 3,000 AEDs and trained 23,000 Canadians in their operation.
Putting AEDs in recreational facilities across the country just made sense, because individuals are at a higher risk for cardiac arrest during intense physical activity, such as playing hockey. This is especially so for people with unknown underlying cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure. Putting AEDs in RCMP vehicles is another initiative that just makes sense, because the RCMP is likely to have to respond to those emergencies and needs the right tools to best manage the situation.
We have a duty as parliamentarians to help protect Canadians and support our national police service. These devices are simple to use for almost all individuals, and the training is typically part of standard first aid training. They would be used to help save 40,000 Canadians who go into cardiac arrest each year. It is essential to have these as accessible as possible, as the chance of survival drastically decreases the longer it takes to administer that life-saving shock.
AEDs are especially important in the vehicles of rural RCMP officers as they are more likely to be the first people to respond to an emergency call, and treatment for cardiac arrest cannot always wait for an ambulance to arrive. The upfront costs are negligible, and training costs are virtually zero. It is astonishing, in fact, that this is not already in place. Other police forces across the country, including right here in Ottawa, have their vehicles equipped with AEDs. We have AEDs in recreational facilities across the country, but not with all first responders.
In conclusion, I am asking for the support of all parties to adopt this motion. We have a responsibility as federal parliamentarians, not just to RCMP officers but to the Canadian public, to keep Canadians safe and our first responders prepared.