Mr. Speaker, members of the ALS Society of Canada are on Parliament Hill today to spread awareness about the disease.
This year alone, approximately 1,000 Canadians will learn they have ALS and another 1,000 Canadians will die from the disease.
This disease affects the motor neurons that carry signals between our brains and muscles. Over time, a person suffering from ALS will lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, swallow and eventually breathe. The care responsibility for ALS patients takes a huge emotional, financial and psychological toll on patients and their families. There is no cure for ALS and few treatment options for people living with the disease.
Today has been an opportunity to better understand ALS.
I thank the ALS Society of Canada for its continued advocacy efforts to find a treatment and eventual cure for the disease. Like the ALS Society, I would also like to live in a world without ALS.