Madam Speaker, there is an important celebration happening tonight. It is the 40th anniversary of the Centre collégial de Mont-Laurier, where I graduated from in 1997. I want to say hello to everyone there. I cannot be with them, but they will see that the work we are doing in the House of Commons is important.
I want to congratulate the member for Humber River—Black Creek for her initiative. Hats off to her. She is the member behind Bill C‑284.
We talked about this earlier. I note that the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the NDP and also the Bloc Québécois agree on this bill. Therefore, I think the time has come to move forward, and we are getting there. Tonight, it is nice to have a calm atmosphere, so we can listen to each other. Some people may be falling asleep but, that said, this is an important subject. Everyone has been earning their keep these past few days.
The current bill is similar to several bills that have been introduced in recent parliaments. I am thinking about bills on autism, cancer and diabetes. These bills are designed to raise public awareness of these illnesses, both in terms of prevention and education. We know very well that prevention is necessary and the key to a healthy world. Whether through sport, diet or healthy lifestyle choices, we can work towards having a healthier population and thus put less pressure on the health care system.
However, prevention also involves raising awareness and providing information. We are not all specialists who know everything about every disease. That is understandable. We do, however, need to be vigilant about our own health. That goes without saying. It is all about taking prevention into our own hands. That said, we also need to know how to detect symptoms and recognize when it is time to consult a health professional. No one wants to clog up the emergency room.
Millions of Canadians are suffering from eye disease. We know that. Eye health is important to our quality of life. We are therefore in favour of Bill C‑284 because it is not restrictive and does not interfere with Quebec's exclusive jurisdiction over health.
This bill requires the federal government to produce a report that will form the future Canadian strategy for eye health.
Madam Speaker, I think I am bothering some of the members opposite, but that is okay. That does not bother me because often—