Minister’s Injury Prevention Message

Transcript - Minister’s Injury Prevention Message

Minister of Health, Rona Ambrose (direct address to camera):

Hello,
I'm Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Edmonton-Spruce Grove.
I'd like to take a moment to update you on some new initiatives our Government will be launching this week.

Families, as you know, are the cornerstone of our society. And as families succeed, Canada succeeds. That's why in the recent Speech from the Throne, we committed to supporting and protecting Canadian Families by collaborating with injury prevention organizations, in an effort to reduce the rate of injury in Canada.

From hockey injuries, to a senior falling, to violence in the home - injuries can be prevented.

Injuries have serious economic impacts, through lost time and work and strain on the healthcare system, but, more importantly there is a significant emotional toll placed on people and families.

Injuries are far more common than people think. Although often considered "accidents", the vast majority of injuries result from events that are both predictable and preventable.

And sadly, injuries are the leading cause of death for Canadians aged one to 44.

This week, our Government will begin working towards injury prevention. We will announce new investments and build on new partnerships, to raise awareness about injury prevention and to give Canadians the tools they need to live safer and healthier lives.

Also this week, our Government will continue the fight against tobacco. Canada is a world leader in tobacco control and smoking rates are at an all-time low, but there is still more work to do.  On Tuesday, our Government will table legislationin order to further reduce smoking rates - especially among Canadian youth.

No form of tobacco is safe, and renewing our fight against contraband tobacco will do two things: keep profits away from organized crime and keep tobacco away from our youth.

I'm proud of our Government's accomplishments to date and I look forward to our new initiatives this week as we strive toward our goal of making Canada the healthiest, safest country in the world.

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