Safe Kids Week - May 27th to June 2nd, 2013

The theme of this year's Safe Kids Week is Heads-Up! Be Alert. Be Safe. Be Aware of Concussions. It reminds all Canadians about the benefits of safe play whenever children and youth take part in recreational activities or sports.

As Minister of Health and as a parent, I'm proud to promote active living and physical activity. We all want our children to grow up healthy, happy and full of life, but we also want them to be safe. Unfortunately, in Canada more than 40 per cent of child and youth injuries treated in emergency rooms are related to sports and recreational activities. Most injuries, like those potentially received from a check in hockey, are both predictable and preventable.

Through our Active and Safe Injury Prevention Initiative we support projects that focus on reducing the rate and severity of concussions and brain injuries. The project also aims to develop guidelines that help young players return to the game after suffering an injury. This initiative has led to a series of online and mobile tools that promote reliable information about brain injury, concussion prevention and recovery.

We are also making progress in protecting children and youth by promoting product safety standards related to sports and recreation equipment. Furthermore, our government is investing in surveillance and research to better understand injury patterns and risks, and effective measures for preventing injury.

These are just some of the ways our government is keeping young Canadians safe, but we can't do it alone.

Whether you are a recreational leader or a parent, you can take action by supervising children at play and by teaching them to use equipment safely when they participate in activities like in-line skating, skateboarding and biking.  By wearing proper protective gear and teaching children the ways to play fair and safe, we can help prevent injuries. Finally, learning the risks and signs of head injuries like concussions can ensure that we take the time to recover and avoid further injury.

Following these precautions will help keep you and your family members safe. I wish everyone a healthy and safe summer!

To learn how to keep your child safe, please visit Injury prevention
To learn more about Safe Kids Week, please visit:  Parachute Canada

Sincerely,

Leona Aglukkaq
Minister of Health
Government of Canada