Speech by the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq Minister of Health for Funding for Community Based Projects under the Canadian Diabetes Strategy

This content was archived on June 24, 2013.

November 1, 2011
Ottawa

Check Against Delivery

Good Morning,

It's a pleasure to be here with you this morning.

I would like to thank our host, the Centretown Community Health Centre, and its Executive Director, Simone Thibault, for welcoming us and for being our emcee today. I would also like to welcome Mike Cloutier, President and C.E.O of the Canadian Diabetes Association.

We all know that diabetes is a growing threat to the health of Canadians. Approximately two million Canadians have already been diagnosed with diabetes, and many more are unaware they have the disease.

It's a health problem that has the potential to get much worse. That's because there has been an increase in the number of people with other health problems, like obesity, which can lead to the development of diabetes.

Also with childhood obesity increasing, we could see a dramatic rise in the number of people with diabetes as our children become adults.

But there are solutions. There are ways we can help reverse these negative trends.

It's important to remember that type 2 diabetes accounts for between 90 and 95 per cent of all diabetes cases in Canada. Type 2 diabetes can often be prevented or delayed by adopting a healthier lifestyle.  This includes maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular physical activity, and choosing healthy foods.

We can help those who are most at risk of developing diabetes by making them aware of practical ways they can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes.

And if we reach them sooner, we can help reduce the harm that diabetes complications can cause.

The Government of Canada is committed to helping Canadians recognize their risk of developing diabetes and understand how to manage the disease. For this reason, we lead the Canadian Diabetes Strategy, which focuses on prevention, early detection, and management of diabetes.  

We are also working with a variety of partners to find new ways to prevent diabetes. We support an Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative for more than 600 First Nations and Inuit communities, and we are investing in diabetes research through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Today, I am pleased to announce $6 million in funding, through the Canadian Diabetes Strategy, for 37 new community-based projects across the country.

These projects will support programs to detect diabetes early, as well as programs to help people manage their diabetes.

The Canadian Diabetes Association, for example, will use its funding for a project called "Transforming materials for people with diabetes." The goal of this project is to develop resources for health care providers and people at high-risk of diabetes.

By collaborating with the CDA and 36 other groups across the country, we can reach people we might not have been able to reach otherwise.

Diabetes is a serious public health challenge in Canada, and around the world.

Our Government is committed to protecting Canadian families. We all know someone in our family who has diabetes, and this support will help those we hold dear. That's why we are working with key organizations to help prevent diabetes, and to improve the lives of those who have or who may develop diabetes.

I am pleased to work with our partners so that Canadians can take action to prevent and manage this disease.

Thank you.