Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, when we express our love to special people in our lives. I know most of us have good hearts, so I was a little shocked when I found out that strokes and heart attacks are the second most common cause of death in the Northwest Territories.
Our rate of heart of attacks is a bit lower than Canada’s, but our rate of strokes is about 50 percent higher than the national average. What makes this particularly scary is that effective treatment of strokes depends on very fast medical action. Most of our citizens won’t get that. Some communities have no nurse and even Yellowknife has no 911 emergency service.
There have been advances in heart research, and some of us have raised money for it. Once you have heart disease, there is no easy cure. Treatment includes medication, surgery, and a variety of procedures which can be invasive and expensive.
We should do all we can to prevent heart disease. Smoking, for example, is a major risk factor. In the Northwest Territories we smoke much more than the rest of Canada. Being physically active and healthy prevents heart disease. I was surprised to learn that only about 41 percent of the Northwest Territories population is physically active enough to maintain or improve their health compared to 53 percent of all other Canadians. Being overweight and obese is another risk factor. Again, we are worse off than the rest of Canada. Sixty-three percent of our Northwest Territories residents are overweight or obese and the number is increasing.
Moderate to vigorous physical activity is recommended for people of all ages. At least two and a half hours per week for adults and 60 minutes a day for children is needed. Of course, eating a balanced diet helps too. Even so, some heart conditions are not preventable.
About three years ago Fort Providence lost an 11-year-old girl to an undiagnosed heart condition. In memory of young Shayna, her mother Shauna Clark-Canadien is organizing a fashion show and a silent auction to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. It will take place in Fort Providence at the Nahecho Keh Centre on February 25th. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
