Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to remind Members that the month of March is when the Kidney Foundation launches its month-long fund-raising campaign. This campaign is a vital service that the Kidney Foundation performs on behalf of all Canadians and, in particular, northern Canadians. It is especially important here in the north because we have too many residents who suffer from kidney problems of one form or another.
The Kidney Foundation is a national volunteer organization that relies only on the funds it is able to raise through donations. In fact, 50 per cent of the money that is donated goes into research, 25 per cent goes towards patient services and the final 25 per cent pays for public education and administration costs.
Mr. Speaker, here are some sobering statistics published by the Kidney Foundation of Canada. Every day, an average of seven or more Canadians learn that their kidneys are failing and that their survival will depend on either dialysis or a kidney transplant in the end. If a person needs a transplant, he or she will have to join a waiting list of some 1,900 other Canadians who are in need of healthy new organs. Last year, the Kidney Foundation was able to raise $121,000, and this year's goal for northern Canada is to raise $137,000.
I have a special interest in the Kidney Foundation because I know many northern people who have related illnesses. I also have constituents who suffer from a variety of kidney complaints. If it weren't for the Kidney Foundation, I'm not sure where those people would get the level of help that the foundation now offers them here. Unless or until our northern hospitals are equipped to handle kidney dialysis treatment, residents of the NWT will continue to rely on the Kidney Foundation's broad range of services.
These services provide information and referrals, financial assistance programs and a medically-supervised summer camp for youngsters, travel loans and special social events. In short, and to conclude, the Kidney Foundation tries to make life as easy and as normal as possible for patients suffering from kidney problems.
Mr. Speaker, I want to encourage everyone to make a real effort to support the Kidney Foundation. Canvassers will be going door to door during the month of March, especially March 1st to March 15th.
Sorry, Mr. Speaker, I thought I could conclude, but I wasn't able to. I seek unanimous consent to conclude.