Mesdames and Messieurs, Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning. I'm honoured to be here today representing Canadians on World No-Tobacco Day. Marking World No-Tobacco Day in conjunction with Child Health 2000, raises the profile of this very important international tobacco control event and reemphasizes the need to reduce tobacco use by young people. I'm also pleased to be here with Secretary Shalala. Her commitments to reducing tobacco consumption is an important element in the effort to protect the health of the world's young people.
Tobacco addictions know no borders.
It does not discriminate on the basis of gender or age. Tobacco now kills three million people each year world-wide. That represents 30 million preventable deaths in this decade alone. This devastating toll is projected to rise to ten million a year over the next thirty to forty years. The increasing use of tobacco in developing countries will result in enormous health, economic and environmental costs over the long term.