Honourable senators, the fifteenth Montreal North Health Fair will be held this Saturday, September 28. This activity is designed to help meet people’s needs in terms of physical and mental well-being.

Over the course of the day, over a hundred health care professionals will answer questions of concern to participants of all ages from all over Greater Montreal.

Services will be available not just in French, but also in Creole, Arabic, Spanish, English and other languages. The focus of the event is prevention, and all participants will have access to tips on healthy living, referrals and other resources in a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere.

I would like to thank all of the volunteers who, year after year, make the Montreal North Health Fair the great success that it has become. The region’s CISSS also frees up staff for the event and provides the materials needed to screen people for certain diseases, such as diabetes.

Participants will also learn more about many other chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, sickle cell disease, glaucoma, children’s vaccinations, and so on.

The volunteers take into account all aspects of well-being, including eye health, oral health, sexual health, mental health, and so on. Special care will be taken to address the needs of children and seniors.

Several associations of Haitian doctors and nurses, including the Fondation des médecins canado-haïtiens, the Association des médecins haïtiens à l’étranger and the Ralliement des infirmières et infirmières auxiliaires d’origine haïtienne du Canada, collaborated to create the health fair. The goal is to break down language barriers that lead to cultural isolation, reduced uptake of screening and treatment for certain diseases, poor lifestyle habits within communities and stress related to immigration status.

Honourable senators, it will be my honour to open the fifteenth Montreal North Health Fair. I hope this kind of initiative will have an impact across Canada in terms of helping immigrants integrate and enhancing our intake capacity. Thank you.