On December 10, 2014, Members of Parliament from all parties voted unanimously to pass Bill S-211, an Act to establish the first Saturday in June as National Health and Fitness Day.

With this initiative, the Government of Canada is giving a blank canvass to all municipalities and citizens to mark the day with events that promote the use of local health, recreational, sports and fitness facilities. The objective is to inspire Canadians to become fitter and more active; reducing growing health care costs attributed to preventable diseases due to inactivity.

This initiative is crucial for everyone – and children above all, since in our childhood years we set the pattern for the future. Children who develop healthy habits at an early age often continue to lead a healthy lifestyle into adulthood. However, today, most of them miss the mark.

According to Active Healthy Kids Canada’s annual report for 2014, (activehealthykids.ca), “Children and youth get an average of 7 hours and 48 minutes of screen time per day.” This summer most children will choose to spend their days inside, parked in front of one of many different kinds of screens. This is almost as much time as their parents spend at work.

Statistics Canada reports that only seven per cent of Canadian youth get the recommended level of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day. Childhood obesity in Canada has tripled over the past three decades. And sport participation rates for Canadian youth have steadily declined, dropping from 77 per cent in 1992 to 59 per cent in 2005.

The movement to establish National Health and Fitness Day was initiated by my colleague, MP John Weston (West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country). For several years MP Weston has worked closely with former Olympic champion skier Senator Nancy Greene Raine and a team of concerned citizens, building support among municipalities for the National Health and Fitness initiative.

“We should not be burdening our health care system with the results of unhealthy lifestyles. Education also plays a big role, and quality physical education will be increasingly important to insure children grow up with the skills needed to enjoy physical activities,” said Senator Raine.

Our government has worked hard to deliver initiatives to help kids get moving in order to stay fit and healthy. As part of our Economic Action Plans in previous years, we have delivered additional funding for ParticipACTION, an organization that delivers community-based physical activity and fitness programs.

We also created the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit back in 2006 to help parents get back some of the costs associated with enrolling their children in fitness activities. This year, we doubled that amount. Parents can now claim expenses of up to $1,000 per child per taxation year for eligible fitness programs. We have also made the tax credit refundable to ensure that even those who do not earn enough to pay income taxes can benefit from it.

Speaking of National Health and Fitness Day, MP Weston stated: “We always aimed to rally our nation to be the Fittest Nation on Earth, and this is a giant leap in the right direction.”

In the days of warmer weather and with retirement just around the corner, I intend to enjoy a healthy, active summer.  I hope you have the opportunity to do the same!

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