NEWS RELEASE

October 30, 1996 For Immediate Release

WHAT'S KILLING CANADIANS? BREITKREUZ RELEASES 1994 MORTALITY STATISITICS

"Health care, cancer research, education and police protection will save lives - not gun registration."

Yorkton, Sask. - Today, Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville released Selected Canadian Mortality Statistics for 1994 showing a comparison of the number and frequency of death by various causes. "Let's look at what's actually killing Canadians and let the people decide the best way to spend their hard-earned tax dollars," said Breitkreuz. "I wish the Liberal government would set their spending priorities straight by using this kind of common sense analysis."

This 1994 chart shows the leading causes of death for Canadians are:

- every 7 minutes one Canadian dies of heart and circulatory disease (78,573 deaths)

- every 9 minutes one Canadian dies of cancer (58,311 deaths)

- every 29 minutes one Canadian dies of respiratory system diseases (18,342 deaths)

- every 68 minutes one Canadian dies of diseases of the digestive system (7,679 deaths)

- every 2 hours one Canadian commits suicide (3,749 deaths - 1/4 by firearms)

- every 2 hours one Canadian dies of alcohol and drug abuse (3,463 deaths)

- every 3 hours one Canadian dies in a motor vehicle accident (3,188 deaths)

- every 15 hours one Canadian is murdered (596 deaths - 1/3 by firearms)

The 1994 mortality statistics are broken down to show what's killing both men and women. For example, HIV/AIDS kills one man every 6 hours but only one woman every 3 days, while breast cancer kills one woman every 2 hours. Suicides also occur more frequently among men with one death every 3 hours and one woman committing suicide every 11 hours. "The mortality statistics also show how confused the Liberals are about where to get the best bang for taxpayers' bucks. Breast cancer killed 4,995 women in 1994 and the Liberal government responds with $20 million over five years. Compare this to the fact that 1,209 Canadians (101 women) were killed with firearms (suicides, homicides and accidents) and the Liberal government responds with $85 million over five years. Where's the logic there?" asked Breitkreuz.

"Realistic estimates show the actual cost of registering over 20 million rifles and shotguns and licensing between five and eight million law-abiding, responsible firearm owners will eventually total over half a billion dollars. I have to question how, when the government is unable to produce a single shred of evidence to show that gun registration will save lives, the Liberals can justify this kind of expenditure? If it's not based on evidence and statistics then it must be Liberal social engineering," stated Breitkreuz. "The latest evaluation of the effectiveness of gun control laws shows the government doesn't even have sufficient data to conduct a proper statistical analysis. Until the government can produce evidence that gun control laws save lives, I suggest the Liberals put Canadian taxpayers' money where it will do the most good. Here are few suggestions: suicide prevention programs, women's crisis centres, family counselling programs, financial counselling programs, domestic dispute resolution programs, cancer research, health care, literacy, training, education, etc, etc."

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Attached: Selected Canadian Mortality Statistics 1994 - Frequency of Occurrence

For more information please contact:

The Office of Garry Breitkreuz, M.P.

Yorkton: (306) 782-3309

Ottawa: (613) 992-4394