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April 24, 2011 Manuel Arango Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada 222 Queen Street, Suite 1402 Ottawa, ON K1P 5V9

Dear Mr. Arango, Thank you for the opportunity to highlight the New Democratic Party of Canada’s position on health care issues.

We appreciate your efforts to help voters make an informed decision on voting day.

Sincerely,

Jack Layton, Leader, Canada’s New Democrats

Response from Canada’s New Democrats Q1. New Democrats support a national heart health strategy as a coordinated approach to reducing the incidents of heart disease and stroke. A New Democratic government would be open to discussing the inclusion of diagnostic imaging in the Tomorrow Project.

Q2. New Democrats are committed to building on the past strengths of The Heart Truth campaign to increase women’s awareness of heart risks and to encourage heart health practices further among targeted groups. Such public education programs will form an important part of our strategic planning for a more effective approach to chronic disease management.

Q3: Having early access to defibrillation during a heart attack can improve one’s chances of survival. New Democrat government would be in-favour of initiating a plan to install defibrillators in public buildings.

Q4: New Democrats have long advocate for the federal government to take a leading role in promoting healthy eating. We have championed a ban on trans fats and a New Democratic government would give the Minister of Health authority to adjust labelling for salt content to reflect new lower recommended intake and reestablish the sodium-reduction workgroup.