Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by a number of people across western Canada, particularly in Saskatchewan and Alberta, expressing their concern about Canadians who are suffering from the combination of multiple sclerosis and chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, otherwise known as CCSVI. They point out that when the two diseases appear to occur together simultaneously, often our medical system declines to treat the multiple sclerosis or the CCSVI with the new angioplasty type of treatment.

The petitioners are calling upon the Minister of Health to consult more broadly with experts, particularly those who have experience with the new technology and treatments. They urge the Minister of Health to proceed with phase III clinical trials on an urgent basis with respect to this new treatment and to develop a follow-up system so the consequences of the treatment can be accurately tracked.

Ralph Goodale