I am pleased to announce our government’s continued support for MedicAlert’s No Child Without program. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty made the pledge on behalf of our government two weeks ago in Durham, in the presence of representatives from the Canadian MedicAlert Foundation, as well as local school board members representing schools across Canada.

I would like to take this opportunity to inform Vegreville-Wainwright residents on the nature of this very worthy program. The No Child Without (NCW) program is operated by the Canadian MedicAlert Foundation (CMAF), a national registered charity which has been operating for nearly half a century, and serves over one million members. The foundation provides emergency medical information services linked bracelets, necklets and watches.

Children, our society’s most vulnerable members, need protection in a medical emergency, whether at home or at school. The NCW program, as a division of MedicAlert, ensures that all elementary school children have access to vital MedicAlert information free of charges and costs to participating families, schools and educational boards. Each child enrolled in the NCW program receives a customized MedicAlert bracelet and membership coverage until his/her 14th birthday.

No Child Without operates through registered schools across Canada; to date, over 5,000 schools across the country are registered. I would like to take this opportunity to urge parents, school administrators and school board trustees to ensure that their schools register with the program. I also urge local pharmacists to familiarize themselves with this endeavour. Information on the program and the application process can be found on the No Child Without website: www.nochildwithout.ca.