June 6, 2007 – It’s now official: the Government of Quebec and the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation1 finance, in equal shares, a fund intended to promote healthy lifestyles among young people aged 0 to 17.
Adopted unanimously by the National Assembly, the Act establishing this fund provides for a contribution of $ 40 million per year over a period of ten years. Twenty million will come from the Foundation and the other half will be funded from the tax on tobacco products2.
The Minister of Health and Social Services, Philippe Couillard, underlined the unique nature of this agreement between the government and the Foundation. “This is the first time, at least in North America, and probably elsewhere, that a partnership has been established between a government and a private foundation entirely dedicated to prevention and health promotion,” he said. he said in the House when he introduced the bill.
See a video extract of the presentation of the bill.
A quarter of the fund will be used for nationwide projects promoting healthy lifestyles. The majority, i.e. 75%, will be used to finance projects from groupings of organizations from various sectors – community, education, health, sport … These projects must be endorsed by several partners in the community, be of a lasting nature and be able to be reproduced elsewhere.
These community projects will be managed by Québec en forme3, which already has expertise in the matter. Since 2002, this organization, funded by the Foundation and the government, has supported local initiatives that implement actions to promote a healthy and active life in children aged 4 to 12, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The creation of this fund was one of the recommendations of the working group chaired by the mayor of Sherbrooke, Jean Perrault, created following the Generations Forum held in the fall of 2004. The Perrault report placed childhood obesity at the top of the list. rank of “public health crisis”4.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. PasseportSanté.net is fully financially supported by the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation.
2. On this subject, see the press release issued by the Ministry of Health and Social Services: http://communiques.gouv.qc.ca [consulté le 6 juin 2007]
3. Find out more about Quebec in shape : www.quebecenforme.org [consulté le 6 juin 2007].
4. On this subject, see our news of September 29, 2005.
