By 2015, the group that drafted the Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan aims to have 20 per cent more Canadians eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. (Eric Risberg/Associated Press)

Canada should spend $700 million over the next seven years to fight heart disease, the country's No. 1 killer, a report released on Tuesday recommends.

Members of a steering committee who drafted the government-commissioned Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan said the money should be spent to persuade people to adopt healthier lifestyles.

"We need to find ways to have people eat healthier foods, to do more exercise, and we need to have less people smoking," said Dr. Eldon Smith, a cardiac expert who chaired the committee that was tasked with creating a strategy to fight cardiovascular disease in Canada.

"We think that with a combination of education, legislation, regulation, as we did for smoking in the past, and perhaps some incentives, that we'll be able to create better environments for heart health in Canada."

The plan could save $22 billion in direct and indirect costs by 2020, the committee of 29 experts estimated.

In 2006, the government created the committee and asked it to develop a national plan to reduce cardiovascular deaths. Such plans exist for cancer, diabetes and lung disease, but until now, there was no comprehensive strategy for heart disease and stroke, Smith said.

Nine out of 10 Canadians over the age of 20 have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, according to the group.

By 2015, the committee aims to have 20 per cent more Canadians eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day and see the same increase in physically active Canadians.

By 2020, the strategy aims to cut deaths from cardiovascular disease by a quarter and reduce hypertension in adults by a third.

The likelihood that aboriginal Canadians will develop heart disease or stroke is nearly double that of other Canadians. The plan aims to bring that level down to the Canadian average by 2020.

The plan also proposes:

• Better access to health care.
• Improved record keeping to enhance prevention and care.
• Developing the right number of health-care service providers with the best education and skills.

"We now know that up to 80 per cent of premature heart disease and stroke are preventable," said Sally Brown, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, one of the three lead organizations that developed the strategy.

To develop the plan, the report's authors consulted more than 1,500 stakeholders and health experts nationally and internationally.

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq was present for the announcement of the strategy. Press secretary Josée Bellemare said the minister welcomes the plan, but will need time to review the recommendations.