Finance Committee on Sept. 30th, 2014

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Other than money, because that can't be the reason if we spent $26 million looking for fish, what is the reason, from your arguments...? The YWCA has long argued for an inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women. If it's not money, then what have you been told—or what do you surmise—is the reason why the federal government is resisting?

[Ann Decter]

It's hard to peer into another's mind.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

The YWCA has long advocated for this.

[Ann Decter]

Yes. I guess I think there's a failure to understand the need for changes in attitudes and the function that an inquiry would provide, much in the way the Truth and Reconciliation Commission provided an immense amount of learning and changes in attitude. You can see it throughout the media.

Sometimes you see people writing in and saying that people want a royal commission. We are not talking about a royal commission. No one who's advocating has said “royal commission”, but a national inquiry, which would give the families a chance to talk. I think that if we watched coverage on the Tina Fontaine case this week, we saw clearly the problems with policing, and it comes down to attitudes.

I think that to shift those attitudes we really need to hear what people are going through, we really need to hear about the daily lives of women and the violence they live with, and we need to listen. The non-aboriginal community needs to witness, listen, and change their attitudes.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Thank you.

Mr. Mann, you thanked the government for the national prevention strategy, or the committee for that recommendation. We as the official opposition have long argued for a national dementia strategy. This committee deals with a whole range of issues, but only rarely do we deal with the issues you folks are presenting here today, in large part, and I want to get to Ms. Jamieson last.

Why would such a national strategy be of import? I think our committee would understand the human dimension of this. Is there perhaps an economic dimension for those who are not swayed by that first aspect of why a national strategy would be important?

[Jim Mann]

I'm sorry. Could you ask the question again for me?

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Absolutely.

[Jim Mann]

Just the last part. I forgot.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

I would offer that the need for this at a human level, at a personal level, this need to have a national dementia strategy, is important. It seems obvious. Is there an economic argument also to be made for Canada to have such a national dementia strategy in place?

[Jim Mann]

I think it's fair to say that the problems we have with the numbers of people being diagnosed with dementia and their families.... That number is increasing all the time.

As for the experience with the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and the Mental Health Commission, both of those are proof that the creation of such an organization helps focus the argument or the various areas that need that. I talked about the issue of research, the issue of raising awareness for early detection, and supporting the Dementia Friends training sessions. Really, above all, I think it helps with the better-educated workforce and the development and further expansion of the First Link program.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Thank you.

My time has expired?

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Yes, unfortunately.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Ms. Jamieson, I'll perhaps ask one of my colleagues to follow up. I regret my pacing. I'm a huge fan, so we'll allow another colleague to pick that up.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Thank you, Mr. Cullen.

We'll go to Mr. Saxton for seven minutes, please.

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, North Vancouver, BC]

Thank you, Chair.

Thanks to our witnesses for being here today. My first question will be for Jim Mann of the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

First of all, Mr. Mann, thank you for being here today and for sharing your own personal experience with this disease. I really admire your courage in doing that.

As you stated in your opening statement, the issue of dementia is a serious one, and it's one that also touches many lives of many Canadians. I know that most of us at least know somebody or have a loved one who is suffering from it. I know because I do myself as well.

I recently met with Dr. Pat McGeer, a world-renowned dementia specialist and researcher at UBC, and he shared with me some of his concerns about this terrible disease. He also shared with me his optimism about finding a cure and better treatment for this disease as well.

Now, I noticed in reading the pre-budget submissions that a number of organizations are looking to tackle this issue head-on. I wanted to find out about that. Are you working closely with these other organizations? Because you all want to accomplish the same thing and you all need funds to do it, is there close cooperation amongst these groups?

[Jim Mann]

First of all, the Alzheimer Society of Canada has a research program that it runs, and it has distributed many millions of dollars to many different Canadian researchers, in both biomedical and quality-of-life streams. That is one area where we are working with many different researchers. We are cooperating with a number of the different foundations or groups in Canada that are seeking the same thing—not just a cure, but finding out why people get Alzheimer's, get a dementia.

The Alzheimer Society research program targets a lot of younger researchers who—and I really dislike the phrase—think outside the box. They're new to research, and I think in some cases bring a different outlook to the same problem.

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, North Vancouver, BC]

Would you like to share some of the main issues in your proposal with us today?

[Jim Mann]

The major one is setting up the Canadian Alzheimer's disease and dementia partnership, along the lines of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and the Mental Health Commission. I think the results of the Partnership Against Cancer, for one, show very clearly the progress that has been made in cancer research and a lot of cures today, which certainly a few years ago was not seen as a possibility. For us, the partnership is along the same lines, in providing leadership on a critical issue and coordinating research efforts. As you quite rightly said, there are a lot of different groups and research is being done, so there's a good coordination effort.

I did speak at the end to Mr. Cullen about the First Link program and how I think it is very important. It would be a part of that.

If I have a quick moment, the First Link program is.... For some, in getting a diagnosis they're told by a doctor, “You have Alzheimer's. Here's a prescription for a cholinesterase inhibitor. I'll see you in six months”. Whereas First Link says, “Here's your diagnosis. With your approval, I will give your name and contact information to the Alzheimer Society”. It then regularly follows up and says, “We understand you have a diagnosis. Is there anything we can do? We have support groups, brochures, etc.” Then there's another follow-up a few months later, and so on.

That has shown to be a huge benefit to the community and to the health care system.

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, North Vancouver, BC]

Thank you very much.

With my remaining time I'd like to ask a question of Roberta Jamieson from Indspire.

First of all, Roberta, congratulations on your successful graduation rates. Those were very impressive numbers that you read to us in your opening statement.

Could you elaborate further on the building brighter futures program?

[Chief Roberta Jamieson]

Yes, I'd be delighted to do that.

In fact, I think there is some bilingual material here that will tell you real stories of real indigenous students who have been supported.

This is a program that operates with the support of government funds, individual donations, and the corporate sector. It provides much-needed support to first nations, Inuit, and Métis students throughout the country.

Last year the request was the needed amount from students, which was just under $40 million. We were able to provide over $10 million. It was a banner year for us, but nowhere near the need.

This program is available. There's a call and deadlines for application. The amounts are awarded by a juried process of indigenous professionals who determine need. We look at marks. We look at financial need. We look at whether they have also asked elsewhere for funds and are coming to us for a top-up We look at indigenous identity. And we look at whether they have thought through their career plan. All of these pieces go into the determination of the funds that are given.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Nathan Cullen]

Thank you, Ms. Jamieson.

[Chief Roberta Jamieson]

I also want to say that what we've done as a policy is to provide as many students as possible with something, instead of providing the first couple of hundred in the door with the whole ask. We're really trying to spread the wealth, as it were.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Nathan Cullen]

Thank you, Ms. Jamieson.

Thank you, Mr. Saxton.

It's over to you, Mr. Brison, for seven minutes.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Thank you very much.

Thanks to each of you for your compelling presentations.

I'll start with Mr. Mann. My mum had Alzheimer's and was able to live at home until last November. She passed away in November at the age of 84.

But we had a lot of good fortune, in that we had my father, now 91, who was there on a 24-hour basis and was able, at least to some extent or another, to be a primary caregiver, and my sister, who's a nurse with the VON and was able to coordinate all the caregiving, which is a tough job, and also coordinate all the medical care. When you don't know the medical system, it is mind-bogglingly difficult to coordinate, and she understood it. We had the financial means to pay for caregiving. We had Dr. Kenneth Rockwood, an exceptional researcher and doctor in Halifax. Also, they had a community of support in terms of their neighbours, but without any one of those, we would not have been able to take care of my mother.

I'd like to for a moment go to the part of your national strategy that focuses on helping people figure out where to go to get the services and support they need. To me, that's very compelling. We're the only G-7 country without a national Alzheimer's and dementia strategy. Would your approach help families that don't have medical professionals within them coordinate the care for a loved one? Would that be one of the objectives? Or to at least figure it out within the system...?

[Jim Mann]

Not specifically, Mr. Brison. I'm not entirely sure. Sorry.