Evidence of meeting #56 for Health in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
I'm going to have to be very tight on time, Mr. Brown. I'm sorry about that, but we have to suspend at 5:15 p.m.
Now Mr. Dosanjh, I know you're not going to be mischievous. You've got a full five minutes.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Ujjal Dosanjh Liberal Vancouver South, BC
When I was young, I was more mischievous than now.
I have just one question, and then my colleagues can take over.
Madam Minister, your officials said that you have a press release tomorrow on pandemics, which means you know what you're going to say. Since you know what you're going to say, would you be kind enough to share that information with us? You don't want anyone construing at this late hour, just before tomorrow, that you are in contempt of this committee. You know what you're going to say tomorrow. Would you be kind enough to say it today?
5 p.m.
Conservative
5 p.m.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
I answered that earlier. We're renewing the pandemic plan tomorrow, and the vaccine contract for the pandemic plan has been in the works. I said earlier that it is being renewed for 10 years and approximately....
It's about $500 million over 10 years, which will be renewed as part of the whole process of making sure our pandemic plan is most current, up to date, and the resources are there to roll out.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
5:05 p.m.
Chief Public Health Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada
Certainly I would say to the honourable member that the addition is not only that it is a 10-year contract, but there will be both a primary supplier in Canada that produces the vaccine and fills it here, as well as two secondary suppliers, one of which produces elsewhere and fills in Canada and the other that produces and fills outside. So it provides not only a faster and larger supply, but it will also provide for contingencies should there be a challenge for supply.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
I'm just going to pick up on MS. I really appreciate that the registry is going to be done.
I do want to bring to the attention of the minister that over 12,500 procedures have been undertaken worldwide in 50 countries. We've known since July that about a third seem to significantly improve, a third improve, and maybe a third not. I can give you many specific examples.
From Bulgaria, there were close to 500 patients, among whom 62% show a functional improvement. From Britain, there was an improvement in fatigue in 125 patients of 60%; mobility, 48%; brain fuzziness, almost 60%.
I would just ask that we take a look at what's being done internationally, and that someone from Canada, besides two of us, go to these international conferences and hear about the unpublished data.
I know my colleague wants in.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Ruby Dhalla Liberal Brampton—Springdale, ON
Thank you to Dr. Duncan.
I just really once again wanted to reiterate, Minister, the importance of keeping attention on some of the great shortages of doctors and nurses--
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Could I just talk for one minute? I'll stop your time.
You need an answer to that, do you not?
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
No. If there was a question....
I would just have asked, Minister.... Everything I've done on the MS file, I've done openly, accountably, and transparently. I've opened it up to every party, and when I asked for a briefing I was not granted that. I wish that could have happened, but I will turn it over to my colleague.
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
I can't let that pass without an explanation.
We have been very open and very transparent in the work we're doing to deal with MS. We have opened up briefings, including to the MS Society of Canada, as well as the United States, to participate in any of that. We also sent out an invitation to all parties to be briefed on this very important initiative—
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
—and there are a number of initiatives under way. As the member well knows, there are researchers involved across Canada, and Dr. Beaudet has been leading in getting the researchers together to do this work. I will have him elaborate on that.
Thank you.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Actually, Minister, all I wanted to say was, like my colleague who was disappointed that you didn't come to her hospital, I was disappointed that you would not grant a briefing. Now, in fairness to my colleague, I will turn this over.
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
I will have to interrupt. You were invited to a briefing on MS that we organized. That's your choice. You can play politics with this or not. I stated before, in terms of hospitals, that there are more than 600 hospitals in Canada. I can't be at every single hospital at a given time.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
Tim Uppal Conservative Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB
Thank you, Madam Chair.
It's very good to have you back. Minister, thank you for coming to this committee meeting with all your officials.
I wanted to first just commend you for the work you've done as health minister. On this budget, I've received some very positive response from a health perspective. We had a telephone town hall meeting in my riding with more than 5,000 people. I was getting a great response on the caregiver tax credit and also the support for medical students across the country.
I wanted to ask you about an issue that's actually very important and seems to be an emerging issue in Canada. What action is the government taking to reduce childhood obesity rates in Canada?
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
Thank you.
That's a great question and a great initiative, in my mind. One of the things the provinces and territories have been working on for a long time—I would say in the last six years—is to deal with a lot of the preventable illnesses we see in Canada. You see the health indicators of Canadians and you look at what they are. Many of those are preventable, and one of the largest ones is childhood obesity.
On the partnership with the provinces and territories, in September 2010 there was an agreement to sign a declaration. For the first time in Canada, all provinces and territories agreed to endorse a declaration that would promote healthy living, prevention in the area of obesity, and curbing obesity.
The FPTs are working together to increase awareness, in terms of nutritious food. We're seeing more children with adult diseases as a result of obesity. We're providing recommendations through Canada's food guide, as an example, and through schools and working in partnership with a number of stakeholders.
As well, I should say that we also launched, a few weeks ago, a national conversation/dialogue on how to fight childhood obesity. That will be through face-to-face conversations and/or through submissions. That will all be collected, and the recommendations coming out of that will be presented to the federal-provincial-territorial ministers' meeting in November, to identify strategic priorities our governments will take to address childhood obesity.
Over the last five or six years, one of the things I've always said is that equally important to treating people when they get ill is keeping them from getting sick in the first place. Our whole health care system is so tilted to one side that we need to start curving it to keeping people out of the hospitals and out of clinics and keeping them healthy.
Where do we start? We start with childhood obesity. We start dealing with the issues around marketing of unhealthy foods to our children and the marketing of tobacco to our children. There are a number of initiatives we can take, collectively, to start curbing some of the trends we're seeing in this country.
I'm quite excited about the childhood obesity initiatives. All provinces and territories are onside. A number of other partners from the industy's side are coming on stream to start supporting initiatives to combat childhood obesity. It's quite exciting, and it's the first dialogue of its kind in this country.
Thank you.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative