Evidence of meeting #15 for Health in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was agreement.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly Block Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
Thank you very much, Minister.
As you mentioned, you will be meeting with the first ministers of health later this week. You also mentioned at the end of your opening remarks that our government is committed to working with the provinces and the territories to reach a new agreement.
Could you give us an update on the negotiations for the health accord?
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
Before I respond, let me say that I'm also looking forward to the review that's being conducted by the Senate committee on the 10-year accord. There was a requirement under the 2004 accord that there would be an evaluation as to what had been achieved over the last 10 years, so we're looking forward to that. That will also be very helpful to the provinces and territories.
As I stated before, our government is committed to a universal and publicly funded health care system and the Canada Health Act, but the upcoming discussions with the provinces and territories will be about accountability and results for Canadians. I have already been in contact with some of my provincial and territorial counterparts for preliminary discussions as to what their priorities are in the future on a go-forward basis. As well, the meeting later this week is an opportunity to engage them in improving accountability as we move forward beyond 2014.
As we've done in the past with Quebec, our government will continue its dialogue with Quebec for the renewal of an agreement and accord. We're very mindful, again, in working with jurisdictions like B.C., that it is a provincial jurisdiction.
So we'll be following that example. I'm looking forward to my conversation with the provincial and territorial health ministers this week.
Thank you.
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly Block Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
Okay.
I would like to follow up on the first question around drug shortages. I know there have been a number of news stories about drug shortages across Canada. In the U.S., President Obama has also ordered the Food and Drug Administration to deal with drug shortages in the U.S.
Can you define for us what our government is doing to address the problem in Canada? And I won't interrupt you.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
Thank you.
What I wanted to say is that in addressing the drug shortage issue, we can't as government do this alone, which is why we reached out to the industry, in terms of bringing them all together, having a conversation in terms of how we can address the area of drug shortages, because it does occur at different stages of the chain, from producing to dispensing it. Our government is playing a leadership role when it comes to that, and we are doing many of the things that President Obama has announced. We started this process in the spring. I have also taken action on the file last month, and the drug companies have met together. I'm very pleased with the response we have received from the companies. The information about drug shortages will soon be available, as I mentioned.
Over the long term, though, industry will be exploring the development of a national one-stop drug shortage monitoring system, and this is what it is collaborating on. Final details are still being worked out, but I'm very encouraged by how industry has responded on our call for action.
I'll also be raising this issue in the health ministers meetings this week, and I plan to update them on the actions I have taken. I will also call on the provinces and territories to take appropriate action on this file, as they are responsible for approving what falls within their formulary as publicly covered drugs.
My department has been in touch with international counterparts, the United States as well, on the issue of drug shortages, and we'll continue to monitor it. I'm looking forward to receiving the feedback from industry on that.
Thank you.
4 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Thank you, Minister. I want to make sure we stick to time as closely as we can.
Dr. Fry.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Everybody seems to be on the issue of drugs, so I'm going to stick with that at the moment, because that's of very great importance to me. As you well know, in the 2003 first ministers meeting, one of the priorities was that drugs are safe, effective, and accessible to patients in a timely and cost-effective manner. I want to deal with some of these.
First I want to deal with the safety and effectiveness of drugs. I think that talks about post-market surveillance or what we call pharmaco-vigilance. When a drug is out there and people are using it, we need to look at what the adverse reactions are. Is it effective? Is it doing what it says it would do?
I would like the minister to answer the question based on that, in terms of her own report, which says in some instances this is not happening. The Health Council of Canada says it's not happening because the Department of Health lacks the regulatory mechanisms and it needs funding for research into effectiveness of drugs, etc. There's a funding issue here, and there is a regulatory issue, which the Department of Health doesn't have the ability to do. I'd like her comment on that, which is what the Health Council talked about.
Second, a part of the accessibility of drugs within the 2004 accord was about getting a task force together of all levels of government, with the federal government and a province co-chairing it, to be able to look at accessibility and affordability of drugs. I'd like the minister to tell me what exactly happened to that task force because I'm told it no longer exists. Yet it was a priority for the 2004 health accord and had funding in it for that.
The third piece, of course, that I wanted to ask about is what everyone is asking about, which is the shortage of drugs. It is an international issue. We know that it goes deep. It's raw materials that are not available in some instances. Certain companies are not producing the drugs. Why aren't they? Ms. Block asked the question of whether or not President Obama asked the FDA to look into this. He also asked his justice department to do an investigation of the industry itself to see whether there was anything going on in the industry that may or may not be leading to the shortages. I notice that the minister said she has an agreement with the industry--and I've read her website. This agreement is interesting in that it is actually a voluntary agreement. It just talks about informing people if there's going to be a drug that, after 20 days, is not going to be available. That doesn't tell us if the drug will be there. People need it. What are we going to do about getting the actual drug to people who need it? It's not about telling us it's not there. We know it's not there. How do we get the drug?
Those are the three questions I'd like the minister to answer.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
Starting with the last question, I think I answered that earlier.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC
I think that's why I'm asking it, Minister. I don't think you did.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
The working group of the industry that we brought together is coming forward with dealing with the drug shortage issue. We can't do this alone; we have to work with the industry that produces and distributes to determine at what chain, at what step along the way, we have to start dealing with drug shortages. We can't do that just by dispensing. So it's important to bring all the partners together to have a conversation in terms of how we move forward now.
On the second point, on the pharmaceutical—
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC
Madam Chair, with your permission, I've heard this answer and I'm asking the minister a different question.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC
I'm sorry, but the minister has given the same answer twice. I'm really not--
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
That's the answer. I'm sorry you don't like it, but that's the answer.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC
But I've asked her about the voluntary nature of it, because I don't see the voluntary nature--
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Dr. Fry, if you would just give her a few more minutes, she'll answer your question. She's trying to get--
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC
No, she hasn't. She has been asked the question twice and the minister has not answered it. That's why I'm asking.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC
Yes, Minister, can you answer me about the voluntary nature of your agreement?
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
This is quite funny. It's really nice, actually, to get some questions for a change, because it has been pretty quiet in the House of late.
In terms of the response to the drug, I said to the industry this spring that I would regulate if necessary, but you don't approach everything with an iron fist. You go forward and you try to work through the process of getting the people and the parties involved to resolve the matter.
If I'm not satisfied and if we have to regulate, then that's always an option, but you don't go from a problem to regulation; you work through the process of identifying where the problem is occurring. That's exactly what we're doing.
I'm very pleased with the response from the industry. For the very first time in this country, the industry has come together to resolve a matter, and we should be proud of that as Canadians, in that we're moving forward and working with the partners that are involved and that are an integral part of the health care system delivery.
On the second point, on the issue of the national pharmaceutical plan, I was the health minister for Nunavut when that agreement was struck. I was also finance minister when health transfers were cut. In terms of the committee that was established, the problem with coming up with a national plan is that jurisdictions all have to agree on what that plan is. If you don't have an agreement, you can't have a plan, so it fell apart.
Jurisdictions themselves have worked to determine how they can better manage their pharmaceutical programs. And they have. They've done great work in terms of dealing with catastrophic drugs. The transfers to the jurisdictions continue to grow every year, and each jurisdiction will make the determination of how they will spend that money based on their population's health care needs.
Our role here is to support them and work with them, which we've done. On this recent issue on drug shortages, I'm again going to sit down with the provincial and territorial ministers on Friday and discuss how we can move forward in ensuring that it doesn't occur in Canada.
Thank you.