It's the day after the budget, too, so....
Evidence of meeting #3 for Health in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was zika.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #3 for Health in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was zika.
A video is available from Parliament.
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON
I'm thinking that with all that going on, maybe we'd need the minister for two hours. It seems a lot....
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bill Casey
Yes.
I don't know. The word that we got back was that she's available for an hour, but we could ask her for two.
5:35 p.m.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
There sure is.
I'm pretty sure the motion we passed was to have the minister come to discuss her mandate letter. We're not calling her for the estimates.
We could call her for the estimates, but in fairness to her, that's what she was coming for.
5:35 p.m.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
I know how busy ministers are. Usually, they come for one hour. I've rarely seen a minister come for two hours. It's open for any of us to put in a motion to have her come for the estimates. I don't think anybody has done that yet, but we could.
5:35 p.m.
An hon. member
That's right. It's always a good thing.
5:35 p.m.
NDP
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bill Casey
Yes, it is.
Where do we go? Is it enough? Is three hours with the officials enough to deal with an introduction to pharmacare from the perspective of the Department of Health or not? Is that enough? We can always ask them to come back again.
5:35 p.m.
An hon. member
We can ask for more of their time.
5:35 p.m.
An hon. member
It's not enough.
5:35 p.m.
Committee Researcher
I wanted to raise a couple of things because one of our meetings with the officials is on the Canada Health Act and the annual report, so they are focused on that.
It's a good idea within that realm to talk about pharmacare because pharmacare is one of those things that is excluded from the Canada Health Act. It might be a bit much to try to have another briefing on pharmacare on top of that.
The other thing I would raise is with regard to some of the agencies that are involved in the pharmacare question. There's the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, which provides recommendations on formulary listings; the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, which is responsible for regulating drug prices; and the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
There's a range of federal organizations outside of the department we would want to hear from probably in a separate meeting from this briefing we're having on the Canada Health Act.
If I were you, I would separate the pharmacare issue out from the meetings that are currently scheduled and I would just have a separate meeting.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bill Casey
Works for me.
The meetings on March 21 and 23 will not be pharmacare. They will be Canada Health Act updates, mandate letters, and so on.
Then the first meeting we have after that will be with Department of Health officials on pharmacare.
Does everybody agree?
Mr. Davies
5:35 p.m.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Chair, I have a quick announcement before we adjourn.
After the votes tonight, there is a gathering with hors d'oeuvres just outside the parliamentary restaurant with survivors of the tainted blood scandal.
With Canadian Blood Services being here and us talking a little bit about the blood system, I wanted to invite my colleagues.
It's just outside the parliamentary restaurant on the 6th floor of Centre Block right after the votes tonight. If you want to stop by for 15 minutes, there will be free food. I'm told it's quite good. As members of the health committee, it might be of interest to you.
5:40 p.m.
Liberal
