Evidence of meeting #18 for Official Languages in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was year.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:05 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada
Are you talking about health care?
10:05 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada
I said that it was a matter of provincial jurisdiction.
10:05 a.m.
NDP
10:05 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada
There are always exceptions in life.
10:05 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Indeed there are, as we see every day. At any rate, do not worry. Although public servants sometimes suffer something of an image problem, the polls always say that politicians have a worse problem than you do. There are always exceptions to the rule.
10:05 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada
It must be because we give advice to politicians.
10:05 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
I am frittering away my time.
What is your answer to Mr. Petit's question on reserves? I want to know whether they fall under provincial or federal jurisdiction.
If the reserve to which Mr. Petit referred is indeed under federal jurisdiction, does it follow that there will be not just a bilingual nurse, but hospital services available in both official languages?
10:05 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada
Let me explain my understanding of the matter. Aboriginals who live on reserve receive health care from an on-reserve nurse. The federal government foots the bill. The federal government also covers any transportation costs related to transferring a patient to a provincial hospital. However, the province pays for the services provided to the patient at the provincial hospital.
10:05 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
That is fine, but are they entitled to service in the official language of their choice, because federal legislation provides for this?
10:05 a.m.
Executive Director, Official Language Community Development Bureau, Intergovernmental Affairs Directorate, Health Canada
Quebec has amended its health care act. Measures have been introduced for each regional health board to set up a committee tasked with ensuring that services are provided. Each board has to develop a plan to ensure that health care services are provided in English, the minority language in Quebec.
10:05 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
My other question concerns the community groups. The federal government does provide funding, but if it does not arrive on time, or if it arrives at the last moment, the communities become concerned. It is like when the government waits until fall when the ground is frozen, before providing the funds for roadwork. The same thing happens to the communities.
I want my message to be understood. I know that it is not just up to you and that the government decides when the monies are released. Nevertheless, the communities are working very hard at grassroots level yet, at the 11th hour, they are left waiting and wondering whether they will be able to pay their phone bill or whether they will have to close their offices. It is difficult to do a good job in such circumstances. But, that is what happens most of the time.
Some communities in my region have been worried of late. There is another program that is supposed to provide funding for advertising spots on health in French. On Friday, they did not even know if they would be getting the funding.
Is this problem here to stay? Is the federal government cutting back on health care spending?
10:05 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada
Those cases involve contribution agreements. Contribution agreements are managed very tightly. The point is to protect taxpayers' money. These procedures are...
10:05 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
I understand that you must monitor things, but do people have to wait until the very last minute?
10:05 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
When funding is granted. When one budget is ending and a new one comes in, the communities are the last to know.
10:05 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada
The amount of $10 million, which was earmarked for this year, was announced last November. We knew the process would take time. Once funding is announced, you need the formal approval of the President of Treasury Board. This takes time, since submissions must be prepared and so on.
We had agreed with community representatives that they could start to prepare their projects so that as soon as the money became available they could implement the projects and avoid the start-up work at that stage. This is what happened. Officials regretted the delays, and of course the communities did, as well. Our hands were tied until we got Treasury Board approval. When we received the authorization, the communities had been ready to proceed for a few months.
10:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Guy Lauzon
Thank you, Mr. Godin. This concludes our second round and we will now begin the third one.
Mr. Bélanger, you have the floor.
10:10 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to make a few comments before putting my question. I am both disappointed and pleased to learn that, based on their own evaluations, the percentage of Quebec anglophones who say they do not have access to services in their own language is 48 per cent. This percentage is strangely similar to that of the francophone community outside Quebec, which, at the time of the study, was 50 per cent.
Of course, I admit that there are differences, but also similarities, such as when the Jefferey Hale Hospital in Quebec City was closed. I have travelled in certain regions, such as the Gaspé Peninsula and elsewhere in Quebec, and their situation is different from that in Montreal. The communities clearly said this.
As for the number of organizations, this is a choice that the communities have made themselves. I believe there are four networks in Ontario. I am familiar with the one in Eastern Ontario. Four of the 17 networks in Canada, apart from Quebec, are located in Ontario. The one in Eastern Ontario includes over 50 organizations. We have to consider the real numbers when we compare the number of organizations in the English community in Quebec to the number in francophone communities outside Quebec. But I think that on the whole the stories are similar, except that they chose to structure them differently.
As for cooperation between the Société santé en français and the provinces, I admire the work they do. Unless I'm mistaken, a deputy minister of health from New Brunswick was a member of the board, but I don't know if he still is today. This is proof that there was good co-operation among the three parties: the communities, the provinces and the federal government. This should be known.
As for the positive initiatives, I believe that construction has begun on the Centre de santé Saint-Thomas in Edmonton. It will be a magnificent centre which will provide health care services for seniors.
I simply wanted to clarify a few of the things we heard.
I will now briefly come back to the issue of training. In the agreement which was signed in 2004, which transferred 41 billion additional dollars over ten years, there was money to train 1,000 people in ten years so that their credentials could be recognized. Money was also included for people who had trained as doctors abroad and who had come to live in Canada, but who could not work in their profession.
Can you tell us how that aspect of the agreement, which was signed with all the provinces and territories, will be implemented?
10:10 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada
That does not fall within my sector. I really do not have any details.
Roger, can you respond?
10:10 a.m.
Executive Director, Official Language Community Development Bureau, Intergovernmental Affairs Directorate, Health Canada
As far as the agreements with the provinces are concerned, we are in the process of developing a co-operative process in the health care sector, between the Consortium national de formation en santé and the Human Resources Program. A project valued at a million dollars was presented by the consortium under the program to provide additional training for physicians who trained abroad, which means that they would be able to practise in Canada. The program is not up and running yet, but there have been discussions and commitments have been made.
10:10 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
If I may, as far as this subject is concerned, minority francophone communities were concerned because professional organizations, in their efforts to recognize foreign credentials, seemed unaware that the same should happen for francophones, that is, all the work that was being done by professional organizations was almost exclusively in English.
Are you aware of this concern? If so, will the Department of Health do anything?
10:15 a.m.
Executive Director, Official Language Community Development Bureau, Intergovernmental Affairs Directorate, Health Canada
Yes, we are aware of this concern, as Mr. Nouvet mentioned.
As far as the francophone community is concerned, they are embarking on another round of strategic planning for the 2008 and 2013 period, that is, for the next five years. One of the challenges which was highlighted is precisely the co-operation between the francophone community that is, the networks and the consortium, and the professional organizations.
One of the projects represented by the Société Santé en français for 2006-2007, which will end on March 31, involves the Canadian Medical Association.