This bill has received Royal Assent and is now law.
Summary
This is from the published bill.
This enactment provides for the development of a national strategy to support the prevention and treatment of eye disease, as well as vision rehabilitation, to ensure better health outcomes for Canadians. It also designates the month of February as “Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month”.
Elsewhere
All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.
Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-284s:
C-284 (2021)
An Act to amend the Department of Industry Act (financial assistance)
C-284 (2016)
National Renewable Energy Strategy Act
This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below.
Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Bill C-284 aims to establish a national strategy for eye care in Canada. The strategy would focus on the prevention and treatment of eye diseases, promote research and data collection, facilitate information sharing between federal and provincial governments, and expedite the review of new treatments for conditions like macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. The bill also proposes designating February as Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month.
Liberal
Advocating national eye care strategy: The Liberals strongly advocate for Bill C-284, aiming to establish a comprehensive national eye care strategy to address the vision loss crisis in Canada. They emphasize the need for a coordinated response to ensure equal access to eye care for all Canadians, regardless of location or financial status.
Addressing gaps in access: The Liberals highlight the current gaps in access to eye care, where many Canadians must pay out-of-pocket or rely on private insurance. They want a system where eye health care is not treated as a luxury but as a crucial service accessible to everyone, including seniors, working people, and children.
Focus on prevention and research: The proposed strategy includes enhanced access to eye health care for indigenous people, the creation of a vision desk at the Public Health Agency of Canada, and investments in research to find new treatments for preventing and stopping blindness. They are highlighting the number of preventable cases and looking to address surgical backlogs.
Acknowledging stakeholder support: They acknowledge support of optometrists, ophthalmologists, researchers, and patient advocates such as CNIB, Canadian Council for the Blind and Fighting Blindness Canada, and are pleased to have multi-party support in the House.
Conservative
Supports the bill: Conservative members generally support the bill. They see eye care as critical and acknowledge the potential benefits of a national eye care strategy for prevention, treatment, and information sharing.
Focus on overall health: Some members would like to see the focus expanded to eye health and overall health. Eye exams can detect a range of health issues beyond eye diseases.
Concerns about government approach: Some members expressed concern that the federal government should consult with the appropriate stakeholders. They pointed to the government's dental program as an example of a program where the lack of proper consultation was a problem.
Training availability inequity: One member notes that optometry training schools are not available in Western Canada, and argues that this represents an inequity in access to training for aspiring optometrists in those regions of the country.
NDP
Bill C-284 supported: The NDP supports Bill C-284, which aims to establish a national strategy for eye care, addressing the long-standing issue of underfunding and deprioritization of eye health in Canada.
Universal health care: The NDP believes in publicly funded health care from head to toe, including eye care, and views accessible vision care as a fundamental right, aligning with the party's historical commitment to universal health care principles.
Call for government action: The NDP criticizes the Liberal government for failing to implement a national vision health plan despite past commitments to the World Health Organization and the UN, highlighting the need for federal leadership and action on eye care.
Vision loss prevention: The NDP emphasizes the importance of routine eye exams in preventing vision loss, noting that early diagnosis and treatment can prevent vision loss in 75% of cases, and that a significant portion of vision impairment is correctable with prescription glasses.
Bloc
Supports the bill: The Bloc Québécois supports the bill in principle, recognizing the importance of eye health and the need for a national strategy to support the prevention and treatment of eye diseases. While supportive, they highlight that the bill itself does little and only forces the government to produce a report that will establish a national strategy for eye care.
Respect for provincial jurisdiction: The Bloc emphasizes that health care is primarily a provincial responsibility, particularly in Quebec, and any federal strategy must respect provincial jurisdiction and complement existing provincial programs. The bill should respect Quebec's and the provinces' jurisdictions; however, the Bloc will study the bill to ensure that the federal strategy is complete and complements the actions of the Quebec government.
Need for increased funding: The Bloc argues that developing a national strategy is insufficient without adequate funding for provinces and Quebec to deliver essential eye care services, and suggests a need for increased health transfers to address the fiscal imbalance. To improve eye health, more services and resources are required.
Skepticism towards national strategies: The Bloc expresses skepticism about the effectiveness of national strategies in general, citing a history of reports being ignored, and emphasizes that the bill needs to be accompanied by action. Members are concerned how to best implement a strategy to support the prevention and treatment of eye disease.
