Finance Committee on Oct. 27th, 2010

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

You have one minute left.

[Pierre Patry]

—people will be in a serious state of poverty when they retire.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

I recently had the opportunity to meet with CSN representatives. You obviously do your homework.

[Pierre Patry]

I hope they said the same thing as me.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

We're studying what happened with the employment insurance fund. That's what created the fiscal room to provide large corporations with $60 billion in tax cuts. If a manufacturing company lost money and didn't benefit from a tax cut, that didn't help it. This way of going about it, on the whole, benefited the richest businesses to the detriment of the companies that were in the greatest need. That's the tragedy of the Conservatives' approach.

Thank you very much, Mr. Patry.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Please answer very briefly.

[Pierre Patry]

That's the current major misfortune. With regard to tax cuts for business, these are comprehensively implemented measures. We would prefer targeted measures that, for example, promote job creation and increased productivity. However, that's not what is being put forward.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Merci beaucoup.

Colleagues, I've been requested to have a very quick round of two minutes each: one for Mr. Brison, un tour à M. Carrier, and one for Mr. Wallace. I will hold you firm to that two minutes.

Mr. Brison, please.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Thank you very much.

My question is for Mr. Turnbull and Mr. Adams, with CMA.

It strikes me that as we move forward, we have to really move away from the hospital being the centre for health care, particularly with the aging demographic, and do more to create a home-centred approach to health care, both economically and socially.

Mr. Szabo was mentioning his mom. My mom's 81 and has Alzheimer's. My 87-year-old father is taking care of her, and we're dealing with that now.

On the issue of helping caregivers and moving from a six-week EI benefit for caregivers, for workers trying to take care of loved ones at home, to six months--as opposed to the current six weeks--to what extent would that help Canadian families?

Also, in regard to a caregiver tax credit modelled on the child tax benefit, focused on helping families take care of loved ones at home, particularly low- and middle-income families, to what extent would that make a difference in not only helping to strengthen the health care system but in helping Canadian families to survive?

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

You have about 30 seconds.

[Jeffrey Turnbull]

I'll be very quick in responding.

Thanks for your question. I think the movement from six weeks' support to longer would be helpful. I have to say that this, in its own right, would not be sufficient, recognizing that many of those people who require services at home are not just the people who are dying--compassionate care. We see so much chronic illness. Many of those caregivers are not employed, so an employment-based system in its own right would be helpful, but not sufficient.

As it relates to families, suffice to say that I think we have to look at all options of supporting all members who are providing long-term care, look at every option we have through our tax systems to support them.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Mr. Carrier, go ahead, please.

[Robert Carrier, Bloc, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Since I only have two minutes, I have selected a single question. It will be for Mr. Turnbull, from the Canadian Medical Association.

I would like to have a clear understanding of the role you can play in Canadian health transfers, which you would like to see increased for various reasons. Among other things, you cite a lack of resources, the shortage of physicians in Canada. I know that it is a recognized fact that there is a shortage of physicians in Quebec. I suppose the situation is somewhat the same in the other provinces.

Since health is a field governed by each of the provinces, for example, as regards education and allocated budgets, I wonder how, through federal transfers, you can exercise an influence at a level that goes beyond that of the provinces.

[Jeffrey Turnbull]

Thank you very much.

I think what we first and foremost need to have is a conversation amongst all Canadians as to how they want their health care to look, and then we have to ask how it should be structured, recognizing the unique jurisdictions that are involved. There are many opportunities for our federal government to become engaged in working with, not against, our provinces. The federal government can facilitate, as we've heard, through tax incentives, setting standards. It can facilitate through a health innovation fund that encourages jurisdictions to move their health care system to a system that's much more sustainable. In addition to its usual requirements for delivery of services as required through the BNA Act, there are many opportunities where the federal government can participate.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Thank you.

Mr. Wallace, very briefly.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank everyone for coming today.

I think my colleague Mr. Szabo asked about health education, and he thought it was a good thing.

Could you send me all the information you have about the risks of smoking? I'll send it to Mr. Szabo.

[Jeffrey Turnbull]

We'd be happy to do that. I'll back up the truck.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

I'm just having a little fun with you there, Mr. Szabo.

Mr. Patry, I have a question for you, sir. In your discussion, you talked about the dollar being at or close to parity and that we've lost some of our competitive edge because we couldn't compete just based on the difference between a U.S. dollar and a Canadian dollar. I think it's a fact of life. I think we need to improve on productivity on this side of the border to be able to compete.

What are your union members wanting to do to improve productivity of the Canadian worker so that we can compete and continue to have jobs in this country?

[Pierre Patry]

In a society, the main two factors contributing to increased productivity are the quality and renewal of equipment. I don't think it would be difficult to assist businesses in this regard, if the idea was to increase work productivity. I mentioned that earlier. We would like measures such as those that promote employment and increased productivity much more than random tax cuts for businesses. That's the first thing.

The second thing that promotes increased productivity is education. The federal government's role in this regard is to ensure that there are proper transfers to the provinces for postsecondary education. There have been major cuts to these transfers since the mid-1990s. So transfer payments for postsecondary education should therefore be increased. That would promote increased productivity among workers.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

Okay.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Thank you, Mr. Wallace.

Mr. Mulcair has a question.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I have a question for Mr. Turnbull. I'd like to know whether, in the view as well of the medical association he represents, he indeed believes that, in 2010, the medication that can be taken at home and home care are part of the basket of medical services that must be seen as such.

In the early 1960s, for example, comprehensive health insurance made it possible to put people in hospital. Today, if we want to keep these people at home, does that have to be part of what has to be negotiated between federal and provincial governments in the next round in 2014?

[Jeffrey Turnbull]

Thank you very much.

I'll be very brief and say “yes”.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!