Health Committee on May 4th, 2006

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB]

Yes.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

I believe the situation to be of the utmost urgency. The victims are at the end of their tether. Some may even die before the negotiations are completed. There is also the matter of the compensation fund. The lawyers are still holding negotiation meetings, but it is a very costly process. The victims are extremely concerned, and want to know how negotiations on the compensation fund are advancing.

I am confident that the minister would be able to quickly bring us up to speed on the matter. It has to be handled as a separate issue. We have many questions for the minister on many different subjects. I think that we should move ahead quickly. We have the opportunity to show that the committee is treating this as a priority, as the victims, who are still waiting for answers, have asked.

I am confident that you are acting in good faith, sir.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have a point of order. Why are we debating a notice of motion?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

We aren't. We're just laying before the committee the point that the minister is coming on June 6, and really, we don't need any more discussion on that. You're absolutely right. It's a notice of motion; we'll debate it in 48 hours. So we'll leave it at that.

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB]

Mr. Chair, just one point. It's not--

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

No, I'm sorry. You can debate that at the next meeting. That's fine.

What is the agenda for the next meeting? Let's just debate this for a second or two. The next meeting will be next Tuesday. There are some issues from the last time the committee met that have not been addressed that perhaps we could have department people come in to address.

There is one that strikes me. You'll remember that we had a long debate on a private member's bill on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. We had the department come forward with a comprehensive plan on how to deal with it. We chased them out of the room, basically, and they were to come back again, and that never did happen.

I'm wondering whether the committee would be interested in having them back, maybe Tuesday--is that possible?--to lay before the committee where they are on that plan. We can do this motion at that time as well. Is that fair?

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Mr. Chairman, I would also like you to give consideration to following up on the matter of breast implants. There has been no follow-up on this matter. A report was published in January 2006. One of the companies that is planning to manufacture breast implants is currently under criminal investigation in the United States. I think that those in charge of this file should be called before the committee again.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Would that be fair, to perhaps have our researchers investigate that for our Thursday meeting?

[A voice]

Did you want to call any witnesses, though?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

I don't know. Do we want witnesses or do we just want the department? What would you like?

[Penny Priddy, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

I would like to at least have the department.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

You at least want to have the department come in on Thursday. Okay.

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

It seems to me that a two-hour meeting could accommodate...[Inaudible--Editor]...in the first hour of the meeting and the other in the second hour. No?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

It doesn't give us a lot of time for the spectrum disorder, but I'm game to go with that kind of aggressiveness if the committee so wishes. But it might be spreading one or the other of those issues, not giving them a fulsome hearing, especially since we're trying to do them in one meeting.

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Okay, whatever you think, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Are we happy with that as an agenda? I'm just trying to get some consensus.

So on Tuesday we'll be dealing with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and on Thursday there will be an update on the breast implant problem.

We'll have Madame Gagnon, and then we'll go to....

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Chairman, we have spent a great deal of time talking about future business. We do not have much time before the break week, which runs from the 15th to the 23rd. We do not know when we are going to be able to meet. Are we going to have a meeting to discuss future business, or are we going to make a decision today as to our priority from here until we adjourn? The list of subjects requiring study and follow-up is fairly substantial. Are you planning on holding a meeting to discuss our program between now and when we adjourn?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

I agree with you. All I was trying to do was to lay out next week. I do know that we need to plan for those issues.

Perhaps at the end of Tuesday's meeting, if there's time, or at Thursday's meeting we could have further discussion of future business. We can either meet as a steering committee or set out some time as a committee to deal with that.

Mr. Batters.

[Dave Batters, Conservative, Palliser, SK]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

You voiced concern about fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, for the meeting on Tuesday. I'm just wondering if you could consult briefly with our learned analysts and the clerk as to whether that would be enough time. We'd like to finish the work on that before going to the issue raised by Ms. Demers.

Is there enough time? I'd like to hear from the analysts and the clerk on that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Do you want to give your input on FASD?

[Nancy Miller Chenier]

Sure.

If you have a session next week on FASD, the idea would be to call the Public Health Agency representatives--assuming they can come; it may be short notice.

If you wanted to do a more detailed study, you would want to have some people from the non-governmental organizations who have been involved with this issue. There is an alcohol strategy currently under way that incorporates parts of FASD.

The committee has to decide whether they want it to be a one-time information update meeting or whether they would like it to be a more substantive study.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

I would suggest that after the Tuesday meeting we'd be in a better position to determine that. I know there's some legislation coming forward.

Mr. Fletcher.

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB]

I know there has been discussion within the department on this issue. Raising an expectation that they can come on Tuesday may not be realistic, and I would just draw the committee's attention to that possibility. Don't hold your hopes too high.

[A voice]

Could we have Thursday as the fallback?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Let's follow through and see. It will be interesting to see the department duck on this one.

Madam Priddy.