Health Committee on Oct. 17th, 2006

[Tina Keeper, Liberal, Churchill, MB]

I guess to athletes. Is there a particular mindset? One of the things that I've been really stunned by in this study was the level of obesity and the urgency of the problem, so I'm wondering if there's--

[Silken Laumann]

Yes, there are just so many places. The problem has crept up on us, and we've really just started to recognize the enormity of it and to take it seriously. We're still a little bit in denial about how important it is. We do need to spend real money to tackle this problem, and it has to be tackled on many different levels. The schools are a critical piece of that. The education that our elementary school children are getting, as I said in my comments, is not sufficient. And we need to stop graduating teachers without any physical activity training.

The opportunity is there to provide greater training for before- and after-school care, but parents are the first in line. We buy the groceries. We actually dictate how our families spend their time. Certainly, what I have been doing nationally is really promoting the importance of families' having unstructured play, of getting outside and kicking the soccer ball with their kids, of giving themselves permission, instead of signing up for another hour of tutoring or another hour of language, to actually spend one night a week having a family night to get kids out and be physically active together.

Australia, as I mentioned, is a good model. They have very strong physical education experts in their schools. They have a culture that values physical activity, and we have a culture that watches physical activity on television. We watch sport on television, and that has been a shift. If we are going to continue to produce great athletes, which is one end of the spectrum, we also have to continue to really value and support activity on every level, from the level of the kid who wants to participate in hockey because it's fun, to the level of the kid who has a dream to be the best in the world. If we're not supporting the dreams of our children to be the best in the world, then we're supporting mediocrity. We need to support our elite athletes, but at the foundation we need to look at all these initiatives.

There are so many things going on in our country that are really good, as I said in my presentation. There are people who really know how to engage young people. I would suggest that the federal government take a role here in creating some sort of funds for these lean, mean programs--$5,000 really has an impact in these communities--so that they are easily accessible and are something like the Edmonton inner city project. In Edmonton there is a wonderful project that gets kids playing before and after school. They are the neediest kids in that community. They are strapped for funding. A little bit of funding makes a big difference.

Does that answer your question? I was long-winded.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

That's fine. You were, but it was very good, and it was helpful to the committee, so I let it go a little bit longer.

Thank you very much.

Ms. Davidson, you have five minutes.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I would like to thank the witnesses today. Certainly it has been an interesting presentation, and I've enjoyed hearing from each of you and the minister as well, although he has had to leave.

What has come through loud and clear to me this afternoon is that we need to pursue healthier weight through healthier lifestyles, that this is an entire package we are looking at, and that there is no one answer. Each of you has given that portrayal in your presentations.

I was quite interested, Rod, when you talked about the whole aspect of life and incorporating everything--the spiritual, the emotional, the physical--and making a better, healthier person all the way around. I'd like to comment just a little bit more on that.

Then I have a question for Silken as well. You talked about Norway, and you talked about Australia and the different attitudes that they have toward physical activity. In particular with Norway, you talked about the fear, or perhaps the lack of it, compared to what we're used to. That is one of the big things. There is a huge reluctance on the part of parents to allow their children to be out on their own or to be in parks or to be walking back and forth to school. After Rod comments, if there is time, I'd like you to comment a bit more on that and on how we might work toward achieving that.

[Rod Jacobs]

Thank you, Ms. Davidson.

Two years ago, I was about 310 pounds. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I was grossly obese. I came to the Aboriginal Sport Circle, and I had to start my healing journey. I remember the day: it was in March 2004. I got down on my knees and I prayed. That's what our people did, and that's what our people need to do—get back to the things that were us. So I prayed. I had to deal with sexual abuse, drugs and alcohol, suicide. Everything in my community I had to deal with—that was me. As a 12-year-old child, I'm driving my parents' car, getting my brother to his hockey games, because of drugs and alcohol. I had to deal with the emotional side of things.

My elders taught me that the spiritual side of things is the eagle, and the emotional side of things is the bear. The bear is very heavy, like emotions. Once I started to get this, my mind started to change. I started to grasp who I was. That 300 pounds wasn't me. I was carrying it around because of all of the things I had to deal with. My mind started to change, and the weight started to come off.

The mental aspect is the turtle, and sometimes the changing of our minds is slow. But it took place. The physical side is the wolf. I started to become faster. Right now I'm the healthiest I've been since I was maybe two. It's amazing what we can do when we try to achieve that holistic side of ourselves.

It's about utilizing our elders. Our elders were a big part of our communities. Now they're becoming distant. The youth were so important. They were a source of guidance to us. I talked to a friend of mine this weekend who had a difficult decision to make. She was babysitting her niece and nephew. I told her not to ask them the question, but to just let them speak, because they'd give her the answer.

Holistically, we have to take an inclusive look at every aspect of our lives—family, spirituality, emotions, mentality, and physicalness. We need to get back to that, but a lot of times our people stop there. We have to thank the Creator--Chi-Miigwetch--for giving us this opportunity. Holistic living has provided me with a healthier lifestyle. I can live longer. I know I will continue to fight for these kids, our aboriginal youth and every person in Canada, to make sure they're holistically finding who they are. Sport and recreation is one aspect of this. The Victoria Playhouse, which I've been to a number of times, is very important as well.

Our culture is great. We need to practise our culture. That's who we were made to be, and we need to honour it. Once we start honouring who we are, we become whole.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Thank you.

Silken.

[Silken Laumann]

Thank you.

Rod, thank you for reminding us what health really is: the mind, the body, and the spirt, and how integrated all of those things are. We often talk about teaching the whole child in our school system, and what you've shared is very beautiful.

I want to address the question of fear and how our communities have changed. It's a complex question. It's really one about social change and how we can impact our communities to make a positive social change and begin to trust one another. I think it really is a matter of increasing our comfort zones slowly, because it has taken a long time to get where we are today, from a place where certainly I, as a child, was left to my own devices until dinner time. I had dinner and couldn't wait to go outside again until the street lights came on. That was the sign we had to come in. So things have changed a lot in 20 to 25 years.

“Play in the park” is an idea we promote, and I have observed what happens when communities start something like “play in the park”, where they're working together to supervise a local park. People come together and start to get to know their neighbours. They start to engage in conversation, and the kinds of conversations that certainly happened in my community.... The first day we did it, we had six children out. Now we're regularly getting about thirty children coming to play in the park, and their families come. But kids have also starting walking to school, because now we know who lives in what house and the kids have developed a further connection. Six-year-olds now know ten-year-olds in the same school because they play in the park together.

So I think it's a slow social change. I think the starting point is creating open community spaces where people can come together in a way that is maybe initiated by the community but is supported by governments' and cities' free open space, where the doors are open for people to come. They can then use their initiatives to actually come together in that space.

So I don't think I can snap my fingers and say to just let your kids out, but I do think that by starting a discussion, like we are today and like the one you've been engaged in for some time now, around the health of our children.... Twenty years ago, we didn't wear seat belts and we didn't sit in car seats, but we've somehow gotten to a place where we wouldn't think about putting our children in the car without a child seat. I drag my child seat right across the country to oma and opa's house, in order to put my children in a car seat.

Physical activity has to be such a priority for us as parents, as teachers, and as community leaders that we wouldn't think of supporting a government that didn't make it a priority, that we wouldn't think of supporting a school that didn't have an integrated physical education approach. That is going to take a little bit of time. It takes our talking about it, discussing it, and continuing to promote and take seriously the critical piece that physical activity has in our physical, emotional, and social health.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Thank you very much.

Madame Demers, for five minutes.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you to all of you for coming. I am pleased that you came. I greatly admire you, Ms. Laumann, and you as well, Mr. Jacobs. I think that your journey is an example for everyone.

Mr. Paquette, before asking my questions I would like to make a comment. I think that the minister is practising what he preaches — his skating is excellent. He skated around my colleague's question. You must tell him that he is very good. However, I think it is unfortunate that Health Canada could not be bothered, over the 30 years of its existence, to study the impact of the ParticipACTION program. Other countries have similar programs and have done so.

I have a study before me that was published by the British Medical Journal, a well respected publication. Five hundred and ninety-two children participated in a physical exercise program for one year for the purposes of determining whether or not exercise had an impact on obesity. The physical exercise had no impact on weight, but it did have an impact on motor skills and on health. I think that is important.

I also think that it is important to be concerned about obesity. I am obese and I admit it. I have problems but I often go to Tim Hortons to buy a carrot and bran muffin and an orange juice. I thought that was good for me and now I realize that it is not good for me at all.

I think that there are many issues that we need to identify, examine and be aware of. This is not just a question of exercise, it is not just a question of practice. There is also the number of calories that we are ingesting and that we can lose through exercise.

Ms. Laumann, my question is for you. This morning, I eat a muffin and I drank 8 onces of pure orange juice. That is good thing, is not it? Do you know how many calories that represents and how long it will take me to loose those calories? It is unbelievable, it adds up to 512 calories and I would have to walk at a brisk pace for at least an hour in order to lose those calories. The same applies to children.

I would like to hear your opinion. Do you feel, like Mr. Jacobs, that exercise is not the only factor? We also need to make sure that parents are aware that the number of calories consumed has an impact, that they are aware of how many calories they and their children are consuming and that they also know what the ultimate consequences of those calories are? Do you think that what I am saying is a bit far fetched or am I right?

[Silken Laumann]

No, I don't think what you're saying is frivolous; I think it's very important. The first comments I made were that we can't separate the issues of obesity and inactivity from diet. We can't say that to be healthy you just have to exercise. Here we have experts on the physical activity piece, and that is why we're addressing it. You have had many experts who have spoken about the nutrition piece; I am not a dietitian. I know that it is an equation. I know that when you are physically active, not only are you burning calories but you're also changing your body composition, you're building muscle, and all of that has a long-term impact.

And it's not just about weight; it's about heart health and bone health. Weight is the visible sign for a lot of people that somebody is out of shape, but it's not the only sign. There are many young people who are very thin but do not have adequate lung capacity and do not have adequate bone density. For instance, one of the things I learned is that young girls develop 23% of their bone density between the years of 12 and 14, and that's the exact age when young girls drop out of sport, drop out of structured activities, and often don't have a fallback of unstructured activities.

So there's a strong correlation, and your comment was not frivolous. Parents are buying the food, and economics is involved here as well. When you look at the poorest communities, what is the food source in those communities? Where is the local store? If it's a 7-Eleven, we have a real problem. We should be really looking at the kinds of stores we're putting in the poorest communities and, in an ideal world, making the best food the cheapest food.

But these opinions take some time to change. It's about education, yes, to a certain extent. It's also about planning our communities in a better way, giving the poorest communities in our country access. One of the statistics I looked at recently is how economics relates to obesity and how single moms in this country are our poorest citizens, which actually means that children are our poorest citizens. And those children have a higher risk of being overweight and obese.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Thank you very much. I absolutely want to ask Mr. Jacobs a question.

Mr. Jacobs, were you, as a First Nations' member, consulted on the content of the Canada Food Guide?

[Rod Jacobs]

Canada's Food Guide, for me as a first nations person growing up, was really unrealistic. It doesn't do anything for my people. We have better luck buying five bags of chips to feed our families than fruit. And that's terrible.

Yes, I'd probably put in extra dollars to get me to where I'm at now. But my sister can't; she's on social assistance. There are no jobs in our communities. As Silken said, it's not just about physical activity; it's about our economic—

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

My question was this: was your community consulted during the drafting of the new Canada Food Guide?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Her time is gone, but I'll allow the answer.

[Rod Jacobs]

From the Aboriginal Sport Circle's perspective, no, we weren't consulted.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Lunney, you have five minutes.

[James Lunney, Conservative, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I'd also like to thank all the witnesses. The Minister had to leave, but I appreciate the officials being here, and Silken Laumann, and Rod, and all of you, for the very interesting discussion you've stimulated today.

I want to put three questions quickly out here. I'll just put them all out here.

Silken, I'd like you to address the great program that you mentioned was in Edmonton, with its little bit of money and good results. I'd like to know what kind of a low-cost investment that was. Maybe you could describe that. If you could just hold onto that, I'll run through these quickly.

I wanted to ask the officials what years did the ParticipACTION program actually run, because there was a period when it was active. I haven't heard that actually explained. Maybe you could explain that to us.

I wanted to come back to Rod. I want, first of all, to thank you for your own personal story that you shared with us and for making yourself vulnerable in explaining it. I think you had us all fascinated by it. In my coastal community, Nanaimo—Alberni, we have a lot of first nations people and the predominate group is Nuu-chah-nulth. They have an expression that our interpreters will probably have a challenge with. It's hishuk ish tsawalk, which in their language means everything is one; literally, we're part of nature, and nature is part of us. And I think that dealing with this challenge of obesity certainly ties in with that.

I appreciated that you raised the points about how sport involves teamwork, leadership, social development, as well as the physical aspects and the spiritual, and you tied those together so nicely for us. I know that some of our own aboriginal communities, the coastal communities that are isolated, with 800 people and 250 school kids, have basketball teams. The kids are really good at basketball, but they're isolated and their ability to participate and interact with other communities is limited.

And now back to the officials, we talk about a 40% increase in funding. I think I heard the minister say there was $20 million to increase aboriginal participation in sport activity. I wonder if you could explain where and how you see that. What is the vision? How do you see the new funding applied, and what type of venue or approach is anticipated with the increased funding?

So I'll just put those questions out for starters.

[Silken Laumann]

Should I answer first, since I had the first question?

I'd like to share not just Edmonton but three ideas, because they all share a commonality in that they were initiated by the community. The City Centre Education Project in Edmonton was initiated by a principal who said we don't have enough money to hire a physical activity expert, but we need one, so let's work together with other schools to do so. They got five schools together and they hired a physical activity expert. They also hired a public health nurse to help initiate a change in food policy within the school. They identified lots of kids in their school who needed some special help in accessing physical activity programs. So they trained and brought in experts to create active before and after school care. I don't have the exact numbers on how much that cost. I did at one point; it's not at the top of my mind.

In Erin, Ontario, there's a program called Erin Hoops. It started off as a basketball club. Many kids played in this basketball league, but then it got too expensive to play in the school. They took on the school board; they took on the city. They lost on all counts, but Patrick Suessmuth, who ran the program, didn't give up. He found a community centre, a space that was a little bit rundown, and somehow he negotiated a free lease to open that space. And 500 kids a month now come through that space. They don't only play basketball, they rollerblade, they play ping pong, and the only rule is no hitting and no slamming of doors in that place--again, some real innovation.

Whitehorse had a problem with vandalism in its inner city school. They created something called the Whole Child Project. Again, they opened the school doors in the evening. They partnered with the RCMP, who ran a school bus all around the neighbourhood. They invited grandparents, uncles, children, etc., to come into this open school concept.

Various resources were offered in that school. One was floor hockey and basketball, one was healthy cooking classes, another was helping people who needed to navigate the social programs so they could access the further help of the community. We talked to one of the mothers who went through this program with her three kids. She was in a deep depression when she accessed this program and credits this program for getting her out of the house one night a week to play with her kids. It saved her from deep, deep depression.

All these things have something in common. They happened because somebody wanted to take action. That action was supported by some money in the community--in one case, the RCMP; in another case, some private funding; and in another case, some government funding. A little bit of money in those kinds of initiatives really goes a long way.

[Jacques Paquette]

I want to answer the questions quickly.

The first question concerned ParticipACTION. It started in 1971 and was very active in the seventies and eighties. And in the nineties, public as well as corporate funding decreased significantly, so it ceased in 2001. That's the story of ParticipACTION.

The second question concerns the funding for aboriginal activities. First of all, the framework we're using is the aboriginal policy we developed and announced last year, and that was done in close consultation with the Aboriginal Sport Circle. So the priorities are there. We are developing some action plans.

At the moment we're using different channels to spend the money. One channel that is quite important is the federal-provincial-territorial bilateral agreements, where we put in a total of around $4.5 million, and that's being matched by the provinces. It's part of the new funding we're going to use to increase these agreements with the provinces to specifically target aboriginal sport initiatives.

Another part of that money is also going to be invested in a coaching strategy, because that was also identified as one of the main priorities we should look at.

[Rod Jacobs]

Mr. Chair, if I can just add to that, we're very grateful for the policy on aboriginal people's participation in sport and recreation. The dollars that are allocated will be going to develop our provincial and territorial aboriginal sport bodies and continuing to build capacity, as well as looking at our aboriginal coaching program, as we feel that leadership is very important.

We'll be doing that and we'll continue to work with Sport Canada to ensure that the dollars assigned to the national sport organizations are geared toward increasing aboriginal participation and that we continue to work with our national sport organization partners to ensure we're reaching targets.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Once again, I'd like to thank the witnesses who came forward today. This is becoming a fascinating study.

The Aboriginal Sports Circle, Rod, thank you for being here and sharing.

Silken Laumann, four-time Olympian, thank you for what you're doing right across Canada in promoting healthy living for active kids. It's a great cause, and all Canadians owe you a great debt. Keep up the good work.

I would also like to thank the minister and his officials for being here.

We'll take a two-minute break and then we'll get into the motions the committee has to deal with.

Thanks again to all of you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

We'll start again with the procedural motion. Ms. Davidson has introduced a procedural motion. I think everyone has it in both official languages.

You can speak to it, please.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

As I said earlier, I wish to introduce this procedural motion. I wished to speak to it at the last meeting, but because of lack of time, I wasn't able to.

We are sitting here today listening to witnesses on an extremely important study we have undertaken. I don't think there's anybody around this table who wants to do less than a full study, a full hearing of witnesses who would do justice to this study. We have heard from a lot of people here. We have a physician who sits on this committee, and we have a person of aboriginal descent on this committee. We have those who are extremely interested in land use planning and infrastructure issues. All of us, I believe, have to some extent questioned the input that went into the new Canada food guide and whether there was enough consultation.

I'm putting forth this motion, Mr. Chairman, because I feel we need to hear from health professionals, we need to hear more from the first nations and Inuit groups, we need to hear what provincial initiatives are out there, and we need to hear about the impact of our built environment and infrastructure, so we can develop a full report that will have input from everybody. By my best estimate, we have probably spent about $100,000 to this point on this study, and I would hate to see us put forward a report that is not complete.

Therefore, I would move this motion. I won't read it, as it is lengthy, but everybody has a copy of it now.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

It sounds like this is adding another meeting on health professionals, first nations, the provinces, and infrastructure and environment. Is that it?

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

My motion asks that we undertake at least four meetings, in addition to the current work plan.