Health Committee on June 15th, 2010

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Yes. I was wondering, for the rules of opening up, are we just at seven minutes for opening? Are we including Madam Bennett's opening rant in her seven minutes?

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Joyce Murray]

Thank you, Dr. Carrie.

According to the rules of this committee for an appearance of the minister, the Liberals have 15 minutes for this round.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Fifteen for the opening round? Thank you very much.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Joyce Murray]

Please continue, Dr. Bennett or....

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

That means I'm doing well.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Joyce Murray]

Dr. Bennett.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

She was going to answer that previous question.

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

I'm waiting for your question.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

The question was, where within your department do you get the evidence in order to make decisions on maternal and child health policy in terms of full reproductive services?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, the information that we receive to respond to areas of priority come through research through the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and a number of other sources.

Having said that, there are a number of initiatives that we're undertaking in Canada to improve maternal health within Canada. I'll look to the legislation that we've passed related to tobacco and the work that we're doing to reduce young women smoking while they're pregnant; nutrition; prenatal programs; aboriginal head start; and the “Nobody's Perfect” parenting program. There are a number of initiatives that we're continuing in partnership with the provinces and territories.

As the members should know, the provinces and territories deliver health care on a front line basis, but from within Health Canada there are a number of investments that we have made related to maternal health, and we will continue to do so based on the evidence produced through the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Thank you.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Madam Minister, given the fact that Canada has now dropped to twenty-fourth and Cuba is now doing better than Canada, is the minister going to put any effort into redoubling our initiatives on maternal and child health, for our indigenous peoples in particular, including getting the data to prove where the work is needed?

What money, I ask you, Minister, are you going to allocate to decrease the maternal and newborn-infant mortality in Canada?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

In regard to the first nations and Inuit health, for maternal health in the supplementaries that we're dealing with today, there's $285 million invested to address that.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Do you have a birthing strategy, Madam Minister?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

Again, there are a number of initiatives are undertaken by provinces and territories. The member should know that provinces and territories deliver front line health care services and in each jurisdiction, in partnership with some of the initiatives we're doing, we're trying to address the whole issue around.... Tobacco-related illnesses are preventable, as the member knows, and we have a high smoking rate among our population that affects infant mortality. That deals with infant mortality.

We have initiatives related to birth weights, breastfeeding, maternal/child health programs, prenatal programs, and aboriginal head start. A number of programs across the department deal with improving the health outcomes of babies. We'll continue to work with the provinces and the territories.

In the budget you're dealing with today, there is $285 million that includes maternal health for aboriginal and Inuit individuals.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Joyce Murray]

The time is up.

Thank you, Madam Minister.

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

Thank you.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Joyce Murray]

It's Mr. Malo's turn.

You have 10 minutes.

[Luc Malo, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

On April 2, 2009, Corinne Prince-St-Amand, the director general of the Foreign Credentials Referral Office at Citizenship and Immigration Canada, made it clear to this committee that, in Canada, the provinces and territories are responsible for assessing and recognizing foreign credentials. Yet, in the supplementary estimates referred to us, some $24 million is being requested to support the development and implementation of a pan-Canadian framework on foreign credential recognition.

My question is very simple. How does the minister intend to make sure that the additional $24 million is given directly to the provinces, which are responsible for recognizing professional credentials?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Just to clarify an earlier response, I want to get back to the report, to what was stated before--that we are behind Cuba. One of the interesting things in that report is that Cuba reports infant birth weights differently. If we reported the same way that Cuba did, we would be at number four within that report--

[Luc Malo, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

I hope you are going to give me some more time, since the minister is answering one of my colleague's questions.

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

Sure. I'd be happy to answer your question. As it relates to the $24 million being requested to support the development and implementation of the pan-Canadian framework for foreign credentials recognition to better integrate the needs of provinces and territories within the labour force, the pan-Canadian framework will encompass the professions in the areas with a shortfall within Canada as needed. The areas targeted are the areas of lab technicians, therapists, pharmacists, and registered nurses. Six occupations are targeted for implementation by December 31, 2012, to the provinces and territories, of which four of our health professionals.... Our challenge is to come up with credentials recognition that would support the provinces and territories in their recruitment efforts across the country.

It is very challenging to recruit professionals from out of the country when each jurisdiction is challenged with looking at foreign credentials recognition, but it is a collective effort with provinces and territories to look at a pan-Canadian framework on how better to remove those barriers we face in recruiting non-Canadians.

[Luc Malo, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

But do you acknowledge that Quebec and the provinces are responsible for recognizing foreign credentials? In Quebec, the college of physicians performs that function when it comes to medicine, not a pan-Canadian organization.

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I think there are two things to consider here. We're looking at recruiting individuals who are not Canadians. In that effort, the federal role is to work with various agencies within the federal government for entry into Canada to work.

Yes, provinces and territories determine what the credentials are for the professions that they are recruiting for. The issue here is related to immigration into Canada and how we can better support jurisdictions in the challenges they face in recruiting various positions within the health care sector.

There clearly is a recognition that provinces and territories will determine the credentials of the workforce within their own jurisdictions. The support we're offering is to assist in any way we can to have people come to Canada to work and in how we can better support provinces in the challenges they face.

Thank you.

[Luc Malo, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Sometimes you have to respect provincial jurisdiction, sometimes not. That is somewhat the message I am hearing, based on what the minister said yesterday evening and what she is telling us this morning.

I want to come back to the announcement made on May 29 regarding the creation of an RCMP unit in Cornwall to fight tobacco smuggling. Once again, it was a very ad hoc announcement. It involved $7 million over three years. But, as you know, tobacco smuggling is rampant. The numbers are going up at a staggering rate. Of course, it is a legal issue, involving organized crime, but it is also a critical issue when it comes to public health.

Can the minister tell us how that announcement fits into a much broader strategy? How much will this measure reduce tobacco smuggling percentage-wise? That is the key, we need to know how to stop tobacco smuggling.

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

As Minister of Health, I am concerned about the health impacts of cigarettes, either legal or contraband, and about all smokers. As the member is well aware, we introduced the legislation related to direct marketing by the tobacco industry to our young people in Canada.

Within Health Canada, we are making investments in smoking cessation initiatives across the country that will help reduce the demand for tobacco products in Canada, both legal and contraband. Contraband cigarettes pose the additional problems of being easily accessible by our young people and being more attractive to smokers because of the lower price. As well, they may lack the health warning labels and information that we provide through legislation.

From the Health Canada standpoint, we have made significant investments to introduce stronger legislation around tobacco that would reduce the marketing to our young children by the industry. As the member is well aware, in Canada we deal with 37,000 deaths a year related to cancer as a direct result of tobacco. Through this legislation, we are putting in a lot of resources to target young people against starting smoking in the first place.

But contraband is a challenge. I agree with you there.