Health Committee on June 15th, 2010

[Glenda Yeates]

Thank you for the question.

Just to clarify, I spoke of an $8-million advertising campaign targeted to children and families generally, and I spoke of $20 million that is largely allocated to the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency, and the Canada Revenue Agency to deal with contraband. That is not, to my knowledge, an advertising campaign. That is part of their regular activities.

I just want to clarify that the $8 million was for an overall children's campaign dealing with injury that will include transport and other issues, and the $20 million is for activities amongst partners, the bulk of which are these law enforcement partners.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Joyce Murray]

Thank you.

It's Mr. Brown's turn.

[Patrick Brown, Conservative, Barrie, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

In the Commons last night, we had an interesting discussion on MS. One of the things that was interesting to hear about from the minister was in regard to a conference this summer that you mentioned and that has been organized with Alain Beaudet.

I just want to know what plans we may have for that conference and about any funds associated with that from the CIHR perspective in terms of how we're leading in the neurosciences.

[Dr. Alain Beaudet]

Thank you for the question.

As you know, it's very important to understand where research is needed, what the gaps are in our knowledge, and particularly what relates to the relationship between cerebrovascular events and MS, including cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, but not only linked exclusively to insufficiency. What are the links between it and blood flow? What are the links between cerebrovasculature and MS? It's clearly an area of importance.

As you know, recent studies suggest there may be hope for new therapeutic approaches. Our intent is to determine the truly important research questions. What's the state-of-the-art in that area right now? Do we know what ongoing clinical trials there are? What don't we know that we must address?

This conference will be held in August. It's being jointly organized by the MS Society and CIHR. We will be calling upon top researchers in the world from Canada and abroad--experts in the neuroscience field and in the cerebrovascular field--to meet in Ottawa to give us a good idea of the state-of-the-art in terms of research, questions, and gaps in analysis and to help us orient our future investment in research in these areas.

[Patrick Brown, Conservative, Barrie, ON]

The Alzheimer Society last year presented a report called “Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia in Canada”, saying that one of the greatest costs to health care in the decades to come will be neurological disorders.

What types of financial commitments are we seeing at CIHR toward an investment in neurological disorders, whether it be MS, autism, Parkinson's, or ALS? I know that around this table there's a great degree of interest in neurological disorders.

[Dr. Alain Beaudet]

As you know, it's an area of strength in Canada. Canada has some of the top researchers in the world in the field of neuroscience. We have international repute in that area, and CIHR spends a significant amount of money on that. We're talking about ongoing yearly spending of over $120 million, a commitment for 2010-11, and an ongoing commitment of roughly $300 million, so it's very significant investment in top research.

In addition to that, CIHR has made Alzheimer's disease and related dementias one of its top priorities. We believe we have the leadership in Canada to lead an international strategy on Alzheimer's research. We've already signed MOUs with France, the U.K., and Germany. We're currently negotiating with the United States and China to lead a truly international effort in that area so as not to duplicate efforts and to leverage international funds to go further faster in our fight against Alzheimer's.

[Patrick Brown, Conservative, Barrie, ON]

I have a question for the Public Health Agency and Dr. Butler-Jones.

This committee studied the listeriosis outbreak. The Government of Canada spent a fair amount of money to improve food safety following the report of the independent investigator into the 2008 outbreak. In light of this funding, could you outline some of the actions taken by the Public Health Agency of Canada to improve food safety?

[Dr. David Butler-Jones]

We have a number of things. Obviously, with our provincial and territorial partners, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and CFIA, there's the FIORP, the food outbreak response protocol and the revisions to that.

We're also using Panorama. Some of the resources we've received will assist us in using Panorama, applying it in surveillance, and again working with other jurisdictions around that.

We have worked through each of the recommendations from the Weatherill report and we're making really significant progress, actually, on all of them.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Joyce Murray]

Thank you, Dr. Butler-Jones.

The committee will suspend for two minutes while Minister Aglukkaq finds her way to the table.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Joyce Murray]

Thank you for your attention. The meeting will reconvene.

I'd like to welcome Minister Aglukkaq.

Thank you very much for joining our committee.

I'd like to thank the minister for preparing and circulating remarks. In view of the fact that the officials have already done opening remarks on behalf of the department and the Public Health Agency, I would like to draw to the committee members' attention the minister's remarks, and I would like to go straight into the asking of questions to the minister.

We will start with shared time between Dr. Bennett and Dr. Duncan. There will be 15 minutes for the Liberal questions.

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

Minister Aglukkaq, seeing as this is highly unusual for you to appear after the officials and not at the beginning of a hearing on estimates, could you tell me what you were doing at 9 o'clock this morning that prevented you from coming to the committee at the appropriate time?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

I was getting ready for appearing before this committee. Last night we were at the take note debate, and then this morning I was preparing for this meeting.

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

Well, I would like to say, on behalf of the committee, that is an unacceptable contempt for the parliamentary procedure of allowing us to hold government to account. This has totally disrupted the usual way that estimates are conducted where the minister comes first, and if he or she needs to go away somewhere, the officials stay behind. The fact that your appearance is coming at your convenience, literally after Parliament has already accepted the estimates, is equally disappointing.

I would like to start with where we have been on assisted human reproduction. The estimates have $10 million there. What do you think the people of Canada are getting for that $10 million?

Should the agency be disbanded? Are you going to do something about getting the regulations? How can you have an agency to enforce regulations that don't exist? How can you defend $10 million to the people of Canada when your department has not yet been able to get the regulations there that this agency is supposed to be enforcing?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'm here this morning to answer questions. I apologize that I wasn't here before my staff, but I think you also had an opportunity to ask my officials some questions that are important to Canadians. I will continue to sit here for the next hour to answer questions that you may have.

In my view, it's just as important for committee members to ask questions of my officials as well as of me. So I'll sit here and answer the questions and go through the process.

Thank you.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Joyce Murray]

Excuse me. Dr. Carrie has a point of order.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

I had a point of order. I just want to remind the committee that I do believe the minister has some opening statements she'd like to make and I think we're interested in that.

Thank you.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Joyce Murray]

Thank you, Dr. Carrie.

The decision of the chair is that the members have the remarks and that this time will be used for questions.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

I have a point of order.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Joyce Murray]

Ms. McLeod.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

I'm not sure that it is a decision of the chair, as opposed to a decision of the committee, to allow the minister to do opening remarks.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Joyce Murray]

Thank you, Ms. McLeod.

I checked with the clerk and it is the decision of the chair.

The minister may continue.

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

Going back to the question in terms of assisted human reproduction, I think there were some questions related to that. That was also raised this morning.

In terms of the work that Assisted Human Reproduction Canada is doing, as the member is well aware, we are dealing with a situation that is before the Supreme Court. The agency is not able to fully implement the full scope of the legislation that is in place before us until the court decision has been made, particularly around the development of the regulations to further proceed.

So in the meantime, the agency continues to do work within the scope of the legislation, and it will continue to do so until the decision is rendered. Once a decision is made through the courts on the challenge that came forward from Quebec, we'll be able to proceed further related to the regulations that are required for the full implementation of the legislation.

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

From what we've heard, Madam Minister, I don't think the agency is doing anything that couldn't be done within Health Canada. Do you have any idea of disbanding the agency until you have new legislation, maybe, with regulations that would actually serve the couples having trouble forming families in this country? Somehow we don't seem to be looking after the people whom this legislation and this agency were intended to protect and support.

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

We're not planning to disband the board. We'll continue the work as per the legislation that was adopted by the House, and we'll continue to move forward. Once the decision is made by the courts, we'll be able to develop the regulations, as I said earlier, to fully implement the legislation that has been in place. But disbanding the board and the agency is not on the table at this point in time, and I don't foresee that in the future.

Thank you.

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

Do you think the people of Canada are getting value for $10 million a year?