Health Committee on Feb. 10th, 2011

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Tim Uppal]

We'll go to Ms. Leslie now.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and Ms. Murumets.

I am a proud grade 6 winner of the silver award of excellence. It was the most terrifying day of my entire life. I still have the badge. It's a badge of fear.

I have no other questions, Mr. Chair. So I would like to give my time to Ms. Beaudin or Mr. Malo, if I may.

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

Thank you.

I have just one question, for clarification purposes. And I am mostly interested in hearing Ms. Piazza's opinion on this.

In your opening remarks, you said that the excessive consumption of salt was the biggest risk factor for heart disease and stroke. You also said that adults should not consume more than 1,500 mg of salt per day. As you know, a committee was formed to advise the government on its sodium reduction strategy. I just want to know whether you think the strategy, as it is defined, and the follow-up approach being taken are conducive to reaching the interim goal set for 2016 and the ultimate goal set for 2020.

[Linda Piazza]

I couldn't hear very well. Were you asking about an overall strategy?

[Manuel Arango]

I believe the question was about the approach that's being proposed in the Sodium Working Group, a voluntary structure approach. Will it be effective in achieving the objectives of 2016 and 2020?

[Linda Piazza]

We hope it will. The Heart and Stroke Foundation does like to work closely with industry. We've had some success with our health check food information program, working with industry in order to change the food supply.

The Sodium Working Group was unique in that it was multisectoral participation; industry was at the table.

We're hoping that the voluntary approach will work. What we would like to see now is a transparent, effective process put into place to monitor sodium levels and for the government to start implementing those regulations.

It worked to a certain extent with trans fats. Again, at the federal-provincial round table the provincial ministers of health made it clear that if the voluntary approach does not work, they will look at different approaches, including regulation.

That's where we are. We're hopeful, and we'll see what happens next.

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

What do you mean by “transparent”?

[Linda Piazza]

For example, we've heard that sales-weighted average has been put forward as a way of measuring the progress being made. We don't see that as ideal on its own. I think we have to come up with something that's clear to Canadians, something that Canadians can understand.

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

Do you have something specific in mind when you say “something else”?

[Linda Piazza]

Well, the methodology would be beyond me, but there are recommendations in the report, and I think they have to be looked at carefully and implemented soon.

It's not easy. I was at the World Health Organization's salt surveillance meeting in September, and we did come up with a template, which I could table later for you if you like. I'm not a scientist, but it's a challenging thing, and that's why we have to get going soon on it. I don't think there is an exact known methodology at the moment to do this. It's not easy.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Tim Uppal]

Thank you. If you would submit that to the clerk, she'll distribute it.

You have half a minute or a minute, Monsieur Malo.

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

Go ahead, then.

[Josette Gravier-Grauby]

I would like to tell everyone on this fine committee that I learned a few things, which is great. But I would have liked to focus a bit more on those who are fifty plus.

We are all human beings. What is our most prized possession on this earth, the most valuable thing every one of us living in this great land we call Canada has? Is it money, power or simply health? The only reason we are all able to be here today is that we are healthy. All it takes is the flu and we're done for, stuck in bed and out of commission. Every human being should remember that. Our most prized possession, individually and collectively, is our health. Without that, we have nothing and we can no longer contribute to this great country of ours, which I have proudly called home for 43 years.

So there you have it.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Tim Uppal]

Thank you.

Dr. Carrie, you have the floor.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

As you said earlier, we're all getting older, but I think some of us are getting better as we get older.

[Josette Gravier-Grauby]

I hope so.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Merci.

I want to ask Ms. Grantham a question. We've heard from the different testimonies how complicated this issue is, and jurisdictionally how complicated it is. We've heard different opinions. Sometimes it's more money or leadership, or this or that. I know our government has made a strong commitment to be a leader in different things I talked about earlier. But as my colleague said, a lot of the stuff is at the municipal and provincial levels.

I look at my own kids—and I think we've had this conversation before. They're up at six, on the bus at seven, and back at three. When I was a kid there was a lot of promotion at school about after-school activities. With my kids, the biggest chunk of their lives is at school.

Whatever decisions we're making at the federal government...I look at just the last several years since we've been in government. We gave the provinces a record amount of money in transfers when we went to correct the fiscal imbalance. The biggest expenditure in the federal government is to the provinces. We get a lot of criticism when we try to tell provinces what to do with the transfer payments. Much of this is at that very local level.

I wonder if you or anybody else can update this committee. I know you talk to the provinces. How is that going at the provincial level, especially in the schools? I see the key to this. As a dad, I try to take my kids skating, skiing, swimming, and to the gym. It takes individual commitment to set an example as a parent. But many parents may not have the opportunity to do that.

So how can we get it in the schools? How are those conversations and ideas going?

[Andrea Grantham]

That's a multifaceted question. On how we work with our provinces, we have a very strong council of provinces and territories. They are the deliverers into schools in all of the provinces. They look to us to develop national resources, programs, and supports that will help them within their provinces. So that's one.

There's also setting standards on what they should be looking to achieve in a quality physical education program and a health-promoting school. How do they assess that? How do they work toward it? What's out there that can help them out?

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

But you say you've given them those standards. Has only Alberta actually taken a look at this?

[Andrea Grantham]

No province is doing an exceptional job. On what the provinces have done really well, we have fantastic curricula in this country. I've heard a lot about how do you keep the fun in. The provinces have done very well in developing quality curricula that support children in developing a variety of skills. However, the problem is that because it's not mandated time, in terms of mandated delivery of physical education, it's quite often not being delivered at all. So that's an unfortunate thing right there.

We are working together with eight other organizations to develop a strategy around after school programs, to ensure that every child has access to after school programs so we don't have barriers like socio-economic issues, transportation, and just access within their our own facilities. So that's one thing we're very excited to be working on.

As I mentioned in my speech, it's a small component of what should be a national strategy. That's the big thing I see missing here. We see a lot of great things happening, with some duplication and a lot of gaps. But if we had a strategy that federal, provincial, and municipal governments, and national governing organizations, corporations, and policy-makers all saw themselves part of and worked toward a common vision, it would eliminate a lot of the duplication and gaps that exist. It would establish better collaborative relationships, so we would be building on the work we're doing, rather than duplicating it.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Does anybody else want to comment on that?

Kelly.

[Kelly Murumets]

I would love to.

Transfer payments probably aren't the only way to go. There is a lot of small “p” politics when it comes to transfer payments, in my humble experience.

If you used very neutral brands, like PHE Canada, or ParticipACTION, and deployed $1.5 million a year, with at least a three- to five-year commitment, you could be in every school in the country--at least grades 4, 5, and 6. That's where we would start this program. Schools wouldn't baulk. It wouldn't be mandated from the federal government or pushed down their throats. It would support what they are trying to do anyway--their mandates and missions.

It wouldn't get caught up in the politics of transfer payments, and it would be national in scope. It would be designed by each province and territory, for the most part, so that it was relevant in each province and territory but had a national feel to it. It would go in with very neutral brands, like PHE Canada and ParticipACTION.

I actually believe that is a way to resolve the barriers you were just talking about.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Tim Uppal]

Thank you.

That brings us to the end of our round of questions.

Thank you, witnesses, for your contribution to our study on healthy living.

The meeting is adjourned.