Evidence of meeting #8 for Health in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was ensure.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB
I'll just leave it that there are a lot of patients who would still like to have their voices heard when it comes to any potential changes. Thanks.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
I'll just say that it's important that we balance it and that we hear from all voices moving forward, so we'll continue to get that balance as well as we can.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you, Mr. Jeneroux.
We'll now go to Dr. Powlowski for two and a half minutes.
Liberal
Marcus Powlowski Liberal Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
Let's stick with COVID-19, my favourite topic for a while. As of our announcement today, we have $500 million that we are giving to the provinces to help their medical systems deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. Five hundred million for 10 provinces and the territories doesn't seem like a lot of money. It depends on what happens with the epidemic and if it gets better, but is there any extra money available? Do we have the fiscal firepower to respond, should we need more money, and are we willing to do that?
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
The short answer is yes. This is the down payment for provinces and territories to make sure that they are equipped for any potential surge that they may see. Of course, we work with them on a daily basis to assess their needs. Should there need to be more, we will not hesitate to ensure that the money is there to protect the health and safety of Canadians, the wellness of Canadians.
Obviously, we want to hear from provinces and territories as they move forward with this amount and about what they anticipate their need will be. As I said, this is an “all hands on deck” time for Canada. We will need to be there for each other, and we'll need to be there for the provinces and territories at the federal level to make sure that they have the resources they need to keep people well.
Liberal
Marcus Powlowski Liberal Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
I don't have time for much of a longer question, but I do have a bit of a response to the Conservatives' question about being on the committee.
I just want to point out that there are backbench members of Parliament on the Liberal side with an interest in this issue who aren't on the committee as well, so don't take it personally.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
I think it's an excellent point: that there is no need for a committee if we are all talking. I'm very glad to have been here with you today to talk openly about COVID-19 and many other health issues. I make a commitment to you that I will come back on a regular basis.
Liberal
Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON
I would like to remind Mr. Jeneroux, too, that this committee came back early. It has had multiple meetings with experts and now has the benefit of an unprecedented two hours with the minister. Let's take benefit from that. We got a lot of information today.
Thank you, Minister.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you all.
We will go now to Monsieur Thériault.
You have two and a half minutes.
Bloc
Luc Thériault Bloc Montcalm, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The top priority in the mandate letter that you received reads as follows: “lead work...to strengthen medicare and renew our health agreements with the provinces and territories...” and, in particular “continue to implement national universal pharmacare...”
Some constitutional experts are currently looking at the fact that implementing this type of program without giving Quebec the right to opt out with full compensation would be totally unconstitutional.
If you ever implement this type of program, do you plan to give Quebec the right to opt out with full compensation?
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Obviously, we have a lot of work to do in terms of conversations with provinces and territories.
One of the principles of Canada's public health care system is that it is equitable, that people have access to services under the Canada Health Act no matter where they live and no matter where they go. We'll be working with that goal in mind: that there is equity of access.
I'll be looking forward to my conversation with Minister McCann in May. I had a lovely conversation with her late last week. Although we very quickly talked about medicare, much of it, of course, was around the coronavirus response. We'll continue those conversations to make sure that Quebeckers have the same level of care and the same level of access to medication that the rest of Canada does. I look forward to those conversations.
Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you, Ms. Hajdu.
Thank you, Mr. Thériault.
Mr. Davies, you have two and a half minutes.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
I have three short snappers.
In the last Parliament, former senator Nancy Greene Raine's bill to ban the advertising of unhealthy food to children was allowed to die on the Order Paper, even though it had passed third reading in both the House and the Senate. You spoke, I think, very wisely, Minister, of the need for prevention. I can't think of anything more important for prevention than to have our children grow up eating healthy.
Would you be open to reintroducing this legislation as a government bill?
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
I don't control, as you know, the priority of legislation. That is, obviously, something that's worked out with the House leader and the government.
I will say that I am open to taking any measures that actually reduce advertising to children. I'm looking forward to exploring those with former senator Greene Raine, and there is also the work that we're doing on our healthy eating strategy, including front-of-pack labelling and potentially banning the advertising of unhealthy foods to children. This is all important work, and I think it's work that's overdue.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
You have our support if you do that, and I think it's an important step.
Second, in the last election, the Liberal Party pledged to create a national institute for women's health research—I think the first of its kind in Canada—that would bring together experts in women's health from across the country to tackle persistent gaps in research and care, and take an intersectional approach.
When do you anticipate that this institute will be operational?
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
I will turn it over to my deputy to give you some dates on when it will be operational.
NDP
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Okay, give us the third snapper and we'll work on the second one.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
It's about your government's decisions to apply an excise tax to medicinal cannabis.
We know that many Canadians legitimately rely on cannabis for a variety of medicinal purposes and we know it's already subject to a sales tax and it's not covered by many insurance plans. That's of course contrary to the policy on prescription drugs in Canada, which don't attract those taxes.
Will your government consider making medical cannabis tax-exempt in line with other prescription medicines?
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Obviously, this is a complex question, partly because excise taxes, as you know, are in the realm of the finance minister. Also, the evidence is growing and evolving around medical use of cannabis. This is one of the benefits of having a framework of legalization: You can actually do more robust research about the benefits of cannabis, medical cannabis, what strengths of cannabis can be used for which particular illnesses, how best to distill cannabis and the various ways it could be used. We continue to invest in that research and obviously to support the medical cannabis regime. We'll continue to work on that, and I think that will give us some clarity around excise tax.