Health Committee on June 18th, 2021

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for joining us with your officials. Thank you for all the hard work that you and your team are doing.

In my line of questioning, I intend to focus on matters that matter to Canadians. As we speak, families of long-term care residents are protesting the conditions of their parents and grandparents in long-term care in Ontario. This is happening right now in my riding. We can never see a repeat of the tragedies that occurred in these homes over the last year. We have been there for them in Ontario.

What work is being done to address these issues in the short term, and what is being done to ensure that these tragedies will never happen again?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

That's such an important point from the member. Through the chair, I'd just like to thank the member for her very hard work in her riding with long-term care homes and their residents. She's absolutely right that this has been a national tragedy all across the country, and in some provinces far worse than in others. We know that in Ontario and Quebec, for example, those scathing military reports of the conditions in long-term care homes in those provinces horrified all Canadians.

Much more has to be done. That's why the Prime Minister made that commitment and stepped up to provide support to the provinces and territories now and into the future to strengthen protections for long-term care. For example, the fall economic statement provides $500 million from the safe long-term care fund through the supplementary estimates (A) to strengthen infection and prevention control measures and to spend that money on ways that they can secure a stable workforce so that people are not left alone in undeniably terrible conditions for very long.

I will also say that this builds on the $740 million that was already provided through the safe restart agreement. Budget 2021 also has a lot of money, $3 billion, dedicated to working with the provinces and territories on measures that will strengthen protection for people in long-term care homes.

Of course, we're working towards those national standards and on how we can ensure that we not only have national standards but also enforce them so that no matter where you live in a province or territory, if you are a resident in a long-term care home, an elderly person, a person with a disability or any other person, you have the security that you can live there in dignity and safety.

Thank you for your question.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you, Minister.

Research has been critical in the fight against COVID‑19. Canadians can be proud of the work our scientists have done in advancing our understanding of the disease's impacts, emerging treatments, testing technologies and vaccines.

Minister, or perhaps Dr. Strong, what research do you expect will be needed as we shift to a vaccinated world?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Ms. Sidhu is absolutely right. We have supported over 400 COVID‑19 research projects in some of the very key areas she mentioned.

I'll turn to Dr. Strong who may highlight some of that work.

[Dr. Michael Strong]

Looking forward to the next steps of research that will be needed to be done, it will build on these investments to which the minister was referring. In particular, looking at the long COVID consequences, both in terms of the type of biology that underlies this syndrome, which we know very little about at the moment, but also the devastating effects on individuals, irrespective of the degree of disease that they have suffered. We need to understand that, so there will be investments along those lines.

We understand the major impacts on mental health, as well, so investments are already being made and, indeed, in our rapid response programs, we've asked specifically that researchers focus in these areas to assist in that care and in helping develop the next steps as we move forward.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you, Dr. Strong. Thank you for mentioning that mental health has been impacted very much.

Minister, Brampton peaked at more than 1,000 new cases in a day during the third wave, but today it was 50. This is thanks to the vaccination effort made possible by the increase in vaccine deliveries, and the work being done by health care workers and volunteers on the ground.

Last week, I was at the Caledon East Community Complex in Brampton, which is one of the largest and most active vaccine clinics in the country, administering over 5,700 doses a day.

Minister, are you optimistic that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, and that Canadians will be able to return to normal fairly soon?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Certainly, it's looking a lot better for the people in Brampton and across the country. The vaccines are making a big difference, and so are the public health measures that the provinces and territories have imposed, some of them albeit later than we would have liked, but nonetheless. They're strong, and the cases are coming down with those combination of factors.

In fact, over 35.3 million vaccines have been delivered to the provinces and territories to date. As you know, the Prime Minister and Minister Anand announced today that we'll be getting 11 million more Moderna doses earlier than we thought, which means that more early second doses will be administered across the country. This gives us a much better outlook in terms of moving into the late summer and fall, and what we might expect in the fall of 2021.

One thing that's really hurt my heart, and maybe yours as well, is the challenge that many children have had, particularly in provinces where schools have been closed for so long. In fact, in Ontario, it's the jurisdiction where schools have been closed the longest across the country.

Many researchers are now saying there will be long-lasting effects on students from being out of school and not being able to study. It is my hope, and I'm sure yours as well, that in the fall we will see students return to classrooms and get the education they need and deserve in a way that helps foster their social development and keeps families able to do the many things they do as a result of our education system.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Ms. Sidhu.

Mr. Maguire, go ahead, please, for five minutes.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of questions and then another colleague may wish to come into this as well.

I want to go to the estimates here and the budget. Last fall, there was an announcement of a billion dollars for funding in long-term care facilities, but there were no details in the recent budget. Your department is seeking approval of $500 million in supplementary estimates (A).

The original press release said that funding will be contingent on a detailed spending plan, but I don't believe your department has shared that detailed spending plan for the program with this committee. Is it publicly available now?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

There was no shortage of things to spend money on in long-term care, especially in the early surge days where provinces and territories were unequipped with personal protective equipment, needed infectious disease training and had staffing shortages. In fact, we spent millions and millions of dollars sending in the Red Cross to help offset the shortages of staff and to augment the care for seniors.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

I'm sorry, Madam Minister. I have other questions here to ask.

Can you just table the list?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Through the chair, I'll turn to my officials for that answer.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

No, I'm asking you if you can just table the list. You have lots of spending. You said there would be $1 billion. You've put up $500 million, so that's about half of it. Surely there is a list. I just wonder if you could table that.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

I'm sure we can get you a breakdown of how that money was spent.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Thank you. If you could table that, it would be great.

Before determining that $1-billion figure, did your department provide you with an inventory of which specific long-term care facilities in Canada are in urgent need of infrastructure improvements?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

We also stepped up in the area of infrastructure, and I want to thank my colleague, Minister McKenna, for acting so quickly on her infrastructure fund, which deals with exactly that, the emergency infrastructure repair that was needed in provinces and territories to help them deliver on their responsibility to care for seniors in their care.

The federal government decided early on that we would not squabble with provinces and territories about who paid for what, and we stepped up in an unprecedented way. I'm sure the member realizes that in fact we spent billions and billions of dollars helping provinces and territories deliver on their requirements—

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Again, could she just table that, Mr. Chair?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

—and on their responsibilities, and we'll continue to do that because we've said to Canadians, MP Maguire, through the chair, that we'll have their backs for as long as it takes, with whatever it takes.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Yes, there are a lot of infrastructure improvements and I'm sure it's part of the $500 million now.

Before determining this billion-dollar figure, again, did your department provide you with any specific numbers on many of the current staff shortages there are in personal care homes across Canada, and what that shortfall might look like in the years to come?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, this is an area that we have been working with provinces and territories on as well. In fact, we gave a significant wage top-up as part of the challenge to obtain—

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Could you just table the shortfall?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, I'd like to try to—

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Pickering—Uxbridge, ON]

I have a point of order.

Mr. Chair, the Standing Orders state that a member can ask their question and the witness has a generally equivalent time to respond. Mr. Maguire isn't asking if these things can just be tabled in his question, so he needs to provide time for the minister or any witness to actually be able to answer.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Chair, on that point of order, we saw in the previous question that the minister was going to get the staff to answer that, but it's a tabling. It's a document that the government has put out, so all I am asking for is that.... This is pretty much a shortfall that's somewhat well known across the country, and I know that they have been working on it, so I am assuming that she could just table that information for us because I have more questions and I have only a limited time.

Thank you.

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Pickering—Uxbridge, ON]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

If Mr. Maguire just wants the minister to table things, then I would suggest he ask her that in those questions, but if he is going to ask the question, then she needs the opportunity to answer. If his question is just to table it, then he can just say that. However, that's not what his questions were.

I don't mean to be a stickler, but if he's going to ask the question, he needs to hear the answer.