Health Committee on March 21st, 2024

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

I didn't ask you if you were involved with law enforcement.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

I don't know what you're getting at. I don't have any involvement with law enforcement.

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

I never asked you if you knew what I was getting at. What I asked you is whether you know that these two scientists are living under assumed names in China? Do you know or not?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

I have heard media reports that it might be the case, but I am not involved in law enforcement—

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

You really have no idea. Very well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

That's your time, Dr. Ellis.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

—and it is not up to me to assert the veracity of whether or not the statement is true. I think it's a fundamental misunderstanding—

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

If it's my time, then it's his time as well. If someone can turn his microphone off, that would be excellent.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

—of the role of a minister of the crown.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Next is Ms. Sidhu, please, for six minutes.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you, Minister and officials, for being here.

Thank you, Dr. Lucas, for your great service.

Minister, my first question is about diabetes. As you know, it's one of the most common chronic diseases affecting Canadians. Millions of people in Canada are living with this disease, and our government has already taken steps forward with the introduction of a national framework for diabetes in Canada. Can you lay out how the new pharmacare legislation continues this work and impacts Canadians living with diabetes?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Thank you very much, MP Sidhu.

I want to start by saying that we wouldn't be here without your advocacy. Your incredible work in the space of diabetes is deeply appreciated.

I have been having really exceptional conversations with all provincial and territorial health ministers around how we can work together and set aside the differences we have. This is about patients. This is about making sure patients get the medicine they need and the devices and apparatuses they need. This is universal in nature, meaning it will be blind to somebody's age, and it will mean in every instance that folks have the medicine they require.

It's important to acknowledge that this is going to save an absolutely huge amount of money. I mean, forget about the fact of the illness it's going to save, the instances of other illnesses. I was up with Heart and Stroke. How tragic it was to see improperly managed diabetes manifest in cardiovascular events, or for it to manifest in so many other maladies. To prevent that loss of limb is phenomenally powerful.

On the apparatus side, people shouldn't be forced to make a decision about whether or not they reuse a syringe, or whether or not they're going to be able manage their illness or pay for their groceries.

I want to thank you for your advocacy. I think this is an extraordinarily important initiative.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you, Minister.

As you know, long-term care homes were hit incredibly hard by the pandemic and it highlighted systemic challenges that must be addressed. I know you're working on that and have been working to sign aging with dignity bilateral agreements with all provinces and territories, with six already announced. Can you please share what work has been done on this so far?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Thank you so much, MP Sidhu.

There is with these aging with dignity agreements an opportunity to collaborate with provinces, to work with the provinces within their own jurisdictions to look at the unique challenges and problems that exist there. In the first order, we want folks to be able to age at home and be able to get access to the services and care they need at home, and in the second order, we want them to be able to stay within their own community.

One of the things that's exceptionally difficult to hear about is folks who have to leave their home community to go somewhere completely foreign after a life of making contributions to their community, because care isn't available locally.

By working with provinces, we're increasing services in the first order to help people age at home and in the second order to make sure we have the facilities like long-term care facilities to have people age in their communities. That's also in addition to the work we're doing on a health workforce to make sure that we have the doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, personal support care workers and—now with our dental care—the oral health professionals, to make sure people have the full suite of care they need as seniors who've made a lifetime of contributions.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you.

Next, you said that no woman should be left behind when they're thinking about their sexual health. Sexual and reproductive health is health. Access to contraceptives and sexual health services is imperative. However, we know that too many Canadians cannot access the medication and services they need.

Can you please speak to the pharmacare legislation you tabled and why you started universal access to contraceptives for Canadians?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

There's a lot of talk about freedom, but freedom over your own body, freedom over your own sexual health and freedom over somebody else telling you what you should or should not do with your body is perhaps one of the most fundamental freedoms we could talk about. Making sure that every women everywhere in this country has the access, under their own recognizance, to be able to get the reproductive medicines they need in order to take charge of their futures and make decisions over their own bodies is not only an essential matter of medicine; it's also an essential matter of social justice.

I think in this country it is terrible that there is still so much stigma and shame around sex. The fact that we can't talk about our penises and vaginas the same way we talk about our elbows and knees is terrible. What does that lead to? When you don't have appropriate health information, just like when you don't have enough financial information, you're going to get taken advantage of. It means that you're more likely to face sexual violence. It means that you're more likely to be sexually manipulated.

Sexual shame is at the core of so many mental health maladies. How many young people have we lost because they're confused or worried about whether they are normal or okay? You are normal. You are okay. You should have autonomy and freedom over your own body. We have to end the shame and stigma that is imposed upon people with disastrous effects on their health.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Ms. Sidhu.

Mr. Thériault, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Lucas, I wish you much happiness in your future pursuits.

Minister, on November 30, the committee recommended to the House that a national breast implant registry be established. Are you going to create it?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

You're talking about a new registry for what? I missed the last words of the sentence.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Chair, please be flexible with my speaking time.

Thank you.

Minister, I was asking you if you're going to set up the national breast implant registry.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Okay, sorry.

We'll be taking action in the near future. I very much appreciate the committee's work on this topic, and we'll be taking action soon.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Taking action does not mean sending a letter that says it's too complicated. Taking action means setting up the registry. I want to know if you're going to do that or not. The report on this subject was unanimous.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

We intend to make sure we get it done. We have buy-in from all the partners involved.

There is absolutely no doubt that we will take concrete measures.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Will you do it, yes or no?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Yes.