Health Committee on Dec. 17th, 2024

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

That's not what I asked you.

Did your department—mental health and addictions—have any input on the temporary tax trick, or did they do it behind your back?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

As the member well knows, cabinet confidence is just that.

The decision was to provide a tax holiday to Canadians.

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

Clearly, on behalf of Canadians, you would like to see them drinking more alcohol.

That being said, Minister, what about the other parts of the temporary tax trick? We know Canadians are having difficulty affording food. Your government supported a private member's bill, Bill C-252, that wanted to reduce advertising to kids. Now you're out there saying, “Children, it's okay, because we've reduced the taxes on it. You should eat chips, candy, coated popcorn, curls, twists, etc.”

Is that something in your portfolio that you agree with, Minister, yes or no? It's not a difficult question.

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Through you, Chair, it seems the Conservatives now think tax is perhaps good, or that we should be evaluating it as a public policy and how it relates to the price on pollution.

I'm not very sure where Conservatives stand on ensuring affordable—

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

Minister, excuse me. I'm going to interrupt you there.

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Chair, I believe I have the floor.

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

I think the big thing is—

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

There are about 10 seconds left in this round, so make your point.

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

The question is this, Minister. Why would you, as the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, support encouraging Canadians' unhealthy behaviour? That's your job. Sadly, it appears you don't know this.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Take 15 seconds to respond, Minister, please.

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Sadly, Conservatives don't seem to believe Canadians should have a tax break. Again, outrage is big, but they're weak on action.

Thank you, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Ms. Kayabaga, you have five minutes.

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

I like beer. I just don't think we should encourage Canadians to drink it.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Through you, I'd also like to thank the minister for coming back to our committee to address some very important policies for Canadians.

We've heard quite the testimonies from different families—some in my community—impacted by the overdose and opioid crisis. One thing the last family here mentioned was the politicization of people who are struggling, sick and hurting versus finding solutions that are long-lasting for Canadians.

Can you talk about how you can do the work of respecting the dignity of the families that have lost a member and are struggling with this broad disease attacking our communities right now, while still finding the solutions and preventions that are needed for young people, and the support that those families also need?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Thank you for the question.

I meet with so many families and community organizations across this country on the front lines of trying to save the people they love. Sadly, what we've seen from the opposition in their politicization of this opioid crisis is that they're choosing to look away from those who are struggling in order to lean into solutions that are not evidence-based and don't meet people where they are.

To get someone into treatment or health care, we need to build trust not just in the individual but also in the families and communities around them. My commitment to families struggling under the weight of a loved one using substances and maybe struggling with addiction is to not look away. We will use every tool we have to work with jurisdictions and make those investments in community, because we see them. We see those families and the people who are struggling. It is our commitment to ensure jurisdictions scale to need with the resources we provide and the additional resources in their tool boxes, and also ensure people are getting health care.

I think it's incumbent upon all of us to remember that at the centre of this crisis are the people who use substances and who need our support, not only so they stay alive but also so they can get accessible treatment and aftercare services. It's so they can get back to health and wholeness.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Minister, one thing that someone who testified in our committee said was that language matters when we talk about this. Some of the words I have heard throughout this study are things like “drug lord”, “terrorists” and “gangs”. What do you think is the impact on people who are watching this who may want support, may want to get better, or on the families who may want to seek support for their loved one who is experiencing this disease?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

That's such a critical question. Thank you.

Language does matter, because when the person standing in front of you is struggling and you criminalize them and stigmatize them, you essentially say that they are worth less and are less deserving of health care and help. They will go back and use and struggle because they have been shamed, because they have been told that they are not worthy of care.

We as a government are fully committed to a compassion-centred, evidence-based health care lens that, at the centre, is based on the person who needs our support and help.

The impact when we hear that language is that they are dehumanizing and criminalizing loved ones who need health care.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Prevention was also a huge conversation in the testimonies that we've heard. What are some of the things that the government looks to put in place for prevention at a grassroots level so that there is enough awareness and education for families and children to make sure we can cut this disease from the bottom up?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

We have taken a number of measures in different aspects of society to create prevention frameworks. One of them is the “Know More” program that tours across high schools throughout the country and engages with high school students on what opioids are, how to identify them, how to prevent their use, how to recognize what a naloxone kit is, and how to use it. It helps them to understand the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act so that they are able to understand their role in saving lives.

We also have “ease the burden”, which is a program that we've done for knowledge and resources for those who are in the trades. We know that men are disproportionately impacted by the overdose and opioid crisis, so we wanted to ensure that there was a nationwide effort to provide tools to meet people where they're at. Naloxone kit distribution is a perfect example as well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Minister.

Mr. Thériault, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The toxic drug crisis is a complex problem that requires multiple types of interventions. Beyond the four pillars of intervention, a number of witnesses have told us that all the social determinants of health must be taken into consideration. For example, housing is needed.

Quebec has an interdepartmental addiction action plan.

Do you have an interdepartmental action plan?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Thank you for the question.

The short answer is yes, but I will elaborate. We've instructed our department to work with housing and infrastructure to ensure that we're addressing encampments and the Reaching Home program, because we understand that oftentimes substance use, homelessness and mental health go hand in hand. In addition, the CDSS, which is our main policy framework, incorporates 15 different departments.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

The answer I was looking for was yes.

How do you organize coordination between your interdepartmental plan and Quebec's, for example? It takes forever to get the money on the ground. Sending the money when it needs to be sent would already be a way of collaborating in a concrete way. How do you coordinate that, while respecting jurisdictions? Beyond jurisdiction, money is needed.

In a report tabled last November, the Canadian Mental Health Association showed that what is being done for mental health is insufficient. Of the $52 billion in health transfers, about $900 million is for mental health. In Quebec, the current health budget is $60 billion.

Why don't you send Quebec its fair share quickly, especially when it comes to the youth mental health fund? Why are there always problems on the federal government's side? The provinces don't owe you anything. Your responsibility is to transfer the money to the provinces, so that those responsible for taking care of people can do their job, unless you want to take responsibility for what is happening on the ground, but I don't think that's what you want.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Mr. Thériault, your time is up.

Do you want a short answer, or was it just a comment?

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

It was a conversation, Mr. Chair.