Health Committee on June 6th, 2022

[Kendal Weber]

That was exactly my second point. Compliance and enforcement are so important. Working in the federal jurisdiction with federal partners, but also provincially and municipally, looking at the measures to make sure that we don't have illegal products on the ground is key, and that will be part of the study, the legislative review.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

I wanted to go into vaping in my last couple of minutes here. Again, with the vaping, we're looking for a three-year review. It was May 23, 2018, so can we expect to see that one?

We saw such a drastic doubling of the usage of vaping among young people between...I think it was 2017-18, and then 2019. Can you give us some update on what is happening now, what the statistics are now? I have to say this was devastating to school boards and to cities that knew this wasn't to be sold legally in Canada, hadn't been authorized by Health Canada, yet still was widely available for sale.

I can tell you that in my community of Port Moody-Coquitlam, there are kids getting hurt at school, passing out at school, ambulances having to come because of their consumption of nicotine, which is really heartbreaking. I'm sure on the public health side, we don't want a next generation of nicotine-addicted kids.

Can you share with me what's happening on that, and on the three-year review?

[Kendal Weber]

The first thing is that we have launched the three-year review of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act.

I'm getting a bit of an echo, so I hope you're not.

We launched the legislative review of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act earlier this year. We posted a consultation document for a couple of months. We've collected comments from a number of stakeholders, such as industry, Canadians, provinces and territories, consumers, health educators and public health. We're reviewing that input, and then we'll be coming out with a report and next steps on the outcomes of that legislative review.

The interesting thing about the legislative review on the TVPA—the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act—is that it happens every two years. As we finish this one, we will be kicking off the second review next spring. The focus of this first review has been on vaping.

Your questions on vaping and children are so important. Results from the 2021 Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey indicate that vaping rates among Canadian youth have stabilized. The vaping rate was 13% among Canadians 15 to 19 in 2021. Now, that's not to say that we need to let up or that this is good news, because previously, as you noted, we saw a rapid increase, with 14% reporting past 30-day use compared to 6% in 2017. That was from 2017 to 2019, but in 2021, we have seen it stabilize.

I have a couple of observations that could account for that. We put in place promotion regulations that prevented youth from inducements to use vaping. There were prohibitions around where there could be promotions. They couldn't be visible to youth in the media or in physical locations. We also put in place nicotine concentration levels. That was a couple of years ago, where we put the max in at 20 milligrams per millilitre.

Then we also put out a consultation last summer to seek views on further restricting the promotion of flavours in vaping products to tobacco and mint flavour. I want to just be clear that we currently have prohibitions around confectionery flavours, dessert, cannabis, soft drink and energy drink flavours. This most recent consultation is looking at fruit flavours and others that exist.

Those are a couple of measures I wanted to share.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Ms. Zarrillo and Ms. Weber.

Next we have Ms. Goodridge, please, for five minutes.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I am from Alberta. Recently the Government of Alberta put out the Alberta child and youth well-being action plan, which effectively was an exercise undertaken to understand the full scope of the psychological, social, educational and physical effects of children and youth from the COVID pandemic. I'm wondering if anyone who is participating here has heard of this and, if so, what their thoughts are.

Perhaps we'll start with Ms. Voisin.

[Jocelyne Voisin]

I don't have in-depth knowledge of Alberta's plan, but we can certainly take a look at it and get back to you. Obviously, the Government of Canada has taken several measures to support the mental health and well-being of children through the pandemic, including Wellness Together Canada, which is an online portal that provides 24-7 access to mental health services for youth. Then I think my colleagues at the Public Health Agency and at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research have also talked about significant measures within their portfolios, as well, in terms of mental health and wellness.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Wonderful. Does anyone else have anything to add?

As I'm reviewing everyone's titles, no one has youth or children specifically in their titles. Is it a problem that perhaps the Government of Canada has no department that is specific to children, and that therefore children don't necessarily get considered when it comes to health and Canadian policy creation?

Madame Voisin.

[Jocelyne Voisin]

I would say that while we don't have the word “children” in our titles, all of us definitely consider the needs of children in terms of our policy and in terms of consulting with stakeholders on various policy issues, including drugs for rare diseases, for instance, as well as mental health. I don't think that the fact that there is not the word “children” in our titles really means that those issues are not being considered.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Just for the record, in the Alberta child and youth well-being action plan, one of the recommendations, one of the actions, that came out of it was to make sure there was a consideration of children and youth separately when forming any pandemic responses, in order to use that as a way to limit the negative impacts of restrictions on children and youth.

Would you agree that considering children and youth separately is important in creating policy?

[Jocelyne Voisin]

I would agree that it's very important to consider the needs of children and youth in creating policy. In fact, I think several of our initiatives show that there is a priority on children.

I talked about children and youth mental health being one of the priority areas identified by the provinces and territories, including Alberta, as part of the common statement of principles. Integrated youth services and integrated mental health youth services are priorities for the provinces and territories in terms of rolling out access to mental health services for youth. They're certainly a priority.

We talked to stakeholders and experts in mental health. There is a great focus on youth, peer-to-peer support for youth, stepped care for youth and that integrated youth service model, which is growing in recognition across the country as a really winning model to serve youth and mental health.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Thank you.

Very quickly, we still have many restrictions and mandates on federal travel that impact youth. As an example, I was on a plane yesterday and watched a parent struggling to get their three-year-old to wear a mask through the plane ride, because it was required that anyone over the age of two wear a mask on a plane. It was very clear that this was a major struggle. A child under five has a hard time understanding some of these things.

Has any consideration been given to perhaps easing the restriction for federal travel mandates for all children and youth?

[Jocelyne Voisin]

I don't think we're in a position to answer that question for the honourable member, given that it's the prerogative of Transport Canada.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Perhaps the Public Health Agency of Canada has some comments? I believe that they provide recommendations to Transport Canada when it comes to creating restrictions.

[Candice St-Aubin]

Thank you, honourable member.

Yes, I would concur with Jo Voisin on that. While we provide information and recommendations, at the end of the day it is within the purview of Transport Canada to make the final decision on any changes or implementing any new guidelines on travel.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Mrs. Goodridge.

Next, we're going to Ms. Sidhu, please, for five minutes.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you all for being with us today.

My first question is for Ms. Clifford.

Ms. Clifford, there's no cure for type 1 diabetes in children, but it can be managed. It can be overwhelming for families as they learn how to give insulin injections, count carbohydrates and monitor blood sugar. I'm wondering if you can update us on the work of the JDRF-CIHR partnership to defeat diabetes.

[Dr. Tammy Clifford]

It's wonderful to be able to talk about the partnership that CIHR has with JDRF.

It is a very strong, long and deep partnership that certainly predates my time with CIHR. If you're keeping an eye on CIHR's Twitter feed, you'll note some recent funding opportunities whereby we're providing joint funding for the academic community to build on the successes of the past and also look towards the future.

This has been a very special year in terms of 100 years of insulin. That is just a hallmark of this very strong partnership. I can indicate to you that the partnership is continuing thanks in part to the leadership of Dr. Norm Rosenblum, who leads our institute for nutrition, metabolism and diabetes. That is one of CIHR's 13 virtual institutes.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you.

My next question is for Health Canada. Common chronic diseases of children include asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, epilepsy, and developmental disabilities including ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.

What patterns of health issues and outcomes for young children are we seeing, especially as a result of COVID-19? Has there been any disruption in the data?

[Jocelyne Voisin]

I'm actually going to turn that over to my colleague, Candice, at the Public Health Agency, who has responsibility for those areas.

[Candice St-Aubin]

You're correct. What we are seeing through analysis conducted by Statistics Canada, particularly as it relates to physical activity, is that physical activity levels have dropped, certainly from the fall of 2018, which was prepandemic, to the fall of 2020.

In the fall of 2018, 50.8% of youth reported that they met physical activity recommendations within the week prior to reporting. However, in the fall of 2020, only 37.2% indicated that they had met those recommendations. If this decrease becomes pervasive, we can certainly anticipate that it will have some public health consequences.

The drop was primarily a result, obviously, of the significant decrease in the school base, but also in leisure physical activities, like sporting events, etc. You've certainly talked about issues around obesity. We are monitoring that through various child surveillance activities here within the Public Health Agency of Canada.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you.

My next question is for you, Mr. Aziz. For low-income families, it is challenging to put meals on the table. School nutrition programs are one of the ways to improve the health of children. Budget 2022 commits to developing a national school food policy and to exploring how more Canadian children can access nutritious food at school.

How is the government working in collaboration with the provinces and territories on appropriate healthy food and physical activity programs in the schools?

[Dr. Alfred Aziz, Director General, Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health]

Thank you for this very important question.

As a matter of fact, in December 2021 the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development received a joint mandate to develop a national school food policy and to work towards a national school nutritious meal program.

Agri-Food and Agriculture Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada have begun working together to implement this commitment, including through engagement with key food stakeholders in Canada. The health portfolio will continue to work closely with both departments, ensuring that health considerations are included in this work and reflect the recommendations in Canada's food guide.

We also recognize the important role that schools play in creating environments that support nutritional health for children. This is why Canada's food guide recommends that food and beverages offered in publicly funded institutions align with our guidelines.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Aziz.

The next question is for PHAC or—

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

I'm sorry, Ms. Sidhu. That is your time.

Mr. Garon, you have two and a half minutes.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

My question is for Ms. Voisin.

Ms. Voisin, I'll use your words. You said that you are optimistic about the innovations currently being seen in the provinces to reduce the wait times for surgeries that were postponed during the COVID‑19 pandemic.

The federal government has budgeted $2 billion for the provinces for this purpose, with virtually no strings attached. Do you think this could support the provinces' efforts to reduce the number of delayed surgeries?

I'd like a short answer, please.