At the moment—
Evidence of meeting #27 for Health in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #27 for Health in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A video is available from Parliament.
6 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
We know, as you know, that COVID-19 vaccines save lives, and so does safer supply.
6 p.m.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal Toronto—St. Paul's, ON
I agree with that. I also agree that...we have approved diacetylmorphine, the injectable heroin, at Health Canada, but the Pharmascience company is not ramping up to produce it.
We need all these things, but we need doctors to prescribe them. There's a lot of it out there. What Christy Sutherland is doing in the Downtown Eastside on powdered fentanyl—
6 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
—that you can't access what you need. Why isn't the public services and procurement minister doing it?
Anyway, I'm going to leave that with you, because I have more questions.
Last May and June, the expert task force recommended that “Canada make significant investments in providing a full spectrum of supports for people who use drugs or substances or who are in recovery.” Do you believe that the $100 million in this year's budget, over three years, implements that recommendation and reflects the scale of this crisis?
6 p.m.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal Toronto—St. Paul's, ON
The $100 million is for the substance use and addiction program, but, over the past number of years, we've invested about $800 million in this. We know the SUA program is hugely successful and oversubscribed. We will get that money out the door, and if we need more money, we'll go get it.
6 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Minister, if you look at the comparable amount of money the government spent per capita on SARS and COVID-19, and the deaths, it's not even comparable.
Your party promised, in its 2021 platform, to spend $4.5 billion over five years on a new mental health transfer, in order to expand services and address backlogs. It also promised to fund the three-digit suicide prevention hotline. In 2019, the House unanimously supported a national suicide prevention plan as well. However, none of these initiatives received any funding in this year's budget. When can Canadians expect to see action on these?
I see I'm running out of time.
Can you provide to this committee, in writing...when that's going to happen, and whom you're consulting on the Canada mental health transfer?
6 p.m.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal Toronto—St. Paul's, ON
Absolutely. I'll be happy to put out a plan for you. On the three-digit...as you know, the United States is just a bit ahead of us, and we're going to learn from them—
6 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Parliamentarians need a timeline. They need it in writing. They want a commitment, Minister.
6 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
That's your time, Mr. Johns. I was going to let the minister finish, but you interrupted her.
If you have anything else you want to add to that answer, Minister, please do, and then we'll go to Mr. Lake.
6 p.m.
Liberal
6 p.m.
Conservative
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Mr. Chair, for this next round, would we be able to get you to flag us at the halfway mark, for a split time between Mr. Lake and Dr. Ellis?
6 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Absolutely.
The floor is yours, Mr. Lake, for two and a half minutes, and then we'll go to...was it Dr. Ellis?
6 p.m.
Conservative
June 15th, 2022 / 6 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB
Minister, a couple of weeks ago, I asked a question in the House. It was a very legitimate question. You referred to my question as “annoying” and “despicable”. What I find more than “annoying”—maybe not “despicable”, but completely unacceptable—is that, three months ago, I asked you what the suicide prevention hotline number was, and you didn't know it then. People would expect you, the minister responsible for mental health and addictions in this country, to know what the suicide prevention hotline number is. “Just google it” could not be a more unacceptable response when you're talking to Canadians at risk of suicide.
Do you recognize that?
6 p.m.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal Toronto—St. Paul's, ON
I'm saying that most people, now, just tap the number on their phones. So 8-3—
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB
What if somebody in crisis asked you what the suicide prevention hotline is, and you didn't have it? You talk about consulting stakeholders. If you asked them, they would say we need a 988 suicide prevention hotline. It's been 550 days since we unanimously passed a resolution on that. It's completely unacceptable that we don't have it.
For reference, what is the proposed three-digit suicide prevention hotline?
6:05 p.m.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal Toronto—St. Paul's, ON
Mike, you know that the United States has worked for four years on this, and—
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB
What's the three-digit hotline proposed? What's the number?
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
6:05 p.m.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal Toronto—St. Paul's, ON
Yes, but do you know that, in some of the rural parts of Canada, 988 is the beginning of a seven-digit number? The CRTC and people have to sort this all out. Some places in Canada are seven digits. Some places in Canada are 10 digits. This is....
Many places I go don't have enough people answering these calls. We have to make sure that when we push “start”, it will work. The United States has spent four years doing this. When they start in July, we will be watching very carefully. I think everybody is very worried about the capacity, and that we not let people down.