Health Committee on Feb. 2nd, 2022

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Will we need another motion to hold a meeting next week, on Monday, with the analysts, regarding the work done in the previous session?

We must be able to schedule the upcoming COVID‑19 study.

If you ask my colleagues, you'll see that we want a briefing. We have several new committee members. I wanted your input on this.

Do we need another motion for next Monday's meeting?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

I'll ask for the clerk's perspective. Before I do that, I'll give you my opinion. We can amend our motion to state that the study will begin on Monday with a briefing with analysts and a summary of testimony from the last Parliament. Otherwise, we can do this with a second motion.

I think that both options are acceptable. We're in your capable hands.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

I don't think that you can move a motion. However, you said it so well that, if we added this to the motion, we would resolve everything at the same time. Exactly as you said, we would want to start the study with a briefing. We would be closing the loop on this issue.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Colleagues, I believe now we have a further amendment that would add something like, “and that the aforementioned study begin at the next meeting of the committee with a briefing from the analyst including a summary of evidence received during the 43rd Parliament”.

That is the amendment that has just been proposed by Monsieur Berthold.

The debate is now on that amendment.

Go ahead, Mr. Davies, please.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Just as a question of process, I don't know that this is necessary. We just passed a motion, and it has meetings in it. We'll be determining week to week what the meeting is going to be. Having passed this and having determined that half of the meetings will be on COVID, we can just proceed right now to decide what the first meeting will consist of. In either event, I agree with Mr. Berthold that it should start with a briefing, but I am not sure that you have to amend the motion setting out the study to do so.

I'll leave that in your hands, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

That's a fair point.

We have not yet adopted the main motion. We've adopted these amendments so far, but not the main motion. I take your point that we're now into administrative details that need not be included in the motion, but that's where we are.

Mr. Berthold.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

This is just to make sure that we can wrap things up and give guidance to the analysts and the clerk for the meeting next Monday. If we add this item immediately, it will be resolved, and we can move on to the next item.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Is there any further debate on the amendment?

Go ahead, Dr. Powlowski.

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

I have to say something a little unusual here.

I wonder if the analysts have the time to make an interim report before Monday. There was a lot of testimony over the last couple of years. Before we make them stay up all night, for the next four or five nights, to come up with the report, would it be out of order to ask the analysts whether it is possible to do this before the next meeting?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Dr. Powlowski, that's not at all out of order. I have some inside information that indicates that we're going to receive an affirmative response, but I'll let you hear it from Sonya.

We'll go over to the analyst to respond to Dr. Powlowski's inquiry.

[Sonya Norris, Committee Researcher]

Well, I was present for the second session of the last Parliament. We did start preparing reports, so it is possible to give documentation that summarizes the evidence from the second session.

For the first session, I was not part of the health committee. There were 28 meetings and 171 witnesses. I could probably produce a document that covers [Technical difficulty—Editor], but as to summarizing the evidence, I'm not sure how best to supply the committee with a summary.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you for that.

Mr. Davies.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Given that, might I suggest that we focus on the second session for the evidence?

My main part in moving the amendment is just simply to put the evidence before the committee for our consideration.

It would be open to any member to go back and read that at their convenience. However, I think it will be enough to digest and chew on if we just get a summary and review of the second session and then leave it to members to go back and dig further if they want.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

That's eminently reasonable. Thank you, Mr. Davies.

Monsieur Berthold.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

The amendment that we're moving doesn't involve any particular report, only that the analysts report back to us on what was said. We'll take what's provided. I'm fine with that and I don't have any concerns.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you.

Is there any further debate on the amendment? Is it the will of the meeting to adopt the amendment by consensus?

(Amendment agreed to)

(Motion as amended agreed to)

Monsieur Berthold.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

It's now time to discuss the scheduling of our other studies.

Mr. Chair, I'll be moving my motion on children's health care. Here it is:

That pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study on the impact the recent pandemic has had on children’s healthcare and that: 1. the study include, but not be limited to; addressing health care service backlogs affecting children, inter‑provincial barriers for research, data collection and sharing on children's health, children's nutritional needs, shortages of qualified health care workers capable of dealing with children's health issues, and how Canada can resolve its current child's health care crisis; 2. the study include a focus on disparities in access to services for rural, indigenous, racialized, and lower income communities; 3. the study consist of a minimum of six witness meetings; 4. the Minister of Health be invited to appear for one of these meetings; 5. the committee present its findings and recommendations to the House.

This motion was sent to all committee members. I'd like to speak about it for a few moments, if that's okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

You still have the floor, Mr. Berthold.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I think that one group significantly affected by the pandemic over the past few years is children. We aren't just talking about pandemic‑related events, but also about the lack of resources for children, which in turn is linked to mental health issues.

I think that this committee must take the time to talk about the needs of children, who are the next generation. This is extremely important because few government authorities have taken the time to talk about children and all that they have experienced over the past few years, in school or in other places. We need to understand how the federal government, within its jurisdictions, can work to improve the care and health of children in general.

Of course, the pandemic has exacerbated this situation. That's why I'm asking my colleagues to support this motion and this study. It's important. It would send a clear message to all Canadians, especially young Canadians, that their elected representatives in Ottawa are thinking about them and are concerned about their situation.

I want to thank you and urge you to support this motion so that we can talk about it as soon as possible and so that Canadian children realize that they're a key concern for their elected representatives in Ottawa.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Mr. Berthold.

The motion is in order and it is in your digital binder as of today. The debate is now on the motion.

Madam Vignola.

[Julie Vignola, Bloc, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

As a mother of four children, I obviously think that children are important. I'm not in a hurry to have grandchildren, however. They can take their time.

Children's health is a priority. I think that this motion is excellent. However, I'd like to propose a small amendment to ensure that we don't encroach on the jurisdictions of Quebec and the Canadian provinces in terms of health.

I move that we replace “and how Canada can resolve its current child's health care crisis” with “in order to find potential solutions.” We would conduct the same study, but it would be to identify potential solutions to propose to the provincial ministers of health in Canada, in order to avoid encroaching on their areas of jurisdiction.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Mrs. Vignola.

The debate is now on the amendment to the motion proposed by Madam Vignola, specifically, to point number one.

Mr. Davies, go ahead.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

I was going to speak about the motion generally, and not to the amendment, so I'll pass for the moment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you.

Go ahead, Dr. Hanley.

[Brendan Hanley, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

I had the same.... I was going to speak more to the overall motion than the amendment.