Evidence of meeting #13 for Health in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was immigration.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Are you speaking to the motion or not?
I will decide when to call the vote, Mr. Bailey, when I have no one else speaking to this motion.
If you're speaking to the motion or against the motion, I'm giving you the floor. If you're telling me to call a vote, I will not give you the floor because it's inappropriate.
Mr. Mazier, I heard you muttering. Do you want to speak?
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
Yes, actually I was requesting to speak.
Just to Mr. Powlowski's point, we could just vote on this. That's what I'd recommend. We had the witnesses here. We can bring them back and away we go.
That's what I would recommend. Let's have the vote if no one else wants to say anything.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
You can recommend that we have the vote; however, until I have no list of speakers, we cannot vote, Mr. Mazier.
I'm looking to see. We have Ms. Chi.
Liberal
Maggie Chi Liberal Don Valley North, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I tend to agree with Dr. Powlowski. We're in the middle of inviting witnesses and they made the time to come in person. We really wanted to delve a little bit deeper into the PACE program in Nova Scotia because they're demonstrating a model that helps to train doctors and family physicians. I had a lot of questions around that. I think it's really important to get that in the study.
It is disappointing to me. This is time the witnesses have given us.
Given that, I move to adjourn the meeting.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
There's no debate on the move to adjourn the meeting.
Those in favour of adjourning the meeting....
Mr. Mazier, will you allow me to chair a meeting and stop yelling at me from the sidelines, please? I am speaking. You don't let me finish. You yell at me. Stop yelling at me. Please, let me finish my job. Thank you.
We have a motion on the floor to adjourn. It is not debatable. I'm going to call the vote on the motion to adjourn.
(Motion negatived)
We remain in session. We have five minutes left.
We have a motion and there's no one wishing to speak for or against the motion.
I will call the vote on the motion. Would you like a recorded vote?
Liberal
Marcus Powlowski Liberal Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
I'd like a recorded vote, please.
(Motion agreed to: yeas 5; nays 4)
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
We have four minutes. I see someone here who's still on virtual. Would you want to take another four minutes?
I could make it five minutes. The person up for the five minutes would be Mr. Eyolfson.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
Thank you, Chair.
I'm sorry about the interruption, folks. It's part of how committees work. These things happen.
Dr. Nickerson, I am Doug Eyolfson. It's good to see you again. It's been quite some time.
You talked about the cuts in medical school and residency positions since the 1980s and how the situation has been improved. You said it was the provincial governments that were cutting those. Is that right?
Past Board Chair and Dean, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada
Yes. The provincial governments set the seat numbers that the universities can have. They were all decreasing through the 1980s into the late 1990s, and then they were ramped back up again to the level they are today.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
All right. Thank you.
Having served in the federal government before and being back now, I know that there is sometimes difficulty in trying to coordinate with the provinces. We want to encourage provinces to do certain things, such as funding spaces, but we tend to get push-back if we designate any funding toward any particular initiative.
Would you encourage the provincial governments to work with the federal government to increase the number of medical school and residency spots?
Past Board Chair and Dean, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada
Yes. I think that's what we really need: federal-provincial co-operation to further increase the current capacity.
If we compare ourselves to other OECD countries, at the current level of 93 per million on average, we're well below what is occurring in Australia or the U.K., which is up in the 120 to 130 per million range. Clearly other countries are outpacing where we're at today.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
Thank you so much.
Dr. Burry, you talked about how dental assistants were not part of this eligibility. What program was it that they're not eligible for?
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Dental Association
It's the PGWP. It's a federal program related to priority groups.
Liberal
Liberal
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Dental Association
That's essentially what we're asking. It's to do everything we possibly can with what we're foreseeing as shortages.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
All right. Thank you.
Among the dental assistants and dental hygienists, are any of them that you're aware of currently with the temporary foreign worker program?
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Dental Association
Not that I'm aware of...no.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
All right. Thank you.
Dr. McAdoo, you were talking about your program and how it is funded by the province and by the Medical Council of Canada. There's the fee for billing, and then is there a stipend provided to the physicians working in this for training?
Chief Executive Officer, Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence
The funding comes through the provincial government. The Medical Council of Canada does not provide funding. Part of that funding goes towards stipends for the physicians under assessment.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
Would an increase in funding for this program from the federal government help you better do your job?
Chief Executive Officer, Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence
There are lots of ways that we could improve how we do things. I mentioned earlier the housing piece, looking at expanding the welcome collaborative, looking at expanding post-PACE settlement into community, looking at mentorship.... There are lots of ways to improve the program.