Evidence of meeting #17 for Health in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was funding.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
All right. Thank you.
At this point, Mr. Chair, I'd like to move the following motion:
That the committee invite the Minister of Health and the department officials to testify before the committee, by February 6, 2026.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
Yes. I believe this is available in both official languages.
It's on the supplementary estimates.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier
Do we have a copy of that, Clerk? Yes.
Has it been circulated? Okay.
As long as we have a copy of it, I can seek UC.
Madame Larouche, do you have a copy of this motion?
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
I'm looking for the motion. I have a motion from Mr. Mazier and a motion from Mr. Bailey. The interpreter says she doesn't have the motion.
Conservative
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
Yes.
The motion is, “That the committee invite the Minister of Health and the department officials to testify before the committee, by February 6, 2026.”
Conservative
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Chair, I had understood that it was on February 6, but it's ultimately by February 6. It's the same motion as the ones proposed by Mr. Mazier and Mr. Bailey, then. I'm a little confused.
Conservative
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
Mr. Chair, this is a new motion.
The language in the first one has the implication of the minister failing to appear by a certain time, which is somewhat misleading, given that this was sent by the date requested because of a very limited time period.
This simply removes that and says, “That the committee invite the Minister...and the department officials to testify before the committee, by February 6, 2026.”
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier
Is everybody in agreement with that? It just took out some wording, in case the minister doesn't show up.
(Motion agreed to)
Thank you, Mr. Eyolfson.
We are moving on to Ms. Larouche.
You have six minutes.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
As long as the minister is appearing, and it's similar, I'll accept it.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier
We will continue on. We have UC for that.
Ms. Larouche, you have six minutes to ask questions.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to start with the officials from the Department of Health.
Right now, the crux of the matter is funding for transfers. Quebec and the provinces are calling on the federal government to increase its share of funding to 35% of health care costs.
Why doesn't the department provide for any structural increases to health transfers in supplementary estimates (B)?
My question is for you, Mr. Orencsak.
Deputy Minister, Department of Health
Through the Working Together plan that's in place, Quebec will receive $38.3 billion in federal funding over the next 10 years. Of that, $31.7 billion would be through the Canada health transfer and approximately $6.6 billion would be through bilateral agreements to advance shared health priorities.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
That isn't a structural increase in health transfers. There was none in the last budget.
On another note, page 350 of the budget announces cuts of around 15% for Health Canada.
In light of skyrocketing health care costs and needs, how are you going to manage that 15% loss, which is no small matter?
Deputy Minister, Department of Health
In terms of the section of the budget you're referencing, those projected reductions do not involve transfers to the provinces and territories. Budget 2025 made clear that the Government of Canada continues to protect those health transfers, including the commitments made and the 10-year numbers I referenced through the Canada health transfer and the Working Together agreements.
Those savings and reductions referenced in the annex of the budget do not impact funding to provinces and territories for health care.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Maintaining services despite the cuts is always easier said than done. That's still 15% less funding. That's what it says on page 350.
I'd now like to turn to the officials from PHAC.
We're currently doing a study on antimicrobial resistance. There are staff cuts at the National Microbiology Laboratory, or NML. Those cuts could also compromise the capacity to monitor infectious diseases. That was part of an article that discussed budget cuts at the Winnipeg lab. There were 140 temporary NML employees whose contracts weren't renewed because of federal budget cuts.
People are sounding the alarm as a result, since it's feared that 245 lab technicians will also be affected by the cuts.
What would PHAC have to say about that and the risks it may entail?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
Thank you very much for the question.
In terms of the recalibration of PHAC's activities, there was a total cut of 10%, but the NML's cut was lower than the rest of the organization, that is, about 4%. That recalibration is related to the temporary COVID‑19 fund. Now that we have less pressure related to the COVID‑19 response, we have completed the term contracts for those employees. Those employees didn't have indeterminate contracts; they had term contracts that were entered into on March 31.
In terms of the NML's operations and capacity, budget cuts have been made in areas where the federal government doesn't have any obvious responsibility or where there are duplicates with other provincial or territorial organizations.
We're certain that the cuts haven't had any significant impacts on our activities.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
The question was still about the consequences that this would have.
I'll end with some questions for you, Mr. Orencsak.
There are still going to be budget cuts at the NML that could have an impact. Health transfers aren't being respected.
Does your department acknowledge that federal underfunding directly contributes to staffing shortages, delays in access and pressures in hospitals in the provinces and Quebec?