Evidence of meeting #34 for Health in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was study.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Members speaking

Before the committee

Steele  Chair, Best Medicines Coalition
Parmar  Vice President, Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, Canadian Health Food Association
Lévesque  General Manager, Groupement provincial de l'industrie du médicament
Farrah  Committee Researcher

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB

—on the amendment.

The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal

—on the amendment.

(Amendment agreed to: yeas 10; nays 0 [See Minutes of Proceedings])

We are back to the motion, as amended.

I am going to the speaking list. We have Ms. Sidhu, Madam Konanz, Mr. Bailey and Ms. Chi—

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB

And then me.

The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal

—and then you.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Helena Konanz Conservative Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC

I'm next.

The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal

Okay. You're done, Ms. Sidhu?

Now we will go to Madam Konanz.

Please, go ahead.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Helena Konanz Conservative Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC

Now I am speaking to the main motion. Is that correct?

The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal

That is the main motion, as amended.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Helena Konanz Conservative Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC

It is the main motion as amended. Thank you.

Thank you so much for bringing this forward. I think this is an urgent study that we need, and we need to study Canadians across the entire country, not just Manitoba, but obviously Manitoba seems to be.... There was a recent declaration of a public health emergency, so it is vital that we do this study.

I want to say that it's very important that we do it across communities, across Canada. In the city I live in, Penticton, the overdose rate in the first quarter rose by 500% from the quarter before. The reason this is important is that we're looking at people with substance disorders in this, to study the HIV rates across Canada. As you can see, this is very important in the city of Penticton and also across Canada.

I would like to make a motion to amend this. Again, this is extremely important. We need to continue with this study.

I'd like to move that, after the words “that the committee hold no fewer than two meetings on this subject”, we add the following: “that the committee not commence its study until Michael Green, the former president and chief executive officer of Canada Health Infoway, has appeared before the committee for no less than two hours to testify on his role in the implementation and oversight of the Liberal government's failed $300-million PrescribeIT program, including his inability to answer basic questions during his previous appearance before the Standing Committee on Health and his sudden dismissal by Canada Health Infoway following the collapse of this program”.

The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal

As previously, I made my recommendations and decision, and this is not related to the HIV subject that we are dealing with, so this is out of order.

We are going to the—

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB

Hang on.

The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal

—next speaker, Mr. Bailey. Please go ahead.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB

Chair, I have a point of order.

The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal

Go ahead on a point of order, Mr. Mazier.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB

A member has brought forward a motion that at least should be distributed so that the committee can look at it, and then we can vote on it.

The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal

I called it out of order. I listened to it and I grasped it—

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB

What did you pick up from it?

The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal

I'm not going to explain. I told you that if you want to keep on interrupting time and time again—

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB

I'm not interrupting.

The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal

—we are doing an important study on HIV, and your province is the one that's most affected—

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB

All I'm asking for is a vote; it's a democracy.

The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal

—and you are the one.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB

All we're asking is to make sure that Michael Green is coming back. PrescribeIT is a failure.

The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal

If you're not going to respect my decision—

Please shut the mic off for Mr. Mazier.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB

Oh, you'll shut me off. Why don't you just shut the cameras off too? What about a question of privilege?