Health Committee on Oct. 9th, 2025

[Greg Orencsak]

I think I've answered the question.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Dan Mazier]

Please table what you've referred to.

Ms. Chi, you have five minutes.

[Maggie Chi, Liberal, Don Valley North, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

I have a couple of follow-up questions on a few programs and issues that I raised earlier.

With regard to the vaccine injury support program, while the audit is being conducted, I was wondering what interim measures are in place to ensure the program is delivered in a timely manner and is supporting folks who really need access to it.

[Nancy Hamzawi]

Thank you very much for the question.

With the benefit of the analysis that has been undertaken over the past several months—over a year—a number of actions have been taken.

One, the minister has already taken the decision to move the program within the Public Health Agency of Canada. We are working very closely and very hard on this to prepare to take on the program. April is when we are currently targeting to onboard the program, but I can tell you that this is a very active phase for us. We're working very closely with colleagues interdepartmentally to take advantage of their expertise. For example, we're working with Service Canada and with our colleagues at Innovation, Science and Economic Development, which has comparable programs that we are absolutely learning from and building upon.

We also, in parallel, absolutely recognize and have heard from claimants who are experiencing frustration and hardship through the claims they currently have submitted to the program. We are following up directly with Oxaro through their pre-existing governance, which protects the third party nature of the program at this point in time. Recognizing the independence of the program, we are still working with Oxaro through the appropriate governance to make sure these issues are carefully considered by the program.

[Maggie Chi, Liberal, Don Valley North, ON]

Thank you so much. You will have one last question from me, and then I'll be sharing my time with my colleague Dr. Powlowski.

My understanding on the nicotine pouch issue is that Minister Holland's decision was due to the flavour component that would impact youth. Is that true?

[Greg Orencsak]

There were a number of reasons youth found these products appealing, including the flavours they were made available in. Some of the packaging and the promotion of these products were also appealing to youth.

[Maggie Chi, Liberal, Don Valley North, ON]

Thank you.

I will cede my time to Dr. Powlowski.

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

I thought a corollary to that was that kids would start by vaping, and there was the possibility they would move on to smoking as a result. There was a concern that it was the entry level for a much greater problem.

Is that not what was on the minds of those who were trying to regulate access to these products?

[Greg Orencsak]

When it comes to the availability for youth, these pouches contain nicotine, and the concern was that the widespread use of pouches could lead to nicotine dependency among youth.

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

I want to ask a follow-up question on the dental care issue. I understand, in your response, that if it is part of my employment benefit plan, I get dental insurance when I'm retired, and our government program shouldn't supplant that.

However, there are quite a few people I've heard about in my riding who continue to pay for their dental plans. They had a dental plan before our program came out. They were paying into it. Now they're being told that they won't be covered. If they stop paying into their program, they still won't be covered, because once they've had insurance, they can't just cancel the insurance and get the government plan.

Is that true?

[Greg Orencsak]

If there are specific issues with your constituents, we are happy to look at them on a case-by-case basis, obviously. In respect of the way we assess compliance and availability of dental plans for individuals, there's a requirement for employers or pension plans or benefit providers who issue T4 and T4A slips to indicate whether that individual—your constituent—has existing access to a dental care plan. That's how we determine eligibility for the Canadian dental care plan.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Dan Mazier]

Thank you.

Mr. Thériault, bring us home. You have two and a half minutes.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Orencsak, we know that breast implants cause cancer, autoimmune diseases and breast implant illness. Yet for the past 30 years, Health Canada has approved these high-risk medical devices and allowed them to be implanted without ever having conducted long-term, non-industry-sponsored studies. Is that correct?

[Greg Orencsak]

Thank you for the question.

Through the chair, from the information that was available and that the department was able to review, it was not possible to determine whether there is a direct relationship between breast implants and some of the symptoms and diseases that have been reported.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

However, for 30 years, you have never had independent industry analyses. So, on what basis do you approve these high-risk medical devices?

Given that you have no scientific data establishing a causal link between these high-risk medical devices and breast implant illness, why don't you apply the precautionary principle? A directive could be sent to family doctors so that they can verify this causal link, rather than simply treating women's symptoms in silos. It would cost nothing extra to do this.

[Greg Orencsak]

Health Canada has been proactive in informing Canadians and medical practitioners about the risks associated with breast implants. They've made more information available to the public and to practitioners based on the studies and the information the department had reviewed.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

There are no long-term studies or industry data. These are just compiled facts.

[Greg Orencsak]

The department, to my understanding, reviewed a number of different sources of information, but it was also advised at the time by a panel on women's health made up of experts, including the department's medical adviser.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Dan Mazier]

Very good. That brings us to the conclusion.

Thank you very much to the witnesses for coming out today.

I have some housekeeping items before we take off. Looking at our calendar, when we return after our constituency week, the committee will finalize the women's health study and then commence its study on the impact of immigration policy on health care. We'll finish the report, and then we'll go on to that one.

I'll remind you that the witness lists for our immigration study are due tomorrow at 5 p.m. I understand that there are not many names sitting in the docket for the clerk to work on, so please forward those witness lists by tomorrow.

Thank you. Have a good day.