Evidence of meeting #5 for Health in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier
If you could table responses, that would be great, Minister. Thank you.
We will go on to our third round. Mr. Bailey has five minutes.
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Minister, are you familiar with Canada's tobacco strategy, yes or no?
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Excellent. Are you familiar with its four main themes, yes or no?
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
One theme is helping Canadians quit by providing info and access to less harmful nicotine sources. Are nicotine pouches less harmful than cigarettes, yes or no?
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
I'll reread the question. Are nicotine pouches less harmful than cigarettes, yes or no?
Liberal
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Your deputy minister testified last week that they are a less harmful source of nicotine, which means they are a great method of smoking cessation.
If nicotine pouches are less harmful than smoking cigarettes and the Government of Canada's tobacco strategy is to reduce tobacco use to less than 5% by 2035, why is the government making it more difficult to access less harmful sources of nicotine, like pouches, over cigarettes?
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
I think nicotine pouches are kept behind the counter in pharmacies to prevent young people from using them. It's a protective measure for young people.
Nicotine pouches are a way to help people quit smoking and are available in pharmacies. These products are readily available, as they can be found in pharmacies.
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Thank you for your answer.
How does that make sense when children can order these pouches online? Why aren't we regulating the pouches the same way we regulate cigarette sales through convenience stores, making it more convenient for smoking cessation?
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
This is because it is a smoking cessation aid, and smoking cessation products are available in pharmacies.
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
That's not true. Smoking cessation products are found in places other than pharmacies. This particular nicotine pouch is actually behind the pharmacist's desk, whereas you can find Nicoderm, Thrive and other products right around the till or in other places in the pharmacy.
Will you look at reversing this order and allowing regulated sales, as for cigarettes, in convenience stores to make it easier to quit smoking?
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
For the time being, the decision is to keep nicotine pouches behind the counter in pharmacies to protect young people. We will continue to base our decisions on the science and the data.
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Minister, we can agree that we're trying to protect youth, but right now they can buy pouches online. Wouldn't it be common sense to regulate pouches as done for cigarettes, with age verification at the same point of sale, to help Canadians who want to stop smoking?
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
I don't see why a Canadian who wants to use nicotine pouches to quit smoking shouldn't be able to get them at the pharmacy. I really don't.
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
For simple hours of operation, simple availability, convenience stores and gas stores are much more available to someone who is trying to stop smoking. I'll give you another example. It could be somebody who has possibly been tempted to start smoking by somebody around them and the convenience of being able to go get something to curb the Nicorette....
I'm going to move on. I would tend to ask you to reverse the order and allow regulated sales as for cigarettes.
In the beginning, you spoke about mental health. I feel that the Liberal government needs to focus on recovery. I feel that you're enabling. On October 15, when you meet with the other ministers, I hope this is a topic that is discussed with other health ministers: how this federal government can work with the provinces to start to deal with the opioid epidemic.
Will you please bring it up with your colleagues in Calgary?
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Thank you, Minister.
You speak about helping the provinces with doctors. When you meet with the ministers, would you please discuss getting more physicians, helping them with university and allowing the universities to have more specialist spots for Canadian students?
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
As I have already told you, this is already on the agenda for the discussion I will have with my provincial and territorial counterparts at our meeting next week. We will discuss every aspect of it.
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
We are here to support them as much as possible so that there are more health professionals in the system.
Conservative
Liberal
Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON
Thank you, Chair.
Minister, we hear about some cancer drugs that are approved and funded in provinces like B.C. but not yet in Ontario. If a drug is already safe and effective in one province, shouldn't there be a way to speed up the access in other parts of the country? Can you or your officials just explain that?