Evidence of meeting #40 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was aqpp.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Normand Cadieux  Executive Vice-President and Director General, Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires
Vincent Forcier  Director, Public Affairs, Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires
Danielle Grondin  Director General, Health, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Albert Deschamps  Director General, Regional Headquarters, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

10:20 a.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Yes, I saw that.

10:20 a.m.

Director General, Health, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Dr. Danielle Grondin

But we hope that the discussions will lead to pharmacists being allowed to have that interface. It will take three weeks by the time it is rolled out, so in the interim the bills will be sent and they will be processed as quickly as possible.

10:20 a.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

So if I'm sick today in Quebec, I would be able to access the drugs I desperately need?

10:20 a.m.

Director General, Health, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Dr. Danielle Grondin

If you are an eligible person, client, yes, you will be able to access. You are prescribed that drug free of charge, and it will be the pharmacist who has the responsibility to send the bill directly by mail to Medavie Blue Cross.

10:20 a.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

And Blue Cross will then reimburse?

10:20 a.m.

Director General, Health, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Dr. Danielle Grondin

They will then proceed with the reimbursement, yes.

10:20 a.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Right. And there would be a list of all the drugs that would qualify and pharmacists would have that list?

10:20 a.m.

Director General, Health, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Dr. Danielle Grondin

In fact, there is something in the system right now, and we have made a demo that we provided, in fact offered, to the AQPP when we met on the 31st. There is already something in the system. So as soon as the authorization is given by the AQPP to the developer to install this interface for the pharmacist—if I may, I can give you a scenario. It means if you, a refugee, arrive in front of a pharmacist, you will have your card—there are two types of cards—pictures, a number. The pharmacist will go in the computer and put in your number. Right away the eligibility will be confirmed. Right away, for the prescription there will be a DIN number, as we call it, for each medication, which will be confirmed with the whole list of medications of the régie. If it's not included, there is a pre-approval already in the system to get a pre-approval automatically, within a second almost, and then the costs that would be there right away.

10:20 a.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Okay.

Best of luck in your negotiations. I hope you can conclude your agreement within a few weeks.

Thank you.

10:20 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Thank you, Ms. Chow.

Mr. Dykstra.

10:20 a.m.

Conservative

Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON

Through you, Chair, I just want to clear up.... One of the questions I asked the representatives was in regard to the number of meeting requests the ministry made with the AQPP.

Could you provide a follow-up from that? Could you provide us with a brief response to the number of requests you made, and if you have available, and if it's necessary to provide, the documentation showing that meetings in fact were requested?

10:25 a.m.

Director General, Regional Headquarters, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Albert Deschamps

Yes, we can provide documentation attesting to our attempts to meet with them.

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON

I think it would be extremely helpful for all committee members to receive that information.

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

If you can just provide that to the clerk soon, Mr. Deschamps, we'd appreciate it.

10:25 a.m.

Director General, Regional Headquarters, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Albert Deschamps

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON

I want to turn my time over to Ms. Grewal, but I have one question.

This does present an issue specifically with Quebec because the Quebec government requires an association to represent the pharmacists. We don't have that similar circumstance in any of the other provinces. Correct?

10:25 a.m.

Director General, Regional Headquarters, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Albert Deschamps

That's correct.

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON

So your functionality, in terms of trying to deliver the new service, the new input system and the new direct relationship with pharmacists...that is happening across the country, I'm assuming, in the same fashion as it is with an attempt with pharmacists in Quebec?

10:25 a.m.

Director General, Regional Headquarters, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Albert Deschamps

That's correct.

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON

So in fact this isn't an issue with the association as much as it is trying to deal directly with the individual pharmacist, because the way the new program is set up, it will be more efficient, it will be more effective, it will deliver service more quickly, and, probably, most importantly, when there are issues, you will know what those issues are immediately. So you will in fact be enhancing your relationship, so to speak—

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

The answer to that is just blank looks. It would be helpful to know what your challenge is.

10:25 a.m.

Director General, Regional Headquarters, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Albert Deschamps

Our challenge is to try to reconcile all of the benefits we can obtain through direct contact with the pharmacists and the benefits we can have in dealing with the AQPP. I think, in fairness, there may be some advantages to coming to an agreement where they can play a role that would be helpful for everyone. That's where we're trying to focus our negotiations.

For us, it may be more helpful to have one interlocutor if we have to send out general information, instead of dealing with individual ones.

What is important for us is that if we come to an agreement with the AQPP and that agreement should not give them the power or the leeway to negotiate terms and conditions on eligibility, products, coverage, etc.

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON

I'm assuming that in your discussions, the stoppage, or the direction to stop service delivery, won't happen again in the future, and that's part of what your discussions are, in terms of dealing with the association.

10:25 a.m.

Director General, Regional Headquarters, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Albert Deschamps

Yes, that is an underlying commitment from both of us, that while we are negotiating and discussing, service does not get interrupted--

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON

And that in fact it will never be used as a method to negotiate again.