Evidence of meeting #131 for Status of Women in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was risk.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Nadine Caron  Professor, As an Individual
Alethea Kewayosh  Director, Indigenous Cancer Care Unit and Indigenous Health Equity and Coordination, Ontario Health
Juliet Daniel  Professor, The Olive Branch of Hope Cancer Support Services
Amanda Sheppard  Senior Scientist, Ontario Health
Guylène Thériault  Physician, Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care
Donna Reynolds  Physician, Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care

Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON

Dr. Thériault, in our first panel, we heard from Dr. Caron earlier today that the residential school system disconnected many indigenous women from their family history. This makes it impossible for them to get the normal risk assessment for breast cancer. Doesn't this constitute a barrier to access to screening for indigenous women?

Also, my colleague raised the issue of the 98% and the 2% of the data. I'd just like an answer for that. How are you accounting for that?

1:10 p.m.

Physician, Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care

Dr. Guylène Thériault

It is unfortunate for all those women who don't have this information. The answer is not easy, because they might be at high risk, and this is not covered by our guideline. They might be at a moderately increased risk, and we have the numbers to inform those women, but if they don't know, I realize it's very difficult. I understand that.

Regarding the 2% and the 98%, we did include the most recent observational studies. This has changed. I don't know the numbers by heart, but I could surely transmit them to the committee, if you want, about the most recent observational studies. That's why we asked Statistics Canada to provide any information they had about breast cancer and the diverse ethnicities in Canada.

1:10 p.m.

Physician, Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care

Dr. Donna Reynolds

If I may quickly add something about the dissemination of information, it is not just the task force; we've learned that some provinces are now looking at how to provide the information on benefits and harms so that women can be informed.

There are multiple cancer agencies that we look to as well that have wonderful communication abilities to be able to get these messages out so that women can be informed and decide for themselves.

1:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Shelby Kramp-Neuman

Thank you very much.

Thank you, MP Sidhu.

From the position of chair, I would like to pose one question for, more or less, for just a yes or a no.

Is there any consideration that will be given to changing, editing or revisiting any of your guidelines?

1:10 p.m.

Physician, Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care

Dr. Guylène Thériault

Madam Chair, we have a process of reviewing guidelines every year with a quick overview. Maybe I'll let Dr. Reynolds speak to that, because she knows more about that process.

1:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Shelby Kramp-Neuman

Just in the interest of time, tell me “yes”, “no” or “possibly.”

1:10 p.m.

Physician, Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care

Dr. Guylène Thériault

We always review.

1:10 p.m.

Physician, Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care

Dr. Donna Reynolds

Yes, always, and we look forward to the public comments from all the other sources that we're having in to make sure that it's meaningful.

The Chair Conservative Shelby Kramp-Neuman

That's perfect.

This concludes our second panel.

On behalf of the committee, I would certainly like to thank both of you for your presence here today and for providing some answers to some questions. Thank you. You can excuse yourselves. I really appreciate your coming today.

For the members in the room, I mentioned that we had some housekeeping items. I know we're tight for time, because it is already a quarter after. There are just a couple of things.

The drafting instructions for breast cancer were intended to be this coming Wednesday. That's now going to be bumped until December 4 to allow for the extra meeting on December 2.

In addition to that, we have an informal meeting request from a delegation of women parliamentarians from the Ukrainian parliament. That request was shared by the clerk on November 7. The delegation is visiting Ottawa, and they've asked to meet with us for an hour in the afternoon of Wednesday, November 27. They have a jammed schedule that day, but they have a window of time of one hour available that fits during our committee meeting. Does the committee agree to have the delegation come from 4:30 to 5:30?

Okay, that's a yes.

In addition, the new study on violence targeting the 2SLGBTQI+ community was slated to begin on November 27, but now we're accommodating the Ukrainian delegation and we've added the breast cancer study, so we will be starting that a week later than we had intended. Is that fine?

It is. Okay.

Next, does the committee agree that we will defray the hospitality expenses that are related to the informal meeting? We can just go from one to the other.

Okay. Thank you for that.

To conclude, since the study of violence targeting the 2SLGBTQI+ community is beginning a little bit later, we're going to have to extend the deadline for the briefs on that. We learned earlier that we want to ensure we have enough time for the briefs, so can we delay the briefs to Wednesday, December 11? Our deadline currently is December 2.

We're just bumping things back. We will send an updated schedule to everyone. I know there have been some changes, but I wanted to make sure that we were certainly agreeable with the delegation coming, because that was the malleable piece that was going to be changing things.

Okay. That's awesome.

Is there a motion to...?

MP Damoff, go ahead.

Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON

You said that the Ukrainian delegation was on November 27 from 4:30 to 5:30, so is that meeting only going to be one hour?

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Shelby Kramp-Neuman

No, we'll do a second hour with.... I'll have to check to see what's on the schedule. There will be a full two-hour meeting, but one hour of it will be with the delegation.

Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON

I'm asking because you had said that we were supposed to start the 2SLGBTQ+ study on that day, and we couldn't. I'm wondering what we have planned for the other hour.

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Shelby Kramp-Neuman

Let me take a quick look. I know we bumped the breast cancer study, so....

I will circle back to you, MP Damoff and the other MPs, on whether it's the breast cancer study or additional witnesses from the other.... There are some changes because of what's happened here today, but I can confirm with everyone what the next step is.

Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON

Okay. Thank you.

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Shelby Kramp-Neuman

Thank you.

The meeting is adjourned.