Thank you, Madam Chair.
Many thanks to all the witnesses for being here.
My questions pertain to national standards. We all know of course that health is a provincial matter, but I want to state clearly that the federal government also has a role to play. We have to find a way to work with the provinces and reach bilateral agreements, which are currently under negotiation. These agreements represent $4.5 million in funding over five years.
We heard from the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group a few weeks ago. You touched on that briefly today, namely, that the system has gaps and it is very difficult for parents and individuals to navigate through the system.
I am trying to get a better understanding of certain aspects, specifically services relating to community expansion, mental health, addictions, youth aged 10 to 25, and early intervention. I am not necessarily asking all four witnesses.
Dr. Van Lieshout, you also mentioned the lack of coordination among the various organizations. For example, I was in Sudbury with Minister Bennett for a round table discussion. The groups in attendance said there were about 6,000 organizations—an exaggeration—and very little coordination.
I'll start with Dr. Ryan Van Lieshout and then go to Dr. Elliott.
What can you inform this committee about on best practices, evidence-based, to finalize these bilateral agreements so that the money could flow with the provinces and the federal government? Maybe you could answer in a minute each.