Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak on Bill C-13, which we are debating today in at third reading. Let us keep in mind that the purpose of this bill is to officially create the Canadian institutes of health research, which will be mandated to organize, co-ordinate and fund health research at the federal government level.
The federal government, while constantly faulting other governments for gaining their ends through devious means, has taken an approach in this matter which lets it off the hook in a way. It has appointed an interim committee council comprised of 34 members from the scientific and academic communities. That committee council worked for some weeks on the definition and operation of these institutes.
Far be it for me to cast doubt on the competency of these individuals to fulfil the mandate assigned to them, which is to organize, co-ordinate and fund health research in Canada. The federal government most certainly did not tell them “Take care above all in fulfilling your mandate not to overstep the jurisdictional boundaries of Quebec and the provinces”.
Simply put, the Canadian institutes of health research will replace the Medical Research Council and will have a broader research mandate. They will make it possible for there to be new ways of doing research on biomedical themes but also on matters more directly related to the social sciences.
We now know that these will be virtual institutes and will, first and foremost, facilitate the exchange of information. Researchers in universities, hospitals and the other research centres across Canada will all be linked on a computer network.
The mission of the institutes includes some interesting and innovative aspects. There are some new concepts involved here, and many say that Bill C-13 constitutes a first in the history of health-related bills as far as ethics are concerned.
Final decisions on the institutes to be created have not yet been made. The interim task forcecouncil has, however, proposed some themes around which the institutes might be formed. Some examples are aging, arthritis, cancer, molecular biology, the health of children and mothers, health services, clinical evaluation and technology assessment, heart disease, strokes, and so on. So far, officials estimate they have received close to 150 applications for grants that will eventually result in the creation of these institutes.
The bill emphasizes the need for integrated health research, with co-operation between the groups, organizations and governments now responsible for research, an important component. The approach is clearly multidisciplinary. In addition, because the bill does not specify any particular type of institute, the permanent council will have its hands free to create whatever kinds of institutes it wishes.
One advantage of this is that it will allow the council to be flexible and to change its priorities quickly in response to the changing nature of society and to rapid innovation in the field of research. This is a positive approach and is consistent with the recommendations of the OECD, which since 1993 has been asking Canada to increase its investment in research and development.
The budget brought down by the Minister of Finance in February 1999 forecast a budget of $65 million for CIHR in its first year of operation. In 2000-01, this amount will be increased by $175 million in order to create between 10 and 15 institutes of health research in Canada. With the base budgets already allocated to the Medical Research Council, the government now anticipates that it will double its funding, over a three year period, and that the funds for Canadian institutes of health research will total $500 million in 2001-2002.
The government set an extremely tight deadline and is trying to rush us so that this bill is passed as quickly as possible. As for researchers, the government made them believe that April 1, 2000 was a likely date for the coming into effect of this legislation. Therefore, it is not surprising that researchers really want the permanent governing council of the institutes of health research to begin its work on April 1, 2000, while hoping the government will not play tricks on April Fools' Day.
Once bitten twice shy, as the old saying goes. It is easy to see that, over the past 20 or 30 years, Quebec did not get its fair share of federal funds for research and development, given its demographic weight. On average, depending on the year, Quebec received between 14% and 18% of the federal funds for research and development. This is still the case today.
The Bloc Quebecois fully supports the federal government's intention to significantly increase funds for health research, since that sector of activity is a fundamental one. We will closely monitor the distribution of these funds, to ensure that Quebec gets its share.
The Bloc Quebecois supports increased funding for research and development. It also recognizes the efforts of the researchers who were closely involved in the drafting of the bill so they could have innovative equipment to improve the dissemination of information in the field of health and to be able to develop state of the art technologies in health.
However, we cannot ignore the fact that Bill C-13, as it is drafted, seriously infringes on the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces in health care. The bill refers, in several locations, to “issues pertaining to health”, without ever recognizing the responsibility to the public of Quebec and the provinces in the field of health services.
With the government boasting about imposing clarity on others, the Minister of Health should have made sure his bill referred simply to health research and not to the health care system and to services provided the public.
And yet, throughout it, the bill refers not simply to health research but uses the more general issues pertaining to health.
Quebec and the provinces are in fact nothing more than ordinary players, like the people and organizations with an interest in health. The federal government gives national mandates to the institutes without involving the Government of Quebec or of the provinces in this process.
The Bloc Quebecois pointed this out at all stages of the bill. The Bloc Quebecois supports the bill in principle, but cannot support it as it is currently written.
Let us make no mistake. It is not the creation of the institutes that is the problem. Research and development falls under the category of residual powers and therefore, in theory, comes under federal jurisdiction. The Bloc Quebecois can live with the fact so long as Quebec is a part of Canada.
Where the problem lies, and it is a serious one at that, is that this bill makes it possible for direct infringement on an area under Quebec jurisdiction, health services to the public, without any prior consultation of Quebec and the provinces.
In order to remedy this major problem, the Bloc Quebecois has proposed a series of amendments which were mainly aimed at emphasizing the importance of respecting jurisdictional divisions and at reaffirming the primacy of provincial jurisdiction over federal jurisdiction in the area of health.
Research and development investments are necessary, and much desired in the hospital and academic research communities. Moreover, a number of Quebec coalitions have made applications for funding to the secretariat of the CIHR's interim council.
It is also important for Quebec to receive its fair share of federal R and D funding. The Bloc Quebecois is in favour of stepped up investments in research, particularly health research. In recent years Quebec has been heavily disadvantaged in this area and it is high time that the federal government remedied the situation by making available to researchers and universities additional funding to facilitate their research.
Needless to say, the Bloc Quebecois is not opposed to this government's increasing R and D budgets through the creation of virtual institutes. This is why we support in principle the creation of these institutes.
It is important for Quebec to receive its fair share of federal funding, especially since we know that historically Quebec receives but 14% of federal R and D funding, as far as infrastructures are concerned.
It is, however, important to note that Quebec receives about 30% of funding to researchers when there is peer review. Clearly, since clarity is something this government is fond of, when funding is awarded according to criteria which take merit into consideration Quebec researchers have no problem holding their own in a competition.
Although increased research funding is necessary, it is important to point out that, by creating the Canadian institutes of health research, the Canadian government is clearly appropriating the power to impose its priorities and its convictions in the health field, far beyond research per se.
Moreover, we know that the Quebec government is currently developing a scientific policy and that it has stressed the importance of certain areas where Quebec researchers excel, including mental health, cancer, the genome and biotechnology. The federal government must respect the specificity and strengths of Quebec researchers so as to benefit from their success and expertise in their respective fields.
While we salute the multidisciplinary vision of Bill C-13, it is unacceptable that nothing was done to ensure that the provinces have a say and truly participate, including in the definition of mandates.
The Bloc Quebecois is not opposed to better communications between researchers or to better networking to facilitate dialogue and the transfer of information. However, we cannot endorse standards that would be imposed right across Canada, and we cannot support any intrusion in the jurisdictions of Quebec and the other provinces. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that the Canadian institutes of health and research not infringe on the jurisdictions of Quebec and the other provinces, and that Quebec be a full fledged partner in the selection and management of these institutes.
The government's bill ignores the division of powers between Canada and Quebec and the other provinces. For the Bloc Quebecois, it was important that this bill be about health research and not a possible broadening of mandates beyond research activity.
The Bloc Quebecois wanted to make sure that the decisions about the choices and the principles underlying health networks and services provided to the public be under the exclusive control of Quebec and the other provinces. Without watering down the content of Bill C-13, it would have been possible to draft a bill that would have respected the division of powers between the various levels of government.
By refusing to propose such a measure, the Liberal government is denying the very principle of federalism. Respect for Quebec's jurisdictions must be at the core of any intervention in the health sector and this is why the Bloc Quebecois is in the unfortunate position of having to oppose this bill.
Once again, for the benefit of those brave enough to be following the debate, I repeat that despite its feigned concern with health-related issues, the government unilaterally and irresponsibly pulled out of health care funding in 1993 when it introduced its Canada health and social transfer.
It is all very laudable for the federal government to now invest more in research, but it must not lose sight of the need to restore transfer payments to the provinces. CIHR must not be a way for the federal government to interfere in provincial jurisdictions while ignoring its responsibility for the shameful cuts it has made to date and for those that provincial governments will still have to contend with until 2003.
The federal government must not turn a blind eye to the difficult situations which the provinces are facing in health care and for which it is directly responsible. Estimates are that Quebec will be $1.7 billion short in social transfers in 1999-2000. Of this amount, Quebec has been deprived of close to $850 million annually since 1993. For health alone, therefore, we are talking about a cumulative loss of close to $3.4 billion.
The government can always stick its head in the sand or haughtily decline to step into the fray, but there is absolutely no doubt that it would have done better to have respected the jurisdictions of the various levels of government in establishing these institutes.
Bill C-13 should have stated clearly that the purpose of the institutes is health research. Finally, it should have ensured that the aim is to promote the sharing of information among researchers in order to improve health networks rather than the enforcement of rules defined without consulting the provinces.
Quebec has excellent researchers and institutions with an international reputation in fields ranging from cancer to mental health and genetics. It is essential that the mechanisms for designating institutes reflect the strengths and expertise of Quebec. It is vital as well that the provinces, alongside their researchers, be a part of the appointment process of these institutes.
It is unfortunate that the preamble to Bill C-13 does not recognize the exclusive jurisdiction of the provinces over health services, but simply gives them a nondescript role in this field.
Furthermore, clause 14 provides that the governing council is responsible for the management of the CIHR, unless it decides to delegate its powers, duties and functions to one of its members, committees or to its institutes. The provinces have no power to choose the institutes.
Similarly, although clause 5( c ) provides that the institutes shall consult other parties, including the provinces, for purposes of collaboration or partnerships, the wording of the clause is broad and dilutes the importance of the provinces by putting them on the same footing as the other interested parties.
It should have provided that the provinces have full responsibility for managing health services on their home territory and that their approval is necessary when the government wants—
