Debates of Nov. 29th, 2002

Health

[Rob Merrifield, Canadian Alliance, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, delivery of care is clearly a provincial jurisdiction. While the federal government walked away from its obligations to adequately fund health care, the provinces have introduced reforms to improve patient care and to save the system.

Does the government think that a public monopoly is the only way to provide quality timely health care to all Canadians?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, it is very clear that Canadians want a publicly financed system that is accessible, timely and delivers high quality care.

I have also made it very plain that the delivery of health care is a provincial responsibility. There are presently different modes of delivery. My obligation is to ensure, in delivering health care, that the provinces are respectful and in fact live up to the five principles of the Canada Health Act. I will continue to discharge that obligation.

[Rob Merrifield, Canadian Alliance, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the lack of timely access to health care services is the number one problem that Canadians face.

Mr. Romanow rejected any patient guarantees. If health care is a service, then certain standards of quality and timeliness should be expected.

There are a million people on waiting lists in the country. Does the minister think Canadians deserve guarantees for timely service?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

In fact, Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that provincial and territorial health ministers and I have taken up. Clearly there are different points of view among the provinces and territories themselves and among recent reports, be it Senator Kirby's report or Commissioner Romanow's report.

I think the one thing that we can say is that timely access to high quality service is absolutely key to Canadians and Canadians have the right to expect that. How we ensure that I believe is a matter that will be discussed fully by federal, provincial and territorial health ministers.

[Chuck Strahl, Canadian Alliance, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, no one is going to quibble with Romanow's suggestion that more money for medicare is necessary. After all, it was the Liberal government that started the health care crisis by cutting over $25 billion from health care transfers to begin with.

Since Romanow's report calls for $15 billion in new spending and the projected surplus is $14 billion, and that is for spending of all kinds, how can the government possibly pay for this wish list without increasing taxes?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague, the Minister of Finance, has been very clear that Canadians do not want their taxes increased, whether that is for health care spending or other matters.

In fact, I think one of the issues that provincial and territorial colleagues, finance ministers, first ministers and I will be talking about is the amount of new money that the health care system needs and the timeframe in which that new money goes into the system. I anticipate that those will be vigorous and very important discussions among provincial, territorial and federal governments.

[Chuck Strahl, Canadian Alliance, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have noticed that several provinces have outright rejected the Romanow report and several others have expressed serious concerns.

It is no wonder. They have seen this sort of thing from the Liberals before. They propose vast new programs, start them off with a big bang and then saddle the provinces with the fallout. It is for the very same reason that not a single province would sign on to the last Liberal effort, which was a national day care plan. No one trusts the Liberals to follow through.

Why does the government not start to fix the existing health care system by increasing the funding but then working with the provinces instead of imposing impossible new programs on them?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what the government is doing and will continue to do.

The accord of 2000 was entered into by all provincial and territorial premiers as well as the Prime Minister of our country. In fact, in that accord one found a commitment to do that which the hon. member speaks of, which is to renew our health care system, to do those things that are necessary to ensure that we are delivering accessible, timely, high quality care within a publicly financed system.

[Pierre Brien, Bloc, Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after severely weakening the health care system by slashing funding, the Prime Minister is now saying that the federal government will be forced to impose conditions upon Quebec and the provinces for any reinvestments in health.

Does the Minister of Health, she who so loudly praises the virtues of cooperation, realize that the best way for Ottawa to avoid squabbles is to inject massive amounts into health, with no strings attached, as physicians, nurses, CLSCs, unions and all of Quebec's political parties are demanding in the best interests of patients?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as I pointed out yesterday in response to a question from the Bloc Québécois, this federal government has invested extensively in the health care system in Quebec and all provinces and territories. We intend to continue to work in collaboration and partnership with all provinces and territories.

I do not think I could be any clearer than I was yesterday. It is not the intention of the federal government, nor is it our constitutional authority, to micromanage the health care system in the country. Provinces administer and deliver health care but we are there to act as partners with them.

[Pierre Brien, Bloc, Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in Quebec the Romanow report has already rallied universal opposition. All stakeholders, whether in politics, the labour movement or the health care field, are worried on behalf of patients that the federal reinvestment has strings attached. The Prime Minister's statements confirm their fears.

Will the Minister of Health admit that imposing conditions, to which everyone in Quebec objects, also means a delay in federal reinvestment in health, whereas patients could benefit immediately, if there were no strings attached?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as I have already pointed out, we were able to work successfully with the province of Quebec coming out of the accord of September 2000, where the province of Quebec accepted some hundreds of millions of dollars, both in relation to the improvement of medical equipment in the province and in relation to moving forward its primary health care reform.

I anticipate that we will, when we sit down together, provincial, territorial and federal health ministers, be able to continue and build upon the constructive relationship of partnership we have enjoyed so far.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is unanimous opposition to the Romanow report. All political parties are denouncing the conditions that the federal government is preparing to impose on funding for the health care system. Quebec's minister of health has said the conditions are unacceptable. Jean Charest has said that it is not up to the federal government to set priorities and Mario Dumont described the report as a “trap”.

How can the minister have us believe that her main concern is the best interests of patients, when she is planning on imposing conditions on the funding for the health care system, against the wishes of the majority of the political parties in Quebec?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, my main concern is to ensure that we have a health care system that is based upon the values that have been expressed by Canadians.

As I have said before, we have been able to work effectively with the Government of Quebec. I anticipate that we will be able to continue to work in partnership and collaboration with them and with all provinces and territories.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when does the minister plan on responding to Dr. Yves Lamontagne, the president of the Collège des médecins, who said that the Romanow report has been a costly exercise with no direct benefits for patients? He added that the new bureaucracy would delay the implementation of concrete solutions.

What does she have to say to this?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. It is not the intention of the government to create new bureaucracies. It is my goal to ensure that every cent of new money goes toward providing an enhanced and renewed health care system for all Canadians.

I can again say no more than I already have, which is that we have worked effectively with the province of Quebec in the past and I anticipate that we will be able to do so in the future.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the test of one's values is not in the saying but in the doing. Instead of “gathering strength”, the 1996 royal commission on aboriginal peoples has been gathering dust.

No Canadian wants to see the Romanow commission do the same, least of all aboriginal peoples who suffer third world health conditions in 21st century Canada.

To redress this double injustice, will the federal government today make the unequivocal commitment to work in full partnership with aboriginal peoples, starting with their inclusion in the upcoming first ministers meetings dealing with the future of Canada's health?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I can do no better than to quote the Prime Minister, who said last night, “The Romanow Report will not gather dust on the shelf. We will move quickly”.

He went on to say, “There will be a first ministers meeting in late January to agree on a comprehensive plan to modernize medicare”.

He went on to say further, “And I can assure Canadians that after a successful meeting, we will be there with the federal share of the money to finance that long term plan”.

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, as I said in my preamble, the test of one's values is in the doing, not the saying.

I heard what the Prime Minister said. What the Prime Minister said specifically excluded any representation of first nations at the table when first ministers meet in January.

I repeat my question, and I ask whatever representative of the government speaks for the government on this issue, will first nations people be represented in those critical partnership talks to take place in January?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member is probably aware, we work in partnership now with Canada's first nations and Inuit people. I have every intention of continuing to do so. Obviously there is a primary obligation upon me, as Minister of Health, and the Government of Canada to work with Canada's first nations and Inuit people.

We know the challenges they face in terms of the quality of health care and the health outcomes we see that are lower than those for the rest of Canada. It is my goal to renew the partnership with Canada's aboriginal peoples so that we can provide a quality health care system for aboriginal Canadians wherever they live.

Correctional Service Canada

[Bill Casey, Progressive Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Solicitor General.

It is my understanding that a formal criminal complaint has been lodged against two officials at the Dorchester penitentiary in New Brunswick for unlawfully destroying evidence filed under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and that there is an RCMP investigation under way as of today.

Could the minister responsible for Correctional Service Canada confirm that there is an RCMP investigation into these serious accusations?

[Lynn Myers, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot confirm or deny the allegation, but certainly we will look into it and report accordingly.

[Bill Casey, Progressive Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, the minister should be able to confirm it because he was notified on October 23 in complete detail about the charges.

This is a very serious matter and we want to ensure that the investigation goes ahead fairly, thoroughly and unfettered.

Since the Solicitor General is in charge of both the RCMP and Correctional Service Canada, will he assure the House today that the RCMP will be allowed to perform a full, thorough and completely unfettered investigation about these criminal complaints into the Dorchester penitentiary situation?

[Lynn Myers, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is fair to say that we look into all matters in a thorough and deliberate fashion and this will be no different.

Terrorism

[Jason Kenney, Canadian Alliance, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, today there are reports that Lebanese Hezbollah was involved in the double terrorist attacks in Kenya yesterday.

Last week we discovered that four Canadian synagogues are under threat of bombing by hate groups like Hezbollah.

Today we learned that B'nai Brith is taking this government to court in order to compel it to ban Hezbollah.

My question is for the foreign minister. Just why is it that Canadian citizens have to sue their government in order to protect their own safety?