House of Commons Hansard #372 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was regard.

Topics

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Is the House ready for the question?

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Question.

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

The question is on the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

No.

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Yea.

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

All those opposed will please say nay.

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Nay.

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

In my opinion the yeas have it.

And five or more members having risen:

Call in the members.

During the ringing of the bells:

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

Mark Holland Liberal Ajax, ON

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the vote be deferred until tomorrow at the end of Government Orders.

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Accordingly, the recorded division is deferred until tomorrow at the end of the time provided for Government Orders.

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, I suspect if you were to canvass the House, you would find unanimous consent to see the clock at 6:30 p.m.

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Is it agreed?

Federal Sustainable Development ActGovernment Orders

6:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

HealthAdjournment Proceedings

6:25 p.m.

NDP

Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC

Mr. Speaker, in negotiating the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement, NAFTA 2.0, the Liberals failed a lot of people, including our dairy farmers, our chicken farmers, our egg farmers and our turkey farmers. However, they also failed millions of sick people, who will have to pay more for treatment under this bad deal.

This deal raises the price of drugs for certain diseases, and the public is finding that a very hard pill to swallow. Canada gave in to the U.S. and agreed to extend market protection on pharmaceutical patents for an additional two years. This market protection covers important drugs, including drugs used to treat cancer, arthritis and Crohn's disease. The agreement extends the term of pharmaceutical patents from eight years to ten. In practical terms, that means Canadians will have to wait two more years before they can get cheaper generic versions of the drugs they need.

Does anyone really believe that people living with these diseases can wait two years for affordable medication?

This bad deal directly affects millions of Canadians across the country, including millions of seniors. Ironically, the Liberals are constantly boasting about standing up for our seniors. The reality is that seniors often struggle to afford medication, and this bad deal just adds one more burden.

How can the government still claim that it signed a good deal? I do not know.

This is a bad deal for Canadians who will have to pay more for their medication. It is also a bad deal for employers and governments whose drug plans will have to pay tens of millions of dollars more a year to cover the cost of these medications.

The government keeps saying that it is going to improve access to prescription drugs and reduce the amount that governments have to pay for them. Unfortunately, that is not what it has achieved by making concessions that reduce access to essential drugs and will increase costs for those who pay for them.

This deal includes provisions to extend drug patents. Under these provisions, patents could be extended by several years to compensate for the time between filing the patent and getting the drug to market. That will delay the introduction of generic drugs into the market, which will keep drug prices high and unaffordable for millions of Canadians and increase the cost of our health care system. The Liberals claim that they are in favour of some form of pharmacare program, but this deal makes drugs even more costly.

Canada needs a universal pharmacare program more than ever, to lower the cost of drugs and to ensure that everyone has access to the medications they need. We are the only country with a medicare system that does not include prescription drugs. One in 10 Canadians cannot afford prescription drugs. Every year, nearly 3.5 million Canadians struggle to pay for their medications, which are costing more and more. They cannot afford the medications they need. This government is simply studying what has already been documented. It is unacceptable.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer's report shows that a national pharmacare program could save a lot of money, not to mention the benefits for those who are on medication. Our seniors should not have to choose between paying rent and paying for medication.

If we implement a national pharmacare program, we will reduce inequality and ensure that Quebeckers will never have to pay for private insurance that sometimes costs more than they can afford. Ninety percent of Canadians support a national pharmacare program. Canadians want this, and the government would save billions of dollars. One has to wonder what the government is waiting for.

When will the government make a real difference for families, seniors and businesses by setting up a national pharmacare program?

HealthAdjournment Proceedings

6:30 p.m.

John Oliver Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, Lib.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here today to participate in the important discussion on prescription drugs. Our government is committed to strengthening health care and supporting the health of Canadians. This includes taking concrete action to improve the affordability, accessibility and appropriate prescribing of the medications Canadians need.

Our government recognizes affordable access to prescription drugs is a challenge for some Canadians. For too many, existing drug coverage programs are not working. Our government welcomed the report of the Parliamentary Budget Officer on the federal cost of a national pharmacare program and the Standing Committee on Health's extensive study of this issue.

Budget 2017 provided $140.3 million over five years and $18.2 million ongoing annually for Health Canada and other federal agencies to lower drug prices and improve access to prescription drugs. As part of that work, the government is proposing amendments to the patented medicines regulations that would give the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board the tools and information needed to protect all Canadians from excessive patented drug prices.

Our government has also worked to lower drug costs through the pan-Canadian pharmaceutical alliance. By combining the bargaining power of federal, provincial and territorial governments, the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance saved over $1.3 billion in 2017 through price reductions for patented and generic drugs.

We have worked to improve access to orphan drugs by launching the regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative. This is a major effort to improve the availability of prescription drugs, including drugs for rare diseases.

Our government also recognizes inappropriate prescribing of medications creates risks and unnecessary waste in the health care system. To remedy this, we are working with partners to promote best practices in prescribing and use of drugs.

Finally, budget 2018 announced the creation of the advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare. Chaired by Dr. Eric Hoskins, this council will evaluate a range of options and provide recommendations on how to implement national pharmacare in a manner that is affordable for Canadians and their families, employers and governments. lt will report to the federal ministers of health and finance and is expected to deliver its advice in the spring of 2019.

The measures I have outlined here today in regard to the council and improving affordability, accessibility and appropriate prescribing are significant. They have the potential to move Canada toward a more sustainable and responsive pharmaceutical management system, no matter what form it takes in the end.

HealthAdjournment Proceedings

6:35 p.m.

NDP

Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC

Mr. Speaker, on January 15, I hosted a luncheon on the theme, “15 weeks is not enough”.

This monthly event in my riding, called the “Toast populaire”, is organized by a coalition of community organizations and unions called Solidarité Populaire Richelieu-Yamaska. During the event, Marie-Hélène Dubé and Mélanie Pelletier, the latter a resident of my riding, talked about how, even as they battled cancer and degenerative disease, they often chose not to buy their medications because they could not afford them.

It is unacceptable that our fellow citizens should choose not to buy the drugs they need because we are too slow to take action. We need to act now. I heard what the parliamentary secretary said, but the government is taking too long and is not doing enough.

Once again, when will the government introduce a national pharmacare program?

HealthAdjournment Proceedings

6:35 p.m.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, Lib.

John Oliver

Mr. Speaker, our government has demonstrated its commitment to improving the accessibility and affordability of prescription drugs, including joining with provinces and territories to negotiate drug prices through the pan-Canadian pharmaceutical alliance, but we recognize that there is an opportunity to do even more.

The advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare is engaging with Canadians and assessing options to provide our government with independent advice on how best to implement a national pharmacare program in a manner that is affordable for Canadians, employers and governments. The work of the council will be fundamental in ensuring that Canadians have access to the drug therapies they need at an affordable cost. I look forward to the council's final report next spring, which will guide the government in moving forward on national pharmacare.

International TradeAdjournment Proceedings

January 28th, 2019 / 6:35 p.m.

NDP

Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to wish you and all my colleagues a happy new year as I stand in this brand new chamber here in West Block.

I am pleased to start off in fulfilling my role as the critic for agriculture by following up on a question I brought up in Centre Block last year. During that time, I asked about the USMCA agreement and its effect on our supply managed sectors, and the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs stood and gave me an answer.

The Liberals had consistently talked about not making any concessions in the negotiations on supply management, but unfortunately, when the details of the deal were announced, we did get the answers, and we did find out that there were some notable concessions made.

This has been a thorn in the side of the supply managed sectors through all the trade agreements, going back to CETA, the CPTPP and now the USMCA. Time and time again, whether it has been a Conservative or a Liberal government, they have been told that the government would be standing up for the sectors. Then they get the details, and they are let down.

Just how much are they being let down by? Let us look at the individual sectors. The egg farmers in Canada, under the USMCA, have to allow an intake of 10 million dozen eggs in the first year, and the export number will gain 1% every year for 10 years.

The chicken sector is going to see double the previous concessions, which is going to result in more than 12 million kilograms of chicken coming into Canada. Turkey is going to see additional access equivalent to 3.5% of the previous year's Canadian turkey production.

The dairy sector is going to see an additional 3.6%. In fact, the Dairy Farmers of Canada has now estimated that once all three trade deals come into effect, total dairy imports will make up 18% of the Canadian dairy market.

When I speak to Canadians and speak to farmers in my riding, and I have no doubt that this happens right across the country, there is an inherent interest in buying local goods. Time and time again, we see answers within the 80% to 90% affirmative rate that Canadians want to buy local. Supply management is the system that allows us to control price and control production, but it depends on that third very important pillar of import control. If we do not have that, we are undermining the entire system, because it is like a three-legged stool. It cannot stand unless all three pillars are stable and strong.

One can stand in the House and say that one supports supply management, but we judge a government not by its words but by its actions. Time and again, these farmers have been let down. The word they have used to describe it is “pawns”. They feel that they have been pawns in the negotiations. For those of us who like to play chess, we know that the pawn is the unit that is most often sacrificed at the beginning of the game to advance a player's interest, and that is precisely what has happened to our supply managed farmers time and time again.

To follow up on the general theme of what my question was last year, I am wondering, with regard to our supply managed sector, if the parliamentary secretary could go into a bit more detail on this compensation package. Why is it that the Liberals have continually promised one thing and then done another? Are they not seeing through the hypocrisy their own government is guilty of? Have they not been listening to supply managed farmers, who have really had it with the Liberal government's false promises and it leading them down the garden path?

International TradeAdjournment Proceedings

6:40 p.m.

La Prairie Québec

Liberal

Jean-Claude Poissant LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford for raising this important question.

The Government of Canada fully supports Canadian dairy, egg and poultry farmers and our supply management system. Supply management is a system that our farmers chose for themselves and it has been working well for many years. It benefits the Canadian economy and I can assure hon. members that we protected and defended it and will continue to do so.

Our supply management system is viewed as a model of stability around the world. It guarantees an income for farmers, a predictable supply for processors, and top quality dairy, egg, and poultry products for consumers. Canada's dairy, poultry, and egg producers and processors play a key role in ensuring the prosperity and sustainable growth of our country and are an integral part of Canadian agriculture. Production and processing activities contribute to many services and industries that support local economies. CETA upholds the three pillars of supply management: production control, price control, and import control. The government understands the importance of Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector to our economy, trade, and jobs.

Our negotiators worked hard to protect the interests of Canadian agriculture throughout the negotiation process. Promoting trade and maintaining our supply management system are not mutually exclusive. Canada has always signed free trade agreements with major trading partners that are good for Canadians. None of these agreements have threatened the three pillars of supply management. On the contrary, our government has defended our supply management system from strong American attempts to see it dismantled. Through economic agreements such as CETA, the CPTPP and the USMCA, the most important trade agreements in the history of Canada, we have defended, protected and maintained our supply management system. On that point, the government has formed working groups with dairy, egg and poultry farmers that will discuss the details of those new agreements and collaborate on developing strategies to help them adapt, innovate and remain competitive. These working groups meet regularly and are really making progress. We look forward to discussing the results of their work.

International TradeAdjournment Proceedings

6:45 p.m.

NDP

Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the parliamentary secretary, I enjoy his company. I sit with him at the agriculture committee. However, the message he just delivered in the House about import controls and defending supply management is completely at odds with what supply-managed farmers are telling me directly. They have seen a total failure in the Liberal government's ability to stand up for them in negotiations.

We are a nation of 35 million people. Our farmers can easily supply the Canadian domestic market, and we are such a minuscule market compared with the United States. I do not see why time and again our market has to suffer and pay the price for another jurisdiction's overproduction problems. The United States needs to get its house in order and figure out why it is producing too many eggs, too much chicken and too much dairy, but time and again, we are the ones that have to pay the price. It is our farmers who pay the price.

I for one am sick of being led down the garden path, being told one thing only to have something completely different happen. Perhaps the parliamentary secretary could give some details on the working group's progress on the compensation package, because I know a lot of farmers are waiting for this information.

International TradeAdjournment Proceedings

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

Jean-Claude Poissant Liberal La Prairie, QC

Mr. Speaker, once again, supply management is an integral part of Canadian agriculture. I can guarantee that we have protected and defended it and that we will continue to do so. Trade is vital to the success of our agriculture and agri-food sector. That is why the government is seeking to expand market opportunities and promote the interests of Canadian farmers by negotiating new trade agreements and modernizing existing ones. The government is also committed to working with the dairy, egg and poultry industries to find the path forward that will ensure that our supply managed industries remain strong, stable and competitive in the long term. There is no denying the government's support for supply management and we will continue with this approach.

The government has established working groups with dairy, egg and poultry producers to develop strategies to help them adapt, innovate and remain competitive. These working groups meet regularly and are making good progress.

International TradeAdjournment Proceedings

6:45 p.m.

NDP

Tracey Ramsey NDP Essex, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise for the first time on this historic day, our first day inside the new chamber inside West Block. It is quite a stunning, beautiful building. I am very thankful to all who had a hand in creating this space for all of us to come and serve in.

As international trade critic, I rose in the House months ago to ask the Prime Minister where the Liberal progressive trade agenda had gone. In signing the new NAFTA, we have given up so much, including damaging hits to supply management, the increased cost of drugs, and our only possible chance to get rid of the steel and aluminum tariffs, which are crippling.

The new NAFTA is not the win-win-win that the Liberals promised. I cannot get a straight answer from anyone on how they think this deal, in which we gave up so much, is going to benefit Canadians.

Farmers in Essex know that the Liberals, like the Conservatives before them, have thrown them under the tractor when it comes to trade. Dairy farmers have become the loser in every trade deal that we are signing—CETA, CPTPP and now the new NAFTA. After being told repeatedly by the Liberals that they would defend supply management, how can any farm family in Canada believe anything this Liberal government has to say to them? Not only did we give up market percentage, which we know will continue to be cracked open with the sunset clause—another thing the Liberals promised they would not agree to—but the Liberals somehow have managed to tie the hands of dairy farmers from exporting also. The new NAFTA actually sets export levels lower than last year's levels. How much more can farm families take from the current Liberal government?

It is shocking the way the Liberals have sold out our farm families. I know that the Liberal member will stand in this House and want us to believe that after selling our supply-managed farmers down the river, they will now provide them with some form of compensation. As farmers across Canada are saying, “We do not want the government's money for selling our farms; we want to keep their farms healthy and thriving.”

This model is not working, and Canadians are not happy. People in my riding of Essex want safe, local milk products, and they take pride in knowing where they come from. They know that farming is the backbone of rural economies. Without successful, thriving farms, we risk not just our food security, which is enough of an issue on its own, but the livelihoods of our small towns like the ones I represent in Essex, which have become economically tied to farming communities and families.

They also know that we are talking about the quality of milk products. We are looking for the little blue cow and making sure that the choices we make for our families are ones we can trust. Canadians do not want to wonder if the milk products have bovine growth hormone or antibiotics; they want to know that they are choosing safe local food.

I want to talk about the automotive sector for a minute, because I am sure that the government member will stand up after me and talk about how amazing this deal is for the auto sector. We have to look no further than Oshawa right now to know that no matter the language in a trade agreement, corporations will continue to do as they please, keeping the tilt of jobs from Canada and the United States toward Mexico.

After the devastating announcement at GM in Oshawa, Canadians are learning that no amount of language in free trade deals, including the new NAFTA, will stop corporations from leaving Canada and heading to Mexico, where they are taking advantage of a low-wage economy and a country that is not respecting the environment. Workers are left to fend for themselves, despite the fact that the Liberals will say that this agreement is so good for the automotive sector.

Where are the Liberals when auto workers are fighting for their jobs in Oshawa? They are certainly not on the front lines. We hear absolute crickets from them. As proud as they say they are about the new NAFTA, where is that pride in standing up for auto workers today who are out on the lines, fighting for their jobs, fighting for the community of Oshawa, and all of the impact that it will have across the province of Ontario?

These are just a few of the reasons this deal is not the win-win-win that was promised and why working people and farm families continue to be an afterthought in trade agreements that are nothing more than corporate sweetheart deals.

My question is this: Why do the Liberals and the Conservatives keep signing trade agreements that hurt the working class and farmers?

International TradeAdjournment Proceedings

6:50 p.m.

John Oliver Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, Lib.

Mr. Speaker, our priority since the beginning of NAFTA negotiations has always been to get a good deal for Canadian workers, businesses and families. I am proud to say that with the new Canada-United States-Mexico agreement, our government stood firm and secured that good deal for Canada.

This agreement will be good for our economy, good for Canadian families and good for the middle class. It will safeguard more than $2 billion a day in cross-border trade and tariff-free access for more than 70% of Canadian exports. The new NAFTA agreement reinforces the strong economic ties between Canada, Mexico and the United States, while also recognizing the importance of inclusive trade by including key outcomes in areas such as labour and the environment, as well as gender and indigenous peoples. It preserves Canada's preferential access to the U.S. market, while updating and modernizing the old NAFTA agreement in areas such as digital trade, telecommunications and anti-corruption. Importantly, it means Canadian workers and their families will enjoy greater opportunities than ever before.

The member opposite will be happy to know that with the new NAFTA agreement, we have the strongest labour chapter of any trade agreement that Canada is party to. The agreement's labour chapter aims to level the playing field on labour standards and working conditions in North America, and contains commitments to ensure that national laws and policies provide protection for fundamental principles and rights at work. The new agreement also contains enforceable provisions that protect women's rights, minority rights and indigenous rights, and environmental protections that are the strongest in any Canadian trade agreement to date.

The comprehensive environment chapter includes ambitious environmental provisions, including core obligations for parties to maintain high levels of environmental protection and robust environmental governance. It also introduces new commitments to address global environmental challenges, such as illegal wildlife trade, illegal fishing and the depletion of fish stocks, species at risk, conservation of biological diversity, ozone-depleting substances and marine pollution.

Moreover, for the first time in a Canadian free trade agreement, the outcome incorporates a general exception that clearly confirms that the government can adopt or maintain measures it deems necessary to fulfill its legal obligations to indigenous peoples. As Perry Bellegarde said, “The provisions addressing Indigenous Peoples in the [deal] make it the most inclusive international trade agreement for Indigenous peoples to date”.

As constituents in Essex can also appreciate, the new NAFTA is a great deal for Canada's car sector and southwestern Ontario. The new rules of origin will work in favour of Canada's high-wage auto workers. We also have a gold-plated insurance policy that protects our auto industry from U.S. tariffs. Not only will it level the playing field for auto workers in cities such as Windsor and Oshawa, but it can help secure their future.

The new NAFTA deal is good for Canada's economic prosperity and good for middle-class Canadians. We are moving forward on a deal that works for the middle class and for people working hard to join it. We are proud of the good deal that was achieved for Canadians.