Debates of Nov. 26th, 2020

Health—Main Estimates, 2020-21

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Chair, could the minister finish that thought, please?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, there were commitments made by provinces and territories to use the safe restart money and the essential workers top-up to address the significant shortages in, for example, testing, contact tracing and data. In the case of the essential workers wage top-up, that was the responsibility of Alberta to spend that money appropriately.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Chair, with the skyrocketing numbers and lack of contact tracing ability in Alberta, what is the federal government doing to get provinces to buy in to using the federal contact tracing app?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, I met a number of times with the minister of health for Alberta, Minister Shandro, to talk about the need to take up the contact tracing COVID Alert app. In fact, the province is still unwilling to do so. I certainly would appreciate any assistance because I know Canadians from coast to coast would benefit—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Chair, today I met with firefighters in Alberta and at the moment they are very afraid. They are classified as tier 3 for receiving vaccines despite the fact they are often on the front lines dealing with emergency calls and are obviously providing an essential service.

Will the minister agree to elevate firefighters to tier 1 or tier 2, as was done during the SARS pandemic?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, the federal government will not determine priorities for provincial dissemination of vaccines. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has provided national interim guidance that provinces and territories will use to determine their own priority populations. It is the work each province and territory has to do.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Chair, will the advisory body be putting firefighters in tier 3, tier 2 or tier 1?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization has provided general guidance for provinces and territories and then they will further refine that guidance based on their own prioritization process.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Chair, why is overdose prevention not a part of our national pandemic strategy given that it is in fact a syndemic.

Given that some jurisdictions like Alberta are actively introducing measures that are not rooted in evidence and will cause harm, will health transfers to provinces receive more direct federal oversight to ensure evidence-informed overdose prevention strategies are being used?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, I share the dismay of the member opposite with any measures that removes protections for people who use substances, including the removal of safe consumption sites or the refusal to use a safer supply, such as prescription opioids, which could reduce the reliance on toxic street drugs.

I have written a letter to all of my counterparts to urge them to do whatever is in their power, including any regulatory powers—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Chair, in the first wave of the pandemic, we were the worst country in the OECD when it came to deaths in long-term care homes. Tragically, we are still seeing big deadly outbreaks in long-term care homes across the country. In Edmonton, all but four residents of the South Terrace Continuing Care Centre have tested positive for COVID-19.

This is an unbelievable tragedy. We know that these for-profit centres kill. Will the government do what needs to be done to make sure that long-term care in this country puts patients ahead of profits?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, I share the deep sadness of the member opposite about the loss of life in long-term care homes, where they have a duty and obligation to protect the health and safety of the people there. They are paid to do so.

That is why we have worked so closely with the provinces and territories, including providing additional monies, $740 million, to strengthen infection prevention control in long-term care homes.

The development of national long-term care standards is included in the Speech from the Throne. We are going to do more together. Canadians are depending on it.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Chair, according to the PHAC's recent report on an equity-based approach to COVID-19, “COVID-19 has underscored the inequities in health that are shaped by these [social] determinants [of health], highlighted how these inequities may be exacerbated in the context of a pandemic, and shown how they can aggravate and prolong the spread of disease, making the pandemic worse.”

Would the minister support the implementation of a guaranteed livable income to address the inequalities shaped by the social determinants of health?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, our government has taken unprecedented action. In fact, it is one of the top countries in the OECD in terms of our response to the pandemic, including providing the CERB; revising the employment insurance program for easier access; making sure that businesses had access to wage subsidies, many of which are small businesses and on the brink without those supports; making sure that Canadians had a boost to the Canada child benefit, which has already lifted 300,000 children out of poverty; and more. We have been supporting seniors—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Chair, I do not think the minister heard my question. I am just going to repeat it.

Would the minister support the implementation of a guaranteed livable income to address the inequalities shaped by the social determinants of health?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, in Alberta, the province of the member opposite, the government has supported Canadians with $22 billion in spending. That is the safe restart money, but also transfers to individuals and businesses to keep the Canadian economy afloat—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Chair, that still was not an answer. I will move on.

The NDP has introduced Bill C-213 in this House to create a structure to establish universal public pharmacare in Canada. The minister would also be aware that this bill mirrors the Canada Health Act by allowing any province that agrees to provide necessary prescription drugs to their residents at no direct cost via our public health care system would receive federal funds to do so.

This is exactly the same way we fund all other covered medical services, from hip replacements to cataract surgery to broken arms. Will the minister support this bill?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, the work that we have done as a government to lower the cost of drugs for Canadians is unprecedented. We have taken more action in a generation than any other government. In fact, we are going to continue that work.

Pharmacare is front and centre for us and, as the member opposite knows, we have taken important steps, including strengthening the PMPRB, and we are working on the Canadian drug agency. We will have more to say about that in the days and weeks to come, but Canadians can be sure that we will implement a universal pharmacare program that will ensure everybody can access affordable drugs.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Chair, as the health minister would she support public pharmacare or a private-public patchwork plan?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, the member opposite knows that the creation of the universal pharmacare program is in my mandate letter. I intend to live up to that request from the Prime Minister.