Debates of Nov. 26th, 2020

Health—Main Estimates, 2020-21

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, did the renovations at the Montreal NRC facility for vaccine production have any adverse impact on the timeline for Canada being able to produce an adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccine?

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

Madam Chair, I will reiterate. We have one of the best portfolios in the world. We have more doses per capita than any other country in the world. We have a world-class regulator. We have a procurement program that is active, and we are ready to deploy as soon—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, would the minister say it is correct that at this point in time today, we have zero doses per capita of any COVID-19 vaccine?

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

Madam Chair, I would say that we have procured millions of doses for Canadians, and they will be available for deployment as soon as they are proven to be safe and they have arrived in Canada.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, do we have zero doses of vaccine right now?

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

Madam Chair, in fact, the three leading candidates have not distributed doses anywhere in the world as of yet.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, when will we not have zero doses?

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

Madam Chair, we will be able to deploy vaccines as soon as they are approved by the regulators. We are working very closely with Procurement Canada.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, the Americans will have more than zero doses in about a week. When will we have more than zero doses?

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

Madam Chair, as soon as the vaccines are approved by Health Canada, we will be able to deploy them to Canadians.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, when will that be?

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

Madam Chair, the regulatory process is under way for three very promising candidates.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, who will be paying for the COVID-19 vaccine, the provinces or the federal government?

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

Madam Chair, we have supported provinces and territories in unprecedented ways through COVID-19, and we will continue to be there for provinces and territories.

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Fifteen seconds.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, what will the cost to various levels of government, of deploying the COVID-19 vaccine, be?

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

Madam Chair, I can say that all levels of government are working extraordinarily hard to protect Canadians from COVID-19 and to prepare for vaccination.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Madam Chair, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of ensuring access to quality health care. Now more than ever, Canadians deserve to have a strong health care system that meets their needs. This includes the full range of health services such as home and community care services, as well as support for mental health and addiction issues.

Canadians are proud of their universal, publicly funded health care system, but as our population ages and rates of chronic disease rise, they also expect all governments to work together to strengthen health care so that our people can continue to access the care they need, whether at home, in health care facilities or in hospitals.

That is why in 2017 our government committed to providing $11 billion over 10 years to the provinces and territories to help them improve access to home and community care, mental health care and addiction services.

We provided federal leadership on a common agenda for change through a common statement of principles for shared health priorities, which was signed by the federal, provincial and territorial ministers of health.

As part of the bilateral agreements with each province and territory, federal investments help support the creation of initiatives or the development of existing projects in priority areas tied to home care and community care and mental health and addictions services.

Thanks to our efforts, the Canadian public receives more professional services and better coordinated and integrated care in home care settings. Care providers and patients have better access to the technologies and digital infrastructure for obtaining home and community care. People taking care of a loved one at home have better support. A greater number of Canadians have better access to palliative care and end of life care at home.

This also means that children and youth have better access to school programming on the prevention, detection and early treatment of mental health problems. There are more mental health and addictions services in the community.

Canadians have easier access to crisis intervention services and multidisciplinary professional mental health services. We have better access to integrated, culturally adapted mental health interventions.

We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on Canadians' mental health. Canadians are dealing with stress and anxiety, which has highlighted the need for more mental health supports. The results of a study conducted by Mental Health Research Canada in April 2020 revealed that anxiety levels have quadrupled and that depression levels have doubled since the start of the pandemic.

Furthermore, overdose rates had started to decrease in 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the risks and harms associated with substance use and overdoses. In response, our government took swift action to meet the immediate needs of Canadians and to shoulder some of the burden for the provinces and territories.

On April 15, we launched Wellness Together Canada, which gives all Canadians access to a wide variety of free mental health and drug addiction supports. This service is available 24-7 online, on the phone or via text message. More than 600,000 Canadians have accessed the various support options on the site, which include self-directed programs; peer support; and confidential sessions with social workers, psychologists and other professionals. In addition, there are specific resources and text messaging services for more vulnerable groups, such as youth and front-line workers.

I remain deeply troubled by the devastating effects that the opioid overdose crisis continues to have on people, families and communities across the country.

Since the start of the pandemic, we have reduced regulatory obstacles and increased federal investments. For example, in July 2020, the Government of Canada committed to providing $500 million to address immediate needs and shortcomings in the support and protection of people with mental health problems, substance abuse issues and homelessness.

In 2020, we also announced an additional $32 million over five years to support 26 projects under Health Canada's substance use and addictions program. These projects will be implemented across the country and meet a variety of needs for harm reduction and treatment including $10 million to support 13 front-line community harm reduction projects; $16 million to support five projects to increase access to pharmaceutical-grade medications, also known as safe supply; and $6 million to support eight projects to find approaches to the problematic use of methamphetamine.

We also listened to Canadians from communities across the country who asked us to allow them to redirect their existing funds to support immediate COVID-19-related needs. That allowed us to fund six additional projects to provide access to safer, pharmaceutical-grade drugs, as an alternative to the supply of illegal toxic drugs, to people suffering from severe disorders related to problematic opioid use. We will continue to listen to Canadians and service providers in communities across Canada and work with our provincial and territorial partners and community services to respond to the crisis and support those who are among the most vulnerable during the pandemic.

The pandemic has also revealed that it is essential we find new and better ways to provide care that take full advantage of technology and innovation. In March, when the pandemic hit, the provinces and territories quickly put in place temporary billing codes and new digital tools to ensure that Canadians could continue to receive the care they needed virtually.

To help the provinces and territories expedite their work, our government committed to providing $150 million this year for new initiatives to ensure that Canadians can access the services they need using secure text messaging, video conferencing and other tools. In addition, Canada Health Infoway will receive up to $50 million to develop pan-Canadian standards and support provincial and territorial efforts.

In addition, our government is working with our health care partners to implement a palliative care action plan. Measures included in the action plan will focus on information sharing, virtual health care, advance care planning and caring communities in order to reduce isolation and improve palliative care provided at home and in the community.

Our government is also investing $750 million over six to eight months to help control and prevent infections among vulnerable people receiving long-term care, home care and palliative care. At the end of the day, we want to ensure that all Canadians have access to the health care they need when they need it. This is a fundamental principle of health care in Canada.

Now more than ever, the Government of Canada remains firmly committed to ensuring that Canadians have a public health care system based on the values of equality, justice and solidarity.

Our government has always defended those values by upholding the principles of the Canada Health Act, which guarantees—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Order. I am sorry, but the hon. member must get to her questions, as her 10 minutes are up.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Madam Chair, the special access program, the SAP, gives doctors access to non-marketed drugs to treat patients with serious or life-threatening conditions when conventional therapies have failed, are unsuitable or are unavailable in Canada. Although emergency access is exceptional and although access to unapproved therapy is optimal in the context of a clinical trial, the SAP can provide limited access to therapies that have been approved in other jurisdictions.

This program is an important way to help Canadians manage their health under exceptional circumstances. To protect patients from the potential risks associated with taking non-marketed drugs, Health Canada has mandatory reporting requirements for doctors accessing the program. They are required to report the outcomes of the treatment sought, including any adverse reactions.

Concerns have been expressed about the SAP's administrative burden and the application process for potentially life-saving therapies. That includes concerns about the information required and the decision-making process, as well as the fact that there is no guarantee the requested drug will be made available and the perception that Health Canada questions doctors' judgment.

Can the minister explain how changes to the Food and Drug Regulations, which came into force on October 14, 2020, will help facilitate timely access to treatments doctors request to treat their patients under exceptional medical circumstances?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Madam Chair, my thanks to my colleague for her very passionate speech. I have had the opportunity to work closely with her. I know how much she cares about the most vulnerable citizens of our communities. In her past work, she spent a lot of time working with the John Howard and Elizabeth Fry societies and folks who were trying to get their lives back in order after oftentimes very difficult circumstances. I thank the member very much for her work and her passion.

The question, however, relates to new SAP regulations and how the changes to the food and drug regulations related to the special access program help facilitate access. Facilitating access includes timely access to drugs by easing the burden for health practitioners by removing reporting requirements for treatments previously approved by SAP, approved without restrictions on the European or U.S. market, or previously approved in Canada, and the drug identification number was not cancelled for safety reasons; allowing for the shipment of treatments to a community pharmacy, which will be more convenient for patients, especially those who do not live close to their physician or hospital; and allowing advance importation and storage of drugs, known as pre-positioning, to facilitate quicker access to treatments requested through the SAP when urgent delivery is critical.

Also, we have made a number of operational changes so that we can support regulatory changes and improve client services under SAP. This includes additional supports for practitioners treating patients who are in urgent, life-threatening or end-of-life situations due to an emergency, critical or terminal illness, and a number of other situations.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank the minister for her words. It is also a pleasure to work with you, Minister. I will ask my question quickly.

Eli Lilly's new drug, bamlanivimab, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada last week.

What is the government doing to ensure that Canadians will have access to this drug?

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

Madam Chair, it is exciting that we have access now to the Eli Lilly drug, which has been approved by Health Canada and, indeed, the FDA. I will say it is a Canadian success story because, in fact, AbCellera, the company here in Canada, was the creator of this novel drug that helps lessen severe cases of COVID-19.