Debates of May 29th, 2024

Department of Health—Main Estimates, 2024-25

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, is the minister aware that Belleville, Ontario, had two of these epidemic overdoses, not just one in February?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of that, and Health Canada is working with the community.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, is the minister aware of the opioid mortality rate in the Belleville and Bay of Quinte region?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, federal jurisdiction deals with national data.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, does the minister know the opioid mortality rate in Ottawa, Toronto and North Bay?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Ontario is one of the top three provinces with high overdose rates.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the opioid mortality rate in Belleville, Ontario, is nearly double that of Ottawa, Toronto and North Bay. It was 250 deaths per 100,000 people in the first half of 2023, compared with 150 per 100,000 people for Ottawa, Toronto and Hamilton. Does the minister find that acceptable?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I am sure every member in the House would agree, no death is acceptable. It is tragic and harmful to the families, loved ones and communities who lose people to overdose because of the toxic drug supply.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, can the minister state how many bed-based addiction treatment services are in the region?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is under the jurisdiction of the province to implement beds and treatment.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the answer is zero. What is more, the number of opioid poisoning-related ER visits to Belleville General Hospital is more than three times higher than the five-year average. After nine years, there are no treatment facilities to bring our loved ones home drug-free.

What is the government's plan to fund and measure success for the crisis affecting Belleville?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as mentioned before, over $700 million has been allocated to the Province of Ontario for mental health and substance use in the coming years. That being said, in the 2024 budget, the ETF, the emergency transfer fund, offers $150 million over three years to communities to seek additional assistance.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, is the minister aware of the number of Canadians in the Belleville region currently on a wait-list as they wait for addictions and concurrent disorder programs?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is under provincial jurisdiction to provide treatment health care.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the answer is over 500 people. Does the minister think this is acceptable?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, no.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, can the minister state which government is responsible for the explosive growth of waiting lists, for mental health underfunding and for the simple fact that there are zero treatment beds in the entire Belleville region after nine years?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is why we signed a $3.1-billion bilateral agreement with the Province of Ontario, with $700 million allocated to mental health and substance use.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, is the minister aware of the average wait time for residential addiction treatment and supportive recovery programs?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, they vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the answer is 75 days and 175 days, respectively.

On what date will Belleville get treatment beds, and what will be the measure of success for programs to aid in recovery?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question for the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions of Ontario.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, why do we have a federal minister for mental health and addictions if they are not working with the province to provide the House a date as to when we will be getting treatment programs for that city? That is under—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. minister.

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for an opposition member who says we should get out of the way of the provinces, I am surprised that he does not appreciate that health care is a jurisdictional purview of the province, and we should—