Pauline Picard

[Tainted Blood, May 11th, 1995]

In the light of the serious allegations weighing on her department's officials, is the minister prepared to initiate an internal investigation to find out how such things could have happened and whether present officials are involved in this matter?

[Tainted Blood, May 11th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, answers like that from the minister are a disgrace.

[Tainted Blood, May 11th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health.

All imported blood products must be systematically inspected and approved by the Department of Health.

How does the Minister of Health explain that blood Connaught imported into Canada from American prisons could have entered the country without being inspected by Health Canada? Could she explain that to us?

[Krever Commission, May 10th, 1995]

Given the seriousness of this morning's revelations, does the minister not realize that she must take immediate action against those responsible for this scandal?

[Krever Commission, May 10th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, we have had enough of the minister's irresponsible, thoughtless rhetoric in this matter.

[Krever Commission, May 10th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health.

According to a midday report by the CBC's Johanne McDuff, the Krever Commission was told that, in the 1980s, Connaught Laboratories, the Canadian blood fractionation centre, got their blood product supplies from the United States and that most of the blood came from prison inmates in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, who are very high risk donors. To hide this fact, Connaught Laboratories put Canadian Red Cross labels on these products.

Given the seriousness of these revelations, does the minister intend to intercede with her colleague, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, to get him to lay criminal charges against those who falsified products knowingly or were involved in these manipulations which had tragic consequences?

[Breast Cancer, May 9th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome this opportunity to speak in today's debate on Motion M-376, presented by the hon. member for Yukon. The motion proposes that the government should provide core funding that would be used to offer women diagnosed with breast cancer information on the various treatments available and on services provided by support groups.

The motion draws our attention to a major health problem for women in Quebec and Canada. Breast cancer, the incidence of which is certainly not declining, kills many women every year.

Despite the interest in improving the status of women in Canada and legislation and policies aimed at correcting the inequities women experience, it is a fact that the status of women still leaves much to be desired, compared with the status of men and that which remains to be done before women enjoy the same advantages as men.

I am very aware of and concerned about health care. I think it is important to remind the federal government that we urgently need a health care system that is adapted to womens' needs. The latest studies on women's health have made us realize that as far as health care is concerned, women's needs differ greatly from men's.

Financial resources dedicated to research on women's health are inadequate. There is a lack of resources for breast cancer research, gynaecology and obstetrics, research on chronic and degenerative diseases, mental health, violence, professional illnesses, the special needs of immigrant women, women of ethnic origin, native women, teenagers, elderly women, and the list goes on.

At the beginning of this session the Minister of Health told us how she intended to promote women's health. She described the programs her government intended to implement to remedy the inadequacies of the health care system in the treatment of women.

Unfortunately, that is not what happened. Since this government came to power, funding for health care has dropped steadily. This government has maintained a freeze on transfer payments to the provinces, which has meant a reduction in resources for the health care systems operated by the provinces.

In its latest budget, the government went even further by cutting $70 million from the budget of its own Department of Health, which has seen its general envelope shrink by 3.8 per cent.

The motion moved by the leader of the New Democratic Party reminds the government of the importance of supporting action taken to fight breast cancer.

Breast cancer is frightening. This disease kills women at a rate of one every 12 minutes in North America. During the past 30 years, this type of cancer has spread like a particularly nasty plague, and the only effective remedy remains prevention and early detection of the disease.

In Canada, the situation is not very encouraging. Canada has the highest rate of breast cancer in the world. Every year, 15,000 new cases of breast cancer are detected. Five thousand women will die of breast cancer this year. This is one death every two hours. In Quebec alone, nearly 1,500 women will succumb to this terrible disease. Every woman in Canada and Quebec has one chance out of ten of contracting breast cancer in the course of a lifetime. Earlier, my government colleague said one chance in nine. There may have been a decline, but it is still too high.

The results of a nationwide poll released last Thursday revealed that 41 per cent of women in Canada and Quebec saw breast cancer as the main threat to their lives.

It is high time effective steps were taken to conquer this disease. We need a cancer detection strategy that considers both genetic and environmental factors. In fact, that is what transpired from the final report of the National Forum on Breast Cancer tabled last fall. The report recommended immediately introducing national guidelines for medical practitioners, to inform physicians and encourage upgrading of their skills. So far, nothing has been done.

Also a public awareness and information campaign would be needed to inform and support breast cancer sufferers. This was in fact suggested by the hon. member for Yukon in her motion.

The best way to beat breast cancer is to invest in research. At the National Forum on Breast Cancer, the government promised to spend $20 million over five years. We hope it will keep its promise.

Although we realize that breast cancer is a scourge that has been ignored to a shocking extent by politicians and the medical community, the Bloc Quebecois must remind the government that health care is an exclusively provincial jurisdiction.

If the federal government decides to support the war against breast cancer in some way or other, we remind the government that it must do so in consultation with its provincial partners.

Many provinces have already introduced effective measures. In British Columbia, Ontario and now Quebec, provincial governments have launched extensive breast cancer detection programs. The Quebec government's plan aims to reduce the mortality rate by 25 per cent over seven years.

As long as there are places where a woman's life is valued less than a man's, women's health problems will tend to be ignored, to the detriment of their own lives, the well-being of their families and the development of their country. Throughout history, women have shown this extraordinary capacity for getting together and hammering out a consensus. Our present day societies, which seem to be marching only to the drum of economic and cultural globalization, need more than ever before what women have to offer.

For the sake of soaring profits, society is pushing an increasing number of people out to its margins and providing a breeding ground for many forms of fundamentalism. Women, because they are aware of the problem and of their strengths, will have to stand together to fight effectively against poverty and extremism.

If it is to develop harmoniously, society cannot afford to ignore women and the issues and problems they are facing. Women's health is one of the factors that has a direct impact on the evolution of women's place in our society. I maintain that we must take action where it will do the most good, in other words, we must invest in medical research now to find a cure for breast cancer.

We should act now by raising the federal government's financial support to the level of the commitments it made to the provinces when the Canada Health Act was passed. Women's health cannot but improve as a result.

[Bovine Somatotropin, May 9th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's answer is not really satisfactory. I asked if inquiries had been made and if the report was ready, because on December 8, 1994, she said in the House that she would make inquiries and give us a report.

Does the minister intend to take steps to ensure that there are no recurrences of unacceptable situations like this one at Health Canada?

[Bovine Somatotropin, May 9th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Health.

On December 8, 1994, in response to questions from the official opposition about the conflict of interest created by Mr. Ritter's position with the Bureau of Veterinary Drugs at Health Canada, and his activities as a lobbyist for pharmaceutical companies seeking approval of the growth hormone, bovine somatotropin, the Minister of Health told us she would make inquiries and give us a report.

Could the minister indicate whether upon investigation, Mr. Ritter's conduct was found to be in accordance with the government's conflict of interest guidelines and could she table in the House the report prepared by her department?

[Genetically Altered Foods, May 8th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, let me say that the response the minister has given us is very reassuring.

I have a supplementary. Given that a number of genetically engineered products will be submitted to Health Canada for approval in the coming months, would the minister assure us that she will require Health Canada to undertake more serious studies before approving such products?