Pierre Pettigrew

[Health, May 7th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, we have had for more than 10 years now an AIDS strategy in this country. We must say that we are very impressed with the network that we developed with the NGOs and their partners and the stakeholders in the industry.

It is a budget that has been stable over the years. Clearly, I hope very much that our government will be in the position to invest more money in that program down the line. I can tell the member that it will certainly be an important priority of ours because we are very pleased with the very good work of the stakeholders on the HIV-AIDS strategy.

[Health, May 7th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell members that our government stands very firmly on working with the provinces. We will cooperate with the provinces. Next summer, after the first ministers' conference, we will have a very solid plan, a plan that we will develop with the input of the provinces as well. What we want to promote is a public health system in this country, with a single public payer.

[Health, May 7th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear at the outset that the Prime Minister has never paid for an MRI. Despite all the innuendoes, the Prime Minister has not paid for an MRI. He has always paid with his health card for the medical treatment he needed, like everyone else.

This government wants to continue to build a very strong, publicly funded health care system. We will continue to support the Canada Health Act and every one of the five principles of that act.

[Taxation, May 7th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting to see Minister Séguin, he who at one time resigned over the TVQ, now asking us to hand over the GST.

In any event, I can say that we are most definitely going to continue to invest in health care. The Minister of Finance has said so, as has the Prime Minister. We will be sitting down with the premiers over the summer and we will determine how best we can support our health system in future. As a government, we are determined to be a real, and predictable, financial partner.

[Health, May 7th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, let me set the record quite straight here. The Medisys Clinic is available to anyone with a medical need. The Prime Minister goes there because he has had the very same doctor for 20 years.

I can tell members one thing. He has never paid for an MRI. He has used his health card every time to pay for the medical services he was receiving there and for all of his treatment.

[Health, May 7th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, there is nothing secret about it. We are working with the provinces at this time. We are building a plan, of course in cooperation with them, and we want to build on the health accord of 2003.

We believe we have to go beyond the health accord of 2003 in order to make sure that we can have a sustainable health care system in our country. Our government is ready to partner up with the provinces with predictable financing as well, as we have already talked about. There is nothing secret about all of that.

[Health, May 6th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, when the new regulations on nutritional labelling were announced in January 2003, they were hailed by stakeholders as the ideal international standard. We are very proud of this achievement, but there is always room for improvement.

I want to thank the Standing Committee on Health for its good work and for indicating that we should consider making additions to these regulations. This is why I asked my department to look at the issues relating to mandatory labelling for trans fats present in baby food.

[Health, May 5th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that this country is absolutely ready to meet the challenges that could face us. We have learned from the experience of last year, with $665 million invested in last year's budget in the public health agency. We are ready to meet these challenges.

We are working very closely with the World Health Organization as well, which has acknowledged Canada's great contribution not only in this country but worldwide. We are on top of it.

[Taxation, May 5th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, a new sum of $34.8 billion will be invested over the next five years, and the latest budget has included an additional $2 billion.

We have an equalization formula by which 45% of the money goes to Quebec. We are determined to sit down with Quebec and the other provinces to create a health care system that will last into the future.

[Canada Health Infoway, May 5th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that Canada Health Infoway is an outstanding institution from the Government of Canada. It has been making the right investments across the country in all of the provinces, helping to modernize our health care system and adapt it to the reality of the 21st century using the appropriate information technology that exists. This is the role of Canada Health Infoway.