Beth Phinney

[National Head Start Program, May 25th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to address the House today on this motion advocating a national head start program for Canadian children.

I want to applaud the hon. member for his strong support of early childhood development. The Government of Canada shares his enthusiasm for early childhood development as a way of positively influencing the health of children. In fact the government has made increased knowledge of and action on early childhood development a top priority.

In the next few minutes I would like to share with the House some of the things we have learned about early childhood development and how this knowledge is shaping our approach to prevention and early intervention initiatives on behalf of Canada's children.

The most important thing we have learned from a vast body of research over the last 30 years is that the experiences of Canadian children especially in their early years profoundly influence their health and well-being throughout their lives.

We have long known that early negative factors such as low birth weight, low income, abuse, neglect and poor physical and mental health are barriers to healthy child development. Government initiatives such as the community action program for children, the Canada prenatal nutrition program and aboriginal head start have achieved considerable success in responding to these factors.

Nevertheless, research and experience tell us we must do more to recognize and support positive factors that contribute to healthy development. These factors range from healthy pregnancies and birth weights to loving parents, to supportive mentors or role models, to caring families and communities.

Another key thing we have learned is that developing these positive factors requires the involvement of many partners across society. These include parents, who are children's earliest and most influential teachers, volunteer organizations, health service providers, schools, neighbourhoods and communities. We need strong involvement from across society because we all have a stake in ensuring that Canada's children get off to the best possible start in life.

As the Minister of Health recently noted in this House, Canadians and their governments have a moral responsibility to help improve conditions of childhood for the seven million children in this country. He went on to say that taking collective responsibility for children is not just the right thing to do, it makes good economic and social sense.

How early do we need to focus on childhood development? Research tells us that we have the best opportunity to make a positive impact in the very early years of life. This is because 85% of a child's core brain development occurs by age three.

While negative experiences in these early years can result in disorganized and underdeveloped brains, positive experiences often stimulate overall brain development. What are the social implications of negative versus positive early experiences for children?

Research shows that negative experiences tend to produce impulsive, aggressive adults. On the other hand, positive early life experiences tend to produce more intelligent, caring and responsible citizens.

Another area where we have made advances is our increased knowledge of the developmental pathways children pass through on their way to adulthood. These pathways can be influenced by a wide variety of negative or positive factors.

Researchers have found that all children pass through critical periods along their own developmental pathways. During these periods, there are windows of opportunity where support and intervention can make a difference in their development. The period from conception to the age of five or six is seen as the most critical of these periods.

While families are first and foremost responsible for the development of their children in this early period, they are not the only ones that must assume the responsibility. Families need support. Governments, communities, corporations, employers, unions, teachers and individual Canadians all have a role to play. We must work together to help children move along healthy pathways to adulthood.

With this in mind, I call on fellow members to join me in encouraging Canadians to make healthy child development a priority in their own neighbourhoods and communities. By acting together we can make a world of difference for Canada's children.

[Workforce, May 13th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for the Status of Women. The recent census has shown that women are now occupying 22% of the top well paying jobs in Canada. Between 1990 and 1995 the number of men in these occupations dropped by 5% while the number of women increased 26%. Does this mean that we are finally closing the gender gap in the paid workforce?

[Queen's Guard, May 4th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, for the first time in 45 years Canadians have taken on the duties of the Queen's guard.

Ninety-six Canadian soldiers from the Princess Patricia's Light Infantry will be standing on parade with British soldiers during the changing of the guard ceremonies at Buckingham Palace during the next few weeks.

The month of May marks the beginning of what unofficially is Canada month in Britain. The celebrations planned are military, literary, cultural and even culinary and centre around the May 13 reopening of Canada House, the landmark Canadian high commission building in London, by Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.

Congratulations to Private Jonathan Murphy who grew up in my riding—

[Canadian College Of Naturopathic Medicine, April 3rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the theme of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine's open house in Toronto tomorrow is “The Road To Wellness”.

This college offers Canada's only four year full time program, educating doctors of naturopathic medicine, the integration of scientific knowledge with traditional healing wisdom.

Naturopathic doctors use non-evasive therapies such as clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathic Oriental medicine, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, lifestyle counselling and prevention to assist the whole person in maximizing the body's inherent self-healing capacity.

The tremendous increase in enrolment in the college reflects the increasing demand for naturopathic doctors in Canada. We wish the college a very successful open house.

[Apec, March 30th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The APEC meeting in Vancouver was an important event for the economy of British Columbia. What action is the government planning to ensure the conference leaves a lasting legacy?

[Nutrition, March 16th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, March is nutrition month and this year's theme is “Make nutrition come alive—it's all about you”.

This campaign, spearheaded by the dietitians of Canada, is aimed at helping consumers make healthy food choices that fit into their personal lifestyle.

In the Hamilton area including my riding a luncheon was held and the proceeds of this event went to the Hamilton community foundation school nourishment fund.

These nourishment programs are planned initiatives which make food available to school children in a safe, non-stigmatizing environment. These programs support healthy eating practices and help children maximize their learning potential.

Nutritionists have organized local events across Canada. They encourage all Canadians to participate, making nutrition come alive for themselves.

[Heart Awareness Month, February 9th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, February is heart awareness month. Cardiovascular disease remains Canada's leading cause of death and one of the major causes of disability. More than 79,000 Canadians die every year from heart disease and stroke.

Besides the human toll of the disease, the cost to the economy is considerable, about $20 billion per year and more than 6.5 million days of hospitalization.

We are making great progress in fighting cardiovascular disease. Strokes and heart disease are caused by our lifestyle.

By eradicating smoking, promoting a healthy diet of physical activity, we can help Canadians in preventing and/or postponing the onset of this disease.

By investing in heart health, we can reduce significantly this disease. By mobilizing society as a whole, we can enhance—

[Hiv-Aids, December 1st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, this is World AIDS Day. The Minister of Health announced this morning that there would be funding for AIDS and HIV programs.

Given the significant importance of this health issue, how does Canada compare with other countries in its attack against AIDS?

[Olympic International Children's Festival, November 24th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform the House of a remarkable event that will be held in Hamilton. The executive members of the International Children's Games have unanimously supported that the city of Hamilton host the first Olympic International Children's Festival July 1, Canada Day, through July 8 in the year 2000.

The plan calls for a program of 13 sports as well as a cultural festival and celebration of the Olympics being held that year in Australia.

As host, Hamilton's organizing committee's goal is to involve 100 cities and approximately 5,000 athletes from across Canada and the world in a celebration of sport and culture in the new millennium.

The festival's theme “The Spirit Unites” represents the aspirations of youth across the globe to come together and embrace the Olympic spirit. What a great way for Canadian youth to celebrate unity with each other and with youth from around the world.

The city of Hamilton hopes to count on the support of the Government of Canada as it prepares to host what will be one of the premier millennium events in Canada.

[Drinking Water Materials Safety Act, November 5th, 1997]

Madam Speaker, Canada has a remarkable history of collaboration and co-operation among the federal government, ten provinces and two, soon to be three, territories in the north. I say remarkable because this is a vast country, an impressive land mass of nearly 10 million square kilometres from the tip of St. John's, Newfoundland, in the east to the Queen Charlotte Islands off the coast of British Columbia in the west.

This level of agreement and working together is something most countries have come to envy and in some cases study to see how we do it. The protection of drinking water is one of our proudest co-operative achievements.

This new legislation, Bill C-14, the drinking water materials safety act demonstrates our continuing partnership with the provinces and territories and the vigilance with which we guard the health and safety of all Canadians. According to the Constitution acts of Canada, drinking water quality from the source to the tap falls under the provincial and territorial jurisdictions. The federal government however is responsible for protecting Canadians from unsafe materials that come into contact with that water along the way, from the raw water intake through the filtration plant and then through the water mains to our faucets.

The new act will help better protect drinking water by guaranteeing the safety of the materials that come into contact with that water while it is moved to the consumers.

Again we are doing this with the support of the provincial and territorial health authorities. Canada has one of the largest safest supplies of fresh water in the world. We want to keep it that way. But the quality of that water has often been threatened and in the 1990s it is falling prey to some new hazards.

A rapidly increasing population puts more pressure on the existing water supply and distribution systems. There are new concerns about the use of pesticides and chemical effluents runoff from spraying farmers' fields. In recent years there has been an alarming increase in cases of animal waste washing into municipal water systems and making many people sick. This has put provincial and municipal governments under growing pressure to safeguard their drinking water. The public at large is becoming more and more concerned about its tap water and is rightly demanding guarantees of safety.

Municipalities need to replace aging infrastructures and they need health based standards to ensure that new materials they buy are safe. In some cases costly new kinds of treatment systems are required to deal with the emerging problems such as cryptosporidium infections which cannot be eliminated by chlorination.

All of these concerns and more were cited when the provinces and territories put their support behind the drinking water materials safety act currently before this House. I cannot emphasize too strongly that the distinct federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions with respect to drinking water quality will continue to be recognized after the introduction of this bill.

In fact this bill affirms both the federal government's responsibility to provide guidance and expertise in the area of drinking water quality and the right of the provinces and the territories to define legally enforceable standards within their own areas of authority. This bill also acknowledges the federal government's role in developing water quality research in collaboration with the provinces and territories.

Responsibility for the overall quality of water that flows through the system will remain with the provinces. The federal government with this new bill will guarantee that all the materials that come in contact with our water are certified to national health based standards. We will be responsible for the regulation of drinking water materials that make up the distribution system along the way. These fall into three categories: treatment devices, treatment additives and system components.

Quite simply, drinking water materials can be anything, including products and substances, that comes in contact with our drinking water from the time it leaves the water supply until it touches our lips. That includes the chlorine added to municipal water supplies, the pipes that carry the water, right down to the filters you may attach to your faucets at home. All of these products and many others I have not mentioned will fall under this legislation.

Why do we need to do this? Because safe drinking water is an essential resource. Because Canadians expect their water to be protected. And because present federal legislation and existing voluntary compliance on water materials safety are inadequate.

I know that just moments ago I was boasting about our enviable supply of safe drinking water. Indeed we have some of the best drinking water in the world. This is partly a fortunate circumstance of history and geography.

But the ongoing protection of our fresh water is no accident. In partnership with the provinces and territories, we have spent years developing the guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality. Since 1968 Canada has published these guidelines for safe drinking water. They recommend maximum levels of many chemicals, micro-organisms and radioactive substances. We are pleased to note that the sixth edition of these important and respected guidelines was published last fall.

These guidelines serve as the basis for drinking water quality enforcement in the provinces and territories. Alberta and Quebec have both enacted water quality regulations based on these guidelines. Other provinces are enforcing them through their own provincial mechanisms.

This partnership has been working extremely well but we must do more. These guidelines do not have the added weight of being federal law. The provinces and territories have asked us for that added leverage in protecting drinking water materials right across Canada.

This bill will ensure that drinking water materials are certified to health based standards enforced by law. They will give Canadians better control over potentially hazardous drinking water materials that could contaminate drinking water.

Home water filters are a good example. There are many of these products available to consumers at every hardware store, department store and shopping mall.

When we buy one of these filters, we have no guarantee that it will do what the maker claims, which is to improve the quality of drinking water.

In fact we know that while many of these products are reliable, a full 50% would fail a health based test. This is a growing industry. There are false health and safety claims being made and consumers do not always have the means to compare one product against another. This bill will allow direct comparison based on the same standards tests. These devices are just one area of concern.

There is the sale of chemicals of uncertified quality to water treatment plants and the leaching of contaminants, such as lead and cadmium, from water storage and delivery systems. This bill will guarantee the quality of these chemicals and the safety of water system components.

I am also proud to say that the drinking water materials safety act will build upon the unique collaborative and co-operative working relationship Canada has enjoyed with the other jurisdictions in this country.

The Assembly of First Nations in partnership with Health Canada and the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is currently working on a project to identify solutions to assist First Nations communities in protecting and enhancing the quality of their drinking water. This project is known as the drinking water safety program for native people. Since the drinking water materials safety act is national legislation which will regulate all drinking water materials on the market in Canada, it would of course affect future purchases of material for use on Indian lands.

Ongoing discussions with provincial and territorial members of the subcommittee on drinking water indicate continued support for federal legislation to improve the safety and effectiveness of devices, additives and components. Direct consultation with the provincial departments of health also revealed strong support for this legislation.

When Health Canada crafted this legislation, its officials wanted to make sure they were not adding a layer of red tape to the existing guidelines. This proposed legislation will not duplicate or replace local and provincial plumbing codes for example. In fact it will give much needed support to the provinces in their efforts toward compliance and enforcement of these codes. Current Canadian plumbing codes do not contain health based performance standards and the vast majority, a full 70%, of plumbing materials are not certified as free from harmful contaminants. This is simply unacceptable.

Again provincial drinking water authorities have asked the federal government to act as a clearing house by guaranteeing health based standards through a process of third party certification. This bill will do that. It would be far too costly for each province to run its own separate certification program. If they did, a costly and confusing patchwork of legislation would result.

I also want to assure my colleagues that this bill will not force the provinces and territories to rip out their existing water systems and put in new ones. What it will do however is ensure that those municipalities who need to build new water distribution systems will buy safe infrastructure materials.

The provinces and territories will also find their home grown products on a level playing field, opening the door to international markets but closing the door to unscrupulous manufacturers and substandard products which right now can easily be dumped into Canada because there is no federal legislation to prevent it.

I think many members of this House and many consumers will be shocked to discover that a country like Canada has not had such a basic piece of legislation in place long before now. In fact drinking water legislation was first proposed by a Liberal government in 1983 but it is only now that the Liberals are finally in a position to make good on this commitment to protect the health of Canadians.

The public is worried about issues concerning health and the environment, such as the contamination of drinking water.

Canadians will remember this government's strong commitment to protect the health of women and children and the need to stop long term toxic pollutants from entering our water. This legislation will make good on these promises.

As I said earlier, the protection of drinking water quality is a co-operative venture in Canada, one which we can all be proud of. We have made great strides in making drinking water safer over the past century and we have done so in partnership with our many distinct regions.

I urge my colleagues to seize this opportunity to once again work in conjunction with our provincial and territorial constituencies. I urge members of the House to give their wholehearted support to this legislation.