House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 56% of the vote.
Tobacco Act October 22nd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, our commitment is very clear. As stated in the letter sent out a few months ago by the Minister of Health, we clearly committed ourselves to introducing an amendment to the Tobacco Products Act to allow events such as formula 1 racing to take place in Montreal. As I said, we are fully aware of these commitments and intend to fulfil them.
Tobacco Legislation October 22nd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, it is not helpful for the hon. member to put matters in those terms. I assure him that I have been involved in careful and methodical consultations with the people involved in Formula I in the Grand Prix, and we intend fully to respect the commitment we made some months ago. We will table the legislation when we are in a position to do so.
Tobacco Legislation October 22nd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, as I said last week, we are in the process of preparing an amendment to the tobacco legislation. It is our intention to honour the commitment we made several months ago, and the amendment will be tabled when we are ready.
Health October 22nd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the House will be well aware that the government is already committed to establishing a $12.5 billion floor for the cash transfer to the provinces beginning next year. In doing so we are acting on the recommendation of the National Forum on Health that spent two years looking into the needs of the Canadian health care system.
As we look across the country we see many provinces that have surpluses, that have money in the bank. If they see the need for further investment in health care, it is entirely open to those provinces to make those investments.
Mefloquine October 20th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, hindsight affords the hon. member the luxury of characterizing the facts as he sees fit.
As I have already said, investigations are continuing to determine all the facts of the matter. I think the responsible thing to do is to wait until all the facts are at hand before coming to any judgment.
Mefloquine October 20th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the facts are not yet clear. As the member should know, efforts are being undertaken at the moment to determine the facts of the matter.
I can tell the hon. member that at the time the drug was put in use, those responsible for supplying it believed on the evidence at the moment and in good faith that it was appropriate for the indicated conditions.
The responsible thing to do is to await the outcome of the investigations which, as the hon. member should know, are continuing.
Aboriginal Affairs October 10th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health is responsible for delivering uninsured health benefits to aboriginal communities across the country. Some six million claims are made every year for prescription drug usage in those communities.
It is true this problem has been known for 10 years. Throughout that time the health department has worked with provincial authorities and with the first nations to address the problem.
By the end of this year, December 31, we will have in place technology across the country to help pharmacists detect abuse and to reduce the problem the member refers to.
Aboriginal Peoples October 9th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, we have been working with aboriginal communities and with my provincial counterparts. We have been working for the past ten years to meet this challenge.
We will continue doing so. By the end of the year, we will have new technologies in place across Canada to help the authorities find instances of drug abuse.
Tobacco Act October 7th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, we intend to keep our promise. We are now in the process of drafting an amendment to the Tobacco Act. We are consulting all interested parties and I intend to take action when we are ready.
Health Care October 7th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the federal government tries to reflect its awareness of the seriousness of this problem in its programs and its policies.
We are trying to help in a number of ways. We encourage the collection of catalogues of best practices around the country so that can be shared with communities. We encourage research and indeed, through the Medical Research Council, we invest in medical research.
We work with other legislatures to make sure that legislation reflects the need to integrate people with this affliction into the community.
I can assure the hon. member that in everything we do, we try to reflect the importance of our concern with this illness.