Allan Rock

[Health, September 25th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, since last June when I announced in the House that we would make marijuana available on compassionate grounds for medical purposes, Health Canada has allowed 70 persons to use marijuana in that way.

Since that time we have had the benefit of a judgment of the Ontario Court of Appeal with respect to the exercise of discretion. We announced last week that we have the intention of creating a set of regulations which will be in place we hope by next summer to put on a formal basis the criteria and the circumstances under which that discretion will be exercised, compassion for the sick.

[Health, September 25th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, less than two weeks ago, on September 11, the premier of Quebec joined with all other premiers and the Prime Minister to reaffirm their confidence in the Canada Health Act and their adherence to the principles in the Canada Health Act. I have every confidence that the minister of health of Quebec will work with this government to ensure that in the case cited by the hon. member those principles will be respected.

I have always believed and I believe today that the best answer for those who would want access to private parallel health services is to reinforce the public system so there is no market for private services. That is what we are doing.

[Health, September 25th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I intend to raise this matter with Quebec's health minister.

I have asked my officials to investigate to ensure that the principles of the Canada Health Act are being respected everywhere at all times.

[Questions On The Order Paper, September 18th, 2000]

(a) and (b) The government has investigated the reports on medical problems allegedly caused by soy based infant formula and it has reviewed the scientific literature related to this issue. With the exception of infants with rare medical conditions, such as soy allergy and congenital hypothyroidism, it was concluded that these foods do not pose a risk to those infants that consume them. The government is continuing to monitor the scientific literature for evidence of any health related concerns associated with soy based formula and its constituents.

Recently published preliminary results from a large retrospective study that has followed up adults who were fed soy based formula as infants indicates no significant differences between individuals fed soy formula compared to those fed cow milk based formula in the following variables: weight and height, measurements of precocity and a large number of reproductive and non-reproductive outcomes.

(c) We are not aware of a requirement from the World Health Organization for a health warning on the labels of baby foods.

With regard to soy based infant formulas, Health Canada does not recommend their use for the routine feeding of babies. The statement of the joint working group of the Canadian Paediatric Society, Dietitians of Canada and Health Canada, Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants, published in 1998, emphasizes that breastfeeding is the optimal method of feeding infants and encourages exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first four months of life. Cow's milk based infant formulas are recommended as the standard product for healthy term infants who are not breastfed.

Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants states that soy based formulas should be used only for those infants who cannot take dairy based products for health, cultural or religious reasons, such as a vegan lifestyle, or galactosemia, a metabolic disorder where infants are unable to metabolize galectose, a sugar in milk. This reiterates the recommendation that was made in “Feeding Babies” published by Health and Welfare Canada in 1986.

Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants also states that soy protein based formulas are inappropriate for infants who are not breastfed and who are at high risk of atopic disease or for those infants with a documented allergy to cow's milk protein. The formulas that should be used in these instances are formulas based on hydrolyzed milk protein; for infants with documented milk allergies, the protein should be extensively hydrolyzed.

[Health, September 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, it does bear repeating. We have been saying for some time that the difficulties facing medicare require not just money but a plan, and now we have that.

There is $21 billion of additional money, targeted money for specific priorities, but perhaps most important of all is that the Prime Minister negotiated an agreement that expressly acknowledges the role of the Government of Canada in the process of medicare renewal. The federal government is a full partner and participant in renewing medicare.

Unlike the Alliance and unlike the Conservatives, the Prime Minister recognizes there is a national interest in the country. Medicare is a national undertaking and the Government of Canada has an essential role to play in protecting that interest.

[Health, September 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, we can refer to the commentary last week by experts throughout the country who looked at the Prime Minister's achievement in negotiating this unprecedented agreement and confirm that it is good news for Canadian health care.

Michael Decter, former deputy minister in Ontario and now chair of the Canadian Institute of Health Information, said this was an agreement with substantive progress for medicare renewal in Canada.

It is clear, as we have always said, that a combination of more money with a coherent plan where governments work together toward reforming, improving and modernizing medicare is what the Prime Minister has achieved.

[Health, September 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, members of the Progressive Conservative Party ought to be the second last people in the House to be critical of this health agreement. The last people, of course, ought to be Alliance Party members.

The Conservatives and the Alliance in their election platforms in 1997 said that if they were ever elected they would change the system so that all the money through tax points would go to the provinces and Ottawa would have no role and no means of ensuring the principles of the Canada Health Act are respected. That would be the end of medicare in the country. That would be the end of access across Canada to health care services.

The hon. member, his party and the Alliance should be ashamed of that position and Canadians should be very proud of the Prime Minister.

[Health, September 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I am astonished to hear how the member characterizes this remarkable agreement.

Fourteen governments including three NDP governments signed on to this agreement, which means a 35% increase in federal cash transfers for health, targeted funding of $1 billion for equipment renewal, $800 million to accelerate primary health care reform which the member knows is fundamental, and $500 million for information technology to integrate the system and make it more effective.

It is apparent that Canadians are better off taking the advice of Roy Romanow's NDP than the NDP sitting opposite in the House.

[Health, September 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I invite the hon. member to look again at the health accord that the Prime Minister negotiated last week. In that health care agreement among all governments in the country both home and community care and pharmaceutical issues are dealt with expressly.

Governments gave their commitments to work together on both to strengthen investments in home and community care and to work to find a way to manage the cost of pharmaceuticals so that price or cost is not an impediment to access for Canadians anywhere in the country.

This is an unprecedented accord with 14 governments signing on, all moving in the same direction, combining more money with a sensible plan.

[Drugs And Pharmaceuticals, September 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, one of the elements that was agreed to among all governments in the health action plan was that we would work together to solve some of the problems the member referred to.

Let us look at the NDP's position on health. In the 1997 election it said it wanted to move the cash floor and the transfers for health purposes to $15 billion. We have now undertaken, under the plan, to move it to $21 billion. The NDP said it wanted to add $7 billion to the transfer for health care. We have now added five times that much. It wanted to add $2.5 billion—