Elinor Caplan

[Medic Alert Month, May 7th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that May has been designated Medic Alert Month by the Canadian Medic Alert Foundation.

For more than 38 years the Canadian Medic Alert Foundation has been protecting and saving lives through the use of engraved bracelets, necklets, wallet cards and a free 24 hour hotline number, as well as lifetime updates of members' records.

Over 900,000 Canadians benefit from the protection of this universally recognized emergency medical identification and information service.

During Medic Alert Month the foundation will launch a campaign to heighten awareness of its services. I encourage all Canadians with allergies, certain medical conditions or medications, or special needs to take advantage of these services.

Let us all wish the Canadian Medic Alert Foundation the best of success in its public awareness campaign.

[Health, May 3rd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, in fact it was the Minister of Health who encouraged the scientists to appear before the Senate committee to testify openly. He assured them that it was their duty and their responsibility. The member has it all wrong.

[Tobacco, May 3rd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.

I restate that the government and the Minister of Health are very concerned about the rate of youth smoking in the country. The facts are that in January, Health Canada put out an options paper of proposed regulations. We are receiving consultations. The consultation process has just begun. No decisions have been made.

I would suggest that the contents of the letter the member referred to were not accurate. I would encourage all of those who share our concerns about youth smoking to participate in this important consultation process and help draft the kind of regulations that will tackle high youth—

[Health, April 29th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the member and inform the House that the use of caffeine in non-cola beverages has not been approved in Canada. There has been a proposal gazetted. That is a normal part of the consultation process.

As a result of concerns that have been raised, Health Canada is conducting an extensive review of the physiological and toxicological effects of this food additive.

I want to assure the House that a decision will not be made until the results are in and the consultation process has been completed.

[Hepatitis C, April 29th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite just does not get it. The Minister of Health has repeated on numerous occasions that our approach has been to attempt to resolve the law suits and to do so through negotiations for those infected between 1986 and 1990. An agreement was reached in December. We are hoping that through those negotiations it will be before the courts this June and the courts will then ensure Canadians that this settlement is fair.

When it comes to those infected through the blood supply, an offer of $300 million for services, needed medical—

[Hepatitis C, April 29th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, as the minister stated in the House, an offer of $300 million has been made to all of the provinces to ensure that people infected with hepatitis C have access to the services which they require, those services which are not presently insured services, throughout the course of their lives. An offer has been made to the minister of Quebec and the Minister of Health is hopeful that Quebec will respond to the offer that has been made.

[Heroin Prescription Trials, April 28th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I can give the assurance that there are effective monitoring programs in place. Fisheries enforcement is a priority for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and every effort was made to protect the enforcement program from budget reductions. A number of steps have been taken to improve enforcement effectiveness.

Under a national recruitment strategy over 100 new fishery officers have been hired in the last three years. Physical fitness and competency standards have been developed for fishery officers along with new training courses, including one on forensic auditing.

Operating budgets have been increased and new surveillance equipment, computers and patrol boats have been purchased to augment program effectiveness. In addition, the department is reviewing the mix of enforcement resources and examining ways to better utilize data collected.

Major improvements are being made to dockside monitoring programs in 1999. Dockside monitoring companies will be required to meet standards set by DFO and will be subject to checks and audits.

The at sea observer program will also undergo a major review in 1999 which will include the development of criteria for setting observer coverage levels. We have learned from the groundfish collapse and we are determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Conservation of the resources is the department's first and foremost priority.

Shellfish resources have been healthy and abundant in the 1990s. It is important to note that every shellfish fishery is managed through specific conservation measures such as minimum size, quotas, specific fishing areas and a limited number of licences. DFO's decisions on shellfish allocation are based on established criteria with conservation being the first priority. Where temporary sharing of abundant shellfish resources is authorized, it is done in such a manner that it ensures harvesting capacity does not increase on a permanent basis.

The auditor general has recommended that the department should clearly define its policies. I am happy to tell the member and the House that DFO has already begun a full review of its Atlantic fishery policy.

[Heroin Prescription Trials, April 28th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, as I respond to this question on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs I would like to acknowledge the important contribution that the member for London West has made to the issue of child soldiers. She really has made a difference in advancing the cause of human safety and security when it comes to the lives that those children will have.

It is true that on February 12 the Minister of Foreign Affairs travelled to New York to preside over a special meeting of the security council sponsored by Canada on the issue of protection of civilians in conflict.

It is a recent innovation of the council to hold its meetings on a thematic focus. This enables the security council to consider cross-cutting security issues in a broader, more integrated context than its usual crisis mode of interaction. We support this practice which also permits the council to hear from outside non-state sources, for example the International Committee of the Red Cross.

This initiative is a key element of Canada's security council human security agenda which we hope to advance during our two year council term. At issue is the rising toll of modern conflict on civilians, particularly vulnerable groups such as women and children who are not only victimized by new forms of aggression but are often directly targeted, as the hon. member who has worked so hard on this difficult issue has noticed, and used as child soldiers, which is a very serious issue. Our goal is to explore new ways for the security council and the international community to address this pressing human safety concern.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs delivered Canada's statement on this theme and reiterated to council members that the ultimate aim of the council's work was to safeguard the security of the world's people, not just the states in which they live. Clearly, with the disproportionate toll modern conflict takes on civilians, the protection of individuals should be a primary consideration in the council's activities. The minister called on the council to meet its responsibilities and to face the challenges of this issue head on.

As a result of the February 12 briefing, the council adopted a presidential statement which condemned all attacks against civilians in conflict situations, including women, children and refugees, and called on the—

[Heroin Prescription Trials, April 28th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the cost of acquiring the four upholder class submarines and putting them into active service in Canada is still $750 million in the year of 1998-99.

In April 1998 the government approved the acquisition based on this figure and nothing has changed except the names of the vessels. It was announced on March 30 that the vessels would be known as the Victoria class submarines.

The first Victoria class submarine is due to arrive in Canada in the autumn of 2000 and the navy is already preparing for this. Even as we prepare to take possession of the submarines we have already started to plan for the future, precisely because we expect these boats will have a long life in the Canadian navy.

As with any piece of equipment there will be maintenance and upgrade projects involved throughout the life of the vessel. It is unreasonable to think that one can buy any piece of equipment and keep it operating for 30 years without maintenance and upgrades.

For instance, the Victorias will require a mid-life refit to ensure that they meet their expected lifespan. We will also have to keep maintaining all the safety and rescue equipment so that it will be compatible with the newest technology.

Furthermore, as new technologies come available that would require enhanced operational capabilities of the submarines, they will need to be integrated into existing systems whenever possible. It would be unfair and irresponsible to add the costs of such eventual projects to the cost of acquisition because at this point we cannot predict the timing, the cost or the nature of any future projects with 100% accuracy.

When the time comes for any new expenditures I can assure the hon. member that these projects will be subject to the necessary government approval before they can proceed. Planning for the future is the responsible thing to do and it is particularly important in times of tight fiscal restraint.

[Heroin Prescription Trials, April 28th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the devastation of heroin addiction is of great concern to the government. We want to ensure the health and safety of all Canadians. It is our goal to prevent and eliminate the suffering that heroin addiction causes to individuals, to their families and to their communities.

Heroin addiction, however, is not straightforward. It is a serious and complex issue. Accordingly, the treatment of this terrible addiction requires a thoughtful, considered and sophisticated approach.

The motion put forward by the hon. member for Vancouver East, while well intended, would make clinical trials of using heroin to treat heroin addiction a priority. The success of such treatment is not well established and would not only be controversial, it would have uncertain outcomes. Before any risky clinical trials are embarked upon, all alternative treatments of heroin addiction should be given thorough and due consideration.

Simply put, I believe we need to walk before we run. That is because a number of alternatives for the treatment of heroin addiction are already in existence and are proven to work. I strongly believe that rather than chasing after risky treatments, our time, efforts and resources would be put to much better effect pursuing viable, well-established strategies.

That is why Health Canada is a strong advocate of increasing access to existing successful treatments, in particular methadone maintenance, as well as supplementing medical treatment with counselling and social support programs. Methadone maintenance is the most effective, proven and well established treatment for those who suffer heroin addiction.

Under Canada's drug strategy, any treatment or rehabilitation program must address all underlying factors associated with substance abuse. It must also meet the needs of drug users, many of whom unfortunately use more than one drug at a time. Any treatment that is chosen should strive to meet the basic principles, and methadone maintenance does that. Canada's drug strategy endorses its use to combat opioid dependence.

While on methadone addicts are able to improve their lifestyles, social health, functioning and productivity. Many are able to recover and continue with their lives, such as living with families, completing education or training and remaining employed.

It is Canada's stated priority to increase access to methadone maintenance. To this end Health Canada has streamlined the authorization program and the authorization process, allowing doctors to treat patients quickly and more effectively. The number of physicians using methadone in the treatment of their patients has also increased in this country. Furthermore, the department has undertaken consultation with stakeholders to find ways of increasing access to methadone treatment programs, and we are continuing to do so.

As mandated in Canada's drug strategy, Health Canada is continually working to improve the effectiveness of and the accessibility to an array of safe and proven substance abuse interventions.

It is also true that methadone cannot help all of those who suffer from heroin addiction. However, there are even more alternatives, with equal promise, to methadone that are already in existence. I am speaking specifically of buprenorphine, levo- alpha-acetylmethadol, better known as LAAM, and naltrexone. These alternatives could bring greater flexibility in combating this terrible and costly epidemic, especially to those patients who do not tolerate or do not respond to methadone.

Clinical trials in other countries which were referred to by the member opposite, particularly in the United States and Australia, have shown these other medications to be safe and effective. In addition, there is a ready, safe and secure supply of these other alternatives.

Let us also remember that medical treatment alone is not enough to fight drugs. Canada's drug strategy states that we must consider the determinants of health and address the underlying factors associated with substance abuse.

Many addicts feel a sense of hopelessness and helplessness that is not solely attributable to their habits. This is usually just a symptom of many of the larger issues they are dealing with, such as other health problems, poverty, lack of housing, poor education or a history of abuse.

Governments need to devote significant resources and energies toward providing greater and earlier access to conventional addiction counselling and social support programs, professional psychotherapy, education, vocational training and residential care. The delivery of these health services is the responsibility of the provinces.

This government sympathizes with the many Canadians caught in the trap of heroin addiction. We want to reduce the toll of this terrible affliction. We want to reduce the toll that it takes on individuals and on all Canadians. It is clear that the best and most effective route is to pursue existing treatments that are known to work. As I have said, Health Canada wants to expand access to well-established and proven treatments like methadone, as well as giving a chance to the newer treatments which I mentioned, LAAM and others. It is the course of action that we believe makes the most sense in terms of time, cost, resources, effectiveness and, most importantly, safety for the patient and for society.

Our goal is to prevent the harm this terrible addiction causes; the harm it causes to individuals, their families and our communities. While the member's proposal is well intended, we do not believe it is supportable at this time.