Colin Carrie

[Health, December 3rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, our condolences go to the families that are affected.

The health and safety of all Canadians is a priority for our government. We continue to work closely with the community leadership and the provinces.

In the island lake region we are adjusting nursing staff levels and providing support for additional immunization activities and ensuring access to essential medical supplies at the health facilities.

We are encouraging all Canadians to get their flu shot and to use preventive methods, such as handwashing and coughing into their sleeve.

[Product Safety, November 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians should have confidence in the consumer products that they buy and the best way to do that and to ensure that countries and their importers comply is to pass our Canadian consumer product safety bill, Bill C-36. We are eagerly awaiting the passage of the bill in the Senate and we hope this time around the Liberal senators will not hold it up.

[Diabetes, November 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, November 14 was World Diabetes Day.

Many families, including my own, are affected by this condition. Today, more than nine million Canadians live with diabetes or pre-diabetes. Diabetes rates are expected to increase substantially over the coming years, and we must continue to fight against this growing public health epidemic.

Our government remains committed to finding a cure for diabetes. We are proud to say that last November this government committed $20 million as part of a $34 million partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to support the development of a Canadian clinical trials network, a groundbreaking effort to accelerate made in Canada solutions to the management, care and cure of type 1 diabetes.

Thanks to the exceptional work of JDRF and its partners, we are closer than ever to finding a cure. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the ongoing commitment of the millions of Canadians who have built awareness of and live with diabetes in Canada.

[Michael Starr Week, November 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to stand in the House today to speak about a true trailblazer in Oshawa.

Yesterday, November 14, was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Michael Starr, the most distinguished, prolific, and successful politician that Oshawa has ever produced. Yesterday Michael Starr had his star unveiled on Oshawa's Walk of Fame.

This week has been declared “Michael Starr Week”.

Michael served as a city alderman and went on to be the mayor of Oshawa from 1949 to1952. He was also the federal member of Parliament from 1952 to 1968, and was the first Ukrainian Canadian ever to serve as a cabinet minister.

Michael also served as an honorary colonel of the Ontario Regiment, honorary president of the Oshawa Boy Scouts, honorary chairman of the Oshawa Folk Arts Council, and a founder and later president of the Ukrainian Business and Professional Club in Oshawa.

Michael was considered by many ethnic leaders as their spokesman in Ottawa on both national and international issues.

I stand here today to honour the legacy of Michael Starr.

[Health, November 5th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, suicide is a tragic event and it affects far too many Canadian families. The minister is from the north and she understands how real and very tragic this issue is. Sixty-five million dollars has been spent to date to implement the national aboriginal youth suicide prevention strategy, and there is more. We committed $285 million in budget 2010 to federal aboriginal health programs in the area of suicide prevention, maternal child health, health human resources and the aboriginal health transition fund.

[November 3rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the difference between our government and the NDP is that we are committed to working with the stakeholders and our partners in the first nations community.

Budget 2010 has demonstrated this government's ongoing commitment to improving aboriginal health outcomes with an investment of $285 million over two years to renew aboriginal health programs in the areas of diabetes, suicide prevention, health human resources, the aboriginal transition fund, and maternal and child health.

The sad thing is that the NDP voted against all these initiatives.

Health Canada is helping to address the factors that have an impact on maternal and infant mortality in first nations and Inuit communities, by supporting programs that aim to promote healthy behaviour such as smoking cessation, increased access to quality prenatal care and regulated birth attendance, and providing information on maternal nutrition.

Health Canada will continue to work with partners and stakeholders on maternal and child health programs in first nations and Inuit communities to reduce the gaps in maternal and infant mortality rates between first nations and the Inuit and the general population.

We hope that the NDP gets behind these initiatives instead of constantly voting against all the good initiatives that--

[November 3rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, let me begin by saying that the health and safety of all Canadians is important to our government. We are committed to improving health outcomes for first nations and the Inuit. We recognize that strategic investments in maternal and child health lead to greatly improved long-term health outcomes, which is why we will continue to work with our partners to support maternal and child health programs in first nations and Inuit communities.

Budget 2010 has demonstrated our government's ongoing commitment to improving aboriginal health outcomes by investing $285 million over two years. This investment will be put towards aboriginal health programs in the areas of diabetes, suicide prevention, health human resources, the aboriginal health transition fund, and maternal and child health.

Our government supports a range of programs and services that promote improved health outcomes for first nations and Inuit children and their families. These initiatives support healthy pregnancies, healthy births and healthy child development.

Through these programs, the Government of Canada is helping to address factors that impact maternal and infant mortality in first nations and Inuit communities by promoting healthy behaviours such as smoking cessation, increasing access to quality prenatal care and regulated birth attendance, and providing information on maternal nutrition.

As well, through the maternal and child health program, the Government of Canada works to ensure that first nations women, children and families reach their fullest developmental and lifetime potential.

Specific services through the maternal and child health program include home visits by nurses and family visitors for first nations pregnant women and families with infants and young children, to provide follow-up, referrals and case management, as well as screening and assessment of pregnant women and new parents' access to the services they need.

In the north, the program enhances disease prevention and health promotion activities provided for Inuit communities by the provincial and territorial governments.

We have also initiated activities to improve maternal and infant nutritional health care through the Canada prenatal nutrition program, including breastfeeding promotion and support, nutritional screening, education and counselling, and maternal nourishment.

The first nations and Inuit component of the Canada prenatal nutrition program has an annual budget of $14 million and currently reaches over 9,000 first nations and Inuit women per year at approximately 450 project sites, which serve more than 600 communities.

Health Canada is also investing $16 million annually to prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorder births and to improve health outcomes for those affected in first nations communities.

Our government also monitors maternal and infant health through the Canadian perinatal surveillance system. Through this system we work with leading experts from across the country to analyze and report on women's health in pregnancy and childbirth.

In the north, we are supporting the Government of Nunavut in its responsibility to provide health services to all territorial residents, including those for new mothers and children.

The territorial health system sustainability initiative is a five-year, $150 million program that supports territorial health system reforms and offsets medical travel expenses in the three territories.

My colleague asked about midwifery. Budget 2010 confirmed a two-year, $60 million extension of the territorial health system sustainability initiative to provide the opportunity for territorial governments to continue building upon the successes realized over the first five years. As part of the initiative, Nunavut dedicated substantial resources to expand community midwifery services and modernize its midwifery act.

Our government is committed to helping first nations and Inuit leaders, partners and stakeholders to ensure access to quality health programs for infants, children and families in all first nations and Inuit communities.

[Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, October 29th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the member's speech and it is unfortunate that Canadians had to hear such a partisan rant. It displays the Liberal Party's confusion when it comes to talking about health care.

We are in the House of Commons. The member spent her entire time talking about the Senate. Now that she is the Liberal Senate spokesperson, I wonder if she could let us know if the Liberal Senate will be supporting this bill. There is some confusion. The last time, all of us saw Liberals stand up in this House unanimously and support it. The whole House sent the bill to the Senate, yet when it arrived there the Liberal Party voted against it. This time around, I listened to the member's speech but I have to wonder whether there was any indication in it about the Liberal position.

History repeats itself. The bill went through the House and went to committee where it was passed unanimously. All opposition parties worked together on this important bill. Nowhere in the member's speech did she say whether the Liberal Party would support it or vote against it. Is this just another indication of the Liberal Party's confusion on health care? We have heard positions by the official critic, the member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca. We just do not know.

This is an important issue for Canadians. Canadians do not want this to become a partisan rant. They do not want it to be divisive. We are talking about consumer product safety, but the member brought up other bills.

We just want clarification. We do not want partisanship. Could she be clear? Does she support the bill or not? Do the Liberals support this important piece of legislation?

[The Economy, October 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that Canada's economic action plan is getting results for Canadians. While other countries around the world continue to lose jobs, Canada has created net new jobs. Both the IMF and the OECD project Canada to have the strongest growth in the G7 over 2010 and 2011. That is economic leadership.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce says it best:

Canada’s economy weathered the financial and economic crisis better than most industrialized countries...the economy recouped all the real output and net jobs lost during the recession. No other G8 country can make such a claim.

That is evidence that the economic action plan is working well for Canadians, creating net new jobs.

The people of Oshawa and all Canadians have definitely benefited from our government's action and commitment to protecting the Canadian economy.

[October 19th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, my thoughts go out to all who suffer from MS. We are moving as quickly as possible based on the best available science. We have established a scientific expert working group to monitor and analyze results from the seven MS Society sponsored studies already under way in Canada and the United States.

This year the CIHR has invested $5.4 million specifically for MS.

If the experts advise in favour of clinical trials, our government working with the MS Society and provinces and territories will ensure they are funded, again based on the best available science.

I appreciate the opportunity to have spoken on this very important issue.