Geoff Regan

[Medical Isotopes, June 17th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know the government refuses to explore every possible solution to the isotope crisis.

The government prematurely shut down the MAPLE reactors. It did not treat a proposal to create isotopes at McMaster University as a priority. It denied, for months, there was even a crisis. Then it made matters worse by announcing isotope production would die on its watch.

Why does the government believe Canadian cancer patients should be dependent on other countries for isotopes when it is clear we can be world leaders in this field?

[Medical Isotopes, June 17th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the former president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission said yesterday that the MAPLE reactors could have been working and producing isotopes. She said that the government's decision to prematurely shut down the MAPLE reactors a year ago was shocking.

Why did the Conservatives abandon the MAPLE project, when the reactors were still being audited? Was it because producing isotopes did not fit into their privatization plans?

[Medical Isotopes, June 15th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, if the government is concerned about the health and safety of Canadians, it has a strange way of showing it.

The Minister of Natural Resources talks about an increase in isotope production at various reactors around the world but she cannot tell us what action she has taken to actually secure an alternative supply.

Where is the plan to manage this medical crisis and why is the minister not doing her job?

[Medical Isotopes, June 15th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the isotope crisis is putting the health of thousands of Canadians in jeopardy. It is affecting the quality of care they are receiving. The president of the Society of Nuclear Medicine said today that he is extremely alarmed by the situation and that he expects it to get worse.

Why is the government incapable of providing a detailed plan to deal with this crisis?

[Medical Isotopes, June 12th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that waiting lists for cardiac and cancer tests are growing longer every day. Medical isotope supplies in Quebec are down to 20%. Hospitals in Ottawa and Manitoba will soon run out.

For days we have been asking specific questions of this government that Canadians want answered, but this government will not give us basic information. Why can it not answer these simple questions?

[Medical Isotopes, June 12th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the government insists that it has access to international medical isotope supplies. But yesterday, the president of Quebec's association of nuclear medicine specialists said that up to 12,000 patients in Quebec, and just in Quebec, were experiencing increased wait times for heart and cancer tests because of the isotope shortage.

Why are the Conservatives misleading Canadians?

[Medical Isotopes, June 11th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, these are straightforward questions and Canadians are entitled to straight answers.

So let us try again. Does the government expect to see a bidding war for the dwindling supply of global isotopes? Is it not reasonable to expect that most of the remaining supply of cancer testing isotopes is going to be soaked up by the U.S. market?

[Medical Isotopes, June 11th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are appalled at the isotope shortage and they have a lot of questions.

Can the government tell Canadians how much it will cost to buy isotopes on the international market? Will the government compensate the provinces for this additional cost?

[Medical Isotopes, June 10th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of Natural Resources said that Canada was equipped to secure international supplies of isotopes. She claimed to have the international infrastructure in place to address the shortage. The minister has been trying to portray herself as leading and winning on isotopes, but Canadian cancer patients are losing precious time.

Will the minister admit she cannot predict how much of the shortage in Canadian hospitals can be made up by international suppliers?

[Medical Isotopes, June 10th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the Minister of Natural Resources told Canadians that the isotope crisis was under control and that there was nothing to worry about. Yesterday, the president of the Ontario Association of Nuclear Medicine said that some hospitals will run out of medical isotopes by tomorrow or Friday.

Can the minister confirm that, yes or no?