John Oliver

[The Environment, October 15th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I listened to the member opposite's address and what struck me was that he just does not get it.

People in my riding of Oakville know, and I can say that all Canadians know, that it costs taxpayers to help people and a community to recover from a forest fire. People across Canada know that it costs taxpayers money to help people and a community recover from flooding. People across Canada know that it costs taxpayers money to help people recover from heat exposure and heat exhaustion during the heat waves we have been experiencing. People across Canada know that it costs taxpayers money to help people and communities recover from severe weather events.

All I heard from the member by way of solutions was his references back to the failed attempts by the Harper government to make any changes.

Why does the member not want to make the people responsible for the climate change we are experiencing, for these terrible events that are happening to Canadians across our country, pay for it? Make the people producing the pollution pay for the damages.

[The Environment, October 15th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, when I go back to my riding of Oakville, I am very proud to talk about our government's work in both protecting the environment and growing our economy. It is working.

We have created thousands of jobs across the country while our emissions are dropping. We have put a price on pollution. We are phasing out coal. We are making historic investments in public transit, green infrastructure and clean technologies. In Oakville we are making a difference with our environment.

My question to my hon. colleague is this. We have heard from scientists around the world. We are running out of time. It is crunch time to get something done. Do the hon. member and her party support putting a price on pollution?

[Filipino Heritage Month, October 1st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, in my community of Oakville, I have a very strong and robust Filipino community. The community has an annual picnic, and I have learned first-hand just how wonderful the food is. Everyone shows up for that picnic, and it is a great time to sit and enjoy some Filipino food, but also the company, the joy and the celebration the community is so excellent at.

In my previous life, I worked in a hospital. I have often said to people that some of the best nurses in that hospital, because of their empathy, love and high professional skills, are Filipino.

Has the member experienced that caregiving aspect of the Filipino community in her riding, and could she reflect on the importance of that kind of diversity in our Canadian culture?

[Department of Health Act, September 28th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to sincerely thank the member for Lac-Saint-Louis for his hard work and insights on Canada's drinking water guidelines, which he introduced through Bill C-326, and also for his leadership in this area over many years. I know that all members in this House come from ridings that pull their drinking water from multiple sources. In my community of Oakville, we pull it from Lake Ontario. Therefore, drinking water guidelines are essential and important to every one of us.

Canada has a long history of developing guidelines to ensure that Canada's drinking water is among the safest in the world. In fact, the first guideline was published 50 years ago. Today over 100 guidelines are maintained and renewed. If passed, Bill C-326 would help ensure that Canada's drinking water guidelines are protective of health and are comparable to those in leading jurisdictions internationally. Furthermore, it would improve transparency on how drinking water quality guidelines are developed in Canada.

It is important to understand that drinking water quality is the responsibility of all levels of government, from federal to municipal. While drinking water is primarily under provincial and territorial jurisdiction, the Government of Canada plays a central role in drinking water safety. Health Canada works in close collaboration with the provinces and territories to establish science-based guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality, which are published by Health Canada. Each of these guidelines is specific to a contaminant found in Canada. These guidelines are in turn used by the provinces and territories as a basis for establishing their own drinking water quality standards, in accordance with their respective public health priorities. The guidelines are also used to ensure the safety of drinking water in areas of federal jurisdiction.

This collaborative approach between federal, provincial and territorial governments is applied consistently throughout the process, from identifying priorities and assessing risks to developing draft guidelines to consulting with Canadians and working toward implementing the guidelines across Canada. This process is based on robust science, national and international peer review and the consideration of standards and guidelines from other international jurisdictions. This harmonized approach helps ensure consistency in the levels of protection across Canada while respecting the existing constitutional division of responsibilities.

Canada takes an approach to the development of drinking water guidelines that is similar to what many other countries do. Health Canada develops guidelines for substances of concern that are found in Canadian drinking water supplies at levels that can pose a risk to human health. A drinking water contaminant in Australia, for example, is not necessarily a concern in Canada because of differences in industry and geology. This means that the substances needing guidelines or standards will vary internationally. Canada identifies issues that are specific to Canada and takes these issues into consideration when developing guidelines designed to protect the health of Canadians. The science generated, as well as the standards developed by other global authorities, are used to help inform the development of drinking water quality guidelines in Canada.

Every four years, Health Canada, in collaboration with the provinces and territories, conducts a comprehensive review of chemical substances, including new or emerging potential drinking water contaminants. This review aims to assess whether there is new science related to the potential health impacts of a contaminant, new information on Canadians' level of exposure, and any new treatment technology developed nationally or internationally. On the basis of this review, a list of prioritized contaminants is created. This collaborative, science-based process ensures that federal and provincial resources are directed at substances most likely to pose a risk to the health of Canadians.

Internationally, Canada is considered a leader in the development of drinking water quality guidelines. Health Canada is also recognized as a collaborating centre for water quality by the World Health Organization, highlighting Canada's international prominence and expertise. The department has been a contributor to all the World Health Organization's drinking water quality guidelines for the last several decades, and over the past 10 years, the World Health Organization has used Canada's drinking water assessments as the basis for developing its own guidelines for 12 chemical substances and has requested specific input from Health Canada on a further 10.

As part of its assessment process, Health Canada routinely monitors and reviews the drinking water guidelines and standards developed by other key organizations. The science supporting these international standards is taken into consideration when developing our Canadian guidelines.

This approach ensures that Canadian drinking water guidelines are based on credible, science-based criteria and also take into consideration the science behind new and updated drinking water standards developed globally.

The Government of Canada also works closely and shares information with international government agencies. Health Canada recently collaborated with the United States Environmental Protection Agency to develop a risk assessment on blue-green algae, also harmful algae blooms, which affect a growing number of drinking water sources in Canada and the United States. This risk assessment was used as a basis for a Canadian guideline and for a U.S. health advisory on blue-green algae.

Health Canada has also co-operated with Australia in the development of an online risk assessment tool. The online tool is developed to help operators in small communities with small drinking water systems to evaluate their level of risk and prioritize areas for action.

To summarize, Canada's effective, collaborative, science-based process for developing drinking water quality guidelines is among the best in the world. However, are improvements possible? The answer is yes. If passed, Bill C-326 would, for the first time, formalize in legislation the role of the federal government and specifically the Minister of Health to coordinate the development of national drinking water quality guidelines and to consider the guidelines and standards developed in other jurisdictions. This represents a significant step toward improving federal accountability on the issue.

The intent of Bill C-326 is not to question the quality of the work that is being done by Health Canada and our provinces and territories. The intent is to maintain Canada's status among the world's leading agencies on drinking water quality. It highlights the need for our scientists to review the work of other leading agencies to keep abreast of new scientific approaches and studies. It demonstrates the need for having open and transparent scientific processes and to better communicate our work and its importance to Canadians on an ongoing basis.

If adopted, Bill C-326 would strengthen federal accountability by improving the transparency of the process by which drinking water guidelines are developed.

Health Canada is already moving in this direction. In addition to being posted on the Government of Canada's website, new and updated guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality are now published in the Canada Gazette under the authority conveyed to the Minister of Health under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

Each guideline published in the Canada Gazette will include a comparison between corresponding guidelines or standards of leading international jurisdictions and agencies. If passed, Bill C-326 would build on these efforts and enhance information that is available to Canadians on drinking water quality guidelines.

Publishing the guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act will help enhance the government's transparency and outreach to experts, stakeholders and interested Canadians, and formalize the consultation process on all guidelines.

In conclusion, Bill C-326, if adopted, would strengthen Canada's efforts to ensure our guidelines are among the best in the world, that they are based on up-to-date science and that they are protective of the health of Canadians. It will inform Canadians and stakeholders of the process used to develop guidelines and how our drinking water quality guidelines compare to standards and the guidelines of leading international agencies.

I am pleased to advise the House that the government will be supporting Bill C-326. Once again, I would like to thank the member for Lac-Saint-Louis for his work on this important issue and for his leadership past and ongoing in ensuring strong drinking water guidelines for all Canadians.

[Multilateral Instrument in Respect of Tax Conventions Act, September 28th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I know that residents of Oakville, particularly taxpayers there, want to make sure they have the same opportunities to succeed and benefit in a growing economy. That also means making sure that the tax system is fair to everyone, so I am delighted to see that we are taking steps in the fight against aggressive international tax avoidance and countering strategies that allow business and wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share.

It seems to me that this legislation would allow for a much quicker and more efficient updating of multilateral conventions and bilateral tax treaties. Could my colleague say a few words about his impression of that in this bill?

[Health, September 28th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medication, including orphan drugs, as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare diseases. We are working on improving access to orphan drugs. We have, as I said earlier, launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative and we encourage people with rare diseases to work with the implementation of a national pharmacare council to give advice to the development of those recommendations.

[Health, September 28th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medications including orphan drugs as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare medical conditions. To that end, we have launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative, a major effort to improve the availability of prescription medications including drugs for rare diseases.

Last year, our government authorized 36 new drugs and we look forward to the health committee's report on rare diseases.

[Business of Supply, September 25th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I had a number of round tables with veterans from my riding of Oakville about three years ago to ask how things were for them and whether they were able to access services. I heard uniformly that they were having difficulty accessing services. I heard from a mother whose son had served, a veteran who suffered from PTSD, and the concerns she had about adequate support and adequate treatment for veterans.

That is why I am so glad to see that our government has been reinvesting in veterans, has opened the new centre of excellence for post-traumatic stress disorder, and has launched the joint suicide prevention strategy along with the Canadian Armed Forces.

My question to the member is, where was he? Where was he during the 10 years when the Conservatives lost the trust of the veterans community? Where was he when it came to improving mental health services? Where was he when the Auditor General said that the Conservatives were not doing enough to facilitate veterans' timely access to mental health services and benefits? Where was he during that decade?

[Health, September 24th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, implementing national pharmacare is not something that can be achieved overnight. It will require working closely with experts from all relevant areas, as well as with provincial, territorial, indigenous and national leaders. That is a key part of the role of the advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare led by Dr. Hoskins. We have to get the details right. While the council does its work, we are continuing to improve Canada's pharmaceuticals management system.

Unfortunately, even as public and private payers wrestle with growing costs, Canadians are not experiencing all of the benefits that this level of spending should provide. Some Canadians face real barriers to access. The Government of Canada is firmly committed to working with its partners to address these challenges and, as outlined here today, our government is taking action.

[Health, September 24th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to strengthening health care systems across the country and supporting the health of Canadians. We know Canadians are proud of their publicly funded health care system. It is based on need and not ability to pay. We also recognize almost a million Canadians have to choose between food or heat or the prescription medications they need. In many cases they do not take prescribed drugs due to the high prices. That is why our government is taking steps to make prescription drugs more affordable and accessible, but we recognize there is even more we can do.

As part of budget 2018, we have created an advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare. This council, chaired by Dr. Eric Hoskins, will build on the valuable work done by the Standing Committee on Health. The council will work closely with experts and provincial, territorial and indigenous leaders as well as exploring domestic and international models. The final report, expected by spring 2019, will recommend actions on how best to move forward together on this important issue.

As we await the findings of the council, our government will continue working collaboratively with the provinces and territories and with leading pan-Canadian health organizations to lower drug prices, provide more timely access to the new medicines Canadians need, and support appropriate prescribing. For example, our government is modernizing the way the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board works through amendments to the patented medicines regulations. These changes will better protect Canadian consumers, governments and private insurers from excessive drug prices.

Our government is also working closely with the provinces and territories through the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance to lower drug costs. By combining governments' collective bargaining power, the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance has completed more than 170 joint brand drug negotiations and achieved price reductions on 18 generic drugs, resulting in combined savings of almost $1.3 billion annually.

In addition, our government is working to provide Canadians with more timely access to important new medicines. Health Canada is making changes to better align its drug review process with health partners and to expand its priority review process to more effectively meet health care system needs. It is doing this while continuing to ensure that approved drugs are safe, effective and of good quality. This will include establishing new regulatory pathways for drugs and working more closely with organizations that assess the cost-effectiveness of drugs.

Finally, our government recognizes that the overuse, underuse and misuse of prescription drugs creates risks for patients and unnecessary waste in the health care system. To address this, we will work with our partners to build evidence and promote best practices in the appropriate prescribing and use of drugs. These actions are moving Canada towards a more sustainable and responsive pharmaceuticals management system. Our government recognizes there is an opportunity to do even more.

We welcome the results of the extensive study the health committee conducted on pharmacare. The advisory council has begun an important national dialogue on how to move forward on this important topic.