Leona Aglukkaq

[Health, November 28th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, what was not stated in that statement is that the 2004 accord also required a committee to review the accomplishments. That work is currently being carried out in the Senate. I am looking forward to receiving the findings of the review from the Senate committee, which will be completing that report in the next month or so.

One of our goals is to ensure there is accountability in the way the money is being spent. I will continue to work with the provinces and territories in the delivery of health care to their residents.

[Health, November 28th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I had very productive meetings with the health ministers this past Friday. We discussed many important issue, such as obesity, suicide prevention, mental health and MS.

Minister Bolduc, Quebec's health minister, said that he felt there was excellent collaboration among the provinces and the federal government. He felt that we were listening to them.

That is great news. It reflects the success of our discussions and advances that we have made together to better the health care system for all Canadians. Our government will not be like the previous Liberal government that slashed health and education transfers to the provinces.

[Health, November 23rd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, our government agrees with the Auditor General's recommendations and findings.

Work is already under way to address the recommendations outlined. My department is making improvements on how Health Canada responds to reports concerning products that are on the market.

Again, the health and safety of Canadians is a priority for our government. We are putting the processes in place to ensure that the products on the market are safe, efficient and reliable for all Canadians.

[Pharmaceutical Drugs, November 22nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, our government is taking a leadership role when it comes to dealing with drug shortages. This summer, I told the drug companies that if they did not take action, our government would look to regulations to require action.

I am pleased to report to the House that these companies have responded positively to my request.

[Health Canada, November 22nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, again, I agree with the Auditor General's recommendations on the department in strengthening its approach to clinical trials. New procedures are being put in place to improve transparency, and to better monitor clinical trials and adverse reaction reports.

To strengthen the pharmaceutical drug program, a new IT system has also been put in place to help better identify potential safety concerns. The audit is from 2009-10, so we have acted on a number of the recommendations already.

[Health Canada, November 22nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier, my department is implementing the advice of the Auditor General. The Auditor General was very clear in his statements today that there were no cases of conflict of interest; however, we do agree that additional conflict of interest rules should apply to those who review drugs.

[Health Canada, November 22nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, we agree with the Auditor General's findings.

My department is making improvements on how Health Canada responds to safety issues regarding drugs on the market. For example, our government has invested in drug safety and, in fact, the network MedEffect was created by our government a year or two ago and $32 million were invested to support that initiative.

[Health Canada, November 22nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, our government agrees with the Auditor General's findings and work is already under way to address those recommendations.

My department is making improvements on how Health Canada responds to concerns about products that are on the market. The health and safety of Canadians is a priority for our government and we are putting processes in place to ensure that the products on the market are safe, efficient and reliable for all Canadians.

[Pharmaceutical Industry, November 21st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, our government is taking a leadership role when it comes to dealing with drug shortages.

This summer, I told the drug companies that if they did not take action, our government would look at regulations to require action. I am pleased to report to the House that these companies have responded positively to my request.

[Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, November 15th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated many times, we accept the recommendations coming from the auditor. We are addressing those recommendations. This was the process audit.