Leona Aglukkaq

[Consumer Product Safety, November 26th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, again, our current legislation is not adequate under surveillance. The surveillance system is weak. There is no mandatory reporting from the industry to us whenever there is an incident with any product that it sells.

We rely on consumers to provide information to us when incidents happen. We investigate every one of those incidents and make a determination on how to respond, which is why we recognize it is not adequate. This is why we introduced Bill C-6. This is why the Liberal senators need to pass that legislation so we can protect the health and—

[Consumer Product Safety, November 26th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, every complaint that is filed by consumers to us in regard to any product is investigated. Once the full scope of the problem is determined, necessary actions are taken.

The legislation we have right now is currently not adequate under the surveillance. The surveillance system is very weak. Under the current legislation, we also have to negotiate a voluntary recall with a company whenever we discover a product is unsafe. This is unacceptable to Canadians and that is why the Liberal senators need to pass the Canada consumer products safety act.

[Consumer Product Safety, November 25th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, we introduced Bill C-6 to protect the health and safety of Canadians. We recognize that the current legislation is over 40 years old. It is outdated. That is why we are encouraging the Liberal senators to stop delaying the passage of that legislation, so that we can protect the health and safety of Canadians.

I found out about this yesterday, and yesterday we issued the release to protect the health and safety of Canadians. Current legislation does not give us a mandatory recall. It only gives us a voluntary recall. We have to work with the industry on any recalls. Also, we will continue to push the senators of the Liberal Party to pass--

[Consumer Product Safety, November 25th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the government does not currently have the authority to order a mandatory recall.

We introduced the Canada consumer product safety act, Bill C-6. When passed, it will give us the tools needed to protect Canadian children.

I am hearing that the Liberal senators want to further delay this bill review by postponing a clause-by-clause review scheduled for tomorrow morning. I would continue to urge the Liberal senators to stop delaying the passage of these important safety measures that will protect Canadians and their children.

[Health, November 24th, 2009]

Again, Mr. Speaker, we have been working with the provinces and the territories and have created a guidance document to mitigate the issue.

Our government has invested in alternative medical isotopes based on the recommendations of the experts that we appointed to deal with the situation with us. This means that more isotope alternatives will be identified through the research that we are doing.

We have also appointed Dr. McEwan as a special adviser. He is a renowned expert in this field. We will continue to work with him as well as the medical experts on this file and the provinces and the territories in the future.

[Health, November 24th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank all those doctors who have done so much to mitigate this issue. I share the concerns of Canadians regarding the shortage and that is why I have taken swift actions to deal with that.

Our focus is ensuring that Canadians have a predictable and reliable supply of medical isotopes and we continue to take every step necessary to protect the health and safety of Canadians. Our government has also taken action to identify alternatives to medical isotopes such as thallium and sodium fluoride and the options that are available to those Canadians who require the testing. This means that more medical isotopes are available for those individuals that need them.

[Health, November 20th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, this week I spoke of how proud we should be as Canadians of the way all partners have worked together in this pandemic.

I am pleased to say that by the end of next week the provinces and territories will have received another 4.8 million doses. This puts us above a total of 15 million doses and represents almost half of our population.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the front line workers for all their hard work and compassion in helping to get as many people vaccinated as possible.

[Finance, November 18th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the meeting of the G7 finance ministers and central bank governors will be hosted in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

At such an important and challenging time, I can think of no better location for an international meeting focused on collaboration to resolve shared challenges.

Throughout its long history, the people of Nunavut and all of Canada's north have demonstrated a community spirit and steadfast determination to overcome adversity.

[Member spoke in Inuktitut]

[Health, November 18th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I also want to acknowledge again the hard work of the front line people who are working very hard in the provinces and territories to vaccinate every Canadian who wants to receive the vaccine by the end of this year. Canada is ahead of schedule. We produce more vaccines for Canadians, 10.4 million vaccines by the end of this week, and 20% of our population has been vaccinated to date.

Once again, I will say this in the House, some jurisdictions will have completed their vaccination program this week and that is something to be proud of as Canadians. We should be proud of how we are doing.

[Health, November 18th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, 20% of the population of Canada has been vaccinated this week.

At the same time, our schedule is well ahead in producing vaccines for all Canadians. This week alone we have 10.4 million vaccines available to all Canadians. The provinces and territories are working hard to vaccinate every Canadian who wants to receive a vaccine by the end of the year.

This is a good news story for Canada. We are leading in the response to this pandemic. We are well ahead of schedule. It is something to be proud of.