Libby Davies

[Sodium Reduction Strategy for Canada Act, November 5th, 2012]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-460, An Act respecting the implementation of the Sodium Reduction Strategy for Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce my bill, an act respecting the implementation of the sodium reduction strategy for Canada. The bill addresses a critical public health issue in our country. Right now we are facing an epidemic of sodium related diseases driven by the high sodium content in pre-packaged foods, which accounts for approximately 75% of our sodium intake.

The bill would help Canadians make healthier choices and reduce the sodium in their diets. It would implement the recommendations of Health Canada's sodium working group, as set out in its sodium reduction strategy for Canada.

I thank all the organizations that asked us to bring this issue forward and help create the bill. They told me that reducing the amount of sodium in our food would substantially decrease the incidence of cardiovascular disease events and, in turn, the deaths of thousands of Canadians each year.

I also thank my colleague from Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert for being here today to second my bill and who, as a physician, understands the importance of preventive health measures, such as reducing sodium intake. That is why the bill is so important. It would improve the health of Canadians and it would save lives. I hope that all members will support the bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Health, November 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the government has done nothing to investigate reports that people have suffered adverse drug reactions to prescription medications. Sadly some have even died. It seems astounding that Health Canada is not following up on these critical issues of life and death, nor giving grieving families the answers they need.

These families deserve an explanation and accountability from the minister. What is her response and what will she do to ensure no further deaths occur?

[Poverty, October 30th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear. The Conservatives' budget did not help the 880,000 Canadians using food banks. That is what we voted against on this side of the House.

Conservative cuts in EI did not help anyone either. Nor did a budget bill that raids vacation pay and health insurance.

Why will the government not act to help the hundreds of thousands of Canadians living in poverty? Why are these Canadians being left behind by the government?

[Poverty, October 30th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives only wish they had an ounce of Mr. Page's credibility. The report from the PBO makes it clear that the Conservative approach to the economy will cost 125,000 jobs. That is bad enough, but adding to that is today's report from Food Banks Canada, which shows that the number of families needing help is up 31% over pre-recession levels. The picture is even worse.

Does the government have any response to hunger, other than tax cuts for its big business friends?

[Jobs and Growth Act, 2012, October 29th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I know the member for Etobicoke North is the next to speak, so I hope she will bear with me for a moment.

I would like to seek unanimous consent to move the following motion: That, notwithstanding any order or usual practice of the House, clauses 269 to 298, related to changes to the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act be removed from Bill C-45, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, and do compose Bill C-47; that, Bill C-47 be entitled “an act to amend the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act”; and that, Bill C-47 be deemed read a first time and be printed; that, the order for second reading of the said bill provide for the referral to the Standing Committee on Health; that, Bill C-45 retain the status on the order paper that it had prior to the adoption of this order; that, Bill C-45 be reprinted as amended; and that, the law clerk and parliamentary counsel be authorized to make any technical changes or corrections as may be necessary to give effect to this motion.

I am proposing this motion so that the Standing Committee on Health can properly study Bill C-45 as it relates to hazardous materials and make amendments. Mr. Speaker, we want to do our job in our committee and I ask that you seek unanimous consent.

[Jobs and Growth Act, 2012, October 29th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thought that was a whole new speech.

The question I want to ask is this. I was shocked what I heard the member say earlier, alleging that there was buying votes with borrowed money. I believe he was referring to seniors. Is this the same party and the same Prime Minister who did not tell Canadians what their plans were with respect to the OAS? What is this business about buying votes? This is about actually telling people the truth about what the Conservative government has planned, something it neglected to say during the federal election.

How can the member defend that?

[Jobs and Growth Act, 2012, October 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct the member on one point. We actually love trade on this side of the House, and we are very much looking forward to trading the current government for an NDP government, so just watch out.

I would like to ask the member a question. We have heard repeatedly that this budget is about the economy, providing jobs and helping Canadians. Of course there are so many cuts and so many things are being slashed that the list is too long to go into here.

I do want to focus on one point. In most Canadian cities, even smaller communities, there is a crisis in affordable housing yet there is nothing in this budget that will address the affordable housing crisis in this country. I would like to ask the member why it is that his government has failed so miserably to address this fundamental human right and human need for Canadians?

We have something like two million Canadians who are homeless. Millions of Canadians are in what we call core need housing, which means they are spending much too much money from their income on housing or they cannot find affordable housing. I wonder if the member could address why his government has failed on that point?

[Health, October 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, it is a problem the minister is not willing to tackle.

On March 14 of this year, the House voted unanimously in favour of an NDP motion to mitigate the drug shortage crisis. The motion called for the government to “develop a nationwide strategy to anticipate, identify, and manage shortages of essential medications”.

It sure looks like the government failed when it came to Zarontin. Now families are struggling to cope. What is the government's plan to get this crucial drug into the hands of Canadians who desperately need it?

[Health, October 24th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the deaths of five American children have been linked to the caffeine-infused Monster brand energy drink. Seven million energy drinks a month are sold in Canada, putting the health of Canadians, especially children, at risk.

Last year Health Canada said that new labelling requirements for energy drinks were an “extremely high priority”.

In light of this new information, will the minister now take immediate action to protect Canadian children by fast-tracking the needed regulatory changes?

[World Autism Awareness Day Act, October 23rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say at the outset, on behalf of the NDP, that we have agreed that the debate tonight will hopefully be cut short, that this will be approved on a voice vote. Therefore, there is no controversy, in case people start spinning this up. There were discussions held on this, and we certainly agreed with that.

We would welcome the opportunity to make a few remarks about the bill. First, I would like to thank the member for Kitchener—Conestoga, as well as the senator who came before the health committee and spoke about the bill. We had a good discussion. We were very clear at the health committee, when we dealt with it a week ago, that we in the NDP very much support a day in recognition of autism and the impact it has on Canadian families.

As the member alluded to, if there is any slight criticism it is that this really is a bill about an awareness day. We would hope to see much more meaningful action take place, as many members in the community have called for, families who are living with autism. There are some very severe needs that need to be addressed. For us, this is an issue about certainly giving recognition but needing to do more than that. That is our point.

I would point out that a number of our members have also had bills on autism. The member for Vancouver Kingsway, put forward Bill C-351. That has been a very important bill that he put forward. There is also the member for Sudbury, who has had two bills calling for action to better support those living with autism. That is the kind of meaningful action we need to see.

We in the NDP are somewhat concerned that for a number of years the government has not taken the kind of leadership that is required on this issue. We do see many organizations calling for a national strategy. In fact, there were promises made to have a national strategy on autism. That is something that is very important to do. I know the member for Kitchener—Conestoga probably supports that. I hope he will encourage his government to now go further and build on the day of awareness we have.

The only other point I would like to make is that much has been said overall in this debate, in the first hours of debate, but there is new information that is coming out. One of the issues is an issue of gender, which on the surface appears to be an issue about age. This has to do with where early intervention is provided.

The fact is that there are some estimates that the average age of diagnosis for a girl on the autism spectrum is 12, whereas for boys it is between the ages of 5 and 7. What happens is that, because early intervention often takes place around the age of 5 or 6, many girls are actually being cut out of that early intervention.

This was something that was brought to my attention by a family in Nova Scotia who actually have three daughters who are on the autism spectrum. It is something to factor in about what needs to be done, to understand the kinds of supports families need to have and to understand, when we say early intervention, that it actually has to be appropriate to the ages of children when they are diagnosed. Certainly intervention is important, but it has to be appropriate and it has to meet the needs of the children at the ages they are being diagnosed.

I did want to make that point today, because I do think it is something that helps build the debate on this issue. In conclusion, I would again say that, in the NDP, we have supported this bill. We supported it at committee. We are happy to let it go on a voice vote today, which means it will be approved.

However, we would use this opportunity to say to the government members who have been supporting this bill, and indeed to all members, let us see this as a first step, let us build on this issue, let us hold the government to its commitments for a national strategy, and let us support the families in their needs, as well as people who are living with autism, because there is much more that needs to be done.