Madam Speaker, it is clear that the Block Québécois is the one trying to pick a fight. Our party, the government, is the one trying to come up with solutions.
We are having discussions with Minister Dubé—
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 57% of the vote.
Dental Care December 15th, 2023
Madam Speaker, it is clear that the Block Québécois is the one trying to pick a fight. Our party, the government, is the one trying to come up with solutions.
We are having discussions with Minister Dubé—
Carbon Pricing December 14th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, of course, we know that the Conservatives voted against farmers. They voted against taking action on climate change. They also voted against dental care. That means nine million people who they do not want to have access to dental care. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of seniors who they are saying are not going to be able to get dentures replaced if they were in government. They are talking about more than a million kids who they would say no to, that those kids cannot get critical dental care because they want to vote against it.
Their real agenda is cuts. When one looks through their slogans, that is all that is there.
Health December 14th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, of course we are going to work with Quebec. We are going to work with each province and territory to ensure that everyone gets the dental care they need to stay healthy. That is our goal, and we are going to work with every province across the country to achieve it.
Health December 14th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, our choice is clear. Our choice is to provide dental care for everyone everywhere in Canada, in every province and in every territory.
We have nine million people without access to dental care. Our dental care system will give every person in every part of our country access to dental care. That is the important thing here.
Health December 11th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, on Thursday and Friday, we got to see what the Conservatives had not been willing to show, which is that in a time of global difficulty when people all over the world are suffering, their solution here in Canada is to cut from the services and supports that Canadians desperately need.
What does that mean in dental care? It means for seniors I have been talking to for decades who have not been able to get their dentures, they voted against them getting their dentures and having that dignity. They voted against preventative health care that makes sure people do not get cardiovascular disease or diabetes or that they have to go to an emergency room because they put off that critical care.
We are delivering dental care for this country along with the NDP.
Dental Care December 11th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, this is a huge leap forward in providing dental care to everyone across the country.
I really appreciate the NDP's work. I also like the notion that all parties in the House need to work together to find solutions in these difficult times across the country, not just point out problems and criticize everything.
This is a historic day for our health care system.
Dental Care December 11th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, in a time of great global difficulty, in a time when people all over the world are finding things hard, there are those who stand up, provide solutions and talk about how we make things better. I want to recognize the NDP for stepping forward and talking about solutions and talking about answers, when we saw Conservatives voting against dental care, voting against support for seniors, voting against support for persons with disability, voting against our children who need dental support. Shame on them.
Congratulations to any party that stands up for ideas and getting things done in this country.
Dental Care December 11th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, we do not want to replace provincial and territorial systems. Our goal is to make sure that everyone in Canada who does not have dental insurance can have access to dental care. That is our goal. It has nothing to do with jurisdictions; it is about justice, health and dignity for everyone across the country.
Dental Care December 11th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, it is not about jurisdiction; it is about health.
Today, dental care will be available across the country for everyone. It is not simply a question of justice, but prevention and health as well. Today, we have significantly improved our health care system, and I am so very proud of that. We can work with all the provinces and all the territories to make sure the system will work.
Questions on the Order Paper December 6th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada believes that Canadians deserve to live in comfort and dignity, with access to care, including end-of-life care, that is appropriate to their needs and that respects their wishes. It also recognizes that medical assistance in dying, MAID, is a deeply personal choice and is committed to ensuring our laws reflect Canadians’ evolving needs, protect those who may be vulnerable and support autonomy and freedom of choice.
The federal legislation under the Criminal Code sets out a consistent set of eligibility criteria and safeguards for the legal provision of MAID across the country. Although the federal government plays a role in supporting health care by providing funding to the provinces and territories, the provincial and territorial governments have primary jurisdiction in the administration and delivery of health care services. This includes setting their own rules and requirements for the delivery of MAID, as well as making decisions on how and where the services are available.
The Canada Health Act, Canada’s federal health care insurance legislation, sets out the criteria and conditions that must be satisfied by the provincial and territorial health care insurance plans for them to qualify for their full share of the cash contribution available under the federal Canada health transfer.
The federal government does not provide any direct funding for the delivery of MAID services or for the provision of medications or substances for the purpose of MAID.
To support transparency and public trust, the Minister of Health must make regulations to collect information for the purpose of monitoring and reporting and must publish a report on MAID in Canada at least once a year. This reporting provides greater insight into who is requesting and receiving MAID in Canada and the circumstances surrounding their request. To bolster and address existing data gaps and strengthen the breadth and quality of information on MAID delivery in Canada, the federal government is also supporting policy-oriented research through contracts and contribution agreements.
With the passage of amended legislation on MAID in March 2021, federal budget 2021 provided funding of $13.2 million over five years, beginning in 2021-22, with $2.6 million per year ongoing, to Health Canada to ensure that Canada’s MAID framework is implemented consistently and with all appropriate safeguards. This funding has supported the development of training and guidance materials for practitioners to facilitate consistent and safe access to MAID. Funding will also support research to guide the evolution of MAID in Canada.
For example, the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers, CAMAP, will receive $4.97 million over five years to develop and deliver the first nationally accredited bilingual MAID education program. This program was recently launched in August 2023 and is available to licensed physicians and nurse practitioners across the country. This multi-year project, going from 2021-22 to 2025-26, will develop and implement a series of training modules to advise and support clinicians in assessing persons who request MAID, including those with mental illness and complex chronic conditions or who are impacted by structural vulnerability, as well as help with the practical application of the MAID legislative framework. It will be delivered through a combination of online and in-person learning sessions for interested health practitioners, regardless of their level of experience. Also, in 2023-24, CAMAP is creating additional clinician resources to assist assessments of complex MAID requests, such as clinical tool kits and templates. The announcement can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2022/07/government-of-canada-outlines-progress-towards-recommendations-made-by-the-expert-panel-on-maid-and-mental-illness-in-their-final-report.html.
As another example, the University of Alberta will receive $560,000 in funding over two years, from 2022-23 to 2023-24, to conduct the first comprehensive national review of how MAID is provided across the country and to expand understanding about individual and family experiences with MAID. This project, “MAID: Descriptions of and experiences with models across Canada”, will further enhance knowledge about approaches to MAID delivery across the country by gathering data and information to highlight strengths, challenges and considerations of MAID service delivery, and will identify best practices for all levels of government as well as health partners. The project will complement information collected and reported through the federal MAID monitoring system, providing a better understanding of the experiences of persons requesting MAID, including factors leading to their request. It will also help to shed light on issues such as access to MAID, quality of delivery and cultural appropriateness. The announcement can be found here: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/government-of-canada-supports-research-to-better-understand-the-delivery-of-medical-assistance-in-dying-in-canada-831267389.html#:~:text=This%20project%2C%20MAID%3A%20Descriptions%20of%20and%20experiences%20with,levels%20of%20government%20as%20well%20as%20health%20partners.
The Government of Canada will continue working with the provinces and territories and health partners to support MAID practice in Canada so that it operates in a consistent and safe manner across the country.
Federal spending related to federal MAID policy and program activities between the 2016-17 and 2023-24 fiscal years as of October 31, 2023, is broken down as follows:
Contracts total $145,021, and spending was for seeking clinical expertise and research support to develop or enhance clinical or regulatory guidance and to better understand views and perspectives of various groups related to MAID. Spending was as follows: 2016-17, $0; 2017-18, $1,650; 2018-19, $1,500; 2021-22, $796; 2022-23, $87,737; and 2023-24, $53,337.
Contribution agreements total $5,213,348, and spending was for expert reviews on various MAID topics, development of MAID training programs, clinical guidance and supporting engagement with various groups related to views and perspectives on MAID. Spending was as follows: 2016-17, $0; 2017-18, $1,297,217; 2018-19, $1,456,187; 2022-23, $1,516,073; and 2023-24, $943,871.
Interdepartmental settlements total $1,695,136, and spending was for supporting Health Canada’s mandate to develop and maintain a MAID monitoring system through the Canadian MAID data collection portal, which is hosted on Statistics Canada’s secure web-based platform, and for supporting indigenous engagement activities on MAID. Spending was as follows: 2016-17, $0; 2018-19, $214,000; 2019-20, $160,500; 2020-21, $120,200; 2021-22, $147,200; 2022-23, $778,236; and 2023-24, $275,000.