Pam Goldsmith-Jones

[West Vancouver Robotics Program, March 22nd, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, about five years ago, a bunch of high school students in West Vancouver decided to form a robotics club. Within one year, that club became a full-fledged academic program in robotics.

It is innovative, not just because they are learning AI, tech, engineering, math and science, but also because they are learning collaboratively with all high school students of all ages and elementary school students of all ages. The students learn in two huge rooms, the board room and the Robo Dojo room, and the noise level is through the roof. They collaborate and get marks for failing. This club has now turned into 140 students.

Globally, 16,000 students compete for the world championships, and four of those kids from West Van High are going. Last year they came second. This year we hope they come first.

I would like to congratulate principal Steve Rauh, director of instruction Diane Nelson, head teacher Todd Ablett and faculty lead Dr. Mahesh Chugani. I encourage them all the way.

[Foreign Affairs, March 18th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Accession Protocol for the future Republic of North Macedonia”, signed in Brussels on February 6, 2019.

[Foreign Affairs, February 25th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, we strongly condemn the horrible murder of Jamal Khashoggi and are deeply concerned by reports on the participation of Saudi officials. We strongly demand and expect that Canadian arms exports be used in a way that fully respects human rights. That is why our government is committed to a stronger and more rigorous arms export system and to the Arms Trade Treaty, which contrasts completely with the member opposite.

As the Prime Minister has said, we are actively reviewing existing export permits to Saudi Arabia.

[Foreign Affairs, February 25th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, human rights are central to our foreign policy. As Canadians, we value our freedom, democracy and the rights guaranteed to us by our charter. However, not everyone is as fortunate. Many people are denied the right to live their lives as they wish. This can especially be the case for women around the world, who are forced to live as second-class citizens. We are using our voices as Canadians to speak up in the defence of human rights, even when it can be very difficult to do so.

Our position on human rights, including women's rights, in Saudi Arabia is very clear. It is a position that we have advocated for in public and in private since we came to office. This dialogue is critical to international diplomacy, because it establishes a common understanding about the value we place on ourselves, on our fellow citizens and on humankind.

That is also why Canada has taken such a strong stance on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We are gravely concerned about the involvement of the Saudi government in this extraterritorial murder. The killing of dissidents is horrific and shocking, and it cannot be allowed to go uninvestigated. Murderers cannot enjoy impunity and immunity from consequences. We have demanded a full accounting of the killing in an independent international investigation.

Canada is not alone in this matter. Under our leadership, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries have made two separate statements on Mr. Khashoggi's murder.

Canadians expect that our country's foreign policy respects our values. This is why we have committed to stronger and more vigorous arms export controls. That is why we passed Bill C-47, which will allow us to accede to the Arms Trade Treaty and also implement measures to ensure that Canadian arms exports are not used in unacceptable ways.

We have consulted on these changes with industry as well as with civil society. Canadian arms manufacturers also want to ensure that their goods are not misused abroad. The Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries supports our accession to the Arms Trade Treaty, which puts the treaty criteria, including human rights, directly into legislation. Those were the same changes that the member opposite voted against. She and her NDP colleagues voted against including human rights and gender-based violence as considerations in our arms export system.

Unlike the NDP, we live up to our principles. We are committed to supporting our strong defence industry and the important jobs that it supports. That also includes the significant investments across Canada that we make in our industries. Our government will always support Canadian workers and industries and defend their interests at home and abroad.

[Consular Affairs, February 1st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, our thoughts go out to the family at the centre of an abduction of Canadian children to Lebanon. Canadian consular officials are in direct contact with the family and are providing consular assistance. I have spoken personally with the family. Due to the provisions of the Privacy Act, I am very sorry not to be able to disclose any further information.

[International Trade, February 1st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the illegal and unjustified U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum must be lifted. That is a message we are delivering to the United States, and it is working. Last month, U.S. lawmakers from both sides of the aisle told U.S. trade representatives to lift the tariffs. Just this week, Kevin Brady, a top level Republican, said that they must be lifted before Congress considers the new NAFTA deal.

We will never stop fighting for our workers and against these tariffs.

[Foreign Affairs, January 29th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague has said, the government is extremely engaged on the case of Asia Bibi. To that end, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has spoken directly to her counterpart in Pakistan. We are working closely with like-minded friends and allies towards our common goal, which is, of course, to ensure the safety of Asia Bibi and her family.

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs has said, Canada is prepared to do everything we can to ensure the safety of Asia Bibi. However, it remains a very delicate situation. I would urge all members of the House to remember that we are talking about a woman whom I think we all look up to. We appreciate the genuine concern and compassion of each and every member of the House of Commons, and we should conduct ourselves in accordance with her best interests.

[Foreign Affairs, January 29th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, this government is seized with the case of Asia Bibi. Together with like-minded countries, we have been and continue to be extremely engaged on this issue. I can assure my hon. colleague that the core priority for this government in the present situation is ensuring the safety of Asia Bibi and her family.

It is disappointing that the member opposite has decided to introduce this debate and possibly jeopardize those ongoing efforts. The House should be aware that my colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has spoken personally to the member opposite about the delicate discussions that are presently under way on this case. That is why it is unfortunate that the member opposite has decided to bring this matter forward in this manner, as both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have consistently stated that the Government of Canada is deeply engaged on this issue.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs has spoke directly to her counterpart and we are working closely with like-minded friends and allies on this issue. As the Minister of Foreign Affairs has said, Canada is prepared to do everything we can to ensure the safety of Asia Bibi.

The case of Asia Bibi has caught the attention of the world. In 2009, she became the first woman to be convicted under Pakistan's blasphemy laws and was sentenced to death. In 2014, she appealed the sentence to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The Supreme Court heard her case, and on October 31 of last year she was acquitted. A review of her case by the Supreme Court of Pakistan took place today, January 29, 2019. We are gratified that the Supreme Court has upheld her acquittal and that she has been cleared of all charges. We have urged the Government of Pakistan to take all necessary steps to keep her safe and are confident that it will do so.

The protection and promotion of human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, is a core priority of this government's foreign policy. Internationally, Canada always advocates strongly for the respect of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including article 18, which guarantees the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. We share the concerns of all Canadians regarding any limits on the fundamental human right to freedom of religion or belief. We have raised these concerns with Pakistan and we will continue to do so.

The Government of Canada will maintain its broad engagement with Pakistan on a wide variety of important topics, including human rights and the protection of religious minorities. We will continue to encourage and assist the Government of Pakistan in taking concrete steps to improve the situation for all religious minorities. This government will always stand up for the protection of religious minorities around the world.

[Health, January 29th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her advocacy.

Canadians are proud of our universal health care system and we all recognize that the system can be improved. For too many Canadians, our existing patchwork of drug coverage is not working well enough, leading to poorer health for some and higher costs for us all. In response to this, in budget 2018, our government announced the creation of an advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare, chaired by Dr. Eric Hoskins. Our government looks forward to receiving the results of the council's work this spring.

[Health, January 29th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome this opportunity to contribute to tonight's debate on pharmacare and prescription drugs, which play such a vital role in our health care system and the well-being of seniors. I am pleased to address the question from the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot regarding this issue.

Prescription drugs are an increasingly important part of our health care system, helping to prevent and cure disease and save lives. However, Canada's drug spending is not producing all of the benefits that it should. Drug spending in Canada has increased significantly since medicare was first established. Drugs are now the second largest category of spending in health care, ahead of physician services. Canada is paying higher prices for prescription drugs than most other developed countries and these prices limit access to innovative medicines, place a financial burden on patients and mean fewer resources for other areas of the health care system.

Since 2000, drug spending has increased faster in Canada than in all other of the comparator countries, seven other countries against which the Government of Canada benchmarks its prices. At the same time, research and development investment has fallen even further behind. Not only does Canada receive less pharmaceutical research and development investment than any other comparator country, but Canada receives less investment today than it did 30 years ago.

Our government is firmly committed to taking action to lower the cost of prescription drugs. However, before we can turn our attention to the idea of a national pharmacare program, we need to get the foundations in place to support the effective management of pharmaceuticals in this country. That is why our government is showing leadership and a real commitment to engaging provinces and territories on making significant improvements to address the issue. This includes reducing the cost of patented drugs through the modernization of the regulations governing the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. Amendments to the regulations will give the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board the tools and information needed to protect all Canadians from excessive patented drug prices.

We have also worked to lower drug costs by forming a united front with our provincial and territorial partners to negotiate with the makers of patented drugs to reduce the price of their products. Federal participation in the pan-Canadian pharmaceutical alliance produced savings for provincial and federal governments of over $1 billion in 2017. Health Canada has also launched the regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative. This initiative represents the most significant effort in many years to improve the availability of prescription drugs for Canadians, particularly for drugs used to treat rare diseases. As we know, the availability of medications to treat rare diseases was recently studied by the Standing Committee on Health.

On the topic of a national pharmacare program, the House is aware of the Parliamentary Budget Officer's recent report on this issue, as well as the study completed by the Standing Committee on Health, which was presented to the House in April 2018. We welcome this work, and in response, have followed up by committing, through budget 2018, to the creation of an advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare, which is chaired by Dr. Eric Hoskins. The council is engaging with Canadians and provincial, territorial and indigenous leaders, as well as experts, stakeholders and patients. It is also conducting a fiscal, economic and social assessment of domestic and international pharmacare models, with the aim of reporting back to the federal government this spring on how best to implement a national pharmacare program.