Steven Fletcher

[Petitions, October 24th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured today to introduce a petition on the subject of autism spectrum disorder. The petition draws the attention of hon. members to the fact that there are treatments, ABA and IBI therapy, for children with autism from which they may greatly benefit.

The petitioners encourage Parliament to amend the Canada Health Act to include IBI therapy as a medically necessary treatment.

The issue of autism is very important. As Canadians, we need to do better in supporting children with autism.

[Health, October 24th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the minister would be well advised to remember that it is his leader who uses private clinics.

The Prime Minister said in June, “We've set out very, very clear timelines in which these benchmarks are going to be established. We insist that those timelines be adhered to”.

The Prime Minister and the premiers agreed to have meaningful benchmarks in place by the year's end in five key areas. Now the provinces are saying that not all the benchmarks will be in place by the deadline.

Will the Prime Minister admit that under a Liberal government Canadians will have to wait a very, very long time for medically necessary—

[Health, October 24th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said this past June that his government had “brought in all of the scientific evidence, all of the medical experts, in order to establish very clear benchmarks by the end of this year”.

The Prime Minister called this process urgent, and I agree, but obviously the Prime Minister and his health minister no longer share this sense of urgency.

If the government had all the evidence this past summer, why is the minister now backpedalling on his benchmark promises?

[Health, October 20th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the government does not understand the difference between a chronic disease and a deadly disease. Cancer is a killer.

The House voted for the full funding of the Canadian strategy for cancer control, a plan developed by the cancer community, yet again this government ignores the will of the House and ignores the health of Canadians.

Today the Canadian Cancer Society criticized the government's announcement and stated that more funding is needed to have a real impact on this disease. Why will the minister not listen to the cancer community and fully fund and implement the Canadian strategy for cancer control?

[Health, October 19th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the minister should not be so tough on the private sector because that is where he is going to be applying for a job after the next election.

The Conservative Party supports the Canada Health Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This government undermines both. While the minister continues to use wishy-washy weasel words to wiggle out of promised wait time commitments, wait times have actually increased.

Will the minister admit to the provinces this upcoming weekend what Canadians already know: that this government caused the wait time crisis and that this health minister has no idea how to fix it?

[Health, October 19th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, on Monday the health minister misled the House when he said that wait times have decreased across the country. A new report released yesterday indicates that in at least five provinces wait times have increased. The minister's own wait time bureaucrat admits that deadlines for evidence-based benchmarks will not be met.

This weekend, the minister will meet with provincial counterparts to discuss this issue. With this government in such disarray over wait time benchmarks, how can the minister possibly have any credibility with the provinces?

[Health, October 17th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the government knows nothing about accountability which is why we need to throw it out.

The government's solution to the wait time crisis is more talk, more study and more waiting. We now know that the government will not have meaningful, measured benchmarks established by the deadline.

Will the minister admit that his government has created the wait time crisis and that Canadian patients will continue to wait as long as the Liberals are in power?

[Health, October 17th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, early last week the top wait time bureaucrat admitted evidence-based benchmarks would not be in place by the year-end deadline. In response, government spin doctors were climbing over each other to change the message. By the end of last week the top wait time bureaucrat had retracted his comments.

Will the minister admit that his own government clamped down on its wait time official because he highlighted the government's incompetence?

[Health, October 3rd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, since hinting that the forgotten victims might be compensated, the government has dithered and delayed.

The victims do not trust the minister or the government.

If or when these victims are compensated, could the minister assure the House that the forgotten victims will receive compensation equal to that of the victims who have already been compensated and will the minister apologize for the blatant disrespect the Liberal government has demonstrated toward the forgotten victims?

[Health, October 3rd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, my first question in the House of Commons was: When will the Liberal government compensate all hepatitis C victims from tainted blood?

Over a year later I am asking the same question. The Liberals have dithered for a decade and I can say that a Conservative government will compensate the victims immediately.

Will the health minister fulfil the Conservative commitment and compensate all victims of hepatitis C from tainted blood?