Tony Clement

[Health, October 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, there are very strict conditions for marketing this breast implant. Certainly, there are many opportunities to study this situation. Now there is scientific evidence and there are strict conditions. In the event of a problem, it is the hon. member's responsibility to bring that problem to the attention of the House, but there is no problem now.

[Health, October 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, there are a number of scientific experts, more than 2,500 scientific articles and over 65,000 pages of documents. If the hon. member wants to read these documents, she is welcome to do so. I do not mind. I encourage the hon. member to read the scientific evidence.

[Health, October 25th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that during the past weekend I have announced, on behalf of Canada's new government, that we will invest $7.4 million in the next two years, and an ongoing amount of $5.2 million thereafter, to develop a program for cardiovascular issues and to coordinate prevention and treatment.

After 13 years of neglect under a Liberal government with no heart, Canada's caring Conservative new government is delivering on a commitment made to Canadians and their hearts.

[Health, October 25th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, this issue was discussed by experts. Obviously scientific experts do not all share the same opinion.

However, I want to reassure the House: the use of breast implants is subject to strict conditions, and these conditions must be met. This is a Health Canada decision, and I support it.

[Health, October 25th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I mentioned yesterday that there are more than 2,500 scientific articles on this topic. A number of scientific experts have given their opinion, and I support this science based decision.

[Health, October 24th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I should tell the hon. member that scientific experts have reviewed more than 65,000 pages of documents, including more than 2,500 scientific articles. They are confident of the safety of the approved products.

[Health, October 24th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell the hon. member and the House that the Public Health Agency of Canada has been in constant contact with officials from around the world, including the United States, on these issues.

The initial cases, once it was clear what was going on, were isolated. As soon as we knew that there was a direct causation, that information was shared. The public health officials were doing their job.

If the hon. member was so concerned about it, perhaps when she was in government she would not have cut the budget of the health department, and we could have done more at that time too.

[The Environment, October 20th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, one of the most obvious factors in determining health is the environment. Our government is the first government at the federal level to recognize this. In fact, the Canadian Medical Association said yesterday:

--the government appears to be on the right track....that reason, the Clean Air Act could prove to be a significant first step in improving the health of Canadians.

Also, the founder of the environmental group Healthy Indoors Partnership has called this a landmark decision, a very positive development.

We are moving forward simply beyond lip service to the notion of addressing, finally, the determinants of health instead of the legacy of 13 years of inaction--

[Health, October 18th, 2006]

Curiously, Mr. Speaker, while the previous Liberal government was doling out money to its friends, it forgot and it cut the funds in March 2005 for the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program.

Help is on the way. In budget 2006 this government will provide funding of $400,000 per year for the next five years for this important program. This will help our kids. It will help reduce wait times. We are on the side of our patients and we are on the side of those most special patients, our kids.

[Health, October 16th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to answer that question. Indeed, last week I announced $348 million extra in funding for health research projects, including in the area of wait times, pandemics and cardiac health. In the 2006 budget we increased the budgets for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research by $17 million, an initial $21.5 million over five years for pandemic preparedness.

The government is acting for health research, better health outcomes for Canadians. After 13 years of inaction, this government is acting.