Tony Clement

[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.

[Government Programs, September 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, there is no evidence for the contentions of the hon. member.

When we look at programs we look at them to deliver results and that they are delivered effectively, responsibly and accountably. In this particular case, there is no evidence of that. However, if there is any member of any first nation or any citizen of Canada who has a better plan to deliver real results for the reduction of tobacco use by first nations people, we are all ears.

[Health, September 27th, 2006]

I am not a medical expert.

Mr. Speaker, I would advise the member that she not get too much out of control on this issue as she might get a hernia and then she would be behind Jack Layton, who used private hernia services when he needed--

[Health, September 27th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member well knows, there is a process by which provincial health ministers deal with these issues. In fact the British Columbia case that she referenced is being dealt with by the British Columbia minister.

I am no expert--

[Health, September 27th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to speak on this issue, as I have been doing all summer. In fact, there has been great progress made throughout the country when it comes to reducing wait times, as a result I might add, of the commitment of this new Conservative government to increase the pot for transfer payments for health by fully $1.1 billion and to increase the escalator for health care funding by 6%. That is real money going toward real patients to help solve the problem created by 13 years of Liberal rule.

[Aboriginal Affairs, September 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, obviously nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, we have increased spending for our first nations communities and we will continue to do so, I am sure.

The question before this House is, can we deliver more effectively, can we deliver more responsibly and more honourably? In this case we are doing so because we believe that the taxpayer, including the aboriginal taxpayer, deserves no less.

[Aboriginal Affairs, September 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. We have invested in maternal child health. We have invested in diabetes prevention. We have invested in human health resources for aboriginal people. We have made those new investments precisely because we want to have better health outcomes for aboriginal people throughout the country.

What we cannot do is spend money on programs that simply will not work. That is not the Canadian way and that is not the way of this new Conservative government.

[Aboriginal Affairs, September 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the hon. member and the House that spending for aboriginal health care under the new Conservative government went up by 12% in budget 2006 to $1.985 billion to protect the health of our first nations and aboriginal peoples.

That is the commitment of the government and the commitment is to ensure that every dollar we spend is spent effectively, responsibly and accountably.