Ujjal Dosanjh

[Supply, November 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Chair, with respect to the vaccine issue, I am happy to say that this year we bought the largest number of doses of any year in Canada. We have vaccinated the largest percentage of Canadians ever to be immunized. We have immunized a larger percentage of our population than any other country in the world this year.

I understand that Dr. David Butler-Jones has been talking to his colleagues across the country. We believe that the vaccine supply in the public system may be sufficient. If there are any difficulties, obviously, they will work on those issues and they will deal with it.

With respect to whether or not we are prepared for a pandemic, we have preparations underway to deal with the kind of issue the hon. member talked about. Those preparations are underway under the leadership of the Public Health Agency of Canada under the leadership of Dr. David Butler-Jones. We are more prepared than we were at the time of SARS. I think all of us felt that we were not well prepared, but as a result of SARS, we are now better prepared than ever before and we continue to enhance our ability to deal with those issues.

With respect to smallpox, we have the number of doses required. In fact, we have the first generation vaccine that was tested during the smallpox epidemic and that vaccine is still good. It is in the possession of the manufacturer. It is going to be in our possession in the Public Health Agency of Canada shortly as we prepare to take charge. In terms of the smallpox issue, Canada is well prepared, perhaps even better prepared than most countries in the world.

[Supply, November 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Chair, first of all let me reiterate what the hon. member has just said and what the Prime Minister said. There is no question that we have, as a society and as government, not done a very good job of aboriginal health. We have not done a very good job on aboriginal issues generally.

It is important. That is why the Prime Minister held a round table summit with aboriginal leaders in April this year and then tasked us, different ministers of education, health and other sectors, to hold sectoral table discussions on these issues. I am pleased to say that the discussion on health has already taken place in Ottawa with about a hundred experts and aboriginal leaders coming together to discuss these issues.

The $700 million is in addition to the $1.6 billion the hon. member just referred to. This is over the next five years. Out of that, $200 million would enable governments and aboriginal communities to better integrate and adapt health services with other systems. It is important that we do that.

The next $100 million would assist in the training of aboriginal human health resources to improve recruitment of aboriginal health care workers, adapt health curricula, and improve retention of health workers.

The remaining $400 million is for upstream investments with respect to diseases such as diabetes, issues such as suicide, and the promotion of health among the aboriginal people of Canada.

It is important that we do this right. That is why the health ministers of Canada got together three or four weeks ago and tasked George Smitherman, the minister of health from Ontario, and myself to co-chair the health ministers and work with the co-chairs of the aboriginal ministers, and develop a blueprint as to how we can more effectively utilize the resources that are available within that $700 million.

[Supply, November 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Chair, it is absolutely correct that we are doing the right and responsible thing by extending the possibility of hep C compensation to all of the victims pre-1986 and post-1990. We have said all of the options are available. We have said there is a mandate. We have said this is the right and responsible thing to do.

All I am saying is let us not politicize it. We all know what happened. These were very difficult issues. Lots of tears were shed by the victims and by people in the House on all sides of the House. This is a very important issue. Let us not politicize it. That is all I am saying.

[Supply, November 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Chair, the hon. member is a member of Parliament and so am I. We deal with each other on an equal basis. The hon. member misled the House yesterday with respect to the state of those funds. That is why I said he should stop politicizing the issue. It is a very sensitive issue.

[Supply, November 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Chair, CIHR of course in making decisions about funding is an arm's length body. It is not influenced by politicians, nor should it be.

There are peer reviews for applications. This is not the only funding that comes from CIHR. There is a total of $752 million for the year. I would be happy to take a look at other research grants that have been provided by CIHR across the country and provide the hon. member with a breakdown.

I was in St. John's, Newfoundland. I was in Halifax. I visited medical faculties in both of those towns. There are some impressive--

[Supply, November 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Chair, the agreement that we made in September has an unprecedented degree of accountability imbedded in it.

There is a clause that says that the funding arrangements in the agreement require compliance with the reporting provisions by all participating jurisdictions, bar none. We talked about this at the health minsters conference. We have agreed to develop comparable indicators. We are working on the establishment of benchmarks across the country. We also agreed on the aboriginal issues that we will be working on creating a blueprint with the aboriginal health ministers and co-chairs of the aboriginal health ministers--

[Supply, November 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Chair, that is exactly what we talked about at the last health ministers conference. We said very clearly that the federal government is interested in coordinating and assisting jurisdictions across the country to train more quickly medical health professionals and bring on stream medical professionals from foreign countries who are now Canadians. We have in fact $85 million in the budget with respect to the IMGs, international medical graduates, and coordinating that strategy across the country.

[Supply, November 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Chair, I think that we all fell victim over the last several years, I believe some 10 to 15 years ago, to some experts who said we have an over supply of doctors, nurses and the like. Schools right across the country reduced the number of spaces for health care professionals.

There is a time lag. Money has been provided. There is a time lag with respect to these issues. I agree with the hon. member that if there is a need, we should all work together. We are prepared to work together with the governments across the country.

[Supply, November 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Chair, I just wanted to say the fact is that the first ministers specifically addressed this issue. The federal government has said that we are willing to coordinate--

[Supply, November 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Chair, I believe that implicit in the wait times reduction fund is an element which will go toward training of health human resources across the country. Beginning with 2010-11 there is $250 million ongoing for training of health human resources.

There was also money in the budget last year, if I remember correctly, with respect to the international medical graduates and streamlining of those medical graduates into the mainstream of medical practice here.

I think those two issues are being dealt with. There is work being done across government, not just on medical practitioners and health professionals but all kinds of professionals, so that when people come to this country bringing talents and skills, we utilize their skills. Otherwise it is a loss to them and it is a loss to Canada. Medical graduates, whether they be nurses or doctors, are no different and there is work being done across government on this issue.

As part of the health accord the--