Health committee  As my colleague from the NDP mentioned, it's a lot to unpack, but I have a couple of things to raise. First, on determining whether or not we are going to keep going forward with half of every meeting on COVID, I don't think we have to make that decision today, because I think that in a couple of weeks when we come back....

Health  Madam Speaker, I decided not to stand up on a point of order when the member opposite accused me of being dishonest, but I think we all have a number of words at our disposal and good vocabularies in the House, and calling somebody dishonest across the floor is unparliamentary and uncalled for. We are all doing our jobs here, and I think we can appreciate that we all have a role to play.

Health committee  I'm also reflecting on the fact that if there isn't the capacity currently in Canada to educate new nurses and physicians at this time, perhaps creating simpler pathways for internationally trained Canadian nurses and doctors to come back to practise could help. But what are the proportions there? Does anybody have any reflections on that? Is there one method that will contribute to the lion's share, or are we looking at an equal contribution from those various modalities?

Health  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his ongoing advocacy and also congratulate him on the high vaccination rate in his riding. That is excellent. I have to presume that he is advocating for a very small number of individuals in his riding, then, because no federal mandates apply to people who are vaccinated, even with just two doses.

Health  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his collaboration on the health committee. I would like to acknowledge that he has served for many years not only in the Canadian Armed Forces, but also as a family doctor. He knows that today we know more about COVID‑19 than ever before and are in a very different place than we were two years ago.

Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No. 1  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague opposite for his engagement on the health committee that we are on together. On the topic, I will pick two expenses that the member highlighted, things that he highlighted as expenses rather than opportunities. When we build housing for Canadians that is truly affordable, we give them access to the economy.

Pharmacare  Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to quality medicines for all Canadians. Canada has among some of the highest patent medicine prices in the world, and these prices have negatively affected the ability of patients to access new medicines. On April 14, we announced new amendments to the patented medicines regulations that will give the PMPRB new tools to improve access to quality medicines while generating significant savings over the coming years for Canadians.

Health committee  Thank you for your work. Thank you for your resilience, and thank you for supporting so many Canadians throughout the most difficult time that Canadians have experienced. It's certainly the most difficult time that Canadian health care workers have experienced. I have two questions.

Questions on the Order Paper  Where actual or potential disparate impacts on vulnerable groups were identified, and to the extent feasible given public health objectives, corresponding mitigations were put in place. Effective April 1, 2022, fully vaccinated travellers, arriving at land, air or marine ports of entry will no longer be required to complete a pre-entry test for entry to Canada.

Health committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. My first question will be on the subject of mental health. Earlier in this meeting, the PocketWell app was mentioned. I downloaded it just before my 40th birthday, a couple of months ago. I was having some ups and downs, as a lot of people do.

Questions on the Order Paper  Information on Quebec’s vaccine injury compensation program, including program statistics, can be found at https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/advice-and-prevention/vaccination/vaccine-injury-compensation-program#c3895. In response to part (a) of the question, a total of $75 million has been earmarked for the first five years of the program.

Health  Mr. Speaker, I will put my mask on as soon as I sit back down, like the rest of my colleagues who are committed to following the science. This pandemic is not over. Canadians—

Health  I would like to finish by reaffirming that this pandemic has demonstrated that we need a range of measures in our public health tool box to continue to fend off highly infectious diseases.

Health  Mr. Speaker, we are cautiously optimistic about the near-term trajectory for our country. We know that multiple layers of protection, including vaccination, protect us against severe health outcomes from COVID-19.

Health committee  I used to be an athlete, and it was always good to see where you were at compared to your competition—not to suggest health care is a competition, but it is nice to see where we rank. We all know there aren't enough doctors and nurses in Canada, but it's good to know whether they're on the rise or going in the opposite direction.