Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of Minister Dix. However, another topic that we have talked about studying on the health committee, and I believe the member is also on the committee, is palliative care. These are things we are going to talk about in the future. This is something that is extremely important to Canadians, and it is something that we as members of the health committee will be continuously looking at to see how we can improve palliative care for all Canadians.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to be here while you are presiding over this meeting. I want to thank you for the opportunity to stand and speak today about the government's plans in this area. With respect to the suggestion on how savings from changes to the tax system could be used, I am pleased to talk about the government's commitment to strengthen health care for Canadians.

Health  Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his passion. In the Speech from the Throne and in the minister's mandate letter, our government reaffirmed its commitment to making it easier for people struggling with problematic substance use to get help. We are working with the provinces and territories on new investments that expand community-based services, build more in-patient rehabilitation beds and scale up the most effective programs.

Health  Madam Speaker, on a personal note, I want to thank the member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford. He gets this. He truly cares, and I want to thank him, not only for that passion and compassion, but also for the fact that he truly cares. We are deeply concerned about Canada's opioid overdose crisis.

Health  Mr. Speaker, the accommodations at CFB Trenton are currently at capacity because of the previous repatriation efforts. The Nav Centre was chosen because there are existing supports to coordinate processing and provide support services for all repatriated Canadians coming from Japan.

Health  Mr. Speaker, it is important to know that before boarding the plane, passengers will be screened for symptoms. I remind the members on the other side—

Health  Mr. Speaker, I remind members on the other side that those who get on this plane are healthy Canadians. They have been screened multiple times. Those who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 will not be permitted to board and will be transferred to the Japanese health system to receive appropriate care.

Health  Madam Speaker, we know the importance of patient access to new therapies for serious or life-threatening conditions. It is the manufacturer's decision to apply to market a product in Canada. For serious or life-threatening conditions such as cystic fibrosis, physicians may request access to a drug through the special access program.

Health  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. The opioid crisis is the most significant public health issue in Canada's recent history, and our hearts are with those who have lost a loved one. We have responded by investing over $425 million in emergency responses, restoring harm reduction, approving over 40 supervised consumption sites, cutting red tape and removing barriers to treatments.

Health  Madam Speaker, as I stated at the outset, the health and safety of all Canadians, both those in Canada and those we are bringing home, is our top priority. We are taking action to return Canadians home from Hubei province, China, while ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to prevent and limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Health  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. I want to thank my friend for the opportunity to speak about the Government of Canada's plan to respond to the novel coronavirus in Canada. As members know, there have been numerous confirmed cases in China and travel-related cases have been reported in other jurisdictions, including in Canada, as was said by my friend.

Jim Smith  Madam Speaker, today I rise in honour of the late Dr. Jim Smith, a beloved and accomplished family doctor, a former Liberal member of the legislative assembly and cabinet minister for the province of Nova Scotia, a husband, brother, father and friend. For over 30 years, Dr. Smith was a cherished family doctor to many in Dartmouth—Cole Harbour.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, oversight of the medical profession is a matter of provincial and territorial jurisdiction. However, the Canadian Institute for Health Information tracks occurrences of unintended harm during hospital stays that could have been potentially prevented by implementing known best practices, which can serve as an overall picture of safety in Canadian hospitals (data from Quebec is excluded for methodological issues).

Health  Mr. Speaker, as we have said in the House before, we will listen, we will collaborate and we will work with the other parties in this House to see what is best for Canadians. We will consider all options for what is best under national pharmacare. Unlike the NDP, we have done our homework.

Government Priorities  Mr. Speaker, we all know that no Canadian should have to choose between paying for prescriptions and putting food on the table. We have already done more than any other government in a generation to lower drug prices. Now it is time to take that final step, sitting down with provinces and territories to implement pharmacare guided by the Hoskins report.