Health committee  What I'm saying is that the government provided a one-time top-up to deal with a very specific issue related to the surgical backlogs that were accumulated over the course of COVID-19.

Health committee  I am saying that the government provided a $2-billion top-up to the provinces and territories to address the surgical backlogs created through the pandemic.

Health committee  I'm sorry. I'm getting an echo. Was I supposed to answer that question?

Health committee  I did not hear and understand the question.

Health committee  I don't think we're in a position to answer that question for the honourable member, given that it's the prerogative of Transport Canada.

Health committee  I'm actually going to turn that over to my colleague, Candice, at the Public Health Agency, who has responsibility for those areas.

Health committee  I don't have in-depth knowledge of Alberta's plan, but we can certainly take a look at it and get back to you. Obviously, the Government of Canada has taken several measures to support the mental health and well-being of children through the pandemic, including Wellness Together Canada, which is an online portal that provides 24-7 access to mental health services for youth.

Health committee  I would say that while we don't have the word “children” in our titles, all of us definitely consider the needs of children in terms of our policy and in terms of consulting with stakeholders on various policy issues, including drugs for rare diseases, for instance, as well as mental health.

Health committee  I would agree that it's very important to consider the needs of children and youth in creating policy. In fact, I think several of our initiatives show that there is a priority on children. I talked about children and youth mental health being one of the priority areas identified by the provinces and territories, including Alberta, as part of the common statement of principles.

Health committee  We have closely monitored hospital capacity across provinces and territories throughout the pandemic to ensure, mainly, that people with COVID-19 can get the treatment they need. In terms of the impacts it has had on children, that's a bit beyond what we can address at the committee today.

Health committee  I am going to say a few words, but I will call on my colleagues from the Public Health Agency, on Candice, for example, to talk about the social determinants of health. If we think about the health of children before and after the pandemic, mental health has certainly been a huge issue, but we know that the pandemic has also revealed inequities across the health system in access to services, and inequities that were revealed in terms of how healthy children are within their community, not just in access to services but also in how they live within their communities.

Health committee  Again, we're working very closely with stakeholders, provinces and territories to really understand the issues and challenges, as well as innovative measures that can be taken. A lot of very good policy work and consultation is under way to really understand the problem and develop solutions collaboratively with our partners.

Health committee  Budget 2022, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, announced funding to accelerate the integration of internationally educated professionals, so there's the foreign credential recognition program as well as enhancement to the student loan forgiveness for health professionals in rural and remote communities.

Health committee  Thank you for the correction there. Indeed, it is a $2-billion top-up for the CHT. On the question related to surgical backlogs, that 700,000 surgical backlog number is all surgical backlogs in Canada, including those for children. We do not have a specific number related to children's surgical backlogs.

Health committee  Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you for inviting Health Canada to appear today. We are pleased to be here. I won't introduce my colleagues, since the chair has already done so. Children's health and wellness is a critical issue with potential life‑long impacts. Your study will help inform future work in this important area of public policy.