Health committee  Yes, our assumption is that for licensed producers, it may well be a very competitive market. We'll audit for quality, and our assumption is that they will work hard to provide the best possible price.

Health committee  Thank you very much for the question. I'll try to keep my eye firmly on the chair, as I was instructed to. I apologize for sometimes missing the chair's signals. I think there's a strong desire...and in fact we've seen in the data that there are actually strong increases in ho

Health committee  As I said, I know that is an HRSDC program, so they do have that program. But again, the health department's role here is largely to support some of the infrastructure needs, hence our support for some of the information or for Canada Health Infoway and the funding that allows pr

Health committee  I appreciate the question. This is something that I think is of critical importance to Canadians. Canada has one of the safest—if not the safest, according to some sources—blood systems in the world. There has been no change in the government's policy on blood donations. Blood us

Health committee  Thank you very much for the question. I think there is real and growing interest in the country on the issue of palliative care and end-of-life care. We recognize it as an area where many families, many communities and facilities, all face a sense of the challenge in doing this

Health committee  As the minister mentioned, the Canada health transfer to the provinces is obviously the significant financial support for the delivery of health services. There is provision through Health Canada to try to support some of the areas where doing something once in the country makes

Health committee  As was noted, the main estimates do not include the renewal of the official minority languages funding, but budget 2013, which came after these were put together, did announce that there would be a renewal. Health Canada, which has had a strong program of supporting official mino

Health committee  We'll certainly be— Oh, sorry, Minister.

Health committee  Yes, and we will continue to work with our partner organizations and remount the program. As these sunsetting programs are reviewed periodically, go through an evaluation and a review, and are renewed, there is sometimes this process, but we'll work with the communities and the..

Health committee  There are many documents before the committee. You mentioned the report on plans and priorities. I can speak to the fact the allocations in budget 2013 include $48 million over two years, so $24 million a year. That will be apportioned according to these business lines. Of that

Health committee  There is new money in the budget, as the minister mentioned, for the mental health teams, and that will be added to the primary care portions. But in addition to those figures that are specifically outlined in budget 2013, there will be additional funding, essentially program int

Health committee  Thank you for the question. We are continuing to expand the supports that we have in first nation communities. We have a number of communities that are connected now with the additional funds that are available to us with this $24 million. We expect that $20 million of it, for

Health committee  The estimates this year are displayed somewhat differently, so they show actual expenditures and then main estimates to main estimates. In some cases, it does appear there are significant decreases, as was noted by the honourable member. In fact, what we see is that the 2011-12 e

Health committee  Again, we don't discuss individual cases for privacy reasons, but I think the minister has offered to brief technical—

Health committee  Yes. Thank you very much for the question. Madam Chair, as the minister mentioned, the issue of prescription drug abuse is one for which there's a heightened awareness of its challenge for communities, including but certainly not limited to first nations communities. Because w