Health committee  Mr. Chair, as we've noted, the challenges with global supply chains and their exacerbation in the pandemic have been well noted and documented. We have worked with countries that produce those to sustain their importing, including for further fabrication in Canada, and we've work

Health committee  I want to say something first and then my colleague Ms. Trombetti can answer your question in more detail. First, there are factors that are unique to Canada. For example, demand has grown much more significantly in Canada, compared to other countries. The increase in demand sta

Health committee  By the spring we were communicating on a weekly basis with industry and various stakeholders, such as pediatricians and children's hospitals. Since the latter part of the summer and early autumn, we have been doing it on a daily basis. So the level of involvement is very high. We

Health committee  I'll let Dr. Sharma respond to that.

Health committee  I will start and then turn to Dr. Sharma and Stefania on this. Canada works through Global Affairs Canada in supporting increasing access to needed medicines, as was the case and continues to be the case in the pandemic, with access to vaccine treatments and diagnostics through

Health committee  I would point out that drug shortages are a global problem. There are drugs for which there is a shortage in other countries as well as in Canada. On the other hand, there are situations that are unique to Canada. Other countries with shortages of infant or child painkillers inc

Health committee  Mr. Chair, I will start by indicating that Health Canada has taken and continues to take the issue of drug shortages very seriously. We have certainly seen the challenges increase over the past decade. The challenges are of a global nature with supply chains. In some cases, the a

Health committee  Mr. Chair, I'll start the response then I'll ask my colleague, Stefania Trombetti, to augment it. As I had indicated, at the earliest signs of issues last spring, we started engaging the industry on supplying the Canadian market asking them to ramp up production, which they've d

Health committee  I'll turn to Stefania.

Health committee  Mr. Chair, Health Canada first received reports last spring—in April—concerning some issues in some provinces, like Ontario and Newfoundland, for example. We sought further information and engaged the range of stakeholders, including the manufacturers and market authorization hol

Health committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning, and thank you for the opportunity to appear before the Standing Committee on Health today to participate in the discussion on the availability of non-prescription analgesics for infants and children. As you noted, I am joined by a number of c

Health committee  Dental fees are set by provincial dental associations. They establish their fee guides for the range of different services they offer.

Health committee  In establishing the benefit level, as Minister Duclos indicated, we looked at a typical basket of services from preventative to treatment to curative. We have utilized information based on fee guides and an understanding of their evolution over time.

Health committee  I would just observe that the annual work on fee setting through the dental associations happens in a broader context, with their support for Canadians supported through programs of their employers, Canadians who pay out of pocket, their work with provinces and then this benefit,

Health committee  As the bill envisages, it's an interim dental benefit over a two-year period as the government develops its longer-term program. In developing a longer-term program, the government will be considering a whole range of factors, including working with all stakeholders, provinces