Marjorie Michel
Papineau, Quebec · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, I will repeat for the 50th time that we did not block anything regarding the work of the Standing Committee on Health. The Conservatives are always looking to obstruct our work. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the committee members for their hard work, and I wish them a good summer.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Edmonton Riverbend for his tireless leadership on this issue. I am pleased to report that, thanks to his help and the help of groups such as Movember, more than 5,000 people shared their thoughts and ideas during our consultations for Canada's first-ever men and boys' health strategy.”
“Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, the priority of the Canadian government and the Department of Health is to protect the health and safety of Canadians. However, I repeat, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We are also dealing with the agricultural sector, with which we are working closely.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. The first thing I have to say is that, in the Canadian government, we are careful with every dollar we spend. That is why, when we realized that Canada Health Infoway was not completely fulfilling its mission, we decided to halt funding. That is the first thing.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency do indeed fall under Health Canada. It is therefore perfectly normal for me to engage with the sectors I represent, because I need to meet with them to understand their concerns.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will repeat my answer, but first, I would like to talk about the Standing Committee on Health's study on AIDS, which the Conservatives are blocking. I just want to tell them that there is a national crisis, particularly in Manitoba. That is the first thing I would say.”
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“Mr. Speaker, I do not see how this can be a cover‑up, because the Conservatives have been asking the same questions about Canada Health Infoway and PrescribeIT for over a month. That means that the public is aware. We are not covering up the information.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will repeat for the 50th time that we did not block anything regarding the work of the Standing Committee on Health. The Conservatives are always looking to obstruct our work. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the committee members for their hard work, and I wish them a good summer.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Edmonton Riverbend for his tireless leadership on this issue. I am pleased to report that, thanks to his help and the help of groups such as Movember, more than 5,000 people shared their thoughts and ideas during our consultations for Canada's first-ever men and boys' health strategy. We heard many great ideas about how to create more opportunities for boys and men. I look forward to releasing the strategy in the coming months.”
“Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, the priority of the Canadian government and the Department of Health is to protect the health and safety of Canadians. However, I repeat, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We are also dealing with the agricultural sector, with which we are working closely. That said, we will always take steps to protect the health of Canadians as we develop our economy and food sovereignty.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. The first thing I have to say is that, in the Canadian government, we are careful with every dollar we spend. That is why, when we realized that Canada Health Infoway was not completely fulfilling its mission, we decided to halt funding. That is the first thing. However, it is also important to know that the Canadian health care system needs to be modernized, and Canada Health Infoway, despite its governance issues, did a good job. The AI scribe program has really had a lot of—”
“Mr. Speaker, I will repeat my answer, but first, I would like to talk about the Standing Committee on Health's study on AIDS, which the Conservatives are blocking. I just want to tell them that there is a national crisis, particularly in Manitoba. That is the first thing I would say. The second thing I would say is that, yes, the board is reviewing the governance and the mandate. It will do so and report back by the end of the summer.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will say it again. There were governance issues with Canada Health Infoway. Someone from the federal government sits on the board of directors, and the necessary measures were taken. The CEO has left, and we have an acting director right now. The people involved are currently reviewing the mandates together to see how we can do a better job of solving the governance issues.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency do indeed fall under Health Canada. It is therefore perfectly normal for me to engage with the sectors I represent, because I need to meet with them to understand their concerns. On the first point the member raised, I do not understand, because normally, when I am responsible for something, I have to meet with stakeholders. I will say it again: We will never authorize a product that would put anyone's life at risk.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. I would like to say something to my colleague, and I will be very clear. The health of Canadians will always be the Canadian government's top priority. That said, we can also work with the agricultural sector and protect Canada's food sovereignty. As I always say, we can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Humber River—Black Creek for her leadership on this issue. Thanks to her bill, we have tabled Canada's first ever national eye care strategy. We have brought together all levels of government, indigenous partners, health professionals and people with lived experience to create a strategy that reflects the needs of all Canadians. The member was critical to making this happen, and I hope this strategy helps improve access to eye care for the millions of Canadians who need it.”
“Mr. Speaker, I was unaware that I had given the organization money. There is a big difference between budgeting for $50 million and actually disbursing it. What I want to say to the opposition is that, as I already told them, we are currently reviewing the organization's mandate. At the same time, I would argue that, yes, Canadians need connected health systems. We need health data infrastructure across the country.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will say it again: The Conservatives are blocking the committee's study on AIDS because they are not interested in this country-wide crisis. Meanwhile, I appeared before the Standing Committee on Finance the day before yesterday and a Conservative member asked me questions about the PrescribeIT program, which I answered. I believe I have answered the Conservatives' questions.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am wondering why the Conservatives keep blocking the committee study on HIV. I do not think the Conservatives are all that interested in health issues. Since I have spoken with them several times about PrescribeIT, perhaps they could let the committee work move forward before we talk about that again.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. I am not sure exactly what his point is. The Conservatives know full well that Canada Health Infoway is a separate entity from the government. We have a representative on the board of directors, and we communicate with the organization through that representative. I am not going to get into who said what, but I have spoken to the representative who sits on the board.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will tell my colleague that I speak with Canada Health Infoway through the representative of Health Canada who is on the board. I do not have direct conversations with anyone on the board, because Health Canada has somebody on the board. I would also say that we have taken the right measures, because after our conversation with the board, they removed the CEO of the company. Now we have an interim CEO, and we are working on the governance.”
“moved that Bill S-5, An Act respecting the interoperability of health information technology and to prohibit data blocking by health information technology vendors , be read the first time. (Motion agreed to and bill read the first time)”
“Mr. Speaker, I take the work of the Standing Committee on Health very seriously, and I will certainly return to testify before the committee at some point. As I said, we took action. We spoke with the board of directors, and they took steps to remove the CEO. I will continue to work on this issue and will take the necessary steps.”
“Mr. Speaker, I agree that the situation with the CEO of that company is unacceptable. As members know, that company does not report directly to Health Canada. However, I spoke with its board of directors, and corrective measures were applied. I can assure the opposition member that I am working on this and that I will do everything in my power to clarify all of the problems.”
“Mr. Speaker, that is news to me, because I spoke with Alberta's health minister last week and the regulations have not yet been put in place. Our two departments are working together. For the moment, I cannot say that Alberta is not complying with the Canada Health Act. I can confirm that Alberta's health minister has authorized me to say that she wants to work within the framework of the Canada Health Act.”
“Mr. Speaker, the first thing I will say to my colleague is, yes, he is right, the CEO of Infoway's behaviour was unacceptable. I spoke to the board of directors, and they took the necessary steps. Now we are working on the organization's governance. However, this year, Infoway will receive $50 million. As you know, that money is in the public accounts of the Department of Health, so you have access to those figures.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will say it again for my colleague: This program was put in place in 2017 with the participation of the provinces and territories. The program did not work the way we had hoped it would. When I took office last year, we assessed the programs and saw that this program did not have much uptake, so we decided to end it to protect Canadians' money.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will say it again. The PrescribeIT program was launched in 2017 by the previous government following consultations with the provinces and territories. When we took office last year, we assessed the program and saw that that uptake was low, so we decided to shut down the program. That is what happened, and we are saving Canadians money.”
“Mr. Speaker, since I have been Minister of Health for the new government, I believe I have appeared five times before the Standing Committee on Health. I have no problem sitting down and working with my colleagues.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to set the record straight for my colleague. To start, the first piece of good news, I would say, is that while it is true that the PrescribeIT program did not work across the country, it did work well in Quebec. That is the first point. What you need to know is that this program was introduced—”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. I am aware of the minister from Newfoundland and Labrador's intervention on the pharmacare issue. As I have said, I am having conversations with my counterparts in all the provinces, including Newfoundland and Labrador, about how we can better support them.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would say that the Ministry of Health is there to support Canadians. I will tell you that challenges like this highlight the need for our connected care for Canadians act, which would break down silos in the health care system. I invite you to support Bill S-5 , which will be coming to the House very soon.”
“Mr. Speaker, PrescribeIT was always intended to become self-funded over time. Rather than putting money toward a program that people were not using, the decision was made to end it. This is how we save taxpayers' money.”
“Mr. Speaker, as members know, the previous government launched the prescription drug program in 2017 following consultations with the provinces and territories, but it was not as successful as anticipated. Rather than continuing to invest in a program that is not delivering results, we decided to end it. The opposition member is well aware of that, and we are working closely with the department to get the information regarding PrescribeIT.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me repeat what I always say whenever we talk about pharmacare. The government remains committed to working with the provinces and territories to determine how best to support Canadians in the area of health care, based on their needs. Regarding Prince Edward Island and the article my colleague referred to, we are not making any cuts. These are programs that are set to end in the coming years. The government has not made any cuts, quite the contrary. I will work with the Province of Prince Edward Island to see how to better support it when it comes to health care.”
“Mr. Speaker, as my colleague well knows, there is no one solution to the drug crisis. However, when it comes to supervised consumption sites, the federal government is responding to the request of the provinces, which operate these supervised consumption sites themselves. We do not pay the centres. I am working with the Province of Saskatchewan to find out how we are going to move forward in this specific case.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for her leadership on diabetes. We cannot build Canada strong without healthy Canadians. Investments like these show our commitment to building a more resilient, modern and sustainable health care system. Thanks to our investment, we are helping create approximately 400 jobs across the Vancouver region, which is great news for the economy and the people. Just as importantly, it shows that we want next-generation health care solutions to be built here in Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues are well aware, the program was put in place in the provinces and territories, so the money has been spent. However, doctors did not use the program enough for us to continue, so we ended it.”
“Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, since this issue was discussed at the Standing Committee on Health, the government decided a few years ago to use the PrescribeIT program in collaboration with the provinces and territories. When we evaluated the program, it was not being used by the provinces, so the government stopped the funding.”
“Mr. Speaker, I can hear my colleague's tone, and I do not think Quebeckers would be very happy to hear him criticizing what we are doing, because we are there for Quebeckers for everything, including health care. I have a very good working relationship with my Quebec counterpart, and we are making progress on all of the province's files.”
“Mr. Speaker, I acknowledge the concern that my colleague from the opposite side has. Yes, I am the guardian of the Canada Health Act, and we are working closely with all provinces and territories. We know that Alberta is moving in a direction. My department is having a conversation with Alberta right now. I will have a conversation with my counterparts and will get back to the member.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Madawaska—Restigouche for sharing his personal story with us. It is precisely for people like Stéphanie that our government is investing more than $40 million in cutting-edge research for cancer prevention. These investments are saving lives and reducing the burden of cancer on families across the country. By supporting these projects, we are advancing science, improving prevention and moving toward a future where cancer treatment is more effective.”
“Mr. Speaker, what my colleague should know is that we can walk and chew gum at the same time. What does that mean? It means that we can save lives through supervised consumption sites, provide treatment and work on prevention. What you should know is that we are working in co-operation with all of the provinces to reduce the rate of drug use. What is more, even if your study does not show this, all of the figures on drug-related deaths are down in Canada—”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague should know that this minister grants exemptions every time the provinces that fund these supervised consumption sites fund projects following consultations with their own communities. I have said it before, and I will say it again: Yes, these sites exist to save lives, but there is also work being done on treatment.”
“Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, because I have told him several times, a lot of different studies have shown a variety of results with respect to supervised consumption sites. As he knows, there is no single solution to this problem. Supervised consumption sites are there to save lives. They do not get in the way of treatment. We can discuss this further.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to welcome my colleague from Edmonton Riverbend to this side of the House. We need to end stigma around men's and boys' mental health. This is why we launched a national conversation on men's and boys' health, so we can make a real difference in the health and well-being of men and boys across the country. This will help create stronger families and thriving communities. We look forward to working with all parties to make sure everyone has a voice in this conversation.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague that health services are the responsibility of the provinces and territories, not the federal government. The Minister of Health and the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship have a duty to work with the provinces and territories on services. As members know, the immigration minister has nothing to do with those providing services on the ground.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canada has the values to which the world aspires. We have always been and always will be committed to fundamental rights and human dignity. We believe in our universal health care system. Let us not play politics at the expense of asylum seekers. As I just said, we must build a better health care system, and we are doing it working with provinces and territories.”
“Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, our government and I will always defend the Canada Health Act. As I have said many times, we are working closely with our provincial and territorial partners to advance the best health services for all Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, I am having conversations with each of the health ministers in the provinces and territories about pharmacare. We will let him know as soon as we are ready to move forward.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is really unfortunate that we have this kind of conversation, where we are talking about the health of Canadians and asylum seekers. The reality is that those people are in the country. We have an agreement, and the health system is a compassionate system. What we are saying is that those people need to have access to health. We are also working closely with provinces and territories to get more access for Canadian people.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows very well that I care deeply about the mental health of Canadians. Health services, including mental health, since it is part of health, are under provincial jurisdiction. I am working closely with my provincial partners to ensure that they provide the best services to Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell my colleague that, yes, we are working with Health Canada's legal services to see what the Alberta legislation does. I am working closely with my counterpart in the province. When I know more, I will come back to say whether that legislation complies with the Canada Health Act. As I have said several times before in this House, I am the guardian of the Canada Health Act for Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, today the Minister for Women and Gender Equality announced over $15 million in funding to support national women's organizations across the country and strengthen capacity building. This means a stronger and more sustainable national women's sector. It means greater capacity to support the organizations driving progress on gender equality. It means stronger collaboration to advance opportunity, safety and rights for women and girls everywhere. This is how we build Canada strong, where we—”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. The time that patients spend waiting for their medical records to be transferred instead of receiving care can be fatal. At the same time, health care professionals spend far too much time printing documents and not enough time helping people. Bill S‑5 , the connected care for Canadians act, which we tabled last week in the Senate, will break down silos and build health data infrastructure for all Canadians. I look forward to working with members of the House and the Senate to get this bill passed once it is introduced.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question and take this opportunity to wish him and all our colleagues a happy Black History Month. Last week, we announced more than $4 million in funding for innovative community initiatives that help us better understand dementia and improve the health and quality of life of those living with dementia and their families. For example, one of these projects, conducted in partnership with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, will provide increased support to underserved populations.”