Ebola outbreak: NDP wants details on emergency plan for Canada
Ebola outbreak: NDP wants details on emergency plan for Canada
New Democrats are asking the federal government to be more transparent about the steps being taken to prevent an Ebola outbreak in Canada and to produce a vaccine for the deadly virus. NDP health critic Libby Davies has written Health Minister Rona Ambrose, arguing that Canadians need to be kept well-informed in order to maintain confidence in the Public Health Agency's ability to handle the crisis. Canadians, she writes, should "feel certain that we are well-equipped to deal with the scope of the crisis in West Africa and the potential of an outbreak here in Canada." Davies specifically asks Ambrose to answer some specific questions, such as who is responsible for ensuring quarantine and treatment protocols in hospitals and who is responsible for ensuring health workers have the appropriate equipment.
The original article, Ebola outbreak: NDP wants details on emergency plan for Canada was published on October 15, 2014 in CBC.ca. Author(s): CBC.ca
Letter to Premier Christy Clark on raising Social Assistance Rates
Letter to Premier Christy Clark on raising Social Assistance Rates
October 14, 2014
Premier Christy Clark & Hon. Don McRae, Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation
Box 9041
Station PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8W 9E1
Dear Premier Clark and Minister McRae,
RE: Raising Social Assistance Rates
I am writing on behalf of many constituents who receive social assistance, and are in dire financial straits every day. Specifically, I respectfully request that you raise welfare rates.
The typical rate of $610/month is grossly inadequate to meet basic needs. This amount means that there is only $26/week remaining to cover not only food but also clothing, medication, transport, childcare, education, hygiene, and other fundamental necessities – a task that cannot be realistically achieved. The current welfare rates are abysmal and ensure that people will remain destitute.
It is difficult to put into words the sense of anger and despair shared by those stuck in the poverty trap. This is a wealthy province, so why does our province have the highest poverty rate in all of Canada? This is often passed off as due to individual failings, but I have seen an abundance of motivation and capacity amongst those living below the poverty line. The problem is due to a failure of public policy.
I know that it is our collective hope that our poorest citizens have a better life, and a better future. But first they need stability. And stability is only achieved with a decent income. The rates need to be raised immediately – and I ask that your government do so.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Libby Davies, MP (Vancouver East)
Letter to Premier Christy Clark on raising Social Assistance Rates
Today I questioned the Minister of Health on why the Ebola vaccine from Canada is being held-up
Canada’s delays in shipping Ebola vaccine to West Africa and Minister’s failure to act on Drug Safety
Canada’s delays in shipping Ebola vaccine to West Africa and Minister’s failure to act on Drug Safety
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary has just confirmed again that this urgently needed vaccine is still sitting in a Winnipeg lab despite the promises that were made weeks ago to get a vaccine to West Africa. In the meantime, the number of Ebola cases is doubling almost every three weeks.
Rather than passing the buck and trying to blame someone else, we want to know, and could the minister tell us, what steps is she taking now to deliver on Canada’s promise for this vaccine?
Ms. Eve Adams (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, CPC): Mr. Speaker, everybody understands that the vaccines need to get to the people most affected, but there are logistical issues. In fact, the World Health Organization in discussions with our Chief Medical Officer ascertains that consent needs to be provided. Obtaining this consent is an issue. Ensuring that the vaccines are refrigerated is an issue.
What I can assure the House is that we have donated 800 to 1,000 doses of this vaccine. It is being made available. As soon as the World Health Organization can make use of it, we will ship it.
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I can say that Canadians expect their government to be proactive, not sitting around waiting. Let us look at drug safety. While the U.S. takes drug safety seriously, this minister has been improvising. Five months ago the U.S. banned imports from Apotex. Health Canada politely asked Apotex to stop and did nothing when it refused. This week Conservatives finally imposed a ban, but then they got the product list wrong.
Could the minister confirm that she was told about the problems with Apotex in April and did nothing, or is she suggesting that she is not responsible for her own department?
Ms. Eve Adams (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, CPC): Mr. Speaker, we will not tolerate drug safety risks. As soon as Health Canada was made aware of the issues at the plants in India, it acted immediately. A quarantine was put in place. All of the medications were reviewed and now there is an import ban against these medications.
Vanessa’s Law would allow Health Canada to enact tough new fines on companies that put any Canadian lives at risk. It will also allow Health Canada to not have to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies, but to simply ban them.
Canada's delays in shipping Ebola vaccine to West Africa and Minister's failure to act on Drug Safety
Qestion Period: Canada’s Reliance on USA for Drug Safety and $36 Billion in Health Cuts by Conservatives
Qestion Period: Canada’s Reliance on USA for Drug Safety and $36 Billion in Health Cuts by Conservatives
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the federal government should not be balancing the books on the backs of provinces. The Parliamentary Budget Officer’s report clearly shows the government’s fiscal sustainability has come at cost. Cuts to services and downloading the fiscal burden to provinces are what is going on.
If the federal government had not cut health care transfers by $36 billion, the fiscal gap faced by the provinces and municipalities would be essentially eliminated. How does cutting federal funding improve health care for Canadians?
Hon. Kevin Sorenson (Minister of State (Finance), CPC): Mr. Speaker, again, Canadians know that they are better off with this Conservative government. No government in Canadian history has provided, again, more funding to the provinces for health care, and it continues to grow.
We are committed to a publicly funded, universally accessible health care system. We all use the health care system. We want to see a strong, sustainable health care system that is there for Canadians when they need it.
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, maybe the minister should read the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s report and find out that they are not downloading to the provinces.
I am glad to see that the government has finally listened to the NDP on drug safety and taken action to ban imports from two Apotex factories. The ban comes after Health Canada received information from the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S.
However, the Auditor General warned three years ago that Health Canada is slow to react, so why does Health Canada have to rely on information from the U.S. before it takes action to protect the health and safety of Canadians?
Ms. Eve Adams (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, CPC): Mr. Speaker, our government will not tolerate drug safety risks. As soon as Health Canada was made aware of this information, it acted immediately to quarantine the medication. I can tell members that additional safety testing took place, and all medication from all three plants will not be entering Canada. It has been fully quarantined.
Additionally, Vanessa’s law is just making its way through the Senate right now. This is a piece of legislation that the opposition completely dragged its feet on all of last summer, forcing us into late night sittings. That piece of legislation would allow Health Canada to enact hefty fines against pharmaceutical companies.