House of Commons

HANSARD

April 3, 2014

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, keeping people safe is the first job of any government, whether it is airlines or drug safety. Why can the Conservatives not understand that?

Conservatives are keeping Canadians in the dark about drug safety reviews. Last year, the minister promised that reviews would be published “transparently”, but it turns out that Health Canada is keeping over 80% of the reviews totally secret, and even then the published reviews will only be very brief summaries.

Why did the minister break her promise to be transparent with Canadians about drug safety? She said that. She is not being transparent anymore.

Mr. Colin Carrie (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, the minister has asked Health Canada to take steps to begin posting drug reviews to ensure that needed information is available. Health Canada experts always monitor the latest science for drugs, and we expect them to take action as needed. We have always launched the plain language labelling initiative, which aims to improve the safe use of drugs by making drug labels easier to read and understand.

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House of Commons

HANSARD

March 31, 2014

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, today marks the last day of Canada’s health accord and the start of $36 billion in Conservative cuts to Canada’s health care system.

The Health Council of Canada, the only agency tracking government performance on health care, will be shut down today.

There will be less accountability for health spending for veterans, first nations and the commitments in the health accord, so how will slashing accountability and cutting federal investments improve health care for Canadians?

Hon. Rona Ambrose (Minister of Health, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear that the current framework for funding is not expiring. It continues on with a 6% escalator till 2017, and after 2017, of course, it’s tied to economic growth with a guarantee of a 3% escalator. That means that the Government of Canada will continue to provide record transfers for health care to the provinces and territories.

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):

Really, Mr. Speaker.? Let us get serious and let us get past the doublespeak.

Eight years in power and Conservatives have failed on every single count. They failed to reduce wait times, failed to live up to their commitments on health care transfers and failed on key commitments from the accord on things like electronic health records, pharmacare, home care, the list goes on and on.

When will the government stop misleading Canadians, stop avoiding accountability and start working with the provinces to build a strong, stable and accessible public health care system in this country?

Hon. Rona Ambrose (Minister of Health, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, I would point out to the member that we do work closely with the provinces and territories. In terms of the current federal framework that is in place with the provinces and territories for funding health care, it continues in its current form, which is record levels of funding for transfers to the provinces and territories. After 2017, it is tied to economic growth, which we think is a sustainable formula. It is important for the provinces and territories. I can assure the member that I have been the Minister of Health now for ten months, and not one provincial health minister has asked me to renew the health accord in its current form. What they have asked for is funding predictability, and we have given them that.

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House of Commons

HANSARD

March 27, 2014

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, once, a long time ago, Conservatives promised Canadians a patient wait times guarantee. However, what Canadians got were longer wait times.

I do not usually quote it, but the Fraser Institute reported that wait times costs our economy over a billion dollars annually.

Why have Conservatives cut $250 million a year that was earmarked for the provinces to help reduce wait times?

Why are they giving up on ensuring timely access to medical care? Do they not care anymore?

Hon. Rona Ambrose (Minister of Health, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, what a lot of think tanks that deal with the issue of public health policy also say – and I know that has been quoted from the Fraser Institute – is that more money is not going to make a difference. When it comes to the inefficiencies in our health care system, we are investing record amounts of funding to the provinces and territories. We need to work with them on innovative ideas and better models of care, but more money is not going to make a difference.