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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 75

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 19, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 75 - May/19/22
Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:35:46 p.m.
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Madam Chair, again, I appreciate my colleague's advocacy on this, and I assure him that our government recognizes that problematic substance use is a health issue. With respect to a procurement perspective, PSPC procures, Health Canada is the client, and provinces deliver health care to provinces and territories.
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Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/19/22 7:36:16 p.m.
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Madam Chair, have any of those ministers reached out to the minister for procurement?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:36:23 p.m.
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Madam Chair, again, just to be clear, it is provinces and territories that are responsible for the delivery of health care to provinces and territories. As the procurement minister, I will procure based on requests that come from Health Canada, and we work with provinces and territories, through the health minister, to determine what—
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The Deputy Chair
  • May/19/22 7:36:47 p.m.
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The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.
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Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/19/22 7:36:49 p.m.
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Madam Chair, here is a quote. It is something the minister wrote in the PSPC 2022-23 departmental plan. It says: Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting the health and safety of Canadians remains a priority for the Government of Canada. PSPC will continue to play a central role in our response by procuring critical supplies, including vaccines, tests and therapeutics. It has now been over six years since British Columbia declared a public health emergency. Is the health and safety of some Canadians, like people who use drugs, not a priority for the government? Why has PSPC not played a central role in responding to this crisis?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:37:29 p.m.
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Madam Chair, again, we respond to provinces and territories. We have been working very closely with the provinces and territories. Provinces and territories have asked us for supplies. They have asked us for over 100 million vaccines; we have provided over 100 million vaccines. They have asked us for rapid tests; we have supplied over 600 million rapid tests. They have asked us for therapeutics; we have procured 1.7 million therapeutics. We have distributed these products to the provinces and territories because they have asked for them, and I want to thank all those who have worked so hard to make that possible.
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Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/19/22 7:38:06 p.m.
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Madam Chair, is the minister saying she did not procure for any COVID response needs without direction completely from the provinces?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:38:16 p.m.
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Madam Chair, what I am saying is that we have been by the side of the provinces every step of the way, because we know that they are delivering for Canadians. Through this, we have responded to their requests and we are very pleased that we have been able to support them.
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Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/19/22 7:38:29 p.m.
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Madam Chair, they have been requesting leadership. The mandate letter to the minister directs her to “[c]ontinue to procure COVID-19 therapeutics, tests and vaccines, for adults and children, to ensure all Canadians have access to free booster shots and second-generation vaccines as needed”, yet there is no mention of procuring a safer supply to address Canada's other ongoing public health emergency and overdose epidemic. Do you believe stigma has played a role in this lack of direction from the Prime Minister?
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The Deputy Chair
  • May/19/22 7:38:56 p.m.
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I will ask the minister. I would ask the hon. member to direct his questions directly through the Chair. The hon. minister.
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:39:02 p.m.
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Madam Chair, vaccines and therapeutics have been the only medications that we have bought on behalf of provinces and territories. They have asked us to procure those things, and we have been there. In fact, eight out of 10 dollars that have been spent have been spent by the federal government in supporting provinces and territories. With respect to investments we have made, there has been $800 million to set up community-led harm reduction, treatment and prevention projects since 2015. Significant investments—
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The Deputy Chair
  • May/19/22 7:39:32 p.m.
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The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.
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Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/19/22 7:39:34 p.m.
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Madam Chair, her colleague, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, told the CBC that safe supply “is going to be the way that we will save the most lives”, yet the minister is not committed to a timeline for expanding access to safe supply, saying that research is needed before it can be scaled up. Why is the government wasting time on pilot programs instead of ensuring that a safer supply is available across Canada?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:40:01 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would start by saying that I am really pleased that the Prime Minister has appointed a Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and I am very confident that that minister, who is a doctor and very passionate about this area, is going to deliver for Canadians, which she has. With respect to safe consumption sites, we have made investments. Supervised consumption sites have reversed 35,000 overdoses since 2017 without—
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The Deputy Chair
  • May/19/22 7:40:29 p.m.
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The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.
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Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/19/22 7:40:31 p.m.
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Madam Chair, 20 people a day are dying in this country because of a toxic overdose, and 20 families are getting the call. If the government had the political will, how quickly could a national safe supply program be established in this country?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:40:46 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I appreciate the member's advocacy, but I would like to point out that we are making significant investments in this area and we will continue to do so.
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Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/19/22 7:40:59 p.m.
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Madam Chair, many Canadians who want access to a safer supply cannot get it, so that answer falls short. Does the minister have any idea of the cost of substance use issues in Canada, factoring in health, social services, policing, the justice system, lost productivity and other relevant costs?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:41:19 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I am happy that the member has actually raised those issues, because we are working to divert people who use drugs away from the criminal justice system toward supporting and trusted relationships with health and social services. This is an extremely important measure. This is one of the many measures that we are taking, and we are going to continue to work in this regard, because we—
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The Deputy Chair
  • May/19/22 7:41:38 p.m.
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The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.
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