44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 31, 2023 02:00PM
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak to Bill C‑284. As members know, this enactment provides for the development of a national strategy to support the prevention and treatment of eye disease to ensure better health outcomes for Canadians. It also designates the month of February as age-related macular degeneration month.
The preamble of Bill C‑284 reads as follows, and I quote:
Whereas vision loss in Canada is associated with a number of causes, including macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy;
Whereas millions of [Quebeckers and] Canadians live with eye disease that could lead to vision loss or blindness if not treated;
Whereas it is estimated that vision loss costs [Quebeckers and] Canadians billions of dollars every year, both in financial costs and in loss of well-being;
Whereas the loss of central vision can severely impact a person's independence and quality of life;
Whereas coordination and information sharing between the federal and provincial governments is needed to ensure new treatments are made available, to prevent and treat eye disease and to prevent health inequities among people with vision loss;
It also states, and I quote:
And whereas Parliament considers that it is desirable to be proactive in the fight against vision loss and to implement a national strategy on eye care
In the same vein as many bills introduced over the past few Parliaments calling for autism, cancer or diabetes strategies, this bill calls for a strategy in the form of a report on eye health. Not surprisingly, the bill has the support of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society and the Canadian Association of Optometrists. In the wake of the introduction of the bill and World Sight Day on October 13, these groups published a survey that highlights the lack of understanding among Canadians about this important aspect of our health.
As we know, the strategy proposed in Bill C‑284 is built on four pillars:
identify the training, education and guidance needs of health care practitioners and other professionals related to the prevention and treatment of eye disease, including clinical practice guidelines;
promote research and improve data collection on eye disease prevention and treatment;
promote information and knowledge sharing between the federal and provincial governments in relation to eye disease prevention and treatment; and
ensure that Health Canada is able to rapidly consider new applications for treatments and devices used for macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.
The Bloc Québécois will vote in favour of the principle of the bill, because eye health is important for people's quality of life.
All in all, the bill itself does nothing. It only forces the government to produce a report that will establish a national strategy for eye care. Furthermore, designating the month of February as age-related macular degeneration month is a symbolic measure.
Although health services, including eye care services, are the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces, this bill gives the federal government a role by funding research and approving medications or devices.
The bill overall respects Quebec's and the provinces' jurisdictions. That is why the Bloc Québécois supports it. However, the Bloc will take the time to study the bill to ensure that the federal strategy is complete and complements the actions of the Quebec government.
In Quebec, optometry services are available to people under 18 or over 65, and emergency services are covered for everyone. There is also a visual aid program, which allows any individual with a permanent visual impairment who is covered under Quebec's health insurance plan to obtain visual aids such as magnifiers, an optical system, a calculator, a Braille typewriter, a white cane, an electronic obstacle detector, night vision goggles, and the list goes on.
The program also offers financial help to get a guide dog, as well as resources for students. Speaking of guide dogs, I am going to talk about a fantastic Quebec organization that does remarkable and indispensable work. I am talking about Mira.
In his childhood, founder Éric St-Pierre developed a passion for raising dogs. He trained dogs on the family farm, following his father's advice. His ease and natural talent with the animals led him to undergo professional training in order to have a career training guard dogs and sniffer dogs.
In 1975, Mr. St‑Pierre built a kennel in Sainte‑Madeleine. He spent most of his time training dogs. One day, a friend who worked as an orientation and mobility teacher at the Nazareth and Louis Braille Institute asked Mr. St‑Pierre for advice about the behaviour of a guide dog from the United States. Back then, there were no francophone guide dog schools in Canada. Éric St-Pierre quickly realized that these dogs were not raised or trained in conditions that worked in Quebec. He realized that there was also a language barrier limiting many people's access to the services of these dogs. He therefore promised the institute that he would train dogs for them, and that is how Mira came to be. It was the first francophone centre for guide dogs in Canada.
Mira was founded in 1981. It is a non-profit organization that provides free guide dogs and service dogs to people with visual or mobility impairments, as well as to young people with autism spectrum disorder.
All of Mira's services and activities are based on the principle of body equality, meaning that what is accessible to everyone must also be accessible to people with disabilities. Within this framework, the organization's mission has the following objectives: increase the autonomy and promote the social integration of people with disabilities through the use of guide dogs and service dogs; provide services freely to all beneficiaries, regardless of their income; improve the mobility and orientation of people with disabilities so that they can move about freely in their daily lives; create an individual intervention plan adapted for each beneficiary that takes into account the beneficiary's level of autonomy, social and professional context, and mobility needs; and promote the benefits of service dogs in public places, in schools and on public transport.
Mira is known for its innovative programs, dog training techniques and fundraising activities. Since it was created, Mira has provided more than 3,700 dogs free of charge to people living with one or more disabilities. Much of this success is due to public support and concern. Without this help, Mira would not be what it is today.
I am now going to talk about two people I knew well and who lost their sight because of macular degeneration and diabetes. When I was finishing high school, a friend of mine found out that in a few years she would lose her sight to a genetic disease, early-onset macular degeneration. Diane Lamarche had a bright future ahead of her. She was a serious student who got good grades in high school. She enjoyed walking, basketball and tennis. She was also an avid reader.
We got to know each other better when we worked together as playground monitors in Lebel‑sur‑Quévillon. In our senior year of high school, she told us that she was losing her sight and that she was already learning Braille. The news left us gutted. She was so young, and had such a promising life ahead of her as an adult.
Our eyes and vision are indispensable for acquiring information from our external environment. They make it possible to coordinate all our movements, in particular those of our hands. Vision has three roles: perceptual, sensory and cognitive.
Another person who was even closer to me, my uncle Germain Boyer, lost his vision in his 70th year because of his diabetes. I remember that he enjoyed Yule logs so much that he would stock up every year. He has since passed away, but I will always remember his kindness and cheerfulness. I want to send my love to my aunt Denise and my cousins Sylvain and Mélanie in memory of him.
Ultimately, prevention remains an effective way to avoid vision loss, unless it is caused by macular degeneration, poor health or genetics.
If passed, this bill will help ensure better eye health and better vision for Quebeckers and Canadians.
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Madam Speaker, I will be careful of that.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the issue of vision loss in Canada, as eye surgeries were cancelled or delayed. Wait times to see vision care providers also increased over the course of the pandemic. That is why a national strategy for eye care is essential. It would provide a comprehensive road map, laying out a common direction and shared leadership. It would build collaboration among researchers, medical professionals and community organizations to develop innovative approaches to combat eye diseases and preserve sight.
In 2021, the CNIB opened a new centre in Brampton South, providing access to innovative technology and training for Bramptonians with sight loss. It is doing incredible work, and I am confident that Bill C-284 would bring us one step closer to empowering Canadians impacted by blindness with an integrated approach.
As members in this House know, Bill C-237, the National Framework for Diabetes Act, passed unanimously in 2021. I want to touch on how blindness can be a serious complication because of diabetes retinopathy, and I also want to recognize Diabetes Canada's work on this issue as well.
Earlier this year, I met an advocate named Ryan and his dog named Joe. Ryan lives with diabetic retinopathy. He told me about the challenges Canadians with vision impairments face using their insulin pumps. He and many other Canadians are experiencing these hardships, so we need to work together to remove those barriers.
Living with blindness, especially as a result of chronic disease, is an experience that is difficult for people without visual impairment to truly understand. This further underscores the need to have a coordinated strategy so that we can work together with provinces and territories, indigenous peoples and other partners to improve health outcomes. Through this approach, we can proactively identify and intervene in cases of diabetic retinopathy, mitigating the risk of vision loss.
We know that with early intervention and coordinated care, vision loss can be preserved. Of vision loss cases, 75% can be prevented if patients are diagnosed early and have access to treatment. We know that providing hope and better health outcomes for individuals affected by eye diseases is transformational. Already, the Government of Canada is leading and supporting a range of activities related to eye disease prevention and treatment.
I would like to talk about the investments announced in budget 2023 to strengthen our public health care system.
Budget 2023 commits $196 billion in funding to support our health work force; reduce backlogs; expand access to family health, mental health and substance use services; and modernize our health system. This is to ensure provinces and territories can provide the high quality and timely health care Canadians expect and deserve.
We see the surgical backlogs and the impacts on our systems, and we are addressing that need. Surgical backlogs, including vision-related surgeries, are a key part of this plan and are a health system priority of this government. Budget 2023 includes a $2-billion one-time top-up to provinces and territories to address urgent pressures in emergency rooms, operating rooms and pediatric hospitals. In addition, Indigenous Services Canada’s non-insured health benefits program also provides vision care to eligible first nations and Inuit beneficiaries where they are not otherwise covered by other plans or programs.
The government has also made significant investments in vision loss prevention and research. Over the last five years, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research has invested approximately $61 million in vision-related research. This research spans the spectrum of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of various vision-related conditions.
These investments contribute to the evidence base needed to improve health systems and health outcomes for Canadians experiencing vision loss.
Finally, I wish to highlight that medically necessary vision care services are covered by provincial and territorial health insurance plans. Any vision care service that must be performed in a hospital is covered and supported under Canada’s public health care system. The federal government is committed to continue working with provinces and territories on our shared health priorities, including those related to vision care.
In conclusion, Bill C-284 would allow the Minister of Health to develop a national strategy to support the prevention and treatment of eye disease. It would facilitate engagement with provinces, territories, key stakeholders and partners to ensure that we are all pursuing common objectives in the vision care space, along with sharing best practices. This bill would complement existing work and research efforts, supported by provincial and territorial governments, and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.
Once again, I wish to thank the hon. member for Humber River—Black Creek for putting forward this important bill. I know that my residents in Brampton South and, indeed, all Canadians are counting on us to act quickly to prevent and treat eye diseases. I encourage members to vote in favour, as we continue to strengthen our efforts on vision care in Canada.
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