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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 320

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 29, 2024 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 320 - May/29/24
Mr. Peter Julian
  • May/29/24 8:43:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would also like to know the figures for British Columbia. How many seniors have already received their membership cards and been approved for the program? Once again, how many of those people are in Quebec and how many are in British Columbia?
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Hon. Mark Holland
  • May/29/24 8:43:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the take-up rate among dentists in British Columbia is quite high as well. I will check the figures for each region. I do not have them right now, but I will be able to provide that information soon.
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Mr. Peter Julian
  • May/29/24 8:43:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Health have, on the ministry website, a count-up clock so that all Canadians can see the number of people who are taking advantage of this new program? Of course, the NDP, having worked hard to get this to fruition, are very proud of the pickup that we have seen in the first few weeks.
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Hon. Mark Holland
  • May/29/24 8:44:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the first order, I want to thank the member and his caucus for their extraordinary work on this. I think it is exactly what Canadians expect us to do: to work together and to get results. I think that is an excellent idea. It is something that we are investigating and something I know the member has raised with me before. I think it is important that Canadians be able to see those details in hard numbers.
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Mr. Peter Julian
  • May/29/24 8:44:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in some regions of the country, there have not been a sufficient number of dentists who have signed up for the program. What steps are being taken to ensure, in rural and northern areas, that there are dentists available in the program?
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Hon. Mark Holland
  • May/29/24 8:44:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one of the things that we are doing is dispelling a lot of misinformation. Unfortunately, we have seen, in particular areas, Conservative misinformation and other misinformation. They have tried to say that there is a lot of administrative burden. The good news is, when we get a few providers in a region, we see an explosion, because Canadians see that there was misinformation and that the program is easy to use.
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Mr. Peter Julian
  • May/29/24 8:45:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one of the implementation elements is a portal for dentists so that all dentists are eligible, and they can simply bill the program. There is a target date. Will the ministry meet that date to ensure that all dentists are eligible for the program?
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Hon. Mark Holland
  • May/29/24 8:45:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, absolutely. I think the progress, so far, has been really amazing. We have heard from so many providers that they want the portal that the member is talking about. The date of July 8 is going to be met. We are on track for it. I think we are going to see a real lift in terms of the number of providers who participate and the number of people who get served.
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Mr. Peter Julian
  • May/29/24 8:46:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the pharmacare bill that the NDP also pushed for, which we are happy to see move out of committee and back into the House, should be out of the House within the next few days with the support, hopefully, of all members of Parliament. Does the minister have a plan for negotiating with all provinces once the bill passes through the Senate and gets royal assent?
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Hon. Mark Holland
  • May/29/24 8:46:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to particularly thank the member for Vancouver Kingsway for his work. It was a pleasure to work with him on this. Absolutely. I have had conversations with every one of my provincial and territorial counterparts. It is my expectation that as soon as we get royal assent, we will be in a position to negotiate directly. I have already had early conversations with every jurisdiction.
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Mr. Peter Julian
  • May/29/24 8:46:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for provinces that sign agreements with the federal government to move ahead on pharmacare, what will be the earliest date that diabetes medication, and contraception medication and devices will be covered?
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Hon. Mark Holland
  • May/29/24 8:47:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the good news is that the bill will be headed out of the House very soon. I hope it is going to get out of the Senate soon. It is my expectation that it would be certainly this year that we would see the first drugs flowing. It really would depend on how fast we can get royal assent, but I want—
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The Speaker
  • May/29/24 8:47:21 p.m.
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The hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby.
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Mr. Peter Julian
  • May/29/24 8:47:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have some other questions that will not be as easy on minister. The first is the issue of keeping profit out of health care. Conservative premiers across the country have been trying to take advantage of the health care system to allow for-profit corporations to take over. Can the minister explain to Canadians what he is doing to stop Conservative premiers from strangling the health care system and allowing profit to take over?
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Hon. Mark Holland
  • May/29/24 8:47:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the first thing is the interpretation letters that we need to issue, which I think will be critically important in helping to stem that. Second, we recognize that provinces may have taken some actions coming out of COVID to try to reduce burden but that we need to see the gaps closed and public systems protected. Under the Canada Health Act, we have made reductions in instances where private health care has been present, and we have the ability to do that in other places.
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Mr. Peter Julian
  • May/29/24 8:48:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in Ontario there is a Conservative Premier, Doug Ford. He has underspent his health budget by $1.7 billion. The health care spending there is among the lowest in Canada. Hospital capacity has been shrinking and doctors and nurses have been getting burnt out. Patients are receiving terrible care in Ontario. Can the minister tell the House why the Prime Minister was praising Doug Ford's approach on health care when things are getting so much worse in Ontario?
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Hon. Mark Holland
  • May/29/24 8:48:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the first order, there is the government of Nova Scotia and there is the government of Manitoba, and I am sure there are going to be others, where elections get decided on health. I am sure Ontario will be no different. My approach as health minister has been to try to focus on the positives. There are lots of places I disagree with my provincial counterparts, but one of the reasons that common indicators are so important is that we would be able to see in data how people are doing and get people to ask—
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The Speaker
  • May/29/24 8:49:23 p.m.
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The hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby.
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Mr. Peter Julian
  • May/29/24 8:49:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in Saskatchewan, a Conservative Premier, Scott Moe, is taking advantage of loopholes the Liberals have failed to close that allow him to send patients to out-of-province, for-profit clinics to receive surgery. I simply want to know why the government and the minister do not close the loopholes that Conservatives are using.
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Hon. Mark Holland
  • May/29/24 8:49:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have talked with Minister Hindley in Saskatchewan, and we had a conversation about the essential nature of public care. That is where we have to be, and I want to see that done through collaboration and co-operation. I think that is the best way to get there. It is going to be the continued approach, but the Canada Health Act is my responsibility, obviously, to enforce, and keeping care public is essential.
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