Hon. Jane Cordy: Senator Gold, I want to follow up on a question that I asked October 4 on behalf of Cliff Williams, a Nova Scotia senior who is relying on the new Canadian Dental Care Plan to access dental services.

As I stated in my last question, one third of Canadians do not have dental insurance, and one in five avoid dental services because the price is prohibitive. We know that dental care is health care. I applaud the government for its commitment to providing financial assistance to those Canadians who face barriers in accessing dental services by bringing forward the new dental care plan.

A government media release from March 31 — from which you read your answer to my question on October 4 — simply says that by the end of 2023, the Canadian Dental Care Plan will become available to uninsured Canadians under 18, persons with disabilities and seniors with an annual family income of less than $90,000.

Senator Gold, Mr. Williams’ question is a simple one: When will the benefits be available to eligible seniors? As there are only a few weeks until the end of 2023, is the government still guaranteeing that the benefits will be available before the end of the year?

Senator Cordy: Thank you for that, Senator Gold.

My next question follows up on what you said. Will you reach out to the minister and report back to the Senate with an update and updated information for seniors? Then, when I or other senators get phone calls, we can give them some updated information, perhaps with some goalposts as to when certain things could be happening. That would be helpful for us.

Senator Cordy: Thank you, Senator Gold. That is very positive.

We know that a motion made in the other place — or in this place — does not necessarily compel the government to act; although, you have said that they will be doing that, which is a positive thing.

As you stated, the alert systems are the jurisdictions of the provinces and territories. My question is: Will the federal government take a leadership role so that it is not just one province or one territory but, in fact, the whole country? Will the federal government take a leadership role to make the alert system a reality, and will the federal government provide some funding to help the provinces and the territories set up the alert system?

Hon. Jane Cordy: My question is for Senator Gold.

Senator Gold, as we enter cold and flu season, on top of the increasing COVID numbers that we are seeing, families are experiencing an alarming rise in children’s illnesses across the country. The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario here in Ottawa has reported that between the months of May and September, the hospital saw the busiest months in the organization’s 50-year history. Officials with the hospital are pointing to a surge in flu and COVID-19 cases. They have seen about 10 times more patients with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, now than before the pandemic. The virus, which disproportionately affects small children, features symptoms including fever, runny nose and coughing, and can lead to difficulty breathing.

As parents try to alleviate these symptoms for their children with medications from the local pharmacy, they are often finding empty shelves. Last week, Health Canada released a statement recognizing the shortage of infant and children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen, but gave little to no details about how they plan to address this situation. Health Canada says the shortages are because of an increase in demand, but shelves have been empty for months, Senator Gold.

Why are the shelves empty? Also, Senator Gold, could you provide us with details on how Health Canada plans to increase the supply of these much-needed products and get them to families who most need them?

Senator Cordy: Thank you, Senator Gold. I will quote another sentence or two from the response that I received:

The Government of Canada respects the sovereign right of other countries to decide their travel restrictions and border measures and will continue to monitor the situation and provide updated travel advice to Canadians.

We all acknowledge that every country has their responsibility and the right to make their own decisions. It’s easy to just tell Canadians to contact the country of destination, but Canadians look to their own government first to find that information. If I were travelling, I would go to the Government of Canada website before I would go to the website of the country to which I am travelling.

If the government is telling us that they have successfully negotiated with other countries, then they should be able to share this information with the public.

My question of you is, would you remind the government that travel information and vaccine requirements must be easy to understand for Canadians and the information must be easily accessible on the Canadian website?

Senator Cordy: Thank you for that, Senator Gold. In light of the work that the Human Rights Committee has done on human rights of prisoners, and in this case it’s human rights of prison employees, it would be very important for us, and particularly the Human Rights Committee, to know.

Senator Gold, I understand that in 2020 Corrections Canada launched their National Comprehensive Strategy on Workplace Wellness and Employee Wellbeing designed to identify risks and action plans with clear accountabilities and performance monitoring in order to track progress.

Sadly, the 2021 employee survey showed that there continues to be a perceived lack of action when it comes to Corrections Canada responding in a proactive and timely way and, unfortunately, also when it comes to disciplining the perpetrators. Almost 48% of respondents believe that support for victims is either absent or needs improvement, and only 42% believe that Corrections Canada provided a confidential and safe space to file complaints. What’s more discouraging is that less than half of respondents — 46% — were even aware of how to file a formal discrimination complaint.

So in light of the survey results, and in consideration of the national comprehensive strategy, what action will the government take to bridge these gaps? Again, you may have to bring that information to us at a later date. I would appreciate that. Thank you.