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Tovah Barocas
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Tovah Barocas
2015-06-11 8:57
Thank you very much.
I'd like to thank you first for providing me with the opportunity to speak before the committee today, and I'd like to congratulate you for addressing this important topic. At Earth Rangers we believe strongly in the importance of collaboration among all sectors of society in order to achieve environmental goals, and this includes the private sector.
Earth Rangers is a national ENGO focused on engaging children and their families in conservation. Our programs are based on research indicating that the number one environmental concern for children across Canada is protecting animals from extinction.
We travel to over 650 elementary schools each year and give a fun and dynamic presentation featuring live animals, which captures the imagination of students and introduces them to environmental science themes. We also have a membership program, which just last week grew to over 100,000 children all across Canada.
Through this program, we provide our members and their families with tangible activities they can do to positively impact the environment, things like planting pollinator gardens in their backyards and recycling.
Tovah Barocas
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Tovah Barocas
2015-06-11 8:58
Earth Rangers is funded through a variety of sources, with about 30% coming from the corporate sector. We have partners across a variety of industries, including natural resources, technology, finance and insurance, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods.
Today I'd like to share with you three distinct examples of successful and innovative corporate sector partnerships from the past few years.
The first relates to our Bring Back the Wild program. Bring Back the Wild educates our members on the importance of protecting animals, and empowers them to take action by starting a fundraising campaign. Each year Earth Rangers works with our conservation partners to identify four unique Canadian species that are facing threats in the wild. We then develop tangible projects to protect those animals, ranging from conservation research to land acquisition to habitat stewardship.
Last September we launched a Bring Back the Wild project focused on the western screech owl in the Elk River Valley in southeastern British Columbia. The project was developed in collaboration with Teck, a large B.C.-based mining company, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Teck and NCC have been working together since 2012 to protect significant portions of land in the ElkRiver Valley. We at Earth Rangers felt that this could be a great opportunity to bring national attention to this commitment while ensuring continued funding for ongoing stewardship and conservation research in the area.
The project has provided the opportunity for Teck to leverage the Earth Rangers' network to promote its work with NCC to a much broader audience, highlighting its environmental commitment. The benefit to Earth Rangers is significant funding from Teck to provide educational materials to our members about the screech owl project. As of earlier this week 5,200 kids across Canada, members of Earth Rangers, had raised over $65,000 for the project, with a significant portion of these funds being donated by Earth Rangers to NCC to conduct important conservation research on the western screech owl. As you can see, this project is the true definition of a win-win-win.
The next partnership I want to talk about is one with Schneider Electric Canada, which is focused on our headquarters, the Earth Rangers Centre for Sustainable Technology. The Earth Rangers Centre is one of the most efficient buildings in the world, using nearly 90% less energy than other buildings of its size. One of the most unique and impactful aspects of the building is the Schneider Electric building automation system. The automation system controls the heating, cooling, and ventilation, and the operation of day-to-day systems in the building. It can turn on a light, open a door, heat or cool a room, and provide additional fresh air when needed. This sophisticated system allows the Earth Rangers Centre to operate more efficiently and to lessen our environmental impact. Schneider Electric not only provided this system at no cost to us but also continues to provide funding every year for its continued operation and maintenance. It has used our building as a testing ground for new products and innovations, as a sales tool for new customers to see their products in action, and even as an event venue for global executive meetings. This partnership is a perfect example of how the private sector can not only support ENGOs but also leverage that support to achieve its own business objectives.
Finally, I'd like to discuss another form of private sector partnership that has been highly successful for Earth Rangers. We have formed this type of partnership with many different companies, but today I will focus on the example of the Imperial Oil Foundation.
The natural resource sector is unique because while oftentimes head offices are located in places like Calgary or Vancouver, their core operations are in smaller, more remote locations. Many resource companies have put a priority on giving in the communities where their employees live and work and in which they are having the most significant environmental impact.
Earth Rangers' in-school education programs are unique in their ability to travel almost anywhere in Canada. For the past four years Imperial Oil has been supporting our program in Cold Lake, Lac la Biche, and Bonnyville in northern Alberta. Not only does this provide a great opportunity for Imperial Oil to bring something exciting and different to the community but it also provides Earth Rangers with the opportunity to expand our programs and access to children in an area we wouldn't otherwise have access to.
In some other instances, we provided our partners with the opportunity to directly engage their employees in selecting the schools we visit. The employees nominate their children's or grandchildren's school, and the company then sponsors the program in the schools with the most nominations. The employee feels like a hero to their child, and the company knows that they're impacting the communities they care most about.
Without the support of the corporate sector, we would not be able to do nearly as much as we currently do. In order to encourage corporations to continue to give back and to increase their charitable dollars each year, it’s important that ENGOs recognize that support and engage in honest and positive dialogue with the companies that have taken a leadership role.
I also believe the government can play an important role in encouraging these types of partnerships and collaborations. Things like promoting best practices, using its position as a regulator to convene multi-stakeholder groups around certain issues, and providing seed funding for innovative partnerships would all be very valuable.
Thank you. That concludes my statement.
Walter Regan
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Walter Regan
2015-06-02 12:21
Mr. Chair, the Sackville Rivers Association is a not-for-profit, volunteer-based, community group concerned with the health of the Sackville River watershed. The SRA's mandate is to protect and where necessary restore the river and environment of the Sackville River watershed. The Sackville River flows for over 40 kilometres before discharging into Halifax harbour. The 150-square-kilometre watershed contains 13 lakes, many wetlands, ponds, streams, and feeder brooks. The population on the watershed is currently over 60,000 and increasing daily.
The Sackville River is a historic Atlantic salmon river. In the mid-1800s, a salmon hatchery was established at the mouth of the river and was closed in the early 1960s due to deteriorating water quality and diminishing salmon returns caused by development in the watershed.
The SRA, in partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, participated in a stocking program to restore the Atlantic salmon to the Sackville and Little Sackville rivers, which was stopped in 2013 due to budget cuts. SRA has continually counted Atlantic salmon since 1989. In 1996 we counted over 750 adult Atlantic salmon in the Sackville River.
The SRA uses the wild Atlantic salmon as a biological indicator of water quality, a canary in the mine. If we can keep the salmon in the watershed, all species of fish can live in the river. The Sackville River is used extensively by recreational fishermen, and by commercial and aboriginal fishers.
If the youth of today are our future, we need to educate and encourage them to go fishing. We need to promote recreational fishing in Canada much better than we are doing. Our youth know how to shop in a mall and play electronic games, but they do not know how to catch a fish. We must get our youth into a more active lifestyle that includes the outdoors and fishing.
Urban rivers must be highlighted, enhanced, and protected, so that the increased population now living in nearby cities can have access to recreational fishing. It is our youth who are the ones we want to have out fishing, and by doing so increase the future of the recreational fishery, and not have them hanging around their rooms and in malls playing electronic games. We need those urban rivers protected.
Due to a lack of access to wild Atlantic salmon eggs for our educational fishery program in schools for grades 4, 5 and 6—teaching about 500 children a year—we had to start using speckled trout eggs. This limits the effectiveness of the program. DFO has to change its policy and provide salmon eggs for this valuable education program.
We are desperate for a marine recreational fishing licence. This licence would cover shellfish, groundfish, striped bass, shad, grass prawns, and smelts. It is estimated that over 8,000 people alone spend over $5 million a year on marine recreational fishing, just for striped bass in the Bay of Fundy.
How do you manage a fishery with no catch data, no fishing network information? The licence would provide funding information for studies, habitat restoration, species management, and science. This would also be consistent across Canada, as British Columbia now has a tidal waters fishing licence.
Set DFO free to go to sea. Coastal and marine ecosystem changes must be studied and DFO must be given the resources to focus studies that would determine why salt water mortality for wild Atlantic salmon is happening, what ecosystem changes are occurring, and recovery actions needed to be implemented to stop this mortality. DFO must be allowed to do at-sea research to find and stop the black hole.
It's clear, so it must be clean. Wild fish need good water quality. Acid rain may be the single largest reason for the decline of wild Atlantic salmon in the 73 Southern Upland rivers in Nova Scotia. Due to the lowering of the pH and raising aluminum levels in the rivers, to overcome the negative effects of acid rain, Environment Canada and DFO should partner to lime the rivers that are affected in the Southern Upland on an ongoing basis.
At least 13 rivers of the Southern Upland are totally unsuitable for spawning or rearing based on the acidity and aluminum levels. This affects over 10 million square metres of wild Atlantic salmon habitat. Liming must be started and carried out to return these rivers to full production. The liming project at West River, Sheet Harbour initiated and maintained by the Nova Scotia Salmon Association for the past 10 years on a shoestring budget must be taken over and operated by both Environment Canada and DFO.
For example, in Norway and Sweden, over $20 million a year is spent on liming rivers with a five-year payback from increased tourism. We live next door to 400 million tourists or fishermen. Many would come here if we had fish and promoted fishing correctly.
Another problem is, who looks after acid rain? Is it DFO or is it Environment Canada? This must be straightened out and resources provided to correct the problem, not just studies.
In 2007 there was an escape of aquaculture fish, farmed fish, rainbow trout. Several of these fish showed up in the Sackville River, hundreds of kilometres away. Rainbow trout is an invasive fish species here in Nova Scotia. What are DFO and the province doing allowing invasive fish to be raised in open net sewer pens where escape is possible?
DFO is a promoter of the aquaculture industry and the regulator at the same time. This is a conflict of interest.
DFO is mandated to protect endangered wild Atlantic salmon, but they do not use the precautionary approach when there isn't science to prove an activity is safe. Recently the Nova Scotia government gave the aquaculture industry $25 million. DFO should give NGOs in Nova Scotia a similar amount to save the wild Atlantic salmon.
The volunteer is doing what he can where he can. Of the more than 550 watersheds in Nova Scotia, with 73 rivers known to have salmon, containing over 78 million square metres of Atlantic salmon habitat alone, this habitat is not just for salmon but for all fish species and must be protected and restored where possible. In-stream work required to address habitat issues is part of what will be required to reverse the declining population trends. This work is now being done by volunteer groups. In Nova Scotia there are about 25 groups actively doing in-river restoration. We need more groups and resources for those groups.
Thanks to the Province of Nova Scotia, the recreational fishing licence habitat stamp program, which funds a NSSA Adopt a Stream program every year, great work is being done to restore the fish habitat in Nova Scotia rivers. This program must be supported by DFO by funding an equivalent $1 million a year, or by matching dollar-for-dollar from the province's habitat stamp.
Perhaps the time is right for a new green fund. Perhaps a habitat fund could be created where offsetting funds for all fish habitat losses could be placed to help the volunteer groups restore our rivers. This fund would be overseen by the present NSSA Adopt a Stream program, which is already up and running. Population viability analysis indicates that relatively small increases in either freshwater productivity or at-sea survival are expected to decrease extinction possibilities for Atlantic salmon, especially in the Southern Upland rivers of Nova Scotia.
While a freshwater productivity increase of 50% decreases the probability of extinction within 50 years to near zero, larger changes in at-sea survival are required to restore populations to a level above their conservation requirements. Acidification and barriers to fish passage in rivers are thought to have reduced the amount of freshwater habitat by over 40%.
What happened to the wild Atlantic salmon when it reached the culvert? It got hung up. With an estimated 100,000 culverts or more in Nova Scotia watersheds and the fish passage failure rate of 50% to 80%, many millions of square metres of salmon habitat are inaccessible to wild Atlantic salmon. More inspections of culverts are required by more DFO inspectors and actions taken to correct issues, not just to inventory the losses.
This is and will be an ongoing problem until all culverts are installed correctly. Contractors should have to pay a fee or offsetting levy for the habitat destroyed to be used for stocking, liming, and for restoration of Atlantic salmon and other fish stock habitats. Small-diameter culverts authorized under guidelines now do not have to fund offsetting work. This must be changed.
We need a Nova Scotia habitat credit bank fund, possibly funded by installation of culverts, that would allow developers to put money into the fund so they can get on with their projects and not unnecessarily be held up, delaying economic development. Those moneys collected could then be used to restore lost habitat and to lime rivers.
In addition, like a carbon credit, NGOs could sell their restored square metres to the developers at $40 per square metre, and then use this money to further restore Nova Scotia rivers and damaged habitat to increase recreational fishing in Nova Scotia. Currently, DFO does not allow this habitat banking approach.
The present DFO RFCPP is a very good program and should be expanded and increased. Well done, DFO.
Sony Perron
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Sony Perron
2015-06-01 15:39
I would like to thank the committee chair and the rest of the committee members for the invitation to appear here today.
I, and other officials at Health Canada, have reviewed the Auditor General's 2015 Report, and we have paid a great deal of attention to his recommendations. We take the findings seriously and are addressing each of them through an action plan. This plan will continue to be refined and defined in collaboration with first nations. Indeed, as you know, we work in cooperation with first nations. This plan can therefore only be completed with an additional commitment by our first nations partners.
The health care system serving first nations is highly complex. Provincial health systems do not directly extend to first nations reserves. To support first nations, Health Canada provides the delivery of a range of effective, sustainable and culturally appropriate programs and services. We work with first nations to increase their control of health services and collaborate with provinces to increase access and promote system integration.
We also support programs that address first nations health priorities in the areas of mental health, chronic disease, maternal and child health, and health benefits providing coverage for prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, mental crisis intervention, and medical supplies and equipment.
Most of the community-based programs have been transferred in varying degrees to over 400 first nation communities. This number does not include British Columbia, where in 2013 Health Canada transferred its role in the design, management, and delivery of first nations health programming in British Columbia to the new First Nations Health Authority.
Health Canada provides funding to first nations to deliver clinical care in 27 remote and isolated communities, again, outside British Columbia. In an additional 53 remote and isolated first nation communities, Health Canada continues to deliver clinical care. The delivery model varies based on the specifics of each province and geographic conditions. The clinical care teams are located in nursing stations, along with community health workers delivering other programs.
Because of the importance of these services, it is imperative that Health Canada ensure that remote communities have access to clinical and client care, that nursing stations are staffed with registered nurses, and that nurses work in a safe environment, have access to physicians to support them, and have access to tools.
Registered nurses and nurse practitioners are predominantly the first point of contact in isolated communities and are highly educated and qualified individuals. To ensure that our nurses are prepared for the unique demands of working in remote stations, a mandatory training requirement has been defined and is now part of the national education policy.
I can report that we currently have an 88% compliance rate on Health Canada's nursing education model for controlled substances in first nations health facilities, while advanced cardiac life support is at 63%, trauma support is at 59%, pediatric advanced life support is at 64%, and immunization is at 61%. The overall compliance rate is at 46% as of the end of April 2015. We still have work to do, and we are doing it while ensuring that we have resources in place to backfill these important positions while incumbents are in training.
Health Canada is committed to ensuring that nurses working in remote first nations communities meet established public service requirements on top of these workers' already robust credentials.
Remote and isolated practice environments sometimes require nurses to respond immediately to life-threatening or emergency situations. Nurses therefore need appropriate mechanisms to perform these important duties.
Clinical practice guidelines assist nurses to address clinical care situations and provide instruction on whether and when consultation with a physician or a nurse practitioner is required. There are arrangements in place for all nursing stations to access physicians when physicians are not located in the community. We also continue to collaborate on region-specific solutions with provinces to advance access to health services and with regulatory bodies to support nurses practising within their scope of practice.
A key challenge is the need for more nurses. Health Canada has implemented a nurse recruitment and retention strategy, which involves a number of initiatives: a nursing recruitment marketing plan, a nursing development program, a student outreach program, and an onboarding program.
Since its February launch, we have received over 500 nursing applications, with 200 of these moving to the next level of screening. As well, the strategy aims to increase the number of nurse practitioners, which will provide greater stability in the clinical teams, assist in meeting training objectives, and enhance the level of services available at the community level.
Nurses and other community health professionals require facilities to conduct their work. Currently, we invest approximately $30 million annually for repairs, renovation, and construction of health facilities, plus an additional $44 million for maintenance and operations. The nursing stations are owned by first nations communities, and we collaborate with them to support their operation.
We work with first nations communities to ensure buildings are inspected and deficiencies are addressed. In response to the audit, we are implementing a more robust tracking system to capture this work. We will also enhance our process in order to use facility condition reports as a tool to better plan maintenance and renovation work with the owners.
In addition, to ensure new nursing stations are built to code, we have updated our requirements for attestations and have communicated the change to facility management staff. The audit rightly noted that the requirements, such as the station as defined currently, did not provide the necessary level of assurance.
Another area reported on was the management of medical transportation; medical transportation that provides coverage to support access to insured health services. Health Canada spends over $300 million on medical transportation per year, and approximately 60% of that is in remote and isolated communities. The main reasons for transportation are emergencies, at 24%, hospital services, at 10%, appointments with general practitioners, at 7%, and dental services, at 5%.
The program provides coverage for transportation to the nearest appropriate professional or facility that takes place when the needed service is not locally available. Our goal is to provide timely coverage for medical transportation to avoid an undue burden for clients and health care professionals. Decisions are based on a national program framework and are made with a solid understanding of the health services available and the transportation options at the regional level.
In response to the audit observations, the program has already modified and disseminated guidelines to resolve discrepancies observed between our practices and the medical transportation framework in terms of the level of documentation required.
Regarding the transportation of children who are not registered, Health Canada has a long practice of allowing coverage for a child up to one year of age to be covered for medical transportation under the registration number of their parents. Health Canada will continue its efforts with partners to inform parents and make available registration material in nursing stations and health centres.
Health Canada and the Assembly of First Nations are undertaking a joint review of the non-insured health benefits program, of which medical transportation is a component, and I am pleased to report that the work is well under way. It will identify strengths, weaknesses, including inefficiencies in administration, and recommendations for action.
Given that the geographic location, the size of the community, and the need to ensure cultural safety influence the range of programs and services funded or provided by Health Canada, comparing one community to the other is not always possible or the best approach. Community health planning, investing in the integration of services with provincial systems, and the development of community programs and capacity have proven to be more effective and more responsive to community needs over time.
As indicated earlier, Health Canada funds a number of community programs aimed at addressing specific needs and working as a complement to the clinical and client care program. These programs are funded to support community health needs and mostly managed by the communities themselves. In response to the audit, we will improve our support to community health planning to enhance integration of the community-based programs and clinical services where these services are delivered by Health Canada. We will also engage with the communities to review the current service delivery model and clinical care resource allocations.
The last area I would like to discuss is coordination among health system jurisdictions.
We work closely with partners to build health service delivery models that take into account community needs.
We have made significant progress with health service integration over the last 10 years. We see examples in various regions where there are more physicians' visits, provincial services are being extended on reserve, and there are more collaborative arrangements between community health services and regional health authorities. Co-management and trilateral tables exist in most regions to formally engage with provincial and first nations partners to advance common practices and resolve systemic issues. We will formally engage these tables in order to make progress on the important issues raised in the report.
Health Canada will continue to collaborate with our partners to develop and implement other models of first nations-led health systems across the country, as we have celebrated in B.C. We have presented an overview of our action plan, which requires further engagement and collaboration with first nation partners. We believe the next update will be more comprehensive as it will benefit from our partners' input.
In closing, we are working on a number of actions in response to the audit, and we will continue to do so.
I would note that I am accompanied today by three senior officials from Health Canada's first nations and Inuit health branch: Valerie Gideon, assistant deputy minister, regional operations; Robin Buckland, executive director, office of primary health care; and Scott Doidge, acting director general, non-insured health benefits.
We would be pleased to answer your questions. Thank you.
Karen R. Cohen
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Karen R. Cohen
2015-05-28 15:56
Thank you.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and committee members. My name is Dr. Karen Cohen. I'm the chief executive officer of the Canadian Psychological Association or CPA.
CPA is the national association of Canada's scientists and practitioners of psychology. Approximately 18,000 psychologists are registered to practise in Canada. This makes psychologists the largest regulated, specialized mental health care providers in the country.
Psychologists are employed by publicly funded institutions inclusive of hospitals, family health teams, and primary care practices, schools, universities, and correctional facilities. However, with cuts to human resources in the public sector, psychologists increasingly work in private practice.
Their scope of practice includes the assessment and diagnosis of mental disorders and cognitive functioning, the development and evaluation of treatment protocols and programs, the delivery and supervision of treatment, and research.
We are pleased that in the 2015 federal budget the Government of Canada indicated its intention to renew the Mental Health Commission's mandate for 10 years. CPA has a long history of involvement with the commission from providing support for its creation, sitting on advisory committees, and providing input on past and current projects. This new investment will hopefully give the commission a mandate to implement the recommendations of the mental health strategy. The strategy scoped out the changes that Canada needs to make to enhance the mental health and well-being of its citizens. It's now time to make change happen.
The strategy called for increased access to evidence-based psychotherapies by service providers qualified to deliver them. We hope that the commission will work with governments and other stakeholders to move this important recommendation forward.
Research has demonstrated that psychological treatments are effective for a wide range of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse. They are less expensive than, and at least as effective as, medication for a number of common mental health conditions. They work better than medication for some kinds of anxiety. They lead to less relapse of depression when compared to treatment with medication alone. They lead to patients who better follow through on treatment, feel less burdened by their illness, and have lower suicide rates when used with medication for bipolar disorder. They help to prevent relapse when included in the services and supports for persons living with schizophrenia. And, finally, they reduce depression and anxiety in people with heart disease, which when combined with medical treatment, leads to lower rates of heart-related deaths.
Despite this evidence, there are significant gaps in service and care when it comes to mental health. Canada has no parity in its public funding of mental and physical health care. Canada's mental health strategy tells us that spending on mental health in Canada has been measured at only 7% of total health spending. Psychological services are not covered by our public health insurance plans. Canadians either pay out of pocket or rely on the private health insurance plans provided by employers. Coverage through private plans is almost always too little for a clinically meaningful amount of service.
Erin Anderssen from The Globe and Mail hit the nail on the head this week when she wrote about this health crisis. She stated, “We have the evidence...Why aren't we providing evidence-based care?”
Access to treatment should not depend on your employment benefits or your income level. Those who cannot afford to pay for treatment end up on long wait lists, they have to depend on prescription medications, or they simply do not get help at all. If we want a health care system that will deliver cost and clinically effective care, then we must re-vision policies, programs, and funding structures through which health care is provided.
CPA commissioned a report by a group of health economists that proposed several models of delivering enhanced access to psychological services for Canadians. The report provides a business case for improved access to psychological services based on demonstrating positive return on investment and proposed service that yields desired outcomes. It looked at countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, and Finland that have programs that make psychological services accessible through public health systems.
A 2012 report on the U.K.'s improving access to psychological therapies program says it has treated over 1.1 million people, with a recovery rate in excess of 45%. Some 45,000 people have moved off sick pay and benefits. Savings from the program in 2015 are estimated at £272 million for the National Health Service and £700 million for the entire public sector. By the end of 2016-17, the net financial benefit of the program is pegged at £4.6 billion and judged attributable to prevention, early intervention, and a reduction in absenteeism.
Mental disorders that are addressed promptly and effectively will yield a cost offset from their treatments. That can include fewer medical visits and interventions, and decreases in short- or long-term disability. On the other hand, untreated or undertreated disorders cost the workplace tens of billions of dollars annually.
Accessing needed psychological care affects people across their lifespan.
The May 2015 report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information showed that emergency room visits and hospitalization rates for children and youth with mental disorders have increased since 2006, particularly for those between the ages of 10 and 17 with mood and anxiety disorders. Use of psychotropic medications has increased as well. A 2011 report from the Canadian Policy Network and CIHI shows that the strongest evidence for return on investment in mental health involves services and supports that are geared to children and youth and that reduce conduct disorders and depression, deliver parenting skills, provide anti-bullying and anti-stigma education, promote health in schools, and provide screening in primary health care settings for depression and alcohol misuse.
Canada's population is aging and seniors will also face barriers to accessing necessary psychological care. While many of us will age in relatively good health, others will face a wide range of cognitive, emotional, and physical challenges that include dementia, depression, anxiety, chronic disease management, and end-of-life care. As many as 20% of seniors are living with a mental illness. Depression occurs in about 40% of patients who have had a stroke. Up to 44% of residents in long-term care homes have been diagnosed with depression and 80% to 90% have a mental illness or cognitive impairment.
Canada has taken some very important steps to improve the mental health of Canadians. Campaigns and public conversations deliver the message that Canadians can and should seek help for their mental health problems. Collectively, we are reducing the stigma of mental health and substance use disorders. However, only about one-third of Canadians seek and receive such help. While stigma may be one barrier, access to care is another.
It is time Canada walked the talk and made needed treatments and supports available. We need a health care system that is nimble enough to respond to the health needs of our citizens, deliver evidence-based care, and hold us accountable for care delivered. To accomplish these goals, innovation is needed.
The federal government has an important role to play in Canada's mental health. This role includes delivering care in jurisdictions under its authority, increasing or targeting mental health transfers to provinces and territories, and collaborating with provinces and territories in delivering effective innovations in health promotion, illness prevention, and health care delivery.
To ensure that innovations in mental health care delivery happen, the federal government can set up an innovation fund to assist provinces and territories in developing sustainable mental health infrastructure across Canada that will bring psychological care to Canadians who need it. The fund could, for example, be used by the provinces and territories to adapt the United Kingdom's improved access to psychological therapy programs here in Canada and to expand the role of primary health care in meeting mental health needs.
Finally, investment in research and training for students is also critical to the success of Canada's health system, the success of which will depend on its ability to effectively respond to the changing health needs of Canadians. While research into the biomedical causes and treatments of mental disorders is important, research into the psychosocial determinants and treatments is equally important. Like many more long-standing health conditions, mental disorders involve a complex interplay of biological, social, and psychological determinants and depend on a team of providers, services, and factors for their treatment and management.
Canada is poised to do better by the mental health of Canadians. The Canadian Psychological Association is very pleased to participate in this work.
Thank you for the opportunity to present to this committee
Ghislain Beaulieu
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Ghislain Beaulieu
2015-05-28 16:29
Good afternoon.
My name is Ghislain Beaulieu and I am the president and founding member of the Fondation Martin-Bradley. This foundation was created in March 2008 to help the mental health sector, which we feel is the poor cousin of the health care sector.
The foundation was launched as a result of a personal family experience. I have a son with a mental illness; he has schizophrenia. My wife and I decided to help the mental health sector by creating this foundation.
At the outset, we found a family who had previously gone through the experience and who lost a son because of mental illness. They are a well-known family from Rouyn-Noranda, the Bradley family. They agreed to contribute to the cause by going back over painful memories, by lending their name to the foundation and by making a significant investment. At first, they invested $500,000 in the foundation. Five years later, they contributed $500,000 more. They have already invested $1 million in the foundation.
The other step was to form a diversified and credible board from the public. This board is made up of nine people. Afterwards, we met with all the organizations that work in the mental health sector in our region to see if they needed help and, if our help was welcome, what their challenges were and what projects they would like to work on in the future.
We also met with representatives from the local health care network, the regional health care agency at the time, to make sure that we would bring added value to the system. We did not want to make up for the potential budget cuts in the health care system.
The mission of the foundation is to help organizations that support those affected by mental illness with various chosen projects. We never give money directly to people. We have a project selection committee that is independent of the foundation's board. Once a year, after a project competition, the members of that committee make recommendations about the projects they suggest that we support.
The foundation has a unifying role. The foundation helps to open doors and it is an agent of change. We support the outstanding work the organizations have done. We also dare to talk to the public about mental illness. We see that community organizations are key elements in the success of our health care systems. As partners, they are indispensable for the well-being of the health networks. The foundation is the link between those networks and the community.
Since 2008, the foundation has redistributed over $450,000 to organizations in support of various projects. Early this spring, we started building 24 housing units in Rouyn-Noranda for people with mental health issues. The foundation has contributed $100,000 to the project.
We translated books and stories adapted for children, which deal with various aspects of mental illness. We also provide training. This year, we also held a fundraiser where we gave 600 books to everyone who bought a ticket. It is the book called Je suis une personne, pas une maladie by Luc Vigneault, who is a fairly well-known personality in Quebec. This is our way of reducing the stigma and encouraging people to talk about it, to seek help and to be open about mental illnesses, which are increasingly present in our communities.
That sums up what our foundation does.
View Christine Moore Profile
NDP (QC)
Thank you very much.
My questions are for Mr. Beaulieu.
In your presentation, you talked about stories for children that deal with mental illness and that have been translated. I think you have translated four so far. Could you tell me what impact talking to children about mental illness has on society? In your view, are there enough tools right now that parents and teachers can use to talk about mental illness to children?
Ghislain Beaulieu
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Ghislain Beaulieu
2015-05-28 16:44
I don't think there are a lot of tools. In fact, that's what motivated us to translate the collection of books by Gayle Grass, who is from Ottawa and who is a member of the charity called Iris the Dragon. Before we had the books translated, we had them approved by our organizations, both from the schools and from the community. They assured us that they didn't have such tools and that they would be happy to be able to use them with children. These books, which are for young people between the ages of 6 and 12, are richly illustrated stories that allow children to talk to their parents about the various mental illnesses discussed.
We have translated four books so far; 2,000 copies of each book were distributed in schools, libraries, the offices of relevant professionals, and are still accessible. Families who hear about these books can contact us. We provide them free of charge to the people who need them.
View Christine Moore Profile
NDP (QC)
Okay.
My questions go to Ms. Currie.
I talk with a lot of parents. They are concerned about the whole issue of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. We routinely see children taking medication at a young age. Sometimes, they start in daycare. A lot of parents are worried since it is a new phenomenon. When I was in school, practically no children were taking medication to go to class. They were just considered children who were more naturally inclined to move around. It seems that very few alternatives to medication are being provided in these cases. In your view, are there any alternatives? Is research being done to find some?
I recently read about stationary bikes being installed under desks so that children can move while they are in class. Are you familiar with that initiative to reduce the use of medication, especially for children?
Janet Currie
View Janet Currie Profile
Janet Currie
2015-05-26 17:06
I can give you an example of a colleague who works as a social worker in an urban school system in Canada. She sees children who have these kinds of problems. As an experienced teacher and social worker, she is able to work with the families and with the children in terms of modifying behaviour, particularly in supporting the parents, because many parents are under a great deal of stress and the child is a kind of manifestation of this stress.
She works with the family in helping the family develop methods of behaviour control and with the school in terms of arrangements, because some kids do find it much harder to sit still and much harder to concentrate. I think that reintroducing things like physical education back into the schools and keeping the physical activity levels high, especially for young boys, is particularly an issue, and I know families that have looked at things like diet and have worked in terms of family relationships because the child needs very careful boundaries and support.
I think all of these alternatives are possible. The problem is that they're not really systemized or offered in schools because the fallback has been medication. That is one of my points: we need to be looking at and developing these alternatives. I know families who have worked very successfully with this model. There are books and resources and there are even health providers who will work with families and not prescribe drugs.
When you have prescription drugs as the fallback, it means that there's a kind of easy answer, although in my opinion it's very risky. You're exposing children with developing brains to a class of drugs related to cocaine and methamphetamines. I've certainly talked to people in the school system who will say that there is an immediate effect, but it's not long-lasting. When you look at the evidence, you see that there's really not a huge amount of evidence that over the long term these drugs accomplish what parents expect them to do.
I don't think there's an easy answer right now, but I would like the schools in particular to start developing options instead of falling back on the medication as the first line of treatment.
Michael Ferguson
View Michael Ferguson Profile
Michael Ferguson
2015-05-25 15:31
Thank you, Mr. Chair, for this opportunity to discuss our 2015 spring report on tax-based expenditures. Joining me at the table is Richard Domingue, principal, who was responsible for the audit.
The federal government can attain its policy objectives either through direct program spending or through tax expenditures. In this audit, we refer to the tax expenditures that could be replaced by direct spending as tax-based expenditures. In support of this point the International Monetary Fund's fiscal transparency code states that:
...because the government policy objectives could be achieved alternatively through a subsidy or other direct outlays, [tax expenditures] are regarded as equivalent to budget expenditure.
Tax-based expenditures account for billions of dollars annually. We looked at how the Department of Finance Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency managed these expenditures. More specifically, we examined whether clear and useful information is reported, whether analyses are performed before the implementation of these expenditures, and whether existing tax measures are monitored and evaluated.
We selected nine tax-based expenditures. We found that the information provided by the Department of Finance Canada on tax-based expenditures does not adequately support Parliamentary oversight. Although these expenditures are similar to direct program spending, less information is provided to Parliament about these expenditures than about direct program spending.
For example, the Tax Expenditures and Evaluations report does not include future cost projections. Reporting practices in some international jurisdictions provided examples where additional details related to tax expenditures are disclosed. The number of beneficiaries, the administrative costs, and links between direct spending programs and these expenditures are sometimes reported in other jurisdictions.
We believe that Parliament needs comprehensive and consolidated information about tax expenditures to better understand total government spending.
We found that the Department of Finance did a good job of analyzing new tax measures before they were implemented. For the measures we selected, the department considered most key elements of its analytical framework, such as a need for government intervention, and efficiency, effectiveness, and equity.
Analysis on potential tax measures are prepared to support decision-making. We found that although the Department of Finance monitored existing tax-based expenditures, it did not systematically evaluate those expenditures to determine whether they achieved the expected results and whether they were performing as intended.
The policy requirement to evaluate direct program spending does not apply to tax-based expenditures. Also, tax expenditures are not included in comprehensive spending reviews such as strategic reviews.
We found examples where the Department of Finance identified issues in relation to certain tax measures before implementing them. Despite those issues, the department had yet to evaluate these tax measures after they were implemented. When the department evaluated tax measures, it did not publish the evaluations. For example, although the department evaluated the children's fitness tax credit, it did not make the information public.
We believe that information needs to be disclosed for parliamentarians to understand what the money spent through the tax system is accomplishing.
We also examined the monitoring of costs and the sharing of information. We found that the Canada Revenue Agency monitored costs to implement new measures and compliance issues. It also shared relevant information with the Department of Finance Canada on an ongoing basis.
The Department of Finance Canada has prepared a detailed action plan to address each of our recommendations.
Mr. Chair, this concludes my opening remarks. We would be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have.
Thank you.
View Dan Albas Profile
CPC (BC)
All right. I appreciate that.
This question is for the Auditor General. With regard to paragraph 3.34, when you looked at the children's fitness tax credit, for example, what did you find specifically to determine that the government had properly analyzed it?
How did you arrive at your conclusion, Auditor General?
View Terence Young Profile
CPC (ON)
View Terence Young Profile
2015-05-25 15:59
Emily Molnar, could you tell us how dance helps young Canadians develop themselves and their talents—physical and musical, and even intellectual, skills?
Emily Molnar
View Emily Molnar Profile
Emily Molnar
2015-05-25 16:00
That's a very large question.
The beautiful thing about dance is that it incorporates the entire body, mind, and spirit. You are completely engaged in being present.
It's been proven through many studies that art training or musical training and movement actually enhances our understanding of mathematics. And there are many other similar studies.
It's the ability to incorporate the body in an intellectual endeavour, which is dance, and also a very instinctual endeavour. It makes for a very holistic and well-rounded individual. This is why it's very special. Whether or not someone becomes a dancer professionally, the training and disciplined commitment of becoming a dancer actually enhances and betters our society, because that individual has a more thorough, more comprehensive understanding of himself or herself, the body, and our community.
It's expression. It's awareness of the body. It's intellectual endeavour. It's discipline. It's commitment. It's expression into action. It's one of the most complete forms of development, I think, that a child can actually have at the beginning of his or her life.
View Rathika Sitsabaiesan Profile
NDP (ON)
Thank you to everyone.
Madame Bissonnette, I have to disagree for a second with a comment you made that classical ballet cannot be the foundation for all professional dancers. Being a professional classical Indian dancer, I never had ballet training for a day of my life. I saw Madam Maboungou's face when you made that comment, and I'm sure we all have different avenues of classical training before we can get to.... But that's not my question at all. No worries.
My question is about supporting our artists domestically. I've heard all of you mention the importance of developing our domestic talent. I'd like to ask all of you about the benefits of implementing partnerships with schools. Just like sports are integrated right into our curriculum across the country in our schools, what would you say are the benefits of broadening the interest for young people by integrating dance into our school system?
Ms. Molnar, do you want to go first?
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