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Results: 16 - 30 of 46
View Tony Van Bynen Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to our witnesses for taking the time to meet with us again.
All of you have been very busy leading us through the pandemic. I wanted to let you know that your time is valued and appreciated.
Leading us through this pandemic has required using science-based evidence from the start. Dealing with this new virus meant that as we learned more about it, our approach and our response changed and adapted accordingly. That is science and that is what using science-based evidence requires.
Canada is home to world-class scientists and public health experts, some of whom are with us today. Their research has played, and continues to play, a vital role in building and evolving our understanding of COVID-19. There's no doubt that we need to continue to support and invest in our scientific community.
Minister, could you tell us about the work that the federal government is doing to support COVID-19 research and our scientific community here in Canada?
View Patty Hajdu Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you very much.
I'll just say that one of the world-leading experts on infectious disease that we are so fortunate to have is Dr. Theresa Tam. Thank you, Dr. Tam, for your hard work over the last many months and indeed for your expertise.
You're absolutely right, MP Van Bynen. I'll just say that this government firmly believes that science and research investment—not just in the context of a pandemic, by the way, but certainly accelerated by it—is incredibly important to the health and safety of Canadians. In particular, health research helps unlock many mysteries, reduces suffering and helps Canadians have healthier lives now and into the future.
That's why we've made historic investments of over $10 billion since 2015. We had a long ways to catch up after the previous government and the ongoing attacks on science, both from a financial perspective and from a destruction of evidence perspective, if you can believe it, Mr. Chair.
We're been working with provinces and territories. We've been leveraging the expertise of virologists, immunologists and other experts all around the country who have stepped up—many times in voluntary ways—to help the Government of Canada and the provincial governments have the best possible response to COVID-19. We led a rapid and unprecedented response to COVID-19 through the CIHR. I'll never forget that early announcement in February of 2020 in Montreal with some of my colleagues. That was within weeks of COVID-19 appearing on the world stage. Obviously, it took just several weeks to get in order.
Of course, budget 2021, if passed, would provide a further $2.2 billion to grow our domestic life sciences sector.
It is really about an ongoing and sustained investment, Mr. Chair, in research, science, the science community and in generating that next crop of researchers and scientists. The many investments we've made through my colleague Minister Qualtrough's department, ESDC, focus on ensuring that Canadians have access to post-secondary and integrated learning opportunities that will foster the next crop of researchers.
Thank you very much.
View Luc Thériault Profile
BQ (QC)
View Luc Thériault Profile
2021-04-30 14:08
Dr. Strong, let us agree on the figures.
The proposed budget for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research has been reduced by 22.6% compared to last year. It is true that that reflects an increase of 4.3% compared to 2019. However, why not maintain the budget at the 2020-2021 level, a little more than $1.6 billion, knowing that we have to support research, because it is critical for the years to come?
Michael Strong
View Michael Strong Profile
Michael Strong
2021-04-30 14:08
I can give a further clarification on that question.
There are really two issues at hand here. The budget for research, in and of itself, for the CIHR to support all—
View Luc Thériault Profile
BQ (QC)
View Luc Thériault Profile
2021-04-30 14:09
I understood that, Dr. Strong, I am going to let you answer but I do not have a lot of time.
I am well aware that you have reduced certain expenses. I am not asking you which ones or to explain to me how things work. I am actually asking you why, given the situation that we are experiencing, you did not keep the budget at the same level by injecting that difference into basic research, which is so important for the years to come. That's my question.
Michael Strong
View Michael Strong Profile
Michael Strong
2021-04-30 14:09
First, there have been no cuts to the budget of CIHR. The dollars that you are specifically asking about were one-time investments for an immediate response to the pandemic, such as the measures that the minister referred to within weeks of the declaration. These were one-time investments, not a cut to the budget in and of itself.
View Luc Thériault Profile
BQ (QC)
View Luc Thériault Profile
2021-04-30 14:10
You are actually giving me a civil service answer, and I have no problem with that.
What I know is that the government decided to spend $1.6 billion last year, but this year it's only going to spend $1.2 billion, in round numbers. You are telling me that additional expenditures were targeted to respond to the pandemic. However, we are still in the middle of the pandemic and basic research has always been the poor cousin in terms of investments. We have lost a lot of good minds over the years, and we must not repeat the errors of the past.
I was not trying to find out how the budget is broken down, but why there is no recommendation or inclination in favour of basic research. Why not have maintained that budget at its previous level, especially since we are still in the middle of the pandemic?
I suspect you will give me a civil service answer and I have no need for it.
Michael Strong
View Michael Strong Profile
Michael Strong
2021-04-30 14:11
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
The budget mains that the members are looking at do not include the substantive investments that have just been made by the government in ongoing research, including clinical trials and research networks to support biomanufacturing. These numbers will look considerably different as those investments are included, and they are multi-year.
View Luc Thériault Profile
BQ (QC)
View Luc Thériault Profile
2021-04-30 15:05
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Madam Minister, before the first wave, healthcare networks were already fragile and under a lot of pressure because of chronic underfunding. With the passage of time, the pandemic will have harmful, long-term, collateral effects on patients who do not have COVID-19. According to representatives of various associations, 94,000 patients in Quebec are being seen beyond the required timeframe. In oncology, we know that a delay of three or four weeks increases the mortality rate by 8% to 10%.
You have reached agreements and you have showed us the breakdown of the $19 billion you have allocated for patients with COVID-19. However, why did you not make the political choice to immediately inject money into the networks so that they can not only look after patients with conditions other than COVID-19, but also fill the breach and stop the bleeding caused by the exodus of employees, our human resources, because they are sick or they decide to change careers?
Soon, we will be losing trained people who have gained expertise in their areas. People are going to die. All because you made the wrong political choice. All the experts are saying that this is not justified either medically or economically.
Why did you make that choice?
View Patty Hajdu Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I think it's misinformation.
We have injected millions of dollars into Quebec, and indeed into all provinces and territories. We'll continue to be there for the provinces and territories including Quebec and—
View Luc Thériault Profile
BQ (QC)
View Luc Thériault Profile
2021-04-30 15:06
I did not say that you have not injected money, Madam Minister. I said that the money you have injected through agreements with the provinces is strictly for the fight against COVID-19. You have added nothing in terms of health transfers. The misinformation at the moment is coming from you, not from me.
View Patty Hajdu Profile
Lib. (ON)
I'll just repeat myself.
We've been there for provinces and territories with billions of dollars for specialized streams of health care and, indeed, generally for COVID-19. As the Prime Minister has said, we'll continue to be there for Quebec and Quebeckers. Right now, we stay solely focused on getting Canadians through COVID-19. That's what we'll do with all Canadians, including Quebeckers.
View Luc Thériault Profile
BQ (QC)
View Luc Thériault Profile
2021-04-26 11:42
In addition, we have not yet addressed the waiting lists in orthopedics, which also have an impact on people's cardiovascular health in the medium term. The longer the wait for patients who have difficulty moving, walking or being active, the more likely their need to see you.
Dr. Perrault, the government is currently telling us, in the midst of a pandemic, that it will take care of COVID-19 patients first. It is telling us that it is injecting money on an ad hoc basis and that it will inject substantial, predictable, recurrent and long-term funding into health transfers only after the pandemic.
Do you see this as a medically defensible decision?
Louis Perrault
View Louis Perrault Profile
Louis Perrault
2021-04-26 11:43
I think it's risky and misses the point. We already know what the consequences will be for patients who do not have COVID-19 if we do nothing for this majority. I hope I have described them well in my statement.
There are many COVID-19 patients, but they are still a minority compared to all the other patients who suffer from cancers and cardiovascular diseases, among others. We are putting all the money in one place. Although there is a need to invest for COVID-19 patients, this strategy lacks vision.
I don't think we can wait. We can't predict exactly when the pandemic situation will be resolved. Every day that goes by without investments for patients who don't have COVID-19 is a missed opportunity, thereby leading to the long-term consequences that we can easily predict.
View Luc Thériault Profile
BQ (QC)
View Luc Thériault Profile
2021-04-26 12:57
My question is for Dr. Legault.
Dr. Perreault, Dr. Bélanger, Dr. Champagne and Dr. Shabah told us that COVID-19 would have an impact on patients other than those affected by COVID-19 and, more importantly, that the costs to deal with the situation would skyrocket over the next 10 years.
I imagine you agree with them. If we don't invest in the health care system now, it will cost us a lot more later.
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