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Results: 16 - 30 of 31
David Morin
View David Morin Profile
David Morin
2021-04-14 17:52
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and members of the committee. Good afternoon.
As my colleague, Laura Farquharson, indicated, my name is David Morin. I am the director general of the safe environments directorate at Health Canada.
I welcome this opportunity to discuss Health Canada's role in protecting the health of Canadians from environmental risks.
Specifically, I would like to spend the next few minutes speaking to Health Canada's activities related to the health of indigenous peoples and racialized communities and the environmental health risks they face. This includes risks associated with exposure to toxic chemicals, air pollution and water pollution.
Exposure to toxic chemicals represents an ongoing health risk facing indigenous peoples and racialized communities, as well as other vulnerable populations.
In response, Health Canada has been working to better integrate specific considerations for vulnerable populations when conducting chemical risk assessments and implementing risk management activities under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. These improvements include the establishment of a vulnerable populations panel to help better understand the real-life exposures of vulnerable populations to chemicals.
In parallel with these efforts, Health Canada has also undertaken science and research initiatives targeting the environmental health risks facing Canada's indigenous populations. For example, Health Canada, in partnership with the Nishnawbe Aski Nation as well as Indigenous Services Canada and other partners, recently completed the Sioux Lookout zone children's environmental health study.
The multi-year study was undertaken to characterize indoor and outdoor air quality in first nations communities in Canada because of the high levels of respiratory illness, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, in children.
The study provides valuable insights into the linkages between housing, indoor air quality and health.
We now better understand the current state of housing in the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, but we also have a better understanding of issues related to air quality.
Finally, since 1991, Health Canada, along with other federal departments, has supported the northern contaminants program. The objective of this program is to reduce or eliminate contaminants in traditional foods and to provide information on contaminants to individuals and communities so they can better protect themselves. This program includes biomonitoring of contaminant levels in northern populations.
I wish to thank the committee for the opportunity to highlight examples of activities Health Canada has undertaken to address the environmental health risks faced by segments of the population.
Thank you very much for your attention.
View Kirsty Duncan Profile
Lib. (ON)
Do some neighbourhoods, for example, in Toronto, have a higher test positivity rate than the 6.1% you just gave?
View Kirsty Duncan Profile
Lib. (ON)
Are different types of housing associated with different types of case growth?
David Williams
View David Williams Profile
David Williams
2020-12-10 11:26
We're finding that it was more varied where you have high neighbourhood ethnic variation and you have multi-generational families in one residence. That seems to be more of a factor than socio-economic status per se. It does play a part. We see a higher risk in lower SES as well as a much bigger difference, almost, from the quintiles of racial diversity, the lowest being around 15 per 100,000 and the highest at the moment being 170 per 100,000.
View Kirsty Duncan Profile
Lib. (ON)
David Williams
View David Williams Profile
David Williams
2020-12-10 11:27
That means when we take our data and break it down to areas that have certain definitions, from the statisticians who do it, that have quintiles of neighbourhood racial diversity in areas, under postal codes. It goes from the lowest to the highest, and so the highest quintile has a rate, at the moment, that has increased up to 170 per 100,000, from the data we have from testing that, knowing that the testing penetration varies from area to area depending on cultural issues, access to testing facilities, etc.
View Tony Van Bynen Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for joining us again today, Minister. It's been a very busy time for you and the health officials who are here today, particularly Dr. Tam. I really appreciate your virtually stopping by York Region recently and for joining us a second time here in committee. I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to ask you the questions that I consider to be important to my constituents.
Minister, we are all aware of the heavy toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Canadians, and especially on their mental health. I'm seriously concerned about this, which is why I introduced a motion for us to study the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of Canadians. These are uncertain times, and there's no doubt that many Canadians are facing new and increased concerns with their mental health.
Could you please explain to the committee what your department is doing to help Canadians access mental health services?
View Patty Hajdu Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you to the member for the focus on mental health and people who use substances.
We know that this pandemic is creating a high degree of anxiety, loneliness, stress and grief for Canadians as they work through the many aspects of living through a pandemic. In fact, early on, drawing from experiences of countries that were ahead of us, we knew that we needed to rapidly act to put together supports for Canadians, no matter where they lived, no matter what supports they already had in place, because so many Canadians don't have access to mental health services or substance-use services where they live.
That's why we launched the Wellness Together portal this spring. It's completely free. It's completely confidential. It's available in both official languages. In fact, there's translation for folks who don't speak either official language. As of November 17, more than 613,000 Canadians across the country have used this portal, with over 1.7 million distinct web sessions.
The main thing about the portal is it actually connects people to professionals, as well as providing some self-assessments and self-help tools. People can actually get help from professionals through texting, telephone and virtual visits. I know there's more to do, but certainly this can help support people, especially folks who don't have access or trusted providers in other parts of their life.
View Tony Van Bynen Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you, Minister. There's no doubt that COVID-19 has changed our lives. It's increasingly apparent that some groups are feeling the mental health impacts of COVID-19 much harder than others.
There's also an increased awareness of the need to address inequities among Canadians. It's my understanding that you've announced a fund specifically to address mental health among Black Canadians and other racialized groups. Could you please elaborate on that?
View Patty Hajdu Profile
Lib. (ON)
The member is absolutely right. The impact of the pandemic, although we're all in it together, has different factors for different groups. One thing we have seen is the anti-Black racism that many people from the community have spoken about. It's not just during the context of the pandemic, clearly, but as part of their everyday experience.
Groups that are racialized, stigmatized, as a result of their backgrounds and their experiences.... It is a public health threat. That is why we're investing $10 million through the mental health of Black Canadians fund. This funding will support 16 community-based projects across the country doing very important work to support Black Canadians in these challenging times.
We've also extended applications specifically for projects to support Black LGBTQ2+ Canadians, which is another gap, by the way, that's very specific and very unique. Again, this is really about supporting organizations and community projects that are run by Black Canadians for Black Canadians and of course have the opportunity to help support people who are struggling in this particular time.
Kent Roach
View Kent Roach Profile
Kent Roach
2020-11-16 16:29
Well, I think it's very important to empower racialized people within the RCMP so that there are support groups. I know that's in the Toronto Police Service and the Ottawa Police Service, where groups of racialized police officers not only can mentor but can also respond to problems that they have within the organization. That's one thing.
The second thing is that I think we need to have consultative community committees, but we also need to realize that speaking to two or three people in one community is never enough, and we need to have town hall meetings. I think that in some cases the commissioner needs to listen—and I know she's very busy—but she also needs to have people within various communities who she can have a continuing relationship with, but who then can also take her to different communities in order to have a town hall.
Policing has to be democratic, and the commissioner has to realize that. As with any police chief, the police chief works for the board or, in this case, the commissioner works for the minister, and if it's not working out, then, as in all cases, it's maybe time to find someone who has a different vision.
View Matthew Green Profile
NDP (ON)
In recognizing that, does that also extend to racialized communities?
Yves Giroux
View Yves Giroux Profile
Yves Giroux
2020-05-29 11:56
That's also a good point, but it's not something I've looked into personally.
View Don Davies Profile
NDP (BC)
Dr. Liu, reports are emerging that COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting racialized communities in the United States. In Chicago, for example, more than half of all confirmed cases and 72% of recorded deaths have been among African Americans, who make up just 32% of the population of that city. Are we seeing similar disparities in Canada? You spoke of vulnerable communities. Do we even have the data to make that determination?
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