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Results: 1 - 15 of 46
View Gabriel Ste-Marie Profile
BQ (QC)
View Gabriel Ste-Marie Profile
2021-05-21 11:40
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Yes, that answers my question. Thank you very much.
My next question is more general in nature.
What is your government's position on health care funding from Ottawa? In your opinion, is the federal government doing enough right now and is the current budget sufficient?
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Jamie Fox
View Jamie Fox Profile
Hon. Jamie Fox
2021-05-21 11:41
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Thank you very much, Gabriel.
I wouldn't really be prepared to speak on that today. I think that would be best put forth to the health minister for the province. He would be the best person to deal with that. It wouldn't be fair for me to answer on behalf of the province or the premier's office on that matter today.
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View Gabriel Ste-Marie Profile
BQ (QC)
View Gabriel Ste-Marie Profile
2021-05-21 11:41
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Okay.
From what I understand, there is a consensus among all the provincial governments to ask Ottawa to fund 35% instead of 22% of health care costs. The Prime Minister stated that he is open to the idea of talking to his counterparts, but only after the pandemic. From our perspective, the sooner the better, given that we are currently in a health crisis.
Thank you for your response. Would you like to add a comment?
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View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I will leave it to you to introduce the officials later on, but let me say thank you very much to the officials for being with us.
Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to speak to you today about Bill C-30, Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1.
After more than 14 months of uncertainty and challenges, Canadians are continuing to fight COVID-19, but we know there is light at the end of the tunnel. As we fight the third wave, more and more Canadians are getting vaccinated.
Bill C-30 is an essential piece of legislation that, once enacted, will allow us to implement our plan to finish the fight against COVID, create jobs and a swift recovery from the COVID recession and lay a foundation for robust, inclusive, green, long-term economic growth.
This budget is about helping middle-class Canadians, helping workers and helping more Canadians to join the middle class. It is about embracing this moment of global transformation to a greener, cleaner economy. It is a plan that will help Canadians and Canadian businesses heal the wounds of COVID and come roaring back.
First, we need to finish the fight against this virus. This bill includes a one-time payment of $4 billion to the provinces and territories to support their health care systems, support that is so essential as we fight the third wave. This is in addition to the $1 billion to support the provinces and territories as they ramp up their vaccine campaigns.
We are making progress in our vaccination efforts, and I know that team Canada can vaccinate even more Canadians even more quickly, and we will. I was vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine at a Toronto pharmacy 15 days ago, and I encourage all Canadians to get vaccinated as soon as it is their turn.
The pandemic has caused a recession, so we need to start by rolling out a comprehensive plan for jobs and growth, to address the disproportionate impact the recession has had on women, young people, racialized Canadians, low-wage workers and small business.
A cornerstone of our plan is a historic investment of $30 billion over five years, reaching $9.2 billion annually, in permanent investments to provide high-quality, affordable and accessible early learning and child care across Canada. Our goal is that within five years, families everywhere in Canada should have access to high-quality child care for an average of $10 a day. Dear colleagues from all political parties, let's make a commitment together today to all Canadians. Let's get this done.
I want to take a moment to recognize Quebec's leadership, especially that of feminist Quebeckers, who have led the way for the rest of Canada.
While we know better days are ahead, many families are still struggling. Around a million Canadians either remain out of work or are working significantly fewer hours than they were pre-pandemic. We must support hard-hit Canadians and businesses across the country so they can recover as soon as possible.
Bill C-30 includes emergency supports for Canadian workers, businesses and families.
The legislation extends the Canada emergency wage subsidy, the Canada emergency rent subsidy, and lockdown support through to September 25, 2021 which will help protect millions of jobs.
With this legislation, we are providing a bridge for people who are unable to work because of COVID by extending income supports, maintaining flexible access to EI benefits, and extending the EI sickness benefit from 15 to 26 weeks.
Bill C-30 also introduces a $15 an hour federal minimum wage. It expands the Canada workers benefit, extending income top-ups to about a million more low wage workers, and lifting nearly 100,000 Canadians out of poverty. These are measurable concrete steps to help Canadians who need help.
We must also help small business, the backbone of our economy and every main street in the country. To do that, we need to improve access to capital and help businesses hire more workers, in particular, through the new Canada recovery hiring program.
Young Canadians have made tremendous sacrifices this past year to protect their elders, and now, they need our collective support.
Through Bill C-30, we will make college and university more accessible and affordable by extending the waiver of interest accrual on federal student loans until March 2023. This will mean savings for more than 1.5 million Canadians repaying student loans. We will not let young Canadians become a lost generation.
Mr. Chair, I have spoken today about just a few of the measures included in Bill C-30, measures which will make a tangible positive difference in the lives of millions of Canadians.
This is a plan for jobs, growth and the middle class. It is a plan built around helping Canadians recover, succeed and thrive.
I recognize the critical role parliamentary committees play in scrutinizing government legislation, and I'm grateful to all of you for your hard work.
Bill C-30 is a historic first step towards recovery and new economic growth for future generations of Canadians.
I would be pleased to answer any questions you have as you study this critically important piece of legislation.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
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View Luc Thériault Profile
BQ (QC)
View Luc Thériault Profile
2021-05-03 11:45
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Dr. Perrault said that recurring investments in health care are absolutely necessary. Do you agree with that?
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Marc Ruel
View Marc Ruel Profile
Marc Ruel
2021-05-03 11:45
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We must continue to address both threats simultaneously, the threat of COVID-19 and the threat of other diseases, including cardiovascular disease, which unfortunately cannot be treated in a timely manner because of COVID-19.
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View Luc Thériault Profile
BQ (QC)
View Luc Thériault Profile
2021-04-30 13:28
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Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome to our witnesses.
Madam Minister, I'm sure you have no doubt about the topic I am going to discuss with you. I am going to ask a little question about what you said in your speech.
You said that you are keen on investing in research. However, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research have seen a reduction of 22.6%, whereas we know very well that messenger RNA vaccines are the result of decades of basic research on RNA.
How do you justify that reduction, when we should be doing completely the opposite to make sure that we retain our best minds and continue to be leaders in research?
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View Patty Hajdu Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you, MP Thériault.
Mr. Chair, I'll just say that they are incorrect assumptions. Budget 2021 investments include $500 million for the Canada Foundation for Innovation; $250 million to create a new tri-council biomedical research fund; $92 million for adMare to support company creation, scale-up, and training activities in the life sciences sector; $59.2 million for the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization to help develop its vaccine candidates—
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View Luc Thériault Profile
BQ (QC)
View Luc Thériault Profile
2021-04-30 13:30
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In 2020-2021, the figure was $1,619,967,785. The funding is now $1,253,906,530. That is a reduction of 22.6%. If you want to champion basic research, you should at least make provision for the same budget and not repeat the errors of the past.
We could go on arguing for ever but I don't want to waste time. The figures have been published and come from the analysts of the House and the Library of Parliament. The figures are good.
Officials from the Federation of Medical Specialists of Quebec and the Canadian Medical Association, cardiovascular surgeons, hematologists, oncologists, gastroenterologists and radiologists have all come to tell us that dark clouds are gathering on the horizon.
You have provided money to deal with the pandemic. You often talk about an amount of $19 billion for COVID-19 patients. However, non-COVID-19 patients are going to end up in a precarious situation.
All those doctors came to tell us that, in the next 10 years, we will see the results of the offloading and the lack of diagnostic tests, and that the mortality rate will increase by 10% per year. From a medical point of view, they are talking about the two most frequent causes of death in Canada, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
From an economic point of view, costs are going to explode. If recurring investments are not made starting immediately, which is the very reason for the health transfers, we are going to be paying a lot more tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, not to mention the human drama that will ensue.
What are you waiting for to do your share? The provinces are investing $200 billion and the federal government is investing $42 billion. What we are asking from you is an additional amount of $28 billion.
You spent $340 billion last year. This year, you anticipate spending $154 billion. Are you not tempted to transfer those $28 billion as a matter of urgency, so that we can immediately start dealing with the patients who do not have COVID-19?
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View Patty Hajdu Profile
Lib. (ON)
If I have a moment, I'll first of all pick up on the last part of the conversation and indicate that not only is it direct research that's being funded, but that through the biomanufacturing sector there are also investments of $1 billion over seven years for the strategic innovation fund so that we can fund research in domestic life sciences and biomanufacturing firms, $250 million over three years to increase clinical research capacity—
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View Patty Hajdu Profile
Lib. (ON)
—and $50 million on a cash basis over five years to create a life sciences stream.
Mr. Chair, I'll say that our commitment remains strong to support research through a number of different arms of the government and in a number of different ways with different partners.
On provincial transfers, as the member opposite knows, the Prime Minister has been very clear that he is committed to having conversations about increases to transfers, but first we stay focused on getting the country through COVID-19.
We have not hesitated to be there with money—
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View Luc Thériault Profile
BQ (QC)
View Luc Thériault Profile
2021-04-30 13:34
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Madam Minister, this is not the time for conversations. This is what people have come to tell us. There are impacts on people's lives and on the quality of their lives.
A colonoscopy costs $1,000. Early detection of cancer is critical. In Québec alone, 155,000 patients are on waiting lists. If nothing is done, 200,000 patients will be waiting by the end of the year.
If recurring investments are not made now, lives will be lost and the costs of the system will explode. It's not logical from a medical point of view, an economic point of view, or a budgetary point of view.
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Michael Strong
View Michael Strong Profile
Michael Strong
2021-04-30 13:35
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Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm pleased to respond to that question.
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Michael Strong
View Michael Strong Profile
Michael Strong
2021-04-30 13:36
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Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
In fact, the numbers that the member was referring to actually include what are called statutory dollars as well, within the $2.6 million component. Those are the dollars that were invested by this government directly into the COVID-19 response, the whole-of-government research component of it. They are dollars that were rapidly brought into play and led to more than 20 different research programs to address the pandemic response.
They are, however, one-time dollars. The core budget of the CIHR has in fact grown between those two years and will continue to support the types of really valuable research that is non-COVID-directed and that you have asked about. The numbers to look at are in fact the comparators of 2019-20 with those for the current fiscal year, and not last year's, because of the extraordinary investments that were made.
Thank you very much.
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