Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I rise today to welcome our new colleague to the red chamber.

Senator Manuelle Oudar represents the province of Quebec. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in law from Université Laval. She is a member of the Barreau du Québec, the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés du Québec and the Ordre des administrateurs agréés du Québec. She is a respected lawyer and advocate for justice who has devoted her entire career to serving the public.

Senator Oudar spent 30 years in legal affairs management positions in Quebec’s Ministry of Culture, Communications and Status of Women, Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity, and Ministry of Family. She also served as deputy minister at the province’s Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Education.

For the past eight years, Senator Oudar served as the president and CEO of the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité au travail, the CNESST, whose mission is to promote workplace health and safety management and to protect workers’ rights, while ensuring compliance with the applicable laws and regulations.

Senator Oudar has shared her experience and expertise with youth and served as a mentor to young professionals. Her contributions and achievements were recognized in 2017 when she was named one of the 100 most influential women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network, or WXN, and again in 2023 when she was awarded the Prix Femmes de mérite 2023 by the Women’s Y Foundation of Montréal.

We are indeed fortunate to welcome Senator Oudar, who has a wealth of experience. Senator Oudar, I look forward to working with you. Congratulations.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, senator.

I’ve been advised that the Treasury Board employs what is called the Quality of Life Framework for Canada, which brings together key economic, social and environmental datasets to support the measurement of Canadians’ quality of life and help drive evidence-based budgeting and decision making at the federal level. Specifically, the Quality of Life Framework for Canada consists of a set of 84 indicators, organized into a series of domains, including health, society, prosperity, environment and good governance.

That is a lens through which the Treasury Board does evaluate policies and decision making within its ambit.

Senator Osler: Health is complex, and the health care crisis has been called a “wicked” problem, meaning that there are multiple interdependencies, multiple causes and no single, clear solution. While I’m pleased to see that the federal government now has bilateral health care agreements signed with seven provinces and territories, I’m concerned that, once all the agreements are in place, the federal government will simply sit back and say, “job done.” Money alone will not fix Canada’s antiquated health care system.

Beyond the funding agreements, what is the federal government’s vision and long-term plan for health care?