Hon. Jane Cordy: Thank you very much for that invitation. I will certainly follow through if I hear from the advocates. Thank you very much for that, Senator Gold.

Newborn screening for sickle cell anemia is an important tool for prevention and early diagnosis. Currently, only a select number of provinces and territories screen for sickle cell anemia. I’m pleased that former premier Stephen McNeil of Nova Scotia supported an approved newborn screening in my province in 2013 — 10 years ago.

Will funds under this program be available to the provinces and territories to help establish uniform screening policies across the country? What are the anticipated timelines for allocating the different funding streams to the provinces, territories and organizations?