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Context: House Hansard - 320 - May/29/24

May/29/24 8:30:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the federal government covered more than 80% of the cost of the pandemic, an absolutely enormous cost. It was essential. This created an imbalance in the fiscal situations at the provincial and federal levels. Now, the provinces are in a good position to invest money in their systems. That is the case in Quebec. There is a decent health care plan in Quebec, which is a leader in many areas of health. Given that we have invested nearly $200 billion, I would say the money is there, but it is not just a question of money. It is a question of transformation, of changing the way health care services are made available. It is also very important to prevent illness. That is the motivation behind our dental care plan. Access to drugs is absolutely essential as well.

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Context: House Hansard - 318 - May/27/24

May/29/24 8:11:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise. I am going to be splitting my time with the Minister for Mental Health and Addictions. I want to start by simply thanking the officials who are here today, not only for their presence, but also for the incredible work that they do on behalf of Canadians every day. The Public Health Agency of Canada and, indeed, everyone at Health Canada did an extraordinary job during the pandemic, helping us have one of the best pandemic responses anywhere in the world, and they continue to help lead the way in overhauling our health system and meeting the challenges that confront a modern health system. I speak of the pandemic, and that was a time that was so challenging for so many, particularly for those within the health workforce. I want to acknowledge, in particular, those within the Public Health Agency and within Health Canada. In that period of time, there was a lot of hope that, coming out of the pandemic would mean that things would be getting easier, but of course, the reality is that we had wait-lists, backlogs and burnout, which meant that, not only in Canada but also all over the world, there was an enormous amount of stress coming out of the pandemic. A lot of the weaknesses that existed in our health systems across the country, in the provinces and territories, were exposed, as they were all over the world. It is easy to see problems. We certainly hear a lot in the House about people reflecting a mirror on the problems of the day. That requires no skill or talent. It requires a simple ability of observation. To imagine how we can move through the challenges that we are in to a better time, to a time that is better for the health of Canadians, to a time that is better for this country generally, requires a great deal of courage to jump into the unknown and imagine what can be done. The conversations that I have had with health ministers across the country, be they Conservative, New Democrat or Liberal, have been in a spirit of co-operation, of coming together to focus on solutions, to not focus on just observing what is wrong, but on having the courage to imagine what could be right, in how we can make investments and do things together. The federal government has pledged just a little less than $200 billion to health care over the next 10 years. That has manifested itself in 26 agreements, signed in every province and every territory. Each of those agreements lays out a blueprint for how we deal with the challenges of primary care, making sure that folks get access to a doctor, making sure that seniors can age at home and age with dignity, that we have places for them when their health fails. Building upon that, because we knew it was not enough, we looked upstream and took essential action. I want to thank the work that was done, particularly with the member for Vancouver Kingsway and the NDP House leader, the now health critic, to pave the way, along with our caucus, for a national plan on dental. We have seen that plan, which that the Conservative leader says is not real and does not exist, in just over three weeks, has already served 120,000 claims. That is over 100,000 seniors getting dental care, many times for the first time. We are also taking action on pharmacare to make sure that women have access to the medicine they need for their sexual and reproductive health and making sure that diabetes patients have access to the medication they need to keep themselves healthy. Of course, this builds on the work that we did in Charlottetown on a digital charter, talking about data, interoperability and the ways that we can work together as jurisdictions to improve our health system. In the last budget, we also saw essential action on school food to make sure that kids get the nutritious food they need. We are taking action on personal support workers and drugs for rare diseases. We have a strategy and are moving forward with agreements with provinces. We also, very importantly, through bulk purchasing, have seen more than $3.4 billion each and every year saved in the cost of drugs for Canadians by taking collective action together.

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Context: House Hansard - 288 - Feb/29/24

May/27/24 2:34:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, during the pandemic, the Conservatives would not have been there for small businesses and people who were suffering. The Conservatives' response to the challenges around the globe is to say to people who are suffering to pretend those issues are not happening in our country. They can help them out by taking away their rebate check. They can help by taking away dental care from a senior, or help by taking away a diabetic patient's medication. We do not help vulnerable people in a time of global turmoil by cutting their essential supports. We help them by standing up and standing behind them, and that is what our government does every day.

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Context: House Hansard - 286 - Feb/27/24

Feb/29/24 2:44:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the first order, that is not true. What is true is that the Public Health Agency of Canada, which is one of the most respected agencies in the world, and which was there for us throughout the pandemic, is entirely responsible for its operations. The truth is that there were two individuals hired. They were Canadian citizens, eminent scientists, who were well known and well respected across Canada and around the world, who lied to the Public Health Agency of Canada. The Public Health Agency of Canada then took the very responsible action of firing those individuals and turning the matter over to the RCMP. They are currently under investigation. Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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Context: House Hansard - 286 - Feb/27/24

Feb/27/24 2:55:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me give my thanks to personal care support workers. During the pandemic, which was a time so difficult for all of us, it was enormously difficult for personal care support workers, who did extraordinary work. We did make a commitment to support provinces. It is the provinces that have the principal responsibility for this. We expect them to step up in supports for personal care support workers. We have said we are there to help them, but it is their lead, and they need to make sure that these individuals are compensated and acknowledged in the way that they deserve.

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Context: House Hansard - 246 - Nov/3/23

Feb/27/24 2:32:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, coming out of a pandemic, coming out of some of the most difficult times our planet has ever faced in terms of global health, we have stepped forward. I want to thank the member in the NDP for his work and for pointing out that the Conservatives will cut, and cut deeply. When they talk about what their plans are, they fail to mention that, to achieve them, they are going to need to cut billions and billions out of health, with devastating consequences. In contrast, we are investing in every province and every territory of this country to make sure that we have the best health care system. We will be relentless in that focus, and we will not let the Conservatives deter us.

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Context: House Hansard - 246 - Nov/3/23

Nov/3/23 11:57:27 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, every detail was available, not just to the Auditor General, but to all the parties. The Bloc Québécois had the opportunity to see all the information. It was a process tied to COVID‑19 and all the information was available. At the beginning of the pandemic, it was so important to ensure that every option was available. It was a very reasonable measure. It is why Canada had one of the best responses in the world during the pandemic.

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Context: House Hansard - 244 - Nov/1/23

Nov/3/23 11:56:15 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I recall that early in the pandemic, times were very difficult across the country and around the world. At the time, we needed to ensure that all options were on the table. That is why we entered into agreements with several companies to create any kind of vaccine, because it was impossible to know at that time which vaccine would work for the population. That is why it was important to try all the options, and that is what we are talking about here today.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Nov/1/23 3:17:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question and his excellent work. Clearly, vaccines have saved millions of lives. Canada's response to the pandemic was one of the best in the world. I had the privilege of visiting the new Moderna plant in Laval last Friday. It is a site where future vaccines will be manufactured here, in Canada. Producing the next vaccine here, in Canada, is extremely important to protect our health and safety.

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Context: House Hansard - 198 - May/16/23

Jun/12/23 7:04:44 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for all of his work. He was there from the beginning of this debate and from the beginning of trying to find a solution, first in the pandemic and now looking at how we might use these provisions outside the pandemic. I have had the opportunity, really the honour, of being the chief government whip for over three years. One of the things that was remarkable about that, that was really eye-opening to anyone who has spent time as a whip, is to see just how difficult it is being a human being. There are many difficult things that hit the lives of everybody. It was difficult for me, before hybrid, to look people in the eyes who had massive needs to be at home. That was very evident to me seeing what was happening in their personal lives, or the types of events that the hon. NDP House leader is talking about. Some people would say, “I need to be in my community, there is a disaster there,” but I had to say, “Sorry, we need you for this vote.” Members would say, “I need to be home, there is a critical situation with my family,” but I had to say, “Sorry, you have to be here for a vote.” It broke my heart to do that and it is unnecessary. We have proven it is unnecessary.

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Hon. Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

May/16/23 2:38:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what we see day in and day out, as the world reels from the effects of the pandemic, and while we deal with the global effects of inflation, where Canada is doing better than the G7 average and the G20 average— Some hon. members: Oh, oh! Hon. Mark Holland: Mr. Speaker, they can yell across the way as much as they want. The difference is that we have a finance minister who is trying to protect and ensure that children get dental care. We have an opportunity when we are dealing with child care. What they are talking about is cutting these programs. Therefore, they can attack and be partisan, as that is what they do, but underneath it is about cuts. It is about not being there, and it is misrepresenting world events.

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Context: House Hansard - 115 - Oct/21/22

Hon. Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Oct/21/22 12:03:42 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the finance minister has been seeing the light all through this crisis while the Leader of the Opposition was in the darkest corners of the Internet searching for solutions with Bitcoin and recommending such things. We have actually been driving economic growth. I would point out there was 3.3% growth in the second quarter for Canada, and that France's was 2.2%, Germany's was 0.6%, the U.K.'s was 0.9% and the U.S.'s was -0.6%. I would also point out that we have seen a growth of 400,000 jobs from where we were before the pandemic began.

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Context: House Hansard - 115 - Oct/21/22

Hon. Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Oct/21/22 11:42:08 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, here are the facts. During an unprecedented time when the country was being rocked by COVID, we needed to be able to make sure that people— An hon. member: It does not matter. It is the public's money. Hon. Mark Holland: Madam Speaker, they are saying it does not matter. It absolutely does matter that people were able to cross the border, that we were able, on an urgent basis, to create a system that kept them safe and ensured that they were able to continue to have mobility. In every step of the pandemic, whether or not it is in supports or whether or not it's in mobility, we were there for Canadians. As crises occur, our government will respond, and will always do so to the highest standard.

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Context: House Hansard - 114 - Oct/20/22

Hon. Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Oct/20/22 2:21:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would obviously pose a question. During the pandemic, what would the Conservatives have cut? What supports would they not have offered to Canadians? In what way would they have not been there when Canadians needed them the most? The second question I would ask is this. As we enter a time that is the most difficult probably that the globe has faced since the Second World War, it demands responsible leadership. Amplifying anxiety is easy; solutions are hard. Are the Conservatives going to support dental care for those who need it?

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Jun/23/22 11:22:29 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, yes. Of course, the pandemic is not over. In fact, I will just point to what happened in November and December. The Conservatives, at that time, were demanding an end to hybrid sittings. They said the pandemic was over and that there was no need for these provisions: they were a waste of time, we were making up something and there could be the possibility of something else. Then, of course, omicron hit. When omicron hit, we all, of course, had to use the hybrid provisions and move back to a different state. That is exactly what this flexibility allows. Nobody is forced to use these provisions. They are more than welcome to not use them, if they wish—

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Jun/23/22 11:11:46 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would reiterate that I understand that passions are very high on this on both sides. We all care about representing our constituents. We all care about this place. We all have a deep love of democracy that brings us to this place and has us make great sacrifices in the name of serving our constituents. Some believe very passionately, as the member opposite does, that they do not want to see this to continue. I certainly do not want the pandemic to continue, and we are certainly in it, but this gives us the stability over the next year to remain flexible and for members to use these provisions or not, as they wish. It also allows a parliamentary committee to look at this hereafter.

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Jun/23/22 11:07:18 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, clearly, everyone wants the pandemic to be over. However, that is not the case. The pandemic is ongoing. That is our reality today. We must therefore remain flexible, because it is really important that all members be able to represent their constituents. That is why we need a system as flexible as the hybrid system. According to the hon. member opposite, the House would normally have finished its work yesterday. Today is therefore an extraordinary day. It is a wise thing that we are using a day that does not normally exist to finish this debate so that we can continue our work in the fall without any distractions.

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Jun/23/22 11:04:54 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we hold the institutions of Parliament incredibly dear. I know that every single person here has a profound regard for our democratic processes and systems and wants them to be successful. I can go back to the beginning of the pandemic, to how constructive the conversations were with all parties on the need for Parliament to adapt and provide additional provisions. Now, as we continue to be in a pandemic, and as we do not know where that pandemic will go, none of us being clairvoyant, this provides us stability. If the member opposite thinks that some element is not as accountable as some other element, then there is going to be an opportunity to debate that. That is not an opinion that is shared universally. How a question is answered, I understand, is a concern for the member opposite, but so is members not being able to participate in debate because they are sick, and so is members not having the opportunity not to have to make a choice between representing their constituents and coming in sick, potentially getting others sick and then having that sent all around the country, or working virtually and—

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