Jane Philpott

[Health, January 27th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, as a family doctor and the Minister of Health, I am committed to working with our partners to improve Canadians' mental health and make mental health services more accessible. Mental health is a priority for our government, and we will continue to invest to promote sound mental health and help prevent mental illness and suicide.

[Health, January 27th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the member opposite is so committed to making sure that Canadians will have access to the care they need, when they need it, on the basis of that need. I will support her in that commitment.

One of the fundamental principles that I will go forward with in my work with my colleagues is to establish a strong relationship with them, which I am pleased to say I was able to do.

I will continue working with the health ministers across the country, including the health minister from Quebec, and from other provinces and territories, in order to address the concerns of Canadians.

[Health, January 27th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to further inform the House about the excellent meetings that I had last week with the health ministers from all provinces and territories across the country.

Among the things we discussed was our commitment to the Canada Health Act. As the member opposite is aware, that act is one of the foundations of a system that we are proud of. One of the pieces of that, of which I am most proud, is the fact that we are determined to make sure that Canadians will always be able to access the appropriate care they require based on need, and not ability to pay. We will do all that is in our power to uphold that act.

[Health, January 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague the hon. member knows, I have been a family doctor and have had many patients who have suffered the devastating consequences of heart disease and stroke. Therefore, it is now my duty as Minister of Health to work with all Canadians to reduce the prevalence of these conditions. We will do so in part by reducing trans fats and reducing sodium intake. My department, Health Canada, has already introduced mandatory nutritional labelling guidelines in order to reduce trans fats and will continue to work with the food industry and all Canadians to improve the health conditions of all Canadians.

[Health, January 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I have just met with my provincial and territorial colleagues and have reiterated to them that our government fully supports the principles of the Canada Health Act, which are meant to ensure that all Canadians have reasonable access to medically necessary care based upon need and not based upon the ability to pay.

I am committed to working with my provincial and territorial colleagues to uphold the Canada Health Act. I will continue to discuss this with my provincial and territorial colleagues in the months to come.

[Health, January 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the matter of mental health needs in first nations and other indigenous communities is a pressing matter that I will pay full attention to. I agree with the member that up until now there have been inadequate resources and serious gaps in terms of the health outcomes and the opportunities that first nations and Inuit children have to access these resources. We will do everything in our power to make some changes in that area, and I will work in the months and years to come to make it so.

[Health, January 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to respond to this question, although obviously it is under tremendously tragic circumstances.

I want to say first of all how deeply I grieve with all Canadians for the tragedy that took place in La Loche. Immediately upon hearing the news, I spoke to the folks at the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch to ensure that they were sending crisis workers to the community, and they did so immediately. I have been in touch on a daily basis with the folks in Saskatchewan. I have committed to people in that community that the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch will continue to provide support for mental health needs in the community in the days and months to come.

[Assisted Suicide, December 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, the issue of physician-assisted dying is a sensitive and complex one.

Our government will follow through on our commitments to consult broadly on this issue, and we will be introducing a parliamentary committee in order to do so. We also look forward to the report of the external panel, which we expect next week and which will report on a number of consultations that have already taken place.

I look forward to working with my colleague, the Minister of Justice in responding to this very important issue.

[Health, December 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, we are all concerned with the health of Canadians, both young and old, and we are concerned with the health risks associated with smoking.

As pertains to the issue of marijuana, however, we have lost the fight, and the current approach to marijuana is not working. Results this week have revealed that record amounts of marijuana are being used by our youth. Our government plans to implement legislation to address that so we can keep marijuana out of the hands of children and youth.

[Health, December 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, this is indeed an important question. It is exactly why I will be meeting with my counterparts to be able to address these concerns. It would be premature for me to discuss the details of what that health accord will look like, but we know that it is not always money that is the answer. It is in fact transformation of the system that Canadians expect from us. We will begin discussions to improve access to home care, to reduce drug costs, and to improve mental health services.