Mark Holland

[Health, December 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we have signed agreements with every province and every territory. We saw in the CIHI baseline data last year that nearly every jurisdiction in the country saw more doctors and more nurses. It is not enough. Provinces have to do their part and have to be responsible for this health transformation. However, there is something huge this Parliament can do, and that is pass Bill C-72, which is connected care legislation. Just one example is that allowing AI scribes to be used in our system would create the equivalent of 1,000 new doctors in a very short period of time. Connected care can open up new avenues of care, and that is something this Parliament can do.

[Government Priorities, December 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, that hon. member would know, because we worked very well together to create a national pharmacare plan that is going to make sure Canadians everywhere have access to the medication they need. It builds upon a Canadian advantage we need to maintain, an advantage that sees Canadians not only living longer but living six years more in health than they do in the United States. The lifespan we enjoy is every bit as important as every other measurement, and the advantage we have in health cannot be lost. We must continue to drive forward and transform our health system from one based in illness to one based in prevention.

[Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, December 13th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about health and what they are going to cut. They would take away diabetes medications for patients. They would take away contraception for women. They would take away oral health care for seniors.

What is going to happen? Let us talk about the implications. Canada has the second-longest health span in the G7; it is longer than that of Italy, France or the United Kingdom and six years longer than that of the United States. What they would do with these cuts is drive illness, which will drive cost and is just plain dumb. If we want to make sure that we get health care right, it is also at the core of a strong economy and reducing costs.

It is time Conservatives woke up and stood up for health care in this country.

[Dental Care, December 13th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the member has been such an advocate and a proponent of making sure everybody gets oral health. Could we have imagined, just a year ago, when we started taking applications for the Canada dental care plan, that in a year, three million Canadians would be covered? This means that virtually every senior who is eligible is covered and is able to get care. That is not just a matter of social justice, of somebody having a smile they are proud of or finally being able to get a pair of dentures in their mouth, but it is also a matter of prevention. When we make sure people get care, they do not get sick, we save money and we have a healthier society.

[Health, December 12th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, everywhere, every part of our health system must be transformed into a system of prevention rather than a system of illness. We are doing our part. In fact, I would point out just this week, we announced that one and a quarter million Canadians received care under dental care. We are moving forward with pharmacare. We have deals with every province and every territory. Yes, provinces must be held to account and be responsible for their share, for the portion they carry and have burden for. We will lead nationally and we demand that everybody rise to this moment to transform our health system.

[Health, December 12th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we are there to protect our universal health care system across the country. That is why we signed a $200-billion agreement with each province and territory to improve our health care system.

It is certainly true that there are provincial and territorial responsibilities, but we are there at all times to ensure that people can obtain the care they need.

[Health, December 2nd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, those agreements, which were $200 billion over 10 years, absolutely did come with common indicators and shared priorities. In fact, we just saw CIHI's report showing in data, for the first time in Canadian history, where we are. That data shows us that nearly every jurisdiction across the country has more doctors and nurses, that surgical wait times are back to where they were before the pandemic and that we are making really important progress.

It is essential that provinces step up and do their part, but we are making really important progress in our health system.

[The Economy, November 25th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' solution to food insecurity would be to take away a rebate cheque that gives people more money in their pocket to be able to afford the necessities of life. The Conservatives' solution to food insecurity would be to cut a school food program that makes sure that kids get the food they need. The Conservatives would cut dental care.

The reality is that I sat in opposition and I watched the Conservative Party when it was in government. I will say that in that period of time, the amount of action the Conservatives took for vulnerable people was exactly zero. For now, they are talking about what vulnerable people need, but they are not putting forward any solutions to actually help them.

[The Economy, November 25th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is a shame that members would speak to each other in that kind of way.

I believe that within every member's heart, they are here because they wish to serve their communities. The average number of years that Canadians spend in health is six years longer than the United States, two years longer than the United Kingdom and one year longer than France and Italy. We have the second highest only to Japan.

The model Conservatives would choose would push us deeper into ill health and attack our health system. That is not a direction we will follow.

[Carbon Pricing, November 18th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is second in the G7 on health span, second only to Japan. We have one year longer than both France and Italy in the number of years we live in good health. Ours is two years longer than that of the United Kingdom and six years longer than that of the United States.

When we are talking about things that have been gone for a long time, let us talk about what is happening with measles. Let us talk about what is happening with misinformation generally. The approach to attacking public health that the Conservatives are taking and the attack on information put lives at risk and fundamentally endanger our health system.