Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, our government and I will always defend the Canada Health Act. As I have said many times, we are working closely with our provincial and territorial partners to advance the best health services for all Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, it is really unfortunate that we have this kind of conversation, where we are talking about the health of Canadians and asylum seekers. The reality is that those people are in the country. We have an agreement, and the health system is a compassionate system. What we are saying is that those people need to have access to health. We are also working closely with provinces and territori…
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, I am having conversations with each of the health ministers in the provinces and territories about pharmacare. We will let him know as soon as we are ready to move forward.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows very well that I care deeply about the mental health of Canadians. Health services, including mental health, since it is part of health, are under provincial jurisdiction. I am working closely with my provincial partners to ensure that they provide the best services to Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell my colleague that, yes, we are working with Health Canada's legal services to see what the Alberta legislation does. I am working closely with my counterpart in the province. When I know more, I will come back to say whether that legislation complies with the Canada Health Act. As I have said several times before in this House, I am the guardian of the Canada Heal…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. The time that patients spend waiting for their medical records to be transferred instead of receiving care can be fatal. At the same time, health care professionals spend far too much time printing documents and not enough time helping people. Bill S‑5, the connected care for Canadians act, which we tabled last week in the Senate, will break down…
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Mr. Speaker, today the Minister for Women and Gender Equality announced over $15 million in funding to support national women's organizations across the country and strengthen capacity building. This means a stronger and more sustainable national women's sector. It means greater capacity to support the organizations driving progress on gender equality. It means stronger collaboration to advance op…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question and take this opportunity to wish him and all our colleagues a happy Black History Month. Last week, we announced more than $4 million in funding for innovative community initiatives that help us better understand dementia and improve the health and quality of life of those living with dementia and their families. For example, one of…
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Mr. Speaker, if that was their idea, then they should be happy. The Conservatives always like to quote Food Banks Canada, but they know full well that that organization advised us to provide support to Canadians during this difficult time. I am asking the opposition members to vote in favour of this measure, which will help the most vulnerable Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague that the first measure our new government implemented was a tax cut for the middle class. I wonder whether my colleague remembers that.
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Mr. Speaker, it is true that, for several years now, we have been implementing programs to help Canadians. We know how well the dental care program is working in the ridings. We have also announced a tax cut for Canadians. Now, we are giving Canadians support to get through this difficult period. The opposition members keep talking about structural measures. They know full well that we are impleme…
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Mr. Speaker, as Minister of Health, of course I want Canadians to eat well. That is why we implemented this measure today that is meant to leave more money in Canadians' pockets to help them get through these difficult times. In my riding, a family of four that needs this help will receive $1,890 this year. We are taking action to help Canadians get through these challenging times.
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Mr. Speaker, I would just like to point out to my colleague across the way that the Canadian government brought in the Canadian dental care plan, which is having an impact on the lives of Canadians. Nearly six million Canadians, including the least fortunate, are already covered by this program. Many people are now able to see dentists and hygienists for the first time in their lives. I invite my …
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague opposite knows very well that we do not fund crack pipes. He knows this very well because he talks about it constantly in committee.
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Mr. Speaker, our new government will always protect the Canada Health Act and Canada's universal health care system. That is why in budget 2025 our new government is investing in our publicly funded health care system, including through generational investments of $5 billion to build health care infrastructures. We have a collaborative approach with all provinces and territories to ensure that all…
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Mr. Speaker, our government will always protect Canada's health care system, including pharmacare and dental care. These are clear commitments, and we will keep them. I am having conversations with all provinces and territories to see how we can best support them to strengthen our health care system, including pharmacare.
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Mr. Speaker, building a strong Canada means making generational investments in infrastructure. Budget 2025 includes $5 billion for a health infrastructure fund that will help build new hospitals, emergency rooms, health care centres and medical schools, to name just a few. That is what the provinces, including Quebec, and the territories asked us for, and that is what we are putting in place.
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moved that Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), be read the third time and passed.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my opposition colleague for his question. I am the Minister of Health and my role, first and foremost, is to defend the Canada Health Act. I can assure my colleague that we will defend universal health care for Canadians, both before and after the budget.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to assure my colleague that we do believe in vaccines. The science on vaccines is very clear. We are working closely with the provinces and territories to accelerate vaccination. Vaccines that are absolutely necessary are covered by the provinces. I am working with the Province of Alberta to increase vaccination rates in that province.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question. Our new government supports, protects and values those who care for Canadians every day. Our personal support workers tax credit, a new refundable tax credit of up to $1,100 per year, recognizes the valuable work they do. We are protecting workers by prohibiting non-compete agreements in federally regulated sectors. We are delivering …
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Mr. Speaker, no community can face the drug crisis alone. We have a whole-of-government approach, and the Department of Health is part of the solution. The projects we are supporting today will save lives. One such project is the Dr. Peter Centre in Vancouver, which has a proven track record of helping people struggling with addictions. From now on, this centre will be able to provide services in …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Mental health is top of mind for this new government, and we will do everything we can to support the mental health of Canadians. In fact, we have a program in place for youth mental health called integrated youth services. This program is providing a great deal of support to young Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, every person deserves access to sexual and reproductive health services, regardless of when and where they live. That is why I was so pleased to announce last week that we are allocating funding to groups such as the Disabled Women's Network Canada, the Canadian Association of Community Health Centres and other organizations that are proposing community-based solutions to expand acces…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. The Canadian dental care plan is one of the most important social programs in the history of our country. I would like to remind the House that the Conservatives and the Bloc voted against it. Every day, more Canadians have access to the affordable dental care they need. This program helps them to save up to $800 a year. I would like to close by th…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to make sure the member knows that I am working very closely with the Minister of Agriculture. The case is now before the court, so I will not comment more.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Young people are the driving force needed to build a strong Canada. One of my priorities is to respond as effectively as possible to mental health and addictions issues among young people, particularly young men. That is why, based on research findings in this area, our government has invested in creating integrated youth service centres, which h…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the opposition member for his question, and I can assure him that we are working closely with the provinces and territories to provide the best health care for Canadians.
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moved: That Vote 1, in the amount of $253,537,041, under Department of Canadian Heritage—Operating expenditures, in the Main Estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, be concurred in.
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, we know what all the thalidomide victims have gone through, so our hearts go out to them. I will come back to my colleague about this, because I do not have the answer to his question.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. The Canadian dental care plan is changing the lives of Canadians. Since the Canadian dental care plan was implemented, more than two million Canadians have accessed services. As of May 29, 2025, all eligible Canadians between the ages of 18 and 64 can register to access these services.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. This issue greatly affects Canadians. I want her to know that my department and I will be looking into the matter. We will continue working toward finding solutions.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the people of Papineau, who gave me the privilege of sitting in this House for the first time. I would also like to thank the opposition member for his question. I can assure him that mental health is a priority for me. I want Canadians who need mental health services to know that their federal government will work closely with the provinces and terri…
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