Parliamentary Speeches
946 speeches by Adam van Koeverden — Page 14 of 19
Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the member can rest assured that there are no cover-ups, as he has repeatedly implied in this House. At a time when democracy is being challenged around the world, Canada's electoral system remains healthy and robust. Canada continues to rank among the world's healthiest democracies, something that we can all be proud of in the House and across the country. Members of the procedure …
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Madam Speaker, Canadians continue to have and should have confidence in our electoral processes. As I mentioned before, Canada's electoral system is strong. Improving, strengthening and protecting our democratic institutions against all forms of foreign interference remains our government's top priority. We have implemented a series of measures, such as the plan to protect Canada's democracy, that…
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Madam Speaker, before I start, I feel compelled to say a few words with respect to the passing of our friend and colleague Jim Carr, the member for Winnipeg South Centre. I was one of the members who got to sit behind the member for Winnipeg South Centre during his last speech in the House of Commons, when he spoke so eloquently about his bill to ensure the Prairies have a green economy on the hor…
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Madam Speaker, I strongly disagree that we are not willing to invest incrementally into the health care system, as evidenced by the past couple of years and all of the incremental funding we have dedicated to health care and preserving our robust health care system. The health care money we send to provinces and territories ought to be spent on health care, but in provinces like mine, Ontario, a l…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with the hon. member. Urgent actions are indeed required to address the current health workforce crisis. That is why we have taken significant steps forward by establishing a coalition for action for health care workers to inform immediate and long-term solutions to address these challenges, by introducing measures to facilitate the entry of foreign national physicians and per…
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Madam Speaker, I am thrilled to address this question in the adjournment debate. Our government understands that many Canadians are worried about our economy as it faces a period of slower economic growth due to the global challenge of high inflation and higher interest rates. We recognize that Canadians are feeling the pain of inflation when they go to the grocery store, fill up their tanks and p…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. Our health care system is facing major challenges, and we must work together to improve health care for Canadians. We are disappointed in the outcome of the meeting and in the provincial and territorial premiers' statement. Nevertheless, our government remains ready to work with the provinces and territories and to continue discussing priori…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, but what he says is not true. Our government has a long history of working with the provinces and territories, not only to provide funding, but also to ensure a national vision for health care and systems that meet the needs of Canadians. We will increase Canada health transfers by 10% in March 2023. An additional 5% increase was announced a few …
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's COVID-19 procurement strategy was undertaken at a time of considerable uncertainty, with a goal of protecting the health and safety of Canadians. That is what we did. While Canada's overall COVID-19 immunization strategy has been a success, with modelling suggesting that public health measures without vaccination could have seen over 16.5 million cases and nearly 500,000 deat…
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Mr. Speaker, leave it to the Conservatives to suggest that buying vaccines during a deadly pandemic was wasteful. Context matters. At the start of this pandemic, no one could predict which vaccine would be most effective. With an increased global demand, our government prioritized, protecting the health and safety of Canadians. We will continue to work to keep securing the vaccines Canadians need …
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Mr. Speaker, we share the frustrations and concerns of parents across Ontario with the wait times at hospitals, particularly for kids. It has been a really challenging flu, RSV and COVID season, with all of those piling up. We recognize it has been extraordinarily challenging for health care workers as well. We believe, on this side of the House, that all someone should need to get health care in …
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Madam Speaker, an old saying comes to mind: Those in glass houses should not throw stones. When given an opportunity, every Conservative member voted against all these measures to support Canadians tangibly. The constituents and neighbours of ours who are struggling right now are receiving support, whether that is through rental supports, dental supports, the doubling of their GST credit or increa…
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to be back in the House for Adjournment Proceedings this evening. I thank the member down the way for the opportunity to address concerns of foreign interference in Canada. Canada is a country of an open political system, a democratic process, much social cohesion, academic freedoms and prosperity. While these are reasons why people choose to come to Canada, they als…
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Mr. Speaker, I reject the premise of the question 100%. We have taken swift action against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we continue to be extremely strong against the People's Republic of China in their attempts to interfere in our elections or in any other course of due action in Canada. I want to make it clear that the Government of Canada remains committed to combatting foreign interferenc…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for the opportunity to discuss this very important issue. The impacts of the health worker shortage are reverberating across all areas of the health system, but they are particularly clear right now in our hospitals. It gets harder to watch as children are affected. Understaffed emergency rooms have led to long wait times and even closures. Our government is worki…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising this very important issue. Rural areas are indeed facing an unacceptable shortage of health workers. Our government will continue working on addressing the shortage as well as improving health care in rural areas generally. The needs of Canadians in rural and remote areas are foremost in our minds, and we will work with provinces and territories in t…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-31, an act respecting cost of living relief measures related to dental care and rental housing, was introduced on September 20, 2022. Health Canada has and will continue to engage with the provinces and territories, as well as stakeholders including experts, clinicians and industry, on providing dental care for uninsured Canadians. Consultations to date have helped inform the d…
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Madam Speaker, I first want to thank my hon. colleague for her question, her leadership and her attention to this very important issue. I would also like to thank the other members of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women for the important work they are doing in studying the issue of safe sport for women and girls in Canada. I had the privilege of joining one of the meetings. I paid attent…
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Madam Speaker, I once again want to commend the member from the Bloc Québécois for her attention to this important issue and concern. I also want to commend the other members of the status of women committee for their hard work on this issue. Absolutely no solution is off the table for me, the Minister of Sport, the government and all members of the House. We absolutely condemn violence, maltreatm…
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Madam Speaker, oral health is absolutely essential. Tooth decay is the most common, yet preventable, childhood chronic disease, and it is one of the number one reasons kids miss school. Fully one-third of Canadians are unable to visit the dentist, because it is expensive and they do not have insurance, so we introduced the interim Canada child dental benefit, and 500,000 children under 12 can now …
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the concern from my colleague opposite. This is a really urgent time, and urgent actions are required to address the current human resources and workforce crisis in health care. That is why we have taken significant actions by establishing a Coalition for Action for Health Workers to inform immediate and long-term solutions and address significant health workforce chall…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, the report on COVID-19 rapid test procurement and distribution.
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Mr. Speaker, Health Canada has authorized several COVID-19 vaccines for use in Canada. Each of these underwent a careful scientific review and met our standards for safety, efficacy and quality. Information about all of the authorized vaccines including the regulatory decision summary can be found on the COVID-19 vaccines and treatments portal: https://bit.ly/3EH07IB. Users must click on the indiv…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. Urgent action is needed to address the current health care worker crisis. That is why we have taken significant steps like creating the coalition for action for health workers, which will provide immediate and long-term solutions to address significant health workforce challenges. We also announced the appointment of a chief nursing officer …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Our government has been working with the provinces and territories for a long time now, not only to provide funding, but also to create a national vision for health care and systems that meet Canadians' needs. We will increase Canadian health transfers by 10% in March 2023, which is in addition to the extra 5% increase announced a few months ago.…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Since the start of the pandemic, our government has invested more than $72 billion to protect Canadians' health. We will continue to work with the provinces and territories. Our health system is facing significant challenges, and it is vital that we work together to improve health care for Canadians. By working together we will move forward.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for the attention paid to this extremely important matter. Next week, an exceptional shipment of child analgesics will arrive in Canada. Our domestic producers have indicated that they have ramped up production here at home. We have done everything we can for the last five months to ensure that pediatric hospitals across the country have enough …
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Mr. Speaker, the government will never apologize for trying to be better. Progress is based on better. The kind of chaos that Conservative members are trying to pursue is the enemy of progress. From the beginning of this pandemic, we have been there for Canadians. We have been there to support them with wage subsidies and with CERB. We are supporting them through rental supports and dental support…
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Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday was National Child Day, and I am proud to stand today to highlight and encourage youth engagement across our country. Young people are not just the leaders of the future; they are leading conversations and advocacy today. Youth voices are pushing forward discussions on education, public safety, climate action, sport, physical activity, recreation and our health care s…
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Madam Speaker, it is a great privilege for me to rise today in the House to speak to Bill C‑20, a very important bill. I am glad to be here today, standing on traditional Algonquin territory. We are debating Bill C-20, which would enact a new stand-alone statute, the public complaints and review commission act, to provide an external review regime for both the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and his attention to this very important bill. I do not have the funding details associated with this bill right now. It is not yet entirely clear. I believe that every member in the House understands that this bill is very important. It is not a question of funding or money, it is a question of addressing systemic racism and dealing with the ot…
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Madam Speaker, resources come in various shapes and forms. There are human resources and financial resources. Indeed, the latter will be available. We will ensure that all the money necessary will be available to build up a new organization of accountability. That is a commitment that I know this government has already made. On the issue of human resources and making sure there is enough personnel…
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Madam Speaker, as I stated in my speech today, this bill has indeed died on the Order Paper twice now, and we do not want that to ever happen again. This bill has been debated over and over. It was also modified on those two occasions to fit more current studies being done at various committees and to fit things that we review and decide on collectively as priorities. Why is this important now? It…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his conscientious concern on this issue and his consistency and advocacy on behalf of his constituent Izabela, whom I have also heard from on Twitter. I would also like to take a moment to thank Izabela for her community advocacy and her concern, particularly for youth and their health in Toronto. The Cannabis Act is there to protect the health a…
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Madam Speaker, before I continue my rebuttal, of course I am opposed to any illegal advertisement. If the advertisements are indeed illegal, then they are contrary to all of our laws. If they are an illegal product, then advertising an illegal product in an illegal means is clearly an infraction of the law. At this point, the government's priority continues to be protecting young people from the h…
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Mr. Speaker, congratulations to the Toronto Argonauts on their record 18th Grey Cup victory, the most any Canadian professional football team has ever won. Chad Kelly, the backup quarterback for the Argos, came on for the injured McLeod Bethel-Thompson in the fourth quarter. A pair of touchdowns from AJ Ouellette, and the Argos were once again champions with a hard fought 24-23 victory over the st…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's question. Our health care system is facing major challenges. Our government remains committed to working with the provinces and territories to further discuss health priorities, missions, and outcomes in order to improve health care services for all Canadians, in particular by reducing backlogs and supporting our health care workers, improving access t…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague. Working together is the right thing to do. As we have heard, during the latest health ministers' meeting, our federal, provincial and territorial representatives collaborated to prepare a concrete action plan to advance the use of health data and digital health for Canadians. Our fifth objective is to use health data and digital health more effectively.
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Mr. Speaker, in response to part (a) of the question, addressing the shortage of pediatric and children’s analgesics, ibuprofen and acetaminophen, is a top priority for the government and Health Canada. The department shares the concerns of many parents and caregivers, understands how important these products are to treat fever and pain in infants and children, and is committed to doing its part t…
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Madam Speaker, it is a real honour and privilege to stand on behalf of the Minister of Health today and thank and congratulate the member for Pontiac for her hard work and advocacy, particularly for Canadians living in rural communities across the country. Indeed, with the royal assent to Bill C-31, over half a million kids will visit the dentist this and next year, kids who do not have dental ins…
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Mr. Speaker, in response to part (a) of the question, per the Prime Minister’s news release of September 13, 2022, the total cost for this two-year interim benefit, including both the administrative cost of delivering the benefit and the funds disbursed to Canadians, is estimated at $938 million. This is fully covered within the funding announced for dental care in budget 2022. The distribution of…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. It is a good question, on a very important issue. I am proud of our men's soccer team and their historic qualification for the 2022 World Cup. We are aware of the concerns surrounding the decision to hold the 2022 FIFA tournament in Qatar, and we are focused on finding constructive solutions that promote unity, because in a divisive world, we nee…
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Mr. Speaker, we share the concerns of parents and caregivers across this country, whose inability to find infant and children's acetaminophen and ibuprofen has been so difficult. This has been a really tough cold and flu season for parents and kids. I want to acknowledge that, first and foremost. Health Canada recently approved the exceptional importation of infant and children's ibuprofen and ace…
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Mr. Speaker, we share the deep concerns of my colleague and parents across this country. These wait times are inexcusable. The shortage of drugs is unacceptable. We must do more, particularly for children in our ridings. Right now, we have a really, really bad flu season. Right now, parents are going through this because the cold and flu are rearing their ugly heads. As we see an increase in these…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for raising this important issue. The health and safety of our children is fundamental and the most important thing for this government. The Cannabis Act is there to protect the health and safety of Canadians, while serving as a flexible legislative framework that adapts and responds to the ongoing emerging needs of Canadians to help displace that illegal a…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada built its vaccine portfolio through advance purchase agreements, or APAs, securing future access to COVID-19 vaccines in development at a time when it was not yet known which vaccine candidates would receive Health Canada authorization, and if so, when. This was done in order to ensure that Canada was at the forefront of receiving life-saving vaccines at the height of the COVID…
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Mr. Speaker, with respect to part (a) of the question, the answer is 79. With respect to part (b)(i), the answer is zero employees. Please note that in addition to the 79 executives in part (a), there are six medical doctors at the MD MOF-04 and -05 levels who serve either as senior medical advisers to DG levels or higher; or hold executive positions below the DG level. With respect to part (b)(ii…
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Mr. Speaker, we share the concerns of parents and caregivers about their inability to find children's acetaminophen and ibuprofen. We have secured an additional foreign supply of children's acetaminophen that will be available for sale at retail and community pharmacies in the coming weeks to help address the immediate situation.
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Mr. Speaker, our government has a long history of working with the provinces and territories not only to provide funding, but also to ensure a national vision for health care and systems that meets the needs of Canadians. During the pandemic, our government invested over $72 billion to protect the health of Canadians. In addition to the additional 5% increase that has already been announced, we wi…
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Mr. Speaker, we share the concerns of my colleague from the NDP, of parents and caregivers about their inability to find infant and children's acetaminophen and ibuprofen. This has been a really tough cold and flu season for parents across this country and we acknowledge that. Therefore, we secured an additional foreign supply of children's acetaminophen, which will be available for sale at retail…
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