Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Madawaska—Restigouche for sharing his personal story with us. It is precisely for people like Stéphanie that our government is investing more than $40 million in cutting-edge research for cancer prevention. These investments are saving lives and reducing the burden of cancer on families across the country. By supporting these projects, we are advancing s…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, because I have said it several times, there is no single solution to this crisis. We know that. Various studies have shown a variety of results.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, because I have told him several times, a lot of different studies have shown a variety of results with respect to supervised consumption sites. As he knows, there is no single solution to this problem. Supervised consumption sites are there to save lives. They do not get in the way of treatment. We can discuss this further.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, my colleague should know that this minister grants exemptions every time the provinces that fund these supervised consumption sites fund projects following consultations with their own communities. I have said it before, and I will say it again: Yes, these sites exist to save lives, but there is also work being done on treatment.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, what my colleague should know is that we can walk and chew gum at the same time. What does that mean? It means that we can save lives through supervised consumption sites, provide treatment and work on prevention. What you should know is that we are working in co-operation with all of the provinces to reduce the rate of drug use. What is more, even if your study does not show this, al…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to welcome my colleague from Edmonton Riverbend to this side of the House. We need to end stigma around men's and boys' mental health. This is why we launched a national conversation on men's and boys' health, so we can make a real difference in the health and well-being of men and boys across the country. This will help create stronger families and thriving communities. We loo…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague that health services are the responsibility of the provinces and territories, not the federal government. The Minister of Health and the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship have a duty to work with the provinces and territories on services. As members know, the immigration minister has nothing to do with those providing services on the ground.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canada has the values to which the world aspires. We have always been and always will be committed to fundamental rights and human dignity. We believe in our universal health care system. Let us not play politics at the expense of asylum seekers. As I just said, we must build a better health care system, and we are doing it working with provinces and territories.
Read full speech →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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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 …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Government Orders
moved that Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), be read the third time and passed.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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 …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Government Orders
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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…
Read full speech →