Marjorie Michel

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat for the 50th time that we did not block anything regarding the work of the Standing Committee on Health. The Conservatives are always looking to obstruct our work. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the committee members for their hard work, and I wish them a good summer.

Mr. Speaker, I do not see how this can be a cover‑up, because the Conservatives have been asking the same questions about Canada Health Infoway and PrescribeIT for over a month. That means that the public is aware. We are not covering up the information.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Edmonton Riverbend for his tireless leadership on this issue. I am pleased to report that, thanks to his help and the help of groups such as Movember, more than 5,000 people shared their thoughts and ideas during our consultations for Canada's first-ever men and boys' health strategy. We heard many great ideas about how to create more opportunities for boys and men. I look forward to releasing the strategy in the coming months.

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, the priority of the Canadian government and the Department of Health is to protect the health and safety of Canadians. However, I repeat, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We are also dealing with the agricultural sector, with which we are working closely. That said, we will always take steps to protect the health of Canadians as we develop our economy and food sovereignty.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. I would like to say something to my colleague, and I will be very clear. The health of Canadians will always be the Canadian government's top priority. That said, we can also work with the agricultural sector and protect Canada's food sovereignty. As I always say, we can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Mr. Speaker, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency do indeed fall under Health Canada. It is therefore perfectly normal for me to engage with the sectors I represent, because I need to meet with them to understand their concerns. On the first point the member raised, I do not understand, because normally, when I am responsible for something, I have to meet with stakeholders. I will say it again: We will never authorize a product that would put anyone's life at risk.

Mr. Speaker, I will say it again. There were governance issues with Canada Health Infoway. Someone from the federal government sits on the board of directors, and the necessary measures were taken. The CEO has left, and we have an acting director right now. The people involved are currently reviewing the mandates together to see how we can do a better job of solving the governance issues.

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat my answer, but first, I would like to talk about the Standing Committee on Health's study on AIDS, which the Conservatives are blocking. I just want to tell them that there is a national crisis, particularly in Manitoba. That is the first thing I would say. The second thing I would say is that, yes, the board is reviewing the governance and the mandate. It will do so and report back by the end of the summer.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. The first thing I have to say is that, in the Canadian government, we are careful with every dollar we spend. That is why, when we realized that Canada Health Infoway was not completely fulfilling its mission, we decided to halt funding. That is the first thing. However, it is also important to know that the Canadian health care system needs to be modernized, and Canada Health Infoway, despite its governance issues, did a good job. The AI scribe program has really had a lot of—

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Humber River—Black Creek for her leadership on this issue. Thanks to her bill, we have tabled Canada's first ever national eye care strategy. We have brought together all levels of government, indigenous partners, health professionals and people with lived experience to create a strategy that reflects the needs of all Canadians. The member was critical to making this happen, and I hope this strategy helps improve access to eye care for the millions of Canadians who need it.

Mr. Speaker, I am wondering why the Conservatives keep blocking the committee study on HIV. I do not think the Conservatives are all that interested in health issues. Since I have spoken with them several times about PrescribeIT, perhaps they could let the committee work move forward before we talk about that again.

Mr. Speaker, I will say it again: The Conservatives are blocking the committee's study on AIDS because they are not interested in this country-wide crisis. Meanwhile, I appeared before the Standing Committee on Finance the day before yesterday and a Conservative member asked me questions about the PrescribeIT program, which I answered. I believe I have answered the Conservatives' questions.

Mr. Speaker, I was unaware that I had given the organization money. There is a big difference between budgeting for $50 million and actually disbursing it. What I want to say to the opposition is that, as I already told them, we are currently reviewing the organization's mandate. At the same time, I would argue that, yes, Canadians need connected health systems. We need health data infrastructure across the country.

moved that Bill S-5, An Act respecting the interoperability of health information technology and to prohibit data blocking by health information technology vendors, be read the first time. (Motion agreed to and bill read the first time)

Mr. Speaker, I will tell my colleague that I speak with Canada Health Infoway through the representative of Health Canada who is on the board. I do not have direct conversations with anyone on the board, because Health Canada has somebody on the board. I would also say that we have taken the right measures, because after our conversation with the board, they removed the CEO of the company. Now we have an interim CEO, and we are working on the governance.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. I am not sure exactly what his point is. The Conservatives know full well that Canada Health Infoway is a separate entity from the government. We have a representative on the board of directors, and we communicate with the organization through that representative. I am not going to get into who said what, but I have spoken to the representative who sits on the board.

Mr. Speaker, I agree that the situation with the CEO of that company is unacceptable. As members know, that company does not report directly to Health Canada. However, I spoke with its board of directors, and corrective measures were applied. I can assure the opposition member that I am working on this and that I will do everything in my power to clarify all of the problems.

Mr. Speaker, I take the work of the Standing Committee on Health very seriously, and I will certainly return to testify before the committee at some point. As I said, we took action. We spoke with the board of directors, and they took steps to remove the CEO. I will continue to work on this issue and will take the necessary steps.

Mr. Speaker, I want to set the record straight for my colleague. To start, the first piece of good news, I would say, is that while it is true that the PrescribeIT program did not work across the country, it did work well in Quebec. That is the first point. What you need to know is that this program was introduced—