Steven Fletcher

[Health, April 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the House will soon debate the health committee's report telling the government for a second time to follow the Krever inquiries recommendation and compensate all those who contracted hepatitis C from tainted blood.

The government has had years to solve the problem. The health committee calls for compassion. The majority of the House will soon vote to support the health committee's recommendation.

Will the health minister follow the wishes of the committee and the House of Commons and compensate these victims immediately?

[Civil Marriage Act, March 21st, 2005]

Madam Speaker, the answer provided by the member is simply not acceptable. The fact is that since 1993 under the Liberal government wait times have doubled. Since then no action has been taken to deal with this issue and that is probably why a backbench MP from the government introduced a bill to move along the issue of credential recognition. It took a backbench MP to do this. That demonstrates the lack of leadership by the Liberal administration.

The fact of the matter is that the Liberals have had over 10 years to deal with this problem and they have done nothing. From coast to coast in this country, there are well trained doctors driving taxis, which is a testament to the incompetence of the government.

Can the member just please apologize for the Liberal dithering and--

[Civil Marriage Act, March 21st, 2005]

Madam Speaker, in December of last year I asked the government why it had cancelled a program seven times that would have helped recognize foreign trained professionals. I would like to raise this question again tonight.

It is interesting to note that the Liberal government cut $25 billion from the health care system. Due to a complete lack of leadership from the Liberals, we have seen a perpetual state of dithering on allowing more professionally trained foreign individuals to practise in Canada.

Due to Liberal neglect, Canada's health care system faces a looming personnel shortage. The numbers of doctors, nurses, technicians and other practitioners are increasingly inadequate to meet our aging population. This significant problem demands a solution. The Liberals love creating problems but it seems that only a Conservative government will be able to fix them.

An important step toward solving the looming health care resource crisis would be a more fair and efficient system of foreign credential recognition. Everyone has known this for years, yet the Liberals have done nothing about it, and continue to do nothing about it. It took a backbench MP to finally introduce a bill to change the status quo.

Two weeks ago I raised this issue in the House during adjournment proceedings. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance replied that the government was establishing a fund to reduce wait times, part of which would address the human resource crisis.

Since the Liberals took power, wait times have increased drastically and personnel shortages have loomed even larger. The Liberals should apologize to Canadians for allowing the system to deteriorate to a point where such measures are necessary.

What the hon. member neglected to mention two weeks ago was that the trust fund would be nothing more than another Liberal slush fund masquerading as a public policy tool. Yet again the government has shown utter contempt for the well-being of Canadians by manipulating health policies to suit its own nefarious ends.

I would like to draw the attention of the House to paragraph 7(3) which states that the finance minister may pay money into the trust “at the times and in the manner that the Minister of Finance considers appropriate”. In other words, he could funnel any amount of money into this arm's length trust whenever he felt like it. This trust will not reduce wait times as much as it will increase the Liberals' ability to fudge budget numbers.

This bears a striking resemblance to the numerous foundations established by the government that end up being used as holding funds for unspent taxpayers' money. Even if the Liberals' intentions were honest, they are obviously unable to do what the fund was set up to do.

We need to train more foreign doctors. Its seems like a lot of money that the Liberals have committed, but it is money that will be spent over five years. We have to open our system to foreign trained professionals. Why is the Liberal government not doing that? It should apologize for the disaster which the health care system is in today.

[Government Appointments, March 11th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister once stated his commitment to integrity, his belief in changing the way Ottawa works, and his disgust with the democratic deficit. It is obvious how empty those promises were.

Over a year later the government's integrity has sunk to a new low. Ottawa works, as it always has, under Liberal stewardship, and the democratic deficit has become a gaping chasm.

Numerous friends of the Prime Minister have received plumb patronage postings including former Liberal MPs like Manitoba Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard, Allan Rock and others.

Glen Murray, former Liberal star candidate and Liberal convention delegate, is only the latest appointee cozy with the Prime Minister.

The path to success for Liberals is clear: help them out, or better yet, their leader, and they can count on a hearty serving from the patronage stew dollopped out in large scoops by the PMO.

The Prime Minister should respect the wishes of the environment committee and reconsider Mr. Murray's appointment. Let us end the cronyism and let us end it now.

[Foreign Credential Recognition Program, March 10th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that this member says the government does not do this or cannot do that. The fact is that the federal government should lead and leading is what this government is not doing. If proper policies were implemented and proper leadership was shown, this problem would have been anticipated and dealt with appropriately.

The member is right that strippers and doctors are different people with different skill sets. However, it seems that this government has been focusing on letting strippers into the country rather than dealing with training foreign doctors and allowing more doctors from other countries to come into Canada. That is a matter of record. Canadians know this. This government has not shown the appropriate policy approach.

I guess the only hope for Canada is to have a Conservative government because the Conservatives know how to plan. This government obviously does not.

[Foreign Credential Recognition Program, March 10th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, in December I asked the Minister of Health what he would do about the doctor shortage in Canada. According to a Fraser Institute report, the shortage of doctors has increased exponentially since 1993, interestingly enough since the Liberals took office. When I asked the minister this question, he avoided a direct answer. Under the Liberal government, we have seen nothing but incompetence.

We just heard a Liberal backbencher bring forward a motion to have the credentials of foreign-trained professionals dealt with in a more timely manner. That is from a Liberal, and now we see this throughout the system. There is a crisis in our health care system for human resources, particularly doctors and specialists.

At the time there was a big issue about the fact that the government seemed to have no problem letting strippers into the country, but made it difficult for doctors to come to Canada. The few doctors who do make it into the country cannot get their credentials to practise the profession. This is one of the issues causing a major crisis in our health care system, and it is acknowledged by a member of the Liberal party.

The minister talks about it. Previous Liberal ministers have talked about this issue, and nothing has happened. The crisis has expanded under Liberal governance.

I would like to point out that the Liberals cut $25 billion out of the health care system in 1995. It is the Liberal government that is responsible for the health care crisis we have today. Now we hear that it is putting some moneys in from the health accord and that this will be done over the next 10 years, et cetera. However, let us not forget that the Liberal government caused the crisis in the first place.

The fact that the Liberals have refused to deal with this issue has caused a lot of suffering for many people in Canada. The fact that the Liberals chose to let in strippers rather than doctors suggests the government does not have its priorities straight.

When will the Liberals get their act together? We just a few minutes ago we heard from a Liberal backbencher that the government was not acting fast enough. That is not a surprise to Canadians. What will the government do to ensure that we have proper doctors and specialists to serve the public?

[The Budget, March 8th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I have not seen the bill itself, but I think the intent of auditing the foundations is a good one. The Canadian people need to have confidence that the moneys they are contributing through their hard work are going to the initiatives they expect those moneys to go to.

As we have seen with the ad scandal and other Liberal slush funds and boondoggles, Canadians are not receiving value for significant amounts of their tax dollars. I am sure the hon. member would agree.

Anything that enhances transparency and accountability is important. All the opposition parties agree on that point, as demonstrated at the health committee. The only party that seems to disagree with accountability, transparency and value for money is the governing party. It is very disturbing, and I think most Canadians would agree.

One can only conclude that either there is a total disrespect for Canadian tax dollars or something funny is going on in these foundations. I look forward to working with anyone who shares our commitment, the commitment of the Conservative Party to financial accountability, transparency and value for Canadian taxpayers.

[The Budget, March 8th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I certainly look forward to discussing these points with the member afterwards, but he has been quite misleading. On Infoway, for example, the health committee passed a motion just the other day to give the Auditor General the ability to go into Infoway to see if taxpayers are getting value for their money. I will point out that the opposition parties, the Conservatives, the Bloc, and the NDP, all voted in favour of this motion. The Liberals voted against it, which suggests that the Liberals are afraid of transparency, afraid of accountability and afraid that they may get caught with their hands in the cookie jar again.

With regard to the specific wording of my presentation, the overall intent is to show that billions of dollars have been set aside without the accountability or the transparency that Canadians expect when they pay their taxes. Again it is the Liberal government putting aside moneys that could be used in ways that Canadians do not want those moneys to be used.

With respect to the member's other comments, the Liberal government often takes money from, for example, gas revenues and puts it into other ventures. Liberals have been quoted in the past as saying that they would use money from the gas tax for diagnostic equipment. That is something that has been stated in the past and it is not where Canadians expect the money to go.

Canadians expect value for their tax dollars. Everyone would be happy to pay taxes and contribute to the nation's government if they knew that the money was going to be used to make the lives of their fellow citizens better. We have seen the Liberals waste billions of dollars time and time again, whether it was on the gun registry or slush funds or whatever. That really undermines Canadians' confidence in the Liberal government and it undermines Canadians' confidence in the Liberal budget.

[The Budget, March 8th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, as health critic, I will focus on some of the health aspects of the budget.

I find it very interesting, when we look back on the election, that the Liberal promise was to fix health care for a generation. Yet we see nothing in the budget that deals with a generation or even with the short term crisis we see in the health care system today. The budget only puts some of the money back that the Liberals ripped out of the system in the mid-1990s. Despite some of the funding commitments, the budget is still full of questionable initiatives and glaring omissions.

In 2004 the government will direct $150 million worth of gasoline tax to pay for medical diagnostic equipment. The question is, why will gas taxes be used for medical equipment? Are gas taxes not intended for transportation related areas? What is next? Will the GST be earmarked for the Governor General?

The government again fails in the budget to make any commitments to compensate the hepatitis C victims affected by tainted blood pre-1986 and post-1990. The hepatitis C fund is extended for a year, which offers no long term commitment to help all the victims. The health of hundreds and even thousands of people infected with this virus depends upon a national strategy to help address hepatitis C. Furthermore, those infected by tainted blood before and after the 1986-1990 window have never received adequate compensation. Therefore, the government has failed on two fronts: one, addressing a national health problem; and two, ending a grave injustice which was caused in large part by the government.

The government will take five years to develop a mock vaccine. This is far too long a time to wait. Health officials have warned an epidemic could happen at any time.

The budget only offers a one time commitment for catastrophic drugs, $500 million in 2005-06. There is no long term commitment to this necessary measure. Both the Romanow and Kirby reports recommended that the federal government establish catastrophic prescription drug insurance plan as an important first step in reducing disparities in drug coverage and enhancing access to needed drug therapy.

One in ten Canadians do not have adequate drug coverage for catastrophic drug needs and are at high risk for financial hardship from prescription drug expenses paid out of his or her own pockets. It is inexcusable that this budget does nothing to address the disparities that prevent the most disadvantaged from receiving health care.

I will note that the Conservative Party had a plan in the last election for catastrophic drug coverage. Since the Liberals seem to sometime try to use our platform ideas, that would have been a good one to cherry pick, but again they always forget to pick the good ones.

Furthermore, the budget commits $170 million over five years to help ensure the safety and effectiveness of drugs and other therapeutic products. The government has already committed $1.2 billion to Infoway to improve drug safety by creating electronic patient records. Yet hardly any of the $1.2 billion has been spent. It sits unused in a bank account while patients continue to get sick or die due to prescription errors and other complications. It is unlikely that a further $170 million commitment to improve drug safety will be put to any better use than the unused billions that sit in health related government foundations like Infoway.

In reality it matters little how much the Liberals commit to health care if Canadians have no way of knowing what effect their money is having on the system. As the ultimate authority in health care, the federal government affects the health and well-being of Canadians. It should therefore accept responsibility for decisions made and the actions taken that affect the health care system. Yet the Liberals, the self-declared defenders of health care and guardians of the Canada Health Act, consistently avoid answering for their mismanagement and deceit. Thanks in large part to the lack of transparency and parliamentary oversight, the Liberals do not have to account for the results of their decisions.

As someone who has relied on the health care system in the past, I find the lack of accountability deeply troubling. Some examples are $4.25 billion will be paid to a third party trust from which the wait time reduction transfers will be paid, according to this budget. Reducing wait times is important and necessary, but yet again the Liberals conceal their more selfish intentions and hide behind a cloak of secrecy. Recently released legislation will give the Minister of Finance or Minister of Health the ability to add any amount of money to the wait time reduction trust whenever he wants. This is yet another means by which the Liberals can hide money and distort the budget surpluses.

It is very concerning that these foundations are unable to be audited by the Auditor General. How do we know if the moneys are being spent appropriately? The fact is we do not. If we use what we do know about the Liberal government, moneys are being wasted on these foundations too. I hope this is not the case, but it may be.

We have creeping privatization by stealth. Of the $125 billion spent per year on health, $30 billion is on private care. Yet the annual government health report fails to even mention private care at all. No mention is made in the reports of the 34 private MRI clinics that operate across Canada, despite the health minister's ongoing attack on clinics in the western provinces.

Federally delivered health care services are under-reported. Several federal government departments are responsible for health care delivery to specific groups of Canadians. Despite being the fifth largest provider of health care in the country, the federal government provides limited information about this.

The annual report on the Canada Health Act fails to mention how federally delivered programs adhere to the Canada Health Act. Furthermore, the recent report on health indicators provided limited information on first nations health because of insufficient data.

Health Canada seems to have a culture of secrecy. Vital health information is often kept from the public. For example, reports have shown that the department knew of health risks posed by certain drugs, including Vioxx, but did not act upon this information. The entire drug approval process has since been revealed as biased toward pharmaceutical companies. Vioxx received fast track approval, which can be beneficial, but still, due to the cloak of secrecy and lack of transparency, it is not clear what the process was in these cases.

At a recent health committee meeting, a Health Canada official revealed that in the late 1970s the department did not reveal known dangerous effects of smoking, despite public interest in such information. Has anything changed since then? We do not know, but probably unfortunately not.

Medical errors cause the death of 24,000 Canadians each year. There are methods to help address this, again, things like Infoway, but the government seems to continuously fail to address the issues of transparency and accountability and refuses to allow the Auditor General to audit these foundations so that taxpayers can have assurances that they are getting value for their money.

To sum up, let me say that the budget may commit the government to reinvesting some of the money it stole from the system a decade ago. I am hopeful that it is not too late for the funding to have an effect.

Despite the money, I remain skeptical that the Liberals are truly committed to improving the system so that all Canadians can have access to the best possible health care. The glaring omissions in this budget indicate contempt toward some of those who are most in need.

Besides, the systemic lack of accountability, which the Liberals aid and abet to hide their mismanagement and ineptitude, leaves me with little faith that the money the budget committed to health will actually be well spent. Rest assured the Conservatives will be watching closely.

I would also like to point out that the Conservative platform in the last election was much more realistic and much more transparent. We estimated accurately the revenues coming into the government and we were able to make public policy decisions based on that information.

That is how our platform rolled out. The Liberals criticized it, but history has shown that the Conservatives were right and the Liberals were wrong. Is that not the truth? It happens time and time again that Conservatives are right and Liberals are wrong and it has happened on this budget as well.

[The Budget, March 7th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the Auditor General has highlighted this point on three separate occasions over the period of almost a decade and the Liberal government continues to do nothing. It says now that there has been progress but why is it taking so long? Why have the Liberals not done anything? The reason is, of course, as we all know, that the Liberals seem to embrace lack of accountability, mismanagement and the waste of Canadian taxpayer dollars.

The member talks about the Auditor General. The member knows that the Auditor General appeared in front of the health committee as recently as today and I asked her if she thought that the Auditor General having the ability to audit the foundations that deal with issues of health would be helpful. She said absolutely and--