Question Period Notes
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In accordance with the Access to Information Act, the government proactively publishes the package of question period notes that were prepared by a government institution for the minister and that were in use on the last sitting day in June and December.
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• There has been significant stakeholder concern related to recent initiatives to strengthen the regulation of natural health products (NHPs).
• The NHP industry has been very vocal about its opposition and has launched campaigns to gain consumer and political support.
• The Official Opposition is a supporter of the campaigns and introduced a Private Member’s Bill in December 2023 to reverse the changes made by the 2023 Budget Implementation Act, which provided the Department with additional authorities to keep Canadians safe.
• The recent Health Canada initiatives aim to improve the safety of NHPs available to Canadians.
• The Government of Canada has published a draft State of PFAS report. This draft report proposes that PFAS as a class may cause harm to both human health and the environment. There is a considerable amount of public interest in this very large group of substances.
• The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) is an independent quasi-judicial body that protects the interests of Canadian consumers by ensuring that the prices of patented medicines sold in Canada are not excessive.
• Canada’s regulations of general application governing the sale of health products and food work well in most situations, however issues can arise that require tailored regulatory approaches.
• The proposed amendments to the Food and Drugs Act will enable timely, precise regulatory solutions to help mitigate issues such as product shortages, areas of unmet need or potential health risks or adverse effects.
• The proposed authorities would not displace the normal functioning of the Food and Drugs Act and its regulations, but rather provide the Minister of Health with complementary tools to achieve the right outcomes for people in Canada.
• Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada procured and distributed millions of rapid tests to support rapid testing programs across the country with the aim to limit the spread of the virus.
• The Government of Canada built substantial federal reserves of rapid tests in the event of a potential resurgence and, given diminishing demand, has been divesting of the surplus tests to minimize volumes going unused prior to their expiration in 2024.
News outlets regularly feature product recalls in Canada, including for products regulated by Health Canada.
• The pandemic disproportionately affected Canadians living in long-term care homes. Canadians are concerned about the availability of safe, high-quality long-term care services.
• There are key barriers and challenges related to access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services, including abortion, in Canada. Accurate SRH information and culturally safe and relevant SRH services, particularly for marginalized populations, is lacking across Canada.
• Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and premature death, killing approximately 46,000 people in Canada each year. The Government has an ambitious target to reduce tobacco use to less than five percent by 2035.
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