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.
The question period notes may be partially or fully redacted in accordance with the legislation; for example, if the notes contain information related to national security or personal information. (Learn more about exemptions and exclusions.)
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• In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada put in place a range of digital supports to help Canadians get the information, resources and care they need.
• The ongoing management of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to impacts on the health care system, such as the cancellation of elective surgeries. There are also concerns about the health care system’s capacity to cope with the current wave of the virus.
• The government continues to work collaboratively with provinces and territories (PTs) to strengthen Medicare and provide funding through transfers and bilateral agreements to improve health care. In addition to the Canada Health Transfer, the Government provided over $19 billion to provinces and territories last fiscal year to help them manage the pandemic, and directly invested another $19 billion in health to support the fight against COVID, including public health support and the purchase of vaccines and tests. This is in addition to targeted funding provided to the PTs to support specific health care priorities, such as home care, mental health, substance use, long term care and virtual care.
• The Liberal platform committed to providing PTs with additional support for backlogs of procedures, immunization, primary care, virtual care, long-term care, palliative care, mental health, and problematic substance use.
• The Government of Canada recognizes that primary care plays a critical role in the delivery of healthcare services for Canadians and is the backbone to high performing healthcare systems.
• In 2020, the Prime Minister committed $240.5M to help Canadian health systems to support access to health care services, including primary care, through virtual approaches and digital tools.
• The Government of Canada is committed to improving access to high-quality primary care and continues to work with provinces and territories in this regard.
• Our Government is concerned about the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the mental health of Canadians, which continues to be a source of stress, anxiety and isolation for many Canadians.
• Health Canada funds research that could inform future changes to blood donation policies. This funding supports blood operators to generate the scientific data required to support a submission to Health Canada for regulatory authorization.
• Conversion therapy is a series of practices, discredited by scientific communities, that attempts to change an individual’s sexual orientation to heterosexual or gender identity to cisgender. Sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent characteristics of individuals that cannot be changed through external efforts, and LGBTQ2 identities are normal and should be affirmed as such. The Government of Canada has introduced legislation to ban conversion therapy across Canada, in line with actions already taken by five provinces/territories and 19 municipalities.
• The Government remains committed to supporting Canadians with their mental health and substance use challenges as well as increasing access to services so that Canadians can get the help they need, when they need it.
• Many Canadians rely on plasma to treat life-threatening conditions. During the COVID-19 crisis, global demand, prices, and shortages have increased. The federal government recognizes that increasing domestic plasma sufficiency will help to provide security of supply. Budget 2021 provides Canadian Blood Services funding for the construction of eight plasma collection sites across the country.
• Currently, women, youth, LGBTQ2 people, racialized Canadians, and Indigenous populations face the highest sexual and reproductive health risks and the greatest barriers to accessing support, information, and services. Too often, they do not receive the same quality of care, particularly if they are from marginalized communities.