Today’s special guest star for Senate Question Period was Health Minister Jane Philpott, whose birthday it also happened to be. Senator Ogilvie led off, and he raised the social affairs committee’s report on dementia, which the full Senate endorsed last night, and he wanted to know if she was aware of its contents. Philpott said that she has had a preliminary briefing on the report and she personally has experience with the file, given her own father suffers from it and she was looking to working on the file together.
Senator Carignan rose next to ask about the bovine tuberculosis outbreak in Alberta, and the problem facing ranchers (given that CFIA is now under Health Canada). Philpott noted that she has asked for a briefing from the agency but the lead on the file was the agriculture minister, and she praised the Senate for proposing an emergency study. Carignan raised the issue of compensation, and Philpott said that she would be working with the rest of the government to determine if there would be consultation.
Senator Hubley was up for the Liberals, asking about mental health needs for those groups that fall under federal jurisdiction, including First Nations. Philpott praised Senate work on the issue and spoke about the scope of the issue, and listed some actions taken by her department but acknowledged at it had been insufficient so far and they were working on better delivery.
Senator Lankin asked about the assisted dying legislation and the issue of reviewing it for the issues related to mature minors and people with disabilities. Philpott acknowledged the review process committed to in the bill, and that the department had just recently come to her with a series of proposals and they would have an announcement soon. Lankin pressed on some of the concerns to be addressed by the review process, and Philpott said that the concerns would be addressed in ten terms of reference.
Philpott says that there will soon be an announcement regarding the review process for assisted dying legislation. #SenQP
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 23, 2016
Senator White asked about delays in getting action on the fentanyl epidemic, given that two people are dying every day in BC related to it. Philpott listed some of the actions that have been taken to date which has saved lives.
Senator Wallin asked about private plasma donations and whether the decision would be revisited. Philpott noted the differences between blood donation and plasma proteins, and how the need outstrips the voluntary donation supply, and that currently, the shortfall is coming from the States, and that there is no evidence that paying for donations of plasma causes no problems with safety of supply. Wallin asked about the jurisdictional issues, but Philpott noted that the provinces did have jurisdiction and people needed to be encouraged to donate more.
Philpott's ability to give a longer answer has given a really detailed response on private plasma donations. #SenQP
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 23, 2016
Senator Jaffer, after noting that she give a written question on assisted dying, asked about the scope of the opioid crisis. Philpott noted her heartbreak with the issue, and assured her that the fentanyl precursor regulations were moving as fast as possible, and that more steps would be announced in short order. Jaffer asked about plans for a strong campaign, and Philpott said that she was looking to get new resources in order to get a public education program underway.
Senator Tannas returned to the bovine TB issue and how CFIA was managing the investigation and how they were not employing local vets to speed up the testing. Philpott reiterated that the lead on the file was the agriculture minister, but said that she would bring the issue up with them later today.
Senator Eggleton asked about the costs of prescription drugs, and the need for universal drug coverage. Philpott first noted the moves to more coordinated bulk buying and the regulatory work of the Patented Medicines Review Board, and progress toward a national formulary in the event that the country moves toward universal pharmacare.
Senator Maltais asked about preventative testing with bovine TB, and Philpott said that they were preparing for more testing and they were considering compensation.
Overall, it was a good pace today, and while Philpott could go at length on a couple of her answers, they tended to be useful answers rather than lengthy platitudes, which some of her cabinet colleagues certainly have been guilty of, but she also didn’t carry on for too long, which again, some of her colleagues are also guilty of, which meant we got a lot of questions today. Unfortunately, a few of those questions were repetitive, but to that end, she was at least able to provide substantive answers on the differing answers to those similarly-themed questions. Would that other ministers were this adept in QP in either chamber.
Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Senator Art Eggleton for a dark grey suit with a lavender shirt and purple tie, and to Senator Denise Batters for a maroon dress with three-quarter sleeves. Style citations go out to Senator Nicole Eaton for a black and white patterned top with a grey jacket with multicoloured piping that looked ragged, and to Senator Patrick Brazeau for a black velvet jacket with a black shirt and dark blue tie. Special mention goes out to Senator Mobina Jaffer for a café-au-lait dress with a brown jacket with a leopard print that was topped off with a gold prowling cat pin on the right shoulder that gave it some stylish whimsy.