Minister of Health Speech Canadian Medical Association Annual General Assembly

This content was archived on June 24, 2013.

August 22, 2011
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Check Against Delivery

Good morning everyone. Thank you for inviting me to join you today.

It's a pleasure to be with you and to have this opportunity to be a part of your general assembly.

I would like to congratulate Dr. Jeff Turnbull on his successful term as CMA's President and for helping advance a number of important issues. He certainly leaves big shoes to fill but I'm confident your incoming President, Dr. John Haggie, will rise to the occasion. Dr. Haggie's election to this post speaks to the confidence he instills in his colleagues and is a testament to his qualifications and outstanding record on local and national health care issues.

Of course, it is a particular pleasure to be with you in this beautiful setting and with such wonderful hosts. As one of the oldest cities in North America, St. John's has much to teach us about building on strengths, overcoming challenges and looking to the future.

I was honoured to be re-appointed by the Prime Minister as the federal Minister of Health following the election in May. I know, as all of you do too, that this portfolio is special because it touches every Canadian so directly.

I understood this while serving as Nunavut's Minister of Health, but over the past few years - and with the arrival of my son - I have an even greater appreciation for the importance of a strong, effective and efficient health care system.

That is why I am so proud of the progress we've made over the past few years. There is still work to do but we have made real progress on a number of fronts - which I'll touch on in a few minutes.

First, though, let me turn to the renewal of the Health Accord - and begin with a clear statement of our Government's position. We are committed to a universal, publicly-funded health care system and to the Canada Health Act.

Although we are still in the planning stages, I can tell you that we will be working collaboratively with the provinces and territories to renew the Accord, and there will be a clear emphasis on accountability. This way, Canadians will be able to know that we are achieving real results in improving the system.

As the Prime Minister has stated, we will maintain the six per cent escalator for the Canada Health Transfer beyond 2014. In 2011-12, funding under the CHT will amount to $27 billion dollars, rising to an all-time high of $30 billion dollars in 2013-14.

As we all work to strengthen health care in Canada, physicians, in particular, have a key role to play. Each one of you has the opportunity to be a partner in the transformation that's needed.

Part of the way you do this is by continuing to put your patients first. I know for many of you this is a core value that guides everything from your daily operations to developing broader management strategies. A patient-centered approach will lead to better value in health care and better outcomes for Canadians. This is one area where physicians and other health care providers in Canada can show real leadership.

Whether it's stressing the importance of prevention with your patients or providing ideas to improve the system, you all have a vital contribution to make. You don't shoulder this burden alone, however. Taking a proactive approach to preventing disease and injury is also an individual and community responsibility and, obviously, as governments we too play a role.

I was interested to read about the outcomes from your National Dialogue on Health Care Transformation with Canadians. These cross-country consultations tell us that Canadians want an efficient health care system, and while they are satisfied in some areas, they also want change.

I understand that Canadians' views were also part of the deliberations of your Advisory Panel on Resourcing Options for Sustainable Health Care. I look forward to reading the panel's report - which I understand will be released later today - and looking at where we can find common ground.

I am also impressed with the work undertaken by the CMA to develop its five pillars on health care transformation. And I welcome the principles you developed with the Canadian Nurses Association. These will also be considered as we look ahead to 2014 and the renewal of the Health Accord.

As you know, there are some common challenges facing the health care system that we all face.

I would like to take a few moments to share some of what the Government of Canada has been doing to strengthen health care and improve the health of Canadians.

Year in and year out, Health Canada provides a wide variety of health services to more than 600 isolated First Nations communities.

As such, we are always looking at ways to improve a delivery model, apply innovative techniques and make investments in healthy living and prevention. Closing the health status gap between First Nations and Inuit populations and the rest of Canadians is an ongoing challenge that takes a concerted effort by many partners.

Governments and health care professionals can also take action by addressing emerging health care challenges such as promoting healthy weights for children. As you know, today, one in four children in Canada is overweight or obese.

Last year, Canada's Ministers of Health signed the Declaration on Prevention and Promotion which signifies a joint commitment to address issues related to the promotion of health and the prevention of disease, disability, and injury. An F/P/T framework called Curbing Childhood Obesity was similarly endorsed. Then, in 2011, we launched Our Health Our Future: A National Dialogue on Healthy Weights. Through this initiative, we engaged Canadians to help identify actions we can all take to promote healthier weights.

Few health issues manifest themselves in more forms - or are less visible - than mental illness. In 2007, the Government of Canada established the Mental Health Commission of Canada to develop a national mental health strategy. We look forward to its release early next year.

Health Canada, together with the Public Health Agency of Canada, provides important support for mental health through a wide array of initiatives. Just a few months ago, I announced $27 million dollars in funding for mental health promotion projects for children, youth and families with a focus on underserved communities.

While the federal government is making progress on this and other health issues, we can't do it alone. We look to provinces, territories, and health care partners to help tackle these issues. I encourage each of you to think of what you can do on the front lines to help us collectively move forward.

Five years ago we broke new ground in the fight against an old foe: cancer. In consultation with cancer survivors, doctors and other experts, we launched the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.

This initiative is arming patients, physicians and all Canadians with state-of-the-art knowledge about what works best to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. And it is making a long-term contribution to cancer research by tracking up to 300,000 Canadians over their lifetimes, to better understand the role played by genetics, environment and lifestyle in developing cancer and other chronic diseases.

In fact, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer is working so well and making such progress that the Government of Canada has committed $50 million dollars annually for the next five years. Health human resources is another common challenge and we are working hard to provide access to medical professionals throughout the country. Whether it is in Northern communities or right here in Newfoundland and Labrador, hundreds of small towns are isolated, making it hard for people to get the health care they need.

In collaboration with Memorial University, we are providing funding to get more doctors to train in rural parts of the province. We expect that the rewards of practicing in smaller communities will encourage many of these residents to put down roots there, leading to careers - and opportunities - they might not otherwise have considered.

I am very proud of our recent funding announcement that will support the training of more than 100 medical residents for work in Canada's rural and remote communities.

To further support better access, our Government also plans to forgive up to $40,000 dollars in Canada Student Loans for physicians and $20,000 dollars for nurses and nurse practitioners, who decide to practice in rural or remote areas.

I spoke about these achievements to highlight some of the progress that's been made. Although much has been accomplished on the health care file, we recognize that there is still work to be done.

We are taking action to help prevent drug shortages that could have an impact on patient care. Last week I wrote to representatives of pharmaceutical companies, and made the expectations of our government clear: they need to agree to practices that alert physicians in a timely fashion about potential drug shortages.

I am hopeful they can sort this out as an industry, but I made it clear that, if not, our government is prepared to act in the best interests of patients and prescribe a solution.

As I mentioned earlier, the CMA has identified several key principles to guide health care transformation. One of these is that the patient must be at the centre of health care.

That is why I am pleased to announce today a new national strategy to better integrate health research with health care. This strategy is very much in sync with the CMA's desire to put patients at the centre of research efforts.

By putting patients first, we are making sure that research will have an impact on treatment and services provided in clinics, hospitals and doctors' offices throughout Canada.

Today, a new Patient-Oriented Research Strategy is being launched that is designed to help provinces and territories meet the challenge of delivering high quality, cost-effective health care by ensuring that the right patient receives the right treatment at the right time.

Evidenced-based research will help health care providers compare the outcomes of different treatment options for patients and determine the best course of action.

Overseeing the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research is a Steering Committee made up of national and international partners, including your president Dr. Turnbull. This Committee will be tasked with implementing the Strategy and encouraging collective ownership.

I firmly believe, as I hope everyone here in this room does too, that keeping the needs of patients first and foremost in our minds is the key to unlocking successful changes in our health care system.

Today I have touched on just some of the important work that the Government of Canada has been doing to strengthen health care and improve the health of Canadians. As I mentioned at the outset, our government is committed to a universal, publically-funded health care system. We are also committed to working with the provinces, territories and health care partners in the lead up to the 2014 health accord which will require leadership from all levels.

I know, and you know, that it will take all of us - political leaders and health care leaders - working together to bring about the change we all seek.

Wherever you practice and whatever your ideas may be, I urge you to help lead this important effort.

Together, we can make health care better and together, we will.

Thank you all very much.