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Health

In question period, Conservatives asked about the health committee’s summer meetings being suspended or cancelled, saying the Liberal chair was blocking their study of a $300-million program called PrescribeIT and that hundreds of millions of health dollars remain unaccounted for. Government ministers replied that they had not blocked the committee’s work, that the Conservatives have asked the same questions about PrescribeIT and Canada Health Infoway for over a month so the information is public, and that the questions had already been answered many times.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

7 statements

Dan Mazier

Conservative
“The Liberal chair of the health committee cancelled our meetings. He is doing this to stop us from investigating a 300-million-dollar program called PrescribeIT. Why did he cancel the meeting?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Liberal chair of the health committee suspended the meeting, with the cameras off, blocking emergency meetings from being held in public over the summer. Today, he cancelled the final health committee meeting entirely. This is a blatant abuse of power to shut the health committee down and block an investigation into the $300‑million PrescribeIT scandal. Conservatives are ready to work throughout the summer. Why did the Liberal chair of the health committee abruptly cancel Thursday’s meeting to block an investigation into PrescribeIT?

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Marjorie Michel

Liberal
“We did not block the work of the health committee. The Conservatives are the ones who always try to get in the way.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Signal 38 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat for the 50th time that we did not block anything regarding the work of the Standing Committee on Health. The Conservatives are always looking to obstruct our work. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the committee members for their hard work, and I wish them a good summer.

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Matt Strauss

Conservative
“The government turned off the cameras and cancelled a meeting about a 300-million-dollar health program. They are trying to hide what happened. I want them to explain why they did this.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know a cover‑up when they hear one. That was a cover‑up. They turned the cameras off on a scheduled meeting about the $300‑million PrescribeIT scandal. They cancelled tomorrow’s meeting so they can continue to cover it up. Can they offer some fig leaf of an explanation to Canadians as to why they are playing these dirty tricks if it is not a cover‑up?

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Marjorie Michel

Liberal
“We are not hiding any information. The Conservatives have been asking the same questions about these health programs for over a month, so the public already knows about it.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 100 of 100

    Of this answer, 100% addressed the question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I do not see how this can be a cover‑up, because the Conservatives have been asking the same questions about Canada Health Infoway and PrescribeIT for over a month. That means that the public is aware. We are not covering up the information.

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Helena Konanz

Conservative
“I want the health committee chair to explain why he cancelled tomorrow's meeting. We need to investigate 300 million missing health care dollars. Liberal members keep turning off the cameras and blocking this work.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we need to hear from the chair of the health committee as to why he cancelled tomorrow’s meeting. Hundreds of millions of health care dollars remain unaccounted for in the $300‑million PrescribeIT scandal. Why? It is because Liberal MPs keep turning off the cameras at the health committee. They turned off the cameras again yesterday. Canadians will not know what was said there for 30 years. Will the chair of the health committee tell Canadians today why he cancelled tomorrow’s meeting, blocking Parliament from investigating PrescribeIT?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“The health minister has already answered this question.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

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    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, as that member knows and the health minister has answered as she— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“The health minister has already answered this question many times. The Conservatives are just wasting time and trying to stop our work.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 11 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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  • Government answer in Question Period

    Signal 21 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the health minister has answered that question several dozen times over the course of this session. This is a perfect example for the Canadians watching at home, as the Conservatives yell at me from across the aisle, of the obstruction and the waiting and the pointless talking. Anything they can possibly do to halt the work of Canadians that gets done in this place is what Conservatives do. They use this tactic— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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