Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2026-05-27 19:05:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Maggie Chi (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, Lib.)",
        "fr": "Maggie Chi (secr\u00e9taire parlementaire de la ministre de la Sant\u00e9, Lib.)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"9360737\" data-originallang=\"en\">Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on this topic, and I welcome the chance to put some facts on the record, so let us look at the facts.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360738\" data-originallang=\"en\">The fact is that PrescribeIT was launched by the previous government in 2017 after extensive consultation with provinces and territories. To create the program, the previous government worked with Canada Health Infoway, an organization that has received funding and support from Conservative and Liberal governments alike since its creation in 2001.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360739\" data-originallang=\"en\">It is also a fact that any program like this needed to begin at the federal level. If we look at similar countries that transitioned to e-prescribing, whether the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand, these systems were launched through federal governments or national agencies. Of course, in Canada, provinces and territories are responsible for health care delivery, which is why PrescribeIT was built with the idea of it becoming self-sustaining, with the provinces and territories taking on their share.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360740\" data-originallang=\"en\">Another key fact is that PrescribeIT may have worked as a technology solution, as we have heard, but it did not have the support from provinces and territories financially, nor did it achieve the ideal uptake for the program to be self-sustaining. I am sure the member opposite will agree that it is important for both to happen. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360741\" data-originallang=\"en\">That is why our government took the step of announcing back in February that we were ending the funding for the program and working with Infoway on the next steps, and we are already seeing results on this front. Last week, Quebec came to the table with Infoway and signed an agreement to transition to PrescribeIT using provincial funding, exactly as the long-term model envisioned. We also know for a fact that other provinces and territories are watching how the deployment unfolds because they all recognize the value of modernizing our health data infrastructure and making sure that prescribers and pharmacists have the best tools available to serve their patients.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360742\" data-originallang=\"en\">What is disappointing is that instead of engaging seriously on these issues and topics, Conservatives continue to focus on rhetoric and procedural games rather than the broader issue of how we modernize health care for Canadians. We have before us the opportunity to study urgent public health crises, including the public health emergency declared for HIV in Manitoba, but it has been delayed by that member from Manitoba through partisan obstructions. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360743\" data-originallang=\"en\">At the same time, I commend my hon. colleague the member for <a data-HoCid=\"317773\" href=\"/politicians/doug-eyolfson/\" title=\"Doug Eyolfson\">Winnipeg West</a> for standing up for vulnerable Canadians.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360744\" data-originallang=\"en\">There are many important issues before us: strengthening public health preparedness, responding to infectious disease threats, supporting health workers and improving digital health systems across the country. I ask the member to join us on this front.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"9360737\" data-originallang=\"en\">Madame la Pr\u00e9sidente, je suis heureuse de pouvoir prendre la parole afin de pr\u00e9senter quelques faits \u00e0 ce sujet. Alors, examinons les faits.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360738\" data-originallang=\"en\">C'est un fait que le programme PrescripTIon a \u00e9t\u00e9 lanc\u00e9 par le gouvernement pr\u00e9c\u00e9dent en 2017, apr\u00e8s de vastes consultations aupr\u00e8s des provinces et des territoires. Pour mettre le programme sur pied, le gouvernement pr\u00e9c\u00e9dent a travaill\u00e9 avec Inforoute Sant\u00e9 du Canada, un organisme qu'ont financ\u00e9 et soutenu les gouvernements conservateurs et lib\u00e9raux depuis sa cr\u00e9ation, en 2001.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360739\" data-originallang=\"en\">C'est aussi un fait qu'un projet comme celui-l\u00e0 devait \u00eatre entrepris \u00e0 l'\u00e9chelon f\u00e9d\u00e9ral. Dans les pays similaires, par exemple au Royaume\u2011Uni, en Australie et en Nouvelle\u2011Z\u00e9lande, la transition vers un syst\u00e8me d'ordonnances \u00e9lectroniques a \u00e9t\u00e9 r\u00e9alis\u00e9e par le gouvernement f\u00e9d\u00e9ral ou un organisme national. Bien s\u00fbr, au Canada, les provinces et les territoires sont responsables de la prestation des services de sant\u00e9. C'est pourquoi il \u00e9tait pr\u00e9vu que PrescripTIon devienne autosuffisant et que les provinces et les territoires assument leur part des co\u00fbts.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360740\" data-originallang=\"en\">Il faut \u00e9galement noter que, m\u00eame si le programme PrescripTIon est une solution technologique qui fonctionne, comme on l'a d\u00e9j\u00e0 dit, il n'avait re\u00e7u jusqu'ici aucun financement de la part des provinces et des territoires et n'avait pas non plus atteint le taux d'adoption n\u00e9cessaire pour assurer son autonomie financi\u00e8re. Je suis certaine que le d\u00e9put\u00e9 d'en face conviendra qu'il est important que ces deux conditions soient r\u00e9unies.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360741\" data-originallang=\"en\">Voil\u00e0 pourquoi, en f\u00e9vrier dernier, le gouvernement a annonc\u00e9 qu'il mettait fin au financement du programme et qu'il collaborait avec Inforoute pour d\u00e9finir les prochaines \u00e9tapes, et celles-ci ont d\u00e9j\u00e0 commenc\u00e9. La semaine derni\u00e8re, le Qu\u00e9bec et Inforoute ont conclu un accord pour effectuer la transition vers PrescripTIon gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 un financement provincial, exactement comme le pr\u00e9voyait le mod\u00e8le \u00e0 long terme. Nous savons \u00e9galement que d'autres provinces et territoires suivent de pr\u00e8s le d\u00e9roulement de cette transition, car tous sont conscients de l'importance de moderniser notre infrastructure de donn\u00e9es sur la sant\u00e9 et de veiller \u00e0 ce que les prescripteurs et les pharmaciens disposent des meilleurs outils possibles pour servir leurs patients.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360742\" data-originallang=\"en\">Ce qui est d\u00e9cevant, c'est qu'au lieu de se pencher s\u00e9rieusement sur ces dossiers et de consid\u00e9rer la question plus large de la modernisation des soins de sant\u00e9 pour les Canadiens, les conservateurs continuent de miser sur la rh\u00e9torique et les man\u0153uvres proc\u00e9durales. Nous avons devant nous l'occasion d'examiner des crises urgentes de sant\u00e9 publique, notamment l'\u00e9tat d'urgence sanitaire d\u00e9clar\u00e9 au Manitoba concernant le VIH, mais cette \u00e9tude a \u00e9t\u00e9 retard\u00e9e par les man\u0153uvres d'obstruction partisanes men\u00e9es par ce d\u00e9put\u00e9 du Manitoba.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360743\" data-originallang=\"en\">Par ailleurs, je f\u00e9licite mon coll\u00e8gue de <a data-HoCid=\"317773\" href=\"/politicians/doug-eyolfson/\" title=\"Doug Eyolfson\">Winnipeg\u2011Ouest</a> de ses efforts pour d\u00e9fendre les Canadiens vuln\u00e9rables.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9360744\" data-originallang=\"en\">Les dossiers importants ne manquent pas: renforcer la pr\u00e9paration en mati\u00e8re de sant\u00e9 publique, faire face aux menaces li\u00e9es aux maladies infectieuses, soutenir les professionnels de la sant\u00e9 et am\u00e9liorer les syst\u00e8mes de sant\u00e9 num\u00e9riques \u00e0 l'\u00e9chelle nationale. J'invite le d\u00e9put\u00e9 \u00e0 se joindre \u00e0 nous dans cette d\u00e9marche.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2026/5/27/maggie-chi-1/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/maggie-chi/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4736/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "13527407",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Adjournment Proceedings",
        "fr": "Motion d'ajournement"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Health",
        "fr": "La sant\u00e9"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2026/5/27/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2026%2F5%2F27%2F"
    }
}