House of Commons Debates VOLUME 146 Ï NUMBER 190 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 41st PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Monday, December 3, 2012 Speaker: The Honourable Andrew Scheer CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 12735 HOUSE OF COMMONS Monday, December 3, 2012 The House met at 11 a.m. [English] It being 11:05 a.m., the House will now proceed to the consideration of private members' business as listed on today's Prayers order paper. Ï (1105) PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS [English] [Translation] PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS COMMISSIONER FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS SPEAKER'S RULING—BILL C-464 IN CANADA ACT The Speaker: The Chair would like to take a moment to provide The House resumed from October 2, 2012, consideration of the some information to the House regarding the management of private motion that Bill C-420, Commissioner for Children and Young members' business. Persons in Canada Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee. [Translation] Mrs. Djaouida Sellah (Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, NDP): Mr. As members know, after the order of precedence is replenished, Speaker, the bill introduced by my colleague from Westmount— the Chair reviews the new items so as to alert the House to bills Ville-Marie aims to appoint a commissioner for children and young which at first glance appear to impinge on the financial prerogative persons in Canada. I agree with the substance of these measures. of the Crown. This allows members the opportunity to intervene in a I became involved in the NDP because I saw the work my party timely fashion to present their views about the need for those bills to has been doing for years, including for instance, the motion moved be accompanied by a royal recommendation. by former NDP leader Ed Broadbent aimed at eliminating child [English] poverty by the year 2000. I probably do not need to point out that successive governments have failed to achieve that goal. Nor do I Accordingly, following the November 7, 2012, replenishment of need to explain how hard my colleague from Timmins—James Bay the order of precedence with 15 new items, I wish to inform the has been working on behalf of aboriginal children, particularly on House that there is one bill that gives the Chair some concern as to initiatives such as Shannen's dream. the spending provisions it contemplates. It is: The current state of affairs is appalling. Canada is no longer a [Translation] leader when it comes to children's well-being. Out of 30 OECD countries, Canada ranks among the bottom third regarding infant Bill C-464, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the mortality, health, safety and poverty. Those statistics are cause for Employment Insurance Act (parental leave for multiple births or alarm. Our children and teenagers should be at the centre of our adoptions), standing in the name of the member for Verchères—Les policies and actions. We should work on their behalf. We should not Patriotes. need a commissioner to remind us of that, but unfortunately, as [English] history has shown, it seems we do. Regardless of the mandate of such a commissioner and the impact I would encourage hon. members who would like to make the office will have, we as a country must take a greater interest in arguments regarding the need for a royal recommendation for this our children. We should invest now to provide them with better bill or any of the other bills now on the order of precedence to do so services and better living conditions. This summer, I attended the at an early opportunity. Canadian Medical Association's annual meeting in Yellowknife, [Translation] where the focus was on health determinants. Delegates attended a presentation by Sir Michael Marmot, a subject matter expert from the I thank honourable members for their attention. United Kingdom. 12736 COMMONS DEBATES December 3, 2012 Private Members' Business Social determinants of health are gaining greater attention and federal tobacco control strategy will have an even greater impact on being more widely studied. A number of health-focused organiza- people with incomes of less than $30,000. All these measures will tions are investigating them. One of the highest-profile organizations affect our health care system. studying health determinants is the World Health Organization. WHO defines social determinants of health as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, including the It is important to create this type of position for the health of our health system. children. In a 2009 report, the Canadian Paediatric Society, the CPS, called for the creation of a commissioner for children and young These circumstances reflect policy choices and are shaped by the persons. The report explains that the CPS recommends that a distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and Canadian commissioner for children and young persons be local levels. The social determinants of health are mostly responsible appointed so that the opinions and needs of these individuals are for health inequities—the unfair and significant differences in health taken into account in all federal government initiatives affecting status seen within and between countries. them. UNICEF Canada and a number of other child advocacy groups have made the same request. In his presentation, Sir Marmot identified six strategic objectives for healthy living, and I would like to list them all: strengthen the role and impact of ill health prevention; create and develop healthy We need tools to ensure that Canada fulfills its commitments and sustainable places and communities; ensure a healthy standard under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. of living for all; create fair employment and good work for all; However, we must look at the big picture and make a consistent enable all children, young people and adults to maximize their effort. By not giving our children what they need now, we are capabilities and have control over their lives; and give every child jeopardizing their health, and that is unacceptable. the best start in life. As Sir Marmot said in his presentation, the longer we wait to Ms. Lise St-Denis (Saint-Maurice—Champlain, Lib.): Mr. rectify inequalities, the worse problems associated with low income Speaker, a bill for the establishment of a commissioner for children become. Quoting from his own work, Fair Society, Healthy Lives, he in Canada is crucial because of the deterioration of the socio- said: economic conditions of children in our country. Disadvantage starts before birth and accumulates throughout life. Action to reduce health inequalities must start before birth and be followed through the life of For years, one crop of MPs after another has tried to fight poverty the child. Only then can the close links between early disadvantage and poor and to ensure that Canadian youth have an equal opportunity to outcomes throughout life be broken. succeed. Ï (1110) The evidence is there and experts have said it on more than one Unfortunately, we have to admit that Canada's children and youth occasion: we must address the socio-economic factors. Poverty has continue to be on the excessively long list of people who are an impact on health. It has an impact on education and crime. exploited, abused and criminalized. The number of children In the case of health, I would like to provide some statistics from suffering from malnutrition continues to grow. Children who suffer the Canadian Medical Association: 68% of Canadians with an the consequences of hunger, violence and a lack of education are income greater than $60,000 describe their health as excellent or legion in our society, and we are concerned about this scandalous very good. For Canadians with an income of less than $30,000 a situation in a developed country such as ours. year, this rate drops to 39%, a difference of 29%. Furthermore, 59% of those with an income of less than $30,000 accessed the health care In a special report to the UN, which was tabled in Geneva on system, compared to 43% of those with an income of $60,000 or February 6, 2012, the Canadian Council of Child and Youth more. Advocates stated that Canada must do better today and tomorrow. Canadians with an income of $30,000 or less are also more likely Irwin Elman, the Ontario representative of the group, pointed out than those with an income of $60,000 or more to use tobacco—33% that Canada does not have a monitoring mechanism to provide a versus 10%—and to have been diagnosed with a chronic illness— detailed and reliable national view of living conditions and the 41% versus 28%. progress made in furthering the rights of aboriginal children and youth. This council also reiterated its request for the creation of a With regard to children, I would like to point out that 22% of national commissioner for children's rights. children in families with an income of less than $30,000 are very or somewhat overweight, compared to 9% of children in families with an income of over $60,000. I would like to remind hon. members We must examine this proposal to create a commissioner for that not everyone can afford to register their child in hockey, children in the context of budget cuts that are affecting the most especially if the family income is less than $30,000. disadvantaged in our society. Creating a commissioner for children and young persons would remind us of our commitments under the The numbers are there and I have just presented some of them. Convention on the Rights of the Child.