OTTAWA REPORT

January 8, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Lois Brown, MP
Newmarket-Aurora

Health Care Transfers
I am often asked about our health care system. Where does one go when a problem arises? To answer this, you need to know what level of government has the legislative authority to make changes and improvements.
The administration and delivery of health care services is constitutionally the responsibility of each province or territory, guided by the provisions of the Canada Health Act, Canada’s federal legislation for publicly funded health care insurance. The provinces and territories fund these services with assistance in the form of fiscal transfers from the federal government.
Health care services include insured primary health care (such as the services of physicians and other health professionals) and care in hospitals, which account for the majority of health expenditures. The provinces and territories also provide some groups with supplementary health benefits not covered by the Act, such as prescription drug coverage. The level and scope of coverage for supplementary benefits varies between jurisdictions.
As announced in Budget 2007, and beginning in 2014-15, provincial and territorial health transfers will be allocated on an equal per capita cash basis. This change, which was also done for the Canada Social Transfer, will provide like treatment for all Canadians, regardless of where they live.
Total federal financial support for health, education and social services has increased over 55% since we formed government. Annual transfers are at a historic high of $65 billion and will continue to grow. Legislatively, transfers will grow in the line with the economy – allowing the program to remain affordable and sustainable. This will ensure that the provinces and territories can provide the services families need.
Ontario will receive almost $19.2B in federal transfers this year – and increase of 76% since we took office. This includes over $12.3B through the Canada Health Transfer, over $4.8B through the Canada Social Transfer and almost $2B through Equalization.

Travelling? Plan Ahead
I encourage all travellers planning to cross the border into the U.S. to take advantage of the travel tips content offered by the Canada Border Services Agency. A little planning time ahead, can help ensure a smoother crossing at the border. Tips include:
Always make sure that you and your passengers are carrying proper identification at the border. A passport is the preferred document for crossing the border, as is a NEXUS card or an Enhanced Driver’s Licence;
Always declare purchases and items received while outside of Canada. If you are a Canadian resident, you may have a duty-free allowance, depending on how long you’ve been outside of Canada;
Be sure to check the CBSA’s border wait times web page for up-to-date wait times. Border wait times are also available on twitter at @CBSA_BWT.
The CBSA website also offers a border reminder checklist, travel tips videos and a duty and taxes estimator. Visit www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca for more information.
New tool to help locate missing children
An important new tool from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to help locate missing and lost children has been developed. The Find Me ID app allows parents to store current photographs and contains automated prompts for reminding parents to update information about their child that can be easily accessed on their smartphone and is password protected. During time sensitive situations, the Find Me ID app allows parents to take immediate action by having their child’s critical information right at their fingertips. Any parent who has ever been separated from their child in a store or shopping mall knows that every second counts. Over 5,300 downloads of the app have taken place to date. For more information on the app, visit the www.findmeID.ca website and follow @CdnChildProtect.

DART Mission Accomplished
The Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) has completed its 40-day deployment to the Philippines to provide humanitarian assistance following Typhoon Haiyan. The DART’s more than 315 personnel were able to offer immediate assistance to Filipinos by providing 493,346 litres of purified water, treating 6,525 medical patients, delivering 230,485 pounds of food, delivering 59,536 pounds of humanitarian assistance goods, clearing 131 km of roads and flying 184 CH-146 Griffon sorties.
Their contribution illustrates Canada’s readiness to respond to international crises and Newmarket-Aurora is proud of the hard work our men and women in uniform have done in helping the people of the Philippines cope with this devastating disaster. I would also like to thank everyone who personally contributed to the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund.
From supporting student bake sales to attending gala events, many of you responded to the call for help, and I am truly grateful for your generosity.

If you would like to contact me on any issue, please call 905-953-7515 or visit my website at www.loisbrown.ca. I look forward to hearing from you.