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e-4199 (Health)

E-petition
Initiated by Jane Coates from Calgary, Alberta

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:
  • As children interact with each other after COVID restrictions were lifted, children's hospitals and emergency rooms across the country are facing significant surges in visits due to pediatric respiratory viruses;
  • The federal government failed to anticipate a related foreseeable surge in demand for certain pediatric medication, including acetaminophen and ibuprofen products, and there is now a shortage affecting countless families across Canada;
  • Reports indicate that some Canadian parents are even crossing the border to find fever and pain medications for their children in the United States, where there is no shortage;
  • The federal government should be doing all that it can to ensure the healthcare system is equipped to manage a surge in pediatric viruses; and
  • Parents should not have to worry about whether their children will have access to basic medications and whether hospitals will be able to help their kids when they are sick.
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
1. Immediately get pediatric medication to every child that needs it;
2. Take action to address the root causes of pediatric drug shortages; and
3. Support the provinces in addressing emergency surge capacity at children's hospitals across the country.

Response by the Minister of Health

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Adam Van Koeverden

The health of Canadians, and in particular our children, is a top priority for the Government of Canada. Health Canada is committed to ensuring that parents and caregivers can access the products they need, and does everything within its power to prevent shortages, when possible, and to mitigate their impacts when they occur.

In the fall of 2022, the co-circulation of seasonal influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 placed high demands on local healthcare systems and already strained pediatric hospitals, pushing many beyond capacity. This situation created a higher-than-normal demand for pediatric analgesics. As a result, the supply of certain acetaminophen and ibuprofen products for children was constrained starting in August 2022. By March 2023 the supply of acetaminophen and ibuprofen products for infants and children in pharmacies and retail locations across Canada began to significantly improve. In April 2023, products were available and the shortage ended. 

Upon hearing about possible supply constraints, Health Canada took immediate action using all tools at its disposal to address this shortage and played a leadership role in mobilizing provinces and territories as well as key stakeholders in the supply chain and healthcare system.

Between November 2022 and May 2023, over 4.4 million units of children's pain and fever medications were imported into Canada for hospitals, community pharmacies and retail outlets as a result of regulatory action taken by Health Canada. This helped to supplement the increased domestic production of Canadian supply to meet demand, which was at record levels for months. Between November 2022 and May 2023, Canadian manufacturers released 13.9 million units of children's pain and fever medications onto the Canadian market in addition to the 4.4. million units imported from abroad. Health Canada continues to monitor the situation and will take further action if necessary.

Over the past decade, the Government of Canada has made significant progress on broader initiatives that will help to strengthen access to drugs for people in Canada and we will continue our efforts to improve access to medicines for children in Canada.  In particular, we developed the Pediatric Drug Action Plan. Under this plan, Canada continues to work to improve access to pediatric medicines and formulations, increase the development of pediatric medicines and formulations, and provide more information to people in Canada on pediatric activities and data.  With input from the pediatric medical community and through public consultations, Health Canada is also developing a National Priority List of Pediatric Drugs (NPLPD) to help address unmet medical needs within Canada’s pediatric population. This builds on other initiatives involving drug shortage regulations to support accessibility.

In November 2022, Health Canada created a Drug Shortages Task Force to develop medium- to longer-term options on new tools, measures and approaches to improve access to drugs and other health products in Canada. On June 5, 2023, Health Canada launched a 60-day public consultation to hear from the people of Canada.  The Government will build on the work it has done to date to improve access to drugs and other health products, informed by the input received through this consultation process. 

The Government of Canada also recognizes that improving children’s health requires system-wide solutions across all levels of government to ensure the best possible outcomes for children’s health.  This is why our government provided the provinces and territories with close to $200 billion over 10 years to improve health care services for Canadians. This investment includes $2 billion to address immediate pressures on the health care system, especially in pediatric hospitals, emergency rooms and long wait times for surgeries. The Government will continue to work closely with provinces and territories as part of its Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians plan.

Open for signature
November 18, 2022, at 10:15 a.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
March 18, 2023, at 10:15 a.m. (EDT)
Presented to the House of Commons
Michelle Rempel Garner (Calgary Nose Hill)
June 21, 2023 (Petition No. 441-01599)
Government response tabled
August 16, 2023
Photo - Michelle Rempel Garner
Calgary Nose Hill
Conservative Caucus
Alberta