QUESTION PERIOD — Health
Canadian Thalidomide Survivors Support Program
October 26, 2022
My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate and it has to do with the management of the Canadian Thalidomide Survivors Support Program. I am asking my question with the permission of Yves Bourque and on his behalf. He is a Paralympic athlete and a victim of thalidomide, and his story is similar to the one we read yesterday and today in Le Journal de Montréal.
For the past 18 months, since February 2021, my office has been helping Mr. Bourque navigate the Canadian Thalidomide Survivors Support Program and deal with EPIQ, the firm to which the government delegated the management of this program. This firm has asked him over and over again for evidence from medical specialists and for X-rays. The doctor who treated his mother at the time passed away and another doctor took over. To put it clearly and concisely, the way he is being treated is inhumane.
It was only a few months ago, following a call from a senator’s office, that we were able to get the contact information for an agent from that firm, who was at least able to answer a few questions.
Here is my concern. Does the government plan to do something to ensure that the citizens who contact the delegated managers of this program are treated humanely and efficiently?
Thank you for highlighting a part of our history that unfortunately is not that well known. The effects of this problem are still felt today.
The government is committed to supporting the Canadian survivors of thalidomide to help them live out their days in dignity. The Canadian Thalidomide Survivors Support Program, or CTSSP, uses a three-step medical assessment process based on probability and international best practices.
People who consider themselves to be survivors of thalidomide are encouraged to submit an application to the CTSSP before the deadline on June 3, 2024. Applicants who are missing information or whose application has been denied at one of the three steps of the assessment process can submit additional information to the program administrator in support of their application. Pursuant to a Federal Court decision in August 2022, all applicants whose application was previously denied can now seek reconsideration.
I also want to point out that in 2017, the government changed the program to make it more flexible and to make it easier to demonstrate proof. Before 2017, claimants had to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that their disability had been caused by their mother’s use of thalidomide. Today, thanks to the government, claimants must submit concrete evidence to demonstrate that their disability was likely caused by thalidomide.
Once again, as a result of an August 2022 Federal Court decision, all previously denied applicants may now apply for reconsideration.
Thank you for this response. In addition, I would like to know if applications for reconsideration are being processed more efficiently and if the medical committee that ultimately reviews these applications is willing to meet with victims.
Thank you for the question. I do not have the answer, but I will ask the government and try to get an answer as soon as possible.
