Canada-China Relations Committee on June 14th, 2021

[The Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I apologize, I wasn't keeping track properly. It's my fault.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

No problem.

[The Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

It's terrible!

We will continue now.

We will now go to Mr. Harris, for two and a half minutes, please.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a question for Dr. Poliquin.

There's a lot of interest in the Wuhan lab and how it operates. These questions are not all conspiracy theories. I understand that the G7 is particularly interested in ensuring that a proper investigation takes place with respect to the origin of the coronavirus, so the Wuhan lab is of great interest.

Dr. Poliquin, you said that when you collaborate with another institute, you identify the risks and make sure you can mitigate them.

Could you tell us what risks were identified when you decided to collaborate with the Wuhan Institute of Virology? What did you do to mitigate them?

[Dr. Guillaume Poliquin]

With respect to the question in play, the review would have identified any potential work to be done. It would have sought, as per our HPTA and TDG, as well as virus security standards, the appropriate documentation to support the potential transfer of the viruses.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

So this was only in relation to transportation of the viruses. The only risk assessment that you did had to do with the transportation of the viruses and not what happened to them when they got there, how well they were protected, or anything like that

[Dr. Guillaume Poliquin]

The ability to safely handle a pathogen, in its appropriate risk group category, is one of the essential pieces that we must satisfy ourselves on prior to transfer.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

So you were quite satisfied that the practices, the protocols and everything else that would happen at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were in keeping with the standards that you have established for yourselves.

[Dr. Guillaume Poliquin]

To be clear, there's no global accreditation system for high-containment laboratories. Within the requirements that are applied to us as an institution, we did our due diligence.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

So there were no risks that needed to be mitigated. Is that the conclusion you reached?

[Dr. Guillaume Poliquin]

The transfer of a high-containment pathogen has a series of risks, including during the transportation event, which—

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

No, no, of course the transportation is clearly important—

[The Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Thank you.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

—but you had no concerns about what would happen when [Inaudible—Editor].

[The Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Thank you, Mr. Harris. Your time has concluded.

We'll go on to Mr. Chong for five minutes, please.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Dr. Poliquin, if I heard you correctly, you said that collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology had ended recently, only several months ago. I'd like to confirm whether there is any other current collaboration between the NML and China.

[Dr. Guillaume Poliquin]

That is a broad question.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Let me be more specific. Is there any current collaboration between the Winnipeg lab and any researchers affiliated with the People's Liberation Army?

[Dr. Guillaume Poliquin]

Mr. Chair, that question involves a fairly broad question. We collaborate through a number of networks on a number of key initiatives, which includes the WHO R&D Blueprint.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

I understand that. The question was about the People's Liberation Army and with institutions affiliated with the People's Liberation Army. If you can't answer the question, that's fine. If you don't know, that's fine. If you don't want to say, that's fine. I'm taking some other—

[Dr. Guillaume Poliquin]

Mr. Chair, on the question of whether the National Microbiology Laboratory has institutional-level collaborations with institutes that are potentially associated with the People's Liberation Army, we do not have, and have not had, institutional-level collaborations.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Do you have individual collaboration currently with anybody affiliated with the People's Liberation Army?

[Dr. Guillaume Poliquin]

Mr. Chair, that question is difficult to answer, because as I've stated before, there are a number of large-scale collaborations as it pertains to the COVID-19 response.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Okay. Thank you.

Dr. Poliquin, as you know, President Biden ordered U.S. intelligence to investigate two likely theories about the pandemic's origin. One is that it emerged from human contact with an infected animal. The other is that it was an accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs has indicated that the Government of Canada supports this U.S. investigation. Given that the Wuhan lab and your lab worked closely together until recently, are you assisting U.S. investigators in the investigation?

[Dr. Guillaume Poliquin]

The Government of Canada has been clear that it supports a thorough investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are four potential hypotheses that have been advanced, and—