Evidence of meeting #38 for Canada-China Relations in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was policies.
A video is available from Parliament.
NDP
Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU
My last question would be this: What policies have changed over the last five years to improve the resilience of departmental activities from foreign interference?
Deputy Minister, Department of Health
What I would note is twofold. In the first instance, as I indicated previously, the laboratories at Health Canada have as a fundamental objective supporting our regulatory system, so the focus is not on research per se but on laboratory methods for testing products such as pharmaceuticals and developing methodologies for our quality monitoring or testing of contaminants in water.
The policies and systems put in place to strengthen research security over the past number of years include strengthening physical security in terms of access and monitoring of research facilities; strengthening oversight and systems to protect against cybersecurity threats, which are indeed active; and focus on employee security clearance review, conflict of interest and affiliation declaration, training and oversight, including policies for laboratory visitors and students, as Madam Jeffrey spoke to previously.
These have been strengthened further to align with work undertaken in regard to all research institutions in Canada, as expressed by Minister Champagne, Ministers Hajdu and Duclos and, most recently, Minister Holland, including the policies on research in sensitive areas and named research organizations. Our work in policies is aligned to support the objectives and substance of those guidelines and policies to protect the research security laboratories at Health Canada.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken Hardie
We're just about at the end. I have one quick question, and this is a very broad-based question, if you don't mind.
Any human-to-human transaction or relationship is usually based on the presumption of honesty, that the person you're dealing with is honest. With this experience that you've had and the necessity to protect such sensitive materials and knowledge, has that turned around, and do we now have a presumption that perhaps somebody is not going to be honest and they have to prove their honesty to us? It's a very broad question, but give a brief reflection, if you don't mind, Ms. Jeffrey.
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
Indeed, the clearance process itself requires individuals to declare many details of their past affiliations, lives and work. We do verify, through our security office and our chief security officer, those declarations. For all public servants who have clearances, there are checks done through the RCMP—criminal—and also through the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to verify, as well as through open and other sources of public information.
Where individuals seek to hide clandestinely other aspects of their intentions, it's very important that we have policies and procedures that are designed to provide tripwires, if you will. This enables us to flag areas for further investigation and research. It will also ensure that there is oversight and there are additional layers of approval for events if, indeed, the previous checks and clearances don't reveal some of those covert intentions.
What we have done is put additional layers that allow us to do additional steps and to have additional sets of eyes looking at approvals to make sure that there are multiple keys, if you will, to unlock different processes, approvals, collaborations and affiliations. For us, it is about trusting, but it's also about verifying. Our security services help us to do that, and our policies and procedures in the area of security help us to be continually vigilant.
That's what is really required here. It requires continual vigilance and awareness, and it requires individuals to act and flag things they see that might not be quite in line with policies. That's a culture, and that is the culture that we're building at the Public Health Agency through the processes that we've put in place since these incidents, now over four or five years ago.
Conservative
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
I have a question, Mr. Chair.
Could you instruct the analysts to prepare a briefing note for us, describing how security clearances are granted, particularly how Treasury Board guidelines work with respect to security clearances for PRC nationals who are not Canadian citizens?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken Hardie
To be honest with you, I would not just limit that to the PRC, given what we've heard about foreign interference.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken Hardie
Certainly, the nature of interference as alleged with regard to China and the PRC is one thing, but there are other actors. Who knows?
I want to thank everybody.
Ms. Jeffrey and colleagues, you've been generous with your time. I know that this is not exactly the most comfortable way to spend a Friday afternoon, but we do appreciate your time with us and your answers.
As for my colleagues, well done today.
Thank you very much to all of the support staff.
The meeting is adjourned.