Evidence of meeting #19 for COVID-19 Pandemic in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Acting Chair (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Liberal Alexandra Mendes
The honourable minister may give a very short answer.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I'm not sure if those population groups are included in the plans of the immunity task force, but we'll certainly get back to the member on that.
Liberal
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Canadian farmers and manufacturers are being penalized under the current Canadian copyright law. Digital locks are providing a barrier to manufacturers, and they're unable to innovate because of the excessive fees they have to pay to get the key for the digital lock.
Is the Minister of Innovation aware of this problem?
Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Immigration
I thank my honourable colleague for bringing this matter to our attention. I'm happy to work with him to see if we can resolve it.
Thank you.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
What is going to be done to ensure open interoperability among manufacturers?
Liberal
Marco Mendicino Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
These are all very good initiatives, and we look forward to collaborating with my honourable colleague when it comes to the interoperability issue he's just raised.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
The U.S. came across the same problem and with bipartisan support made a clear exemption for farmers. Without any equivalent exemption, Canadians are at a disadvantage. In the same nonpartisan spirit, can Canadian manufacturers rely on the minister to make sure Canada is on an equal footing?
Liberal
Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
Madam Chair, I can assure my honourable colleague that we will continue to work with business leaders in Canada, particularly in the manufacturing sector, which has stepped up and is saving lives every day with their innovations.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
From the beginning, Canadian manufacturers outside Quebec and Ontario were ready to produce medical equipment, but their help has often been turned away. Why is the minister's procurement playing favourites with different regions of the country?
Dan Vandal LiberalMinister of Northern Affairs
Madam Chair, the whole-of-government approach is focusing on responding to the COVID outbreak and working with partners at all levels of government and with industry to secure life-saving medical supplies. We have established complementary supply chains from a range of suppliers, and we are partnering with Canadian industry to rapidly scale up and retool production capacity, ensuring a reliable domestic supply to serve our needs for the short and long term.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
How does the minister justify waiting for Medicom to set up operations in Montreal when another company like Novo Textiles was already producing N95 masks in B.C.?
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
Madam Chair, we are ensuring that we have procured a steady supply of goods for front-line health care workers in the short and long term from domestic and international sources. We are continuing to place bulk orders for PPE and medical supplies on a regular basis in anticipation of short-term and long-term needs.
This has been our approach from the onset, and we will continue to see deliveries arriving from manufacturers internationally and—
Liberal
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Well over a month ago, in committee, we were told that you'd received information from Innovation Canada about their engagement with Canadian companies. When will this report and a full, detailed list of the government's COVID contracts be made available to the public?
Liberal
Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
Madam Chair, Canadian companies are answering the call to provide critical supports to our workers. They are on the front lines of this COVID pandemic with us, and we thank them.
We're exploring various ways to provide secure domestic supplies of personal protective equipment to Canadian workers. We'll continue to work with industry partners to develop and manufacture the much-needed personal protective equipment.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
[Inaudible—Editor]for use in Canada, while the same devices have begun to be used in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Does the minister not trust the medical standards of these other countries?
Liberal
Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
Madam Chair, our government is working hard to protect Canada and Canadians from COVID-19, and we are working very hard to ensure that every opportunity that can lead to a vaccine is explored. We owe that to Canadians.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Does the minister agree petroleum products are an essential part of producing PPE and medical equipment, yes or no?
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
Madam Chair, the size of our orders reflects the fluidity of highly competitive global supply chains. The reality is that some contracts will need to be modified in order to deliver the goods we need. These shifts are built into our flexible approach to procurement.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
I will say that was maybe a “maybe”, then.
Why does the government keep ignoring our domestic energy industry?
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
Madam Chair, that is absolutely not true. I would cite that our government purchased a pipeline in order to get our oil to tidewater, something the previous government could not do in 10 years.
Liberal
Conservative
Tako Van Popta Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
Madam Chair, a couple of weeks ago Canada's Privacy Commissioner, Mr. Therrien, told the industry committee that Canada's privacy laws are not keeping pace with Canada's digital economy.
Is the minister confident Canadians' privacy will be adequately protected in the digital economy with the current legislation?
Liberal
Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
Madam Chair, our government continues to work hard to protect Canadians' health and also their privacy. We have well-developed national security frameworks to protect Canadians and to protect research. We're also working with universities and research institutions, which have strong protocols in place to address issues around cybersecurity and safety.
We owe it to Canadians to protect their well-being and safety as well as their security and privacy.