Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to welcome all of our colleagues back to the important work of the House.
Referring to Mr. Villemure's motion....
I hear an echoing from the floor audio. If there's a way to mute that, it would be very helpful. Thank you so much.
This is an important discussion that we're having. I'm really looking forward to hearing from the Minister of Health and PHAC officials on Thursday to get down to our core questions with regard to this study and the questions the committee members have put forward.
I need to emphasize, as we discuss Mr. Villemure's motion today, the importance of continuing to collect the data we need to fight COVID-19. Every step of the way, there has been absolute transparency in terms of the collection of the data we receive from BlueDot and other service providers. As a matter of fact, the parliamentary secretary for health, Mr. van Koeverden, was kind enough to provide comments and a sample of aggregate data to the committee for review. I'd like to discuss what's in the data that PHAC receives, because we now have for discussion today exactly what officials are looking at in their request for mobility data from service providers.
When we look at it, we see that it is completely disaggregated, depersonalized data that is set up in sets, whether in regional or even in urban areas. They are looking at week-to-week comparisons of mobility, meaning movement: Where are Canadians going during lockdowns on a week in and week out basis?
They ask very important questions in a comparative way during the reporting weeks of how many people in general are moving from home to work when lockdowns are in place, and then comparing that data in terms of numbers of spread or outbreaks in those areas. They're looking at movement in relation to outbreak and spread, which is really key, especially now with the Omicron virus at hand. We know that the spread is so high.
I feel we need to consider the data that is available. I want to thank the parliamentary secretary, Mr. van Koeverden, for making sure that the committee can weigh in on this data in an effective manner, looking piece by piece, page by page at the statistics with which PHAC is making its evaluations to advise our various ministers of health and COVID teams from coast to coast to coast, province by province and region by region.
When we look at this data, we see that it is secure, as a matter of fact. It's de-identified. It is time-sensitive, looking at four-week or even two-week sets at different times to ensure that we understand how movement relates to outbreaks. As we look at this RFP that is being weighed out and suspensions when we are at the height of a spread, we're looking at various plateaus and reopenings. We have a reopening here in Ontario as of today, as restaurants, gyms and public places start to reopen again.
To hinder the collection of the impact of that.... We need to consider the data very carefully. We now know exactly what kind of data is being collected; we have a sample in front of us. Perhaps, rather than putting the cart before the horse, as they say, we should wait to hear from the Minister of Health and PHAC officials on Thursday to ensure that we're making the best decisions and not knee-jerk reactions, while ensuring every step of the way that Canadians are healthy and safe and that their privacy is protected.
From what we've seen recently from the Department of Health and the parliamentary secretary, there's a very clear and concise explanation to have this data that's been collected, what it's being used for, and the importance of it in making wise decisions for the health and safety of Canadians.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.