Just to be transparent, I did work at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada as a senior global health adviser. I just want to make sure the committee knows that.
I think one of the things I have experienced in my dealings with Global Affairs Canada in more recent years is that the number of health experts is declining within that department. The other thing I have noticed in my interactions with the Government of Canada is that there is a lack of coordination between the Public Health Agency of Canada and Global Affairs Canada in terms of its global health response.
In previous writings—they predated the COVID pandemic—I suggested a global health secretariat at the Privy Council Office, led by a global health ambassador to act as a coordinator and establish a global health strategy and develop priorities across the Government of Canada with relevant departments. I think that kind of secretariat would have proved very useful during the COVID pandemic.