Evidence of meeting #19 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was employees.
A recording is available from Parliament.
President, Medline Canada
I think you're on to something. I think you should keep your focus on the N95 masks, because that's critical, but there should be a little more balance.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
What are you producing in Canada right now for masks? You're not making N95 masks, but are you doing the surgical grade and other grade masks?
President, Medline Canada
That's okay. We actually put in a bid with the Ontario government to make masks in Ontario.
President, Medline Canada
Yes. I haven't heard that before. We have a nice warehouse in Edmonton. We have a great warehouse in Edmonton.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Where are you going to procure your supplies from, then?
President, Medline Canada
We'll take advantage of our global supply chain. There are two things to this. Melt-blown material is the big cost in making masks, and we'll take advantage of our big buying power. It's a raw material needed for incontinence products, for which we have a billion-dollar business in the U.S. We'll take advantage of our supply chain and keep a bunch of the raw material—
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
We hear a lot about reshoring, bringing the supply chain back to Canada or North America.
Conservative
President, Medline Canada
I'd be surgical.... Let's get really good at something so we can potentially sell it outside of our borders as well.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Unfortunately, we're going to have to stop the discussion there, but I do want to thank you, Mr. Philip and Mr. Gentès, for your appearances here today. Your testimony has been both informative and very helpful.
You are excused. Thanks once again.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Colleagues, I will not suspend. I will go directly into our discussion on committee future business. I will remind all committee members that we are in public.
Just to recap some of the comments I made at our last meeting, I would like to try to determine in the next few minutes, if possible, what our course of future business will be. If you recall, we are scheduled to discuss supplementary estimates (A) next Tuesday for two hours. Next Friday, June 19, we are free. We do not have witnesses scheduled. However, the whips have agreed that committees will have the authority to meet throughout the summer, should they wish. Secondly, those committees do not have to discuss only COVID-19 related events; they are free to pursue whatever topic of discussion they wish.
My question to all of you on the committee is, what are your wishes? Do you desire to meet throughout the summer months? Or do you wish to suspend and come back in our normal parliamentary schedule, which will be sometime in late September? I can assure you that I have talked to a number of colleagues—on both sides of the aisle, frankly—who have suggested that they would like to take some time off during the summer. I know of only one committee that plans to work its regular committee hours throughout the summer.
That's what the purpose of this discussion is: to find out where we go from here. As your committee chair, I'm completely within your powers to determine our schedule. I see that Mr. McCauley has his hand up first, so I'll go to him, but if anyone wishes to join in on this discussion to see if we can come to a resolution, I would appreciate it greatly.
Mr. McCauley, why don't you start us off?
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Thanks, Mr. Chair.
There are two things. Part of it is that, one, I'd like to add just one more meeting to the current round to bring in the Information Commissioner. There's a new transparency accountability group to talk about the issues of transparency, difficulty with the ATIPs, etc.
For the summer months, after talking to Conservative colleagues, I think we would like to have maybe one meeting in July and one in August for more of an update on PPE procurement, unless some emergency comes up, of course, maybe in the same weeks as the July and August sittings, but again, that's just to have an update from PSPC on the procurement file.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Mr. McCauley, so that I'm clear, you're making a recommendation for the meeting to be held on Friday, June 19.
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Yes. I would prefer if you could just make a direct recommendation or a request for witnesses on Friday, June 19.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
You want the Information Commissioner and only the Information Commissioner?
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
There's a new accountability group that's popped up. I can get you their names but it's led by.... I've forgotten his name, but I'll provide it. Michael Dagg and a couple others of the accountability group.... I'll provide that to you.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
If you could provide that to our clerk, that would be great.
I go now to Mr. Green, who will be followed by Mr. MacKinnon.