Evidence of meeting #35 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pandemic.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Procurement, Department of Public Works and Government Services
I'm sorry. Non-industry-based.... How many are domestic?
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
How many are domestic? That's a better way of saying it. Thank you for helping.
How much of it is domestic and how much of it is international?
5:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Procurement, Department of Public Works and Government Services
In terms of our overall response to the pandemic, including goods and services, we're at about 40%. I'd have to get you the specific percentage on those 2.7 billion items. Maybe it would be lower than that.
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
Okay. Forty per cent are domestic and 60% are non-domestic. Is that correct?
5:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Procurement, Department of Public Works and Government Services
That's right.
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
Out of the ones that have been delivered, has that been mainly non-domestic?
5:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Procurement, Department of Public Works and Government Services
In terms of the 2.7 billion, it would have been a combination of both. The outstanding deliveries would be, for the most part, international deliveries.
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
The reason I'm asking this line of questioning is that I have the Canadian Association of PPE Manufacturers group in my riding. They have reached out to me and have said, “The government came in and asked us to build the capacity and we've built the capacity, so now is there a possibility that we could re-evaluate our international commitment?”
Some of those international commitments benefit from the subsidy from the government, and that is helping them to manufacture and putting them in a competitive position. Are we in a position to do an analysis of how many of these non-domestic contracts we have left? Is there any way that we could re-evaluate our interest in fulfilling that demand from the domestic manufacturers?
5:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Procurement, Department of Public Works and Government Services
There are a couple of points I'd raise on that. I would say that the three outstanding areas of delivery are gloves, N95 masks and gowns. For the gowns and the N95, the deliveries predominantly will be from domestic manufacturers. They're a small volume. A large volume of outstanding deliveries are for nitrile gloves. Unfortunately, at the current time there is no manufacturing capacity in Canada for nitrile gloves. Early in the year we launched an invitation to qualify. It was an invitation to industry to see if there was a way we could approach Canadian companies to establish nitrile glove manufacturing in Canada. We're still pursuing that process.
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Robert Gordon Kitchen
Thank you, Mr. Mills.
We will go to Ms. Vignola for two and a half minutes.
5:30 p.m.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Thank you so much.
A few months before the pandemic, large quantities of equipment were thrown out. According to what you just said, we currently still need gloves and certain equipment that is manufactured in insufficient quantities or not manufactured at all here in Canada.
Once the demand in the country drops, what is the risk of the equipment that is currently stockpiled expiring? If there is such a risk, what measures is the PHAC implementing to ensure that resources will not be wasted blatantly ever again?
5:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Procurement, Department of Public Works and Government Services
For this one, Mr. Chair, maybe I would ask Alain Dorion to elaborate.
5:35 p.m.
Director General, Pandemic Response Sector, Department of Public Works and Government Services
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am not trying to dodge the question, but I am under the impression that it is intended for the Public Health Agency of Canada officials.
Am I wrong, Mrs. Vignola?
5:35 p.m.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
The question is indeed for the Public Health Agency of Canada officials.
5:35 p.m.
Vice-President, Emergency Management, Public Health Agency of Canada
Mr. Chair, it's an excellent question. As we go forward, we will continue to work on a number of options, on life-cycle management and the objective of not having to move to disposal, which would be the last resort. We are working collectively with other government departments, a number of whom have requirements for personal protective equipment. That's one of the avenues we would look at. As well, what are other deployment options? As discussed, what are some of the divestment options, including looking at international donation? There are also other aspects in our Canadian environment where personal protective equipment would be necessary.
We continue to work collaboratively with the provinces and territories in terms of their ongoing needs. We continue to receive requests for assistance from provinces and territories. We're working with them and, as was mentioned by the Auditor General, using the supply-demand modelling.
Thank you.
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Robert Gordon Kitchen
Thank you, Ms. Vignola.
We'll now go to Mr. Green for two and a half minutes.
5:35 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Through you, Mr. Chair, to Ms. Evans, is it safe to say that each of the remaining six national emergency strategic stockpile facilities have within them the purview to distribute the commodities, the N95s and all of them, to the regions in which they were located?
5:35 p.m.
Vice-President, Emergency Management, Public Health Agency of Canada
Mr. Chair, the national emergency strategic stockpile is managed centrally. The premise that Mr. Green has put forward would not be correct, no.
5:35 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Would you have N95 masks in Regina, gloves in Montreal and gowns in Vancouver to be able to distribute out to the provinces, or would you have a little bit at each location?
5:35 p.m.
Vice-President, Emergency Management, Public Health Agency of Canada
We would manage the supplies in a manner in which they could be distributed to the provinces within an appropriate time frame. We've set a 24-hour time frame. Certainly, disclosing the location of our specific commodities would not be something the Public Health Agency would put forward.
5:35 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
You threw away two million N95 masks out of Regina. How many other N95 masks did you throw away in the other two locations?
5:35 p.m.
Vice-President, Emergency Management, Public Health Agency of Canada
When the decision is taken to close a warehouse facility, all of the equipment that can be used is moved to other locations. It's moved centrally back to our central warehousing—
5:35 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
That wasn't the question, Mr. Chair. That was not the question.
The question was this: At the other locations that were shuttered, how many other N95 masks were disposed of?
5:35 p.m.
Vice-President, Emergency Management, Public Health Agency of Canada
I'm not aware of a record of disposal of N95s from other warehouse locations.
5:35 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Mr. Mills, are you responsible for the contracting out of the disposals at Regina? Would that be a contract that would be under your purview?