Evidence of meeting #35 for Health in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was commission.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:10 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Services Branch and Adjudication, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
It is both. We are partially cost-recovery. We have fees that industry must pay in order to file a claim for exemption, and those fees cover the costs of the claim validity side of our decision-making process.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Okay. What percentage of the $3.5 million is provided through the fee structure or other ways you get it from the industry?
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Services Branch and Adjudication, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
We usually collect about 25% to 30% of our total cost.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Services Branch and Adjudication, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
That is correct.
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Services Branch and Adjudication, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
No.
Well, I shouldn't say that. If you are appealing one of our orders and it is an affected party who happens to be a union member, yes, there is a fee for filing an appeal as well.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Services Branch and Adjudication, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
For appeals?
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Services Branch and Adjudication, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
Right now, zero, because we've had no appeals for the last five years.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Okay, good.
How many full-time employees work reviewing these 2,600 claims every year?
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Services Branch and Adjudication, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
Our commission employs 35 people, of which I would say 60% are on line, direct, either an evaluator doing the toxicological work or a screening officer issuing the quasi-judicial decisions.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
You just mentioned “on line”. Do you mean they're not in one place?
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Services Branch and Adjudication, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
No, sorry, I meant hands-on, directly issuing decisions on claims.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
You said the result of these amendments will be to reduce the time it takes to review these claims. Does that mean you'll be having fewer employees because there will be less work?
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Services Branch and Adjudication, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
No. In fact, that's a very good point. Right now, we have a backlog of claims to be processed. I would say in the order of 75% of our resources are devoted to the health and safety side of our review. That part of the review and the comprehensiveness of our review has caused a backlog of claims to be waiting. So what we want to do is reinvest the efficiencies that we gain through all three of these amendments into the health and safety side of our work.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Does that get a product on the market faster because it then has your approval, the WHMIS approval? Or are these products already out there and they just want to get the sticker to put on it?
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Services Branch and Adjudication, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
Yes. This is post-market review.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Okay.
On the first-aid measures, do you people test the suggested first-aid measures for efficacy?
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Services Branch and Adjudication, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
We don't test it, but we evaluate it against the standards.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
In other words, “Take an aspirin” or “Put a band-aid on” might not be quite the ticket.
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Services Branch and Adjudication, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
Right.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
How do you know that what they're suggesting as something that will offset the effects of a certain chemical actually will, particularly if it's a new product with a new combination of chemicals?
4:15 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission Canada
Our scientists would go through the scientific evidence pertaining to a particular ingredient. It happens regularly where they'll say to take water, or milk, or whatever, and our scientists will order that that not be the case because that's not the proper intervention in terms of first aid.
So we look at the toxic properties, whether it's a phytotoxin or whatever the case, that would damage the central nervous system. We go through the prevention, we go through the first aid and whether it's gloves or whether it's latex gloves or cotton gloves, or whatever, but we get right down to that level of ordering changes to be sure that the proper first-aid measures are taken, given the gravity or the consequences of the accident with the product with the toxic ingredient.