Evidence of meeting #59 for Health in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was spp.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Director General, International Affairs, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada
I could answer at a very general level. With respect to the specific issue under discussion here today, I would think Dr. Butler-Jones would be better placed to explain to you whatever impact that may have on Canada-U.S. relations, but maybe I could chip in at the end.
Chief Public Health Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada
As you may remember, it was included in the very first round of legislation. No issues were raised then. We have been in communication with our counterparts there. Currently, they're not thinking of including that. They may include it. I don't think it will be an SPP issue in that sense. If they include it or not, that will be their decision. But if it's the same on both sides, it makes it a lot easier for buses and others because the rules are the same.
Director General, International Affairs, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada
As a general comment, Mr. Chairman, the SPP isn't normally a place where people show up and say they have a different regulation from what we have, that we should sit down and come up with a common one. It's more about looking at doing this, understanding we're looking at doing the same thing. Wouldn't it be a good idea to look at it together, try to do as much of the common analysis as possible, and then at the end of the day, if we have to diverge ever so slightly, fine?
It's not about revisiting or trying to get people to undo previous decisions as much as trying to move forward in as cooperative a way as possible.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
Thank you.
Now we'll move to Mr. Vincent. You have five minutes.
Bloc
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My question is for Mr. Beaudoin. I have read your document, and I am a little puzzled, because I see that you talk in it about sovereignty, heritage, culture and laws, and about the United States, Mexico and Canada. I understand that you are referring to NAFTA. Then you talk about strengthening competitiveness, reducing the cost of trade, enhancing the quality of life.
What are you going to do, as part of this measure, to achieve all those things?
Director General, Innovation Partnerships Branch, Department of Industry
Thank you for your question. As I explained, the prosperity agenda includes a number of initiatives that are part of the various working groups I referred to earlier.
Bloc
Director General, Innovation Partnerships Branch, Department of Industry
Various actions have been taken. As Paul and I told you a little earlier, actions have been identified in consultation with the various stakeholders throughout Canada to identify things that could make their industries more competitive. For example, in the case of the steel industry, there is a working group that is trying to identify measures that might make the industry and the sector as a whole more competitive.
Bloc
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
This is the Health Committee, and so we are talking about health and pharmaceuticals. If we are talking about increasing productivity, what is being done? How is your study group working to increase productivity in the pharmaceutical industry?
Director General, Innovation Partnerships Branch, Department of Industry
Regarding the specific area of health, for example, I would perhaps like to defer to my colleagues, to hear what their specific work plan is, in terms of quality of life.
Bloc
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
I would like to see which colleagues have that information. I can steer you. I know that pharmaceutical companies are moving their production to China. They are doing it to reduce manufacturing costs, by having the products manufactured in China, that is. That is the information I have received. If they go to China, they pay a Chinese worker $1,500 a year to make our products, because our machinery is capable of separating the products and making a pill out of it.
Does the conclusion your committee has reached amount to shipping production to China? When we talk about prosperity, I think it should be prosperity at home, in Canada and Quebec, but we are sending it elsewhere. I would like to hear your thoughts on this subject, please.
Director General, Innovation Partnerships Branch, Department of Industry
Before speaking specifically about the pharmaceutical industry or what is being done by the health or agriculture working group, one of the things that the three countries agree on with the stakeholders is precisely...
Director General, Innovation Partnerships Branch, Department of Industry
We are talking here in the safety context...
Bloc
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
Yes, that is right. If we have our pharmaceutical products manufactured elsewhere, who is looking after health and safety? Who is checking the products and doing quality control when they are coming from outside?
Director General, Innovation Partnerships Branch, Department of Industry
We are.
Associate Director General, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health
From the pharmaceutical standpoint, I unfortunately cannot provide a detailed answer to your question. All I can say is that the working group on health holds discussions that deal with comparing the regulatory framework for approving drugs in the three countries.
Bloc
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
Are you telling me that if products from other countries come here, whether they be from Mexico or the United States, there is no regulatory control of the quality of the products? As well, drugs are counterfeited in other countries. Is there someone to control that here?
Associate Director General, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health
Regulatory controls are applied by the Therapeutic Products Directorate of Health Canada and by the Health Canada Inspectorate, which have a group of inspectors in the field who do routine inspections in those areas.
Bloc
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
Perfect. How many inspectors are there in the field? If we are talking about counterfeiting and pharmaceutical products involved in counterfeiting, there are two for Canada. How many do you have?
Associate Director General, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health
Unfortunately, I do not have details on that, but I can provide you with that information.
Director General, International Affairs, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to add a comment. May I do it in English, to be clearer?
There are some activities related to pharmaceutical review in the SPP. The idea there is to share best practices and ensure that the three systems learn from each other so the review being done is the most efficient and of the highest standard possible. It's mostly information-sharing between scientists in methodologies for review.
But Canada is not handing its responsibility to review pharmaceuticals to any other country.