What you are telling us here today is very interesting. For our part, we want to understand how the system works and how the Department of Health is involved.
Mr. Gagnon, you talked about subjects which to me are worrisome. We see that there are medications on the market with known undesirable side effects. You mentioned Vioxx. You said, among other things, that certain products should perhaps be withdrawn from the market, given the data from countries where they have been withdrawn. Gardasil caused the death of five people. I do not know if it was in Belgium, but it was in Europe.
The other day, I asked someone from Health Canada whether, given the five deaths that occurred in Europe, there shouldn't be a moratorium on this product, and whether we could use the data. I was told that this was not up to Health Canada but rather up to the Canada Public Health Agency. Already, this is complicated. Health Canada has told us that this is not the department's responsibility because it is a vaccine that comes under Public Health, and yet, Health Canada approved the marketing of this product.
You are saying the product should be withdrawn, but does this have to be immediate? What kind of tests could be done? I know that in Europe, they are analyzing the effects of the product and the reason why it may have caused deaths.
I am putting the question to Mr. Gagnon, but other witnesses can shed light on this subject for me. For our part, we are going to have to recommend steps with regard to Health Canada, and that is one of the issues at stake.