Thank you.
What I have learned in the few weeks I've been here is that there are large differences in the arrangements between Health Canada, first nations communities, and the provinces. It is not simply that there are some communities where it has been transferred, because communities can actually be responsible but the provision of nursing services can still be the responsibility of Health Canada. That's a particular agreement.
The situations in which planning occurs vary tremendously. The requirements in terms of remote and isolated communities vary tremendously.
What I've seen is a common theme of communication, but this communication is also different. For example, there is a tripartite table in Manitoba that meets weekly; there's also one in B.C. that meets weekly--at the provincial level--and those issues are raised there, in terms of issues that might occur.
We will continue to have to deal with this large number of arrangements when we move on to an immunization program, because the provision of vaccine is totally integrated with the provinces. Therefore, when the vaccine arrives at the provinces it would get distributed to health centres, and then it would be available to Health Canada for distribution to communities. That planning is going on right now, taking into account the time schedule that has been announced--early November--but also then recognizing how the vaccine may receive authorization. So we have to be nimble, we have to prepare, but we have to take account of things that may change. That is occurring.
We have antivirals pre-positioned, we have vaccine plans, and even where we don't have nursing stations, there are health centres that give immunization in southern communities, so we have to work with that as well. On the other hand, in many places in southern communities, communities actually access health care and immunization through the province. This real work is going on.
Finally, and probably most importantly, there's our collaboration between Health Canada and the surveillance systems in the provinces and how we get information from our nursing stations, how we share that with the provinces, so we know precisely what's going on and if there is an issue we have to then concentrate more resources on.