Thank you, Madam Chair.
When we examined this question and discussed it with several experts, we learned that developing an HIV vaccine is not as simple as developing all the vaccines we have because the HIV virus is unique. It is not a matter of simply taking pus and doing various analyses of it as is done for all of the known vaccines. We know that manufacturing and developing an HIV vaccine is more difficult, and it is different.
We also learned through this process that changes are occurring rapidly. There are imponderables that mean that the trajectory we thought we could follow is not the right one. The issue we are working on at present proves this. When the announcements were made, it was thought that the vaccine was going to be developed and that we would need additional facilities to manufacture it, based on a pilot project. Three years later, we realize that this is no longer what needs to be done.
In a case like this, when we are working with a different virus, where the processes are different and you have to adapt rapidly to unexpected changes, don't you think that the 2007 announcement was inappropriate, to say the least? I have the impression that it started there. It's the fact that this competition was launched with great pomp and circumstance, that everyone was told that with the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation the government of Canada was going to set up this facility. Don't you think that doing that before being sure contributed to the present confusion? My second question for you, Dr. Butler-Jones, is this. As of now, what is happening? What are the timetables? What are the next steps? Who are you working with? How are you going to make sure the available funds are allocated to HIV research?