Health Committee on April 15th, 2010

Evidence of meeting #9 for Health in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was capacity.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Cancellation of the HIV Vaccine Manufacturing Facility under Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Stefano Bertozzi Director, Global Health HIV, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Keith Fowke Professor, Departments of Medical Microbiology and Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba

Alan Bernstein Executive Director, Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise

Heather Medwick Acting President and Chief Executive Officer, International Centre for Infectious Diseases

Jeremy Carver President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, International Consortium on Anti-Virals

Ted Hewitt Vice-President, Research and International Relations, University of Western Ontario

Patrick Michaud Chairman of the Board of Directors, International Consortium on Anti-Virals

10:55 a.m.

Conservative

Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

As we heard today from Dr. Bernstein, these are discussions that are ongoing. They are coming up with a strategy, and there are partners involved with this very important strategy, and it would be premature to have Minister Aglukkaq to be coming forward. I also wanted to address the issue that as far as Minister Toews or any of the other allegations brought forward are concerned, we only have one witness who alleges anything unusual. It was brought forward as third-party information, and the third-party information was from a current and past Liberal candidate.

Madam Chair, it's not necessary to move forward.

10:55 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joy Smith

Ms. Wasylycia-Leis.

10:55 a.m.

NDP

Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North, MB

I totally support the motion and hope we'll vote on it today. I think it should happen as soon as possible. I would suggest that if the clerk can work it out we actually do it a week from today so that time is not lost. The allegations are very serious. The information is critical, and I would hope that my colleague, Colin Carrie, would not want to leave these questions unanswered and would want to get to the bottom of it. If Minister Aglukkaq can't make it, fine, but there's a long list of others who should be here. I think we have to proceed with this on an urgent basis.

11 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joy Smith

Dr. Carrie.

11 a.m.

Conservative

Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I think I could speak for the Public Health Agency. I think they would be happy to bring us an update when they have something to report. I would be very supportive at that time. But as I said earlier, it would be very much premature to be asking these witnesses to come forward at this time.

11 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joy Smith

This is the motion:

That the Standing Committee on Health hold one extra meeting on CHVI on April 29 and invite Minister Aglukkaq, Dr. David Butler-Jones, Minister Toews, Minister Clement, Ms. Jo Kennelly, and Dr. Frank Plummer.

That is the motion. We are going to bring that forward.

Those in favour of the motion? Those opposed?

(Motion agreed to)

This will happen on April 29. I want to thank and commend our witnesses for coming today. Being on committee is not always the easiest thing to do, but we're very open and transparent and we want to get to the bottom of things.

Thank you.