Health Committee on May 28th, 2019

[Simon Kennedy]

I was actually at the World Health Assembly in Geneva and had occasion to be part of some of those discussions. I believe the negotiations concluded only yesterday, so I was not in the room for all of the conversations, but I can share a bit of the story around this issue.

In the end, I can assure the committee that Canada supported the resolution. The resolution was carried at the World Health Assembly some time in the last—

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Was that as originally drafted or as amended?

[Simon Kennedy]

It was as amended through fairly extensive negotiations that went on over a period of days.

Having been involved in a lot of these conversations over the years, not just in health but in other sectors, that's fairly standard. When you get 170 countries in a room, there's bound to be a lot of discussion.

There were negotiations that carried on over a period of time. In the end, Canada joined the consensus and expressed strong support for the principles around transparency.

One of the concerns that the Canadian delegation had, and it was by no means confined to the Canadian delegation, and it's certainly not to criticize the sponsors of the resolution, is typically when these types of resolutions come forward, they come forward through a process of regular order where you have some advance notice and you're able to do consultations in your capitals and talk to the various interested parties. This resolution was tabled, basically, very close to the start of the meeting. There was very little time available to consult, and a number of the proposed commitments had fairly substantial implications for intellectual property rules, and so on, beyond the health sector.

Some of the adjustments were, frankly, seeking to add clauses such as consistency with national laws and circumstances. It was really an effort to just make sure that we were not in a rushed manner signing up to things we actually hadn't had a chance to talk to people about back in Ottawa in a number of ministries, not just health.

I can just say on the part of the health ministry that there is strong support for the notion of transparency. There was support for the resolution. We, along with many other countries, wanted to make sure there was some language to allow for further consideration of what would have been fairly profound changes, not just in the health space.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

I realize it's a long question, but if I can just ask you quickly about—

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

Sorry, no more questions. The time is up.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

I should have let you finish.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

We're over.

On behalf of the committee, thanks very much to all our guests today for the testimony you've given us. I'm sure we'll see you again soon.

With that, I'll let you go.

Before we go in camera for some committee business, I believe Mr. Ouellette has a motion he would like to move on a whole new subject, which I think has something to do with Mr. Webber's private member's bill.

I need unanimous consent to let Mr. Ouellette move his motion. Do I have unanimous consent?

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Sure.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

All right, Mr. Ouellette, fire away.

[Robert-Falcon Ouellette, Liberal, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Thank you very much.

It's a very simple motion that says:

That, in the opinion of this Committee, Bill C-316, An Act to amend the Canada Revenue Agency Act (organ donors), is a critical piece of legislation that has been duly and unanimously adopted by the House of Commons and has been before the Senate since December 12, 2018; and that this Bill should be adopted by the Senate and passed into law at the earliest opportunity.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Hear, hear!

[Len Webber, Conservative, Calgary Confederation, AB]

Mr. Chair, I will second that motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

Is there any debate?

(Motion agreed to)

It passed unanimously.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

I'd vote if I could.

[Len Webber, Conservative, Calgary Confederation, AB]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

What do we do with that now?

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Send a letter to the Senate.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

Mr. Davies.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Chair, if there's unanimous consent, I'd like to move a motion that we send that motion to the appropriate body at the Senate, perhaps under your signature, signed on behalf of the entire committee, requesting their expeditious passage, consistent with the tenor of the motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

Here's an interesting angle on it. The clerk tells me that a committee can't send a message to the Senate, but we can write a quick report and ask the House of Commons to send a message to the Senate. However, I still think we could probably send a message to the Senate in a non-official manner.

What is the committee's suggestion?

I believe the House would send that message. We'd have to vote on it, would we not, in the House of Commons to support it?

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mr. Alexandre Jacques]

Yes, the House would be seized of the committee report, and it would be up to the House to determine what it wants to do with the report.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

Mr. Davies.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Chair, to get it before the House with a vote sounds like a pretty unwieldy process. Given that we're nearly in June, with all the things that happen—

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

I agree. It might be hard to get the vote in.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Speaking I guess through you, Mr. Chair, to the clerk, as chair of the committee are you not allowed to send a letter to the members of the Senate?