Health Committee on March 7th, 2016

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

That's okay.

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

No, it's very good. It's aggressive.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

We're probably also going to get something to do with marijuana eventually. We're probably also going to get something to do with assisted death. All we can do is what we can do.

Right now, we have this list developed and agreed to, so let's start on pharmacare. We'll have to work around all the other things that we have to do.

Mr. Webber.

[Len Webber, Conservative, Calgary Confederation, AB]

I have a quick question. When we do have the minister here, are we going to focus specifically on pharmacare, the first topic?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

No. It's up to you.

[Len Webber, Conservative, Calgary Confederation, AB]

Okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

Mr. Davies.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

I am mindful that our analyst suggested getting—I was repelled at the deadline, but maybe it's not a bad idea—us to fire in as many witnesses as possible to her by the end of this week so that she can at least get started.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

Yes.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

The other thing I was going to mention is that, as Bryan mentioned—he's right—you typically start off a study by hearing from the department. The departmental officials will brief you in your first meeting, and then you start your other meetings. I'm thinking of having six meetings of nothing but witnesses, because Darshan is correct; it goes quickly when you have just two organizations per hour.

Sometimes, Mr. Chairman, you may choose to schedule a two-hour meeting with just a couple of witnesses if you wanted to delve in for longer. That can happen as well, if you so choose.

I'm thinking of one meeting for the briefing from the department and six meetings of witnesses, which would be 24 witnesses. We can always cut that down, depending on the witnesses. Maybe we can just fire in to the analyst our witness list at least by Friday, as a first swath. I wouldn't limit anybody. I would suggest that—

[An hon. member]

You need at least one meeting for the report.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

We need to have at least one meeting—usually two—for the report that comes afterward.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

On the 21st, we're going to have officials here for two hours. On the 23rd, we're going to have the minister for an hour and then officials for another hour. Those three hours with officials, will they be enough to hear from the department on pharmacare, or do you want to keep it open?

[Len Webber, Conservative, Calgary Confederation, AB]

Just on pharmacare...?

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

What are the officials coming for? For their meeting, wasn't that specifically to come on an annual report?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

It's up to the committee. If we think if that's enough time to hear the report and also ask them where the department fits on pharmacare, that could be our introduction to pharmacare and meeting with the officials.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

You could explore that with them, Mr. Chairman, but I think one of the concerns would be the personnel that they would send to the meeting.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

Yes, they'd have to know.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Yes. My suspicion is that it's quite a discrete area, pharmacare, and you'd probably want one briefing with people knowledgeable in the department on pharmacare and pharmaceuticals. You could certainly explore that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

We'll ask them for an update, and we'll also be asking questions on pharmacare.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

If you think that's sufficient...? It could be efficient to double up on that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

Yes, I think it would work.

Are there any thoughts?

Let's do that. We'll invite the officials with a focus on the update, but we also want to hear about pharmacare. Okay?

[Some hon. members]

Okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

If that's not enough, we'll bring them back.

Mr. Carrie.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

As well, was there a meeting with the estimates coming up? Were there any estimates? When the minister comes, will she basically be here to talk about estimates on that visit?