Evidence of meeting #15 for Health in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was response.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Tom Stamatakis  President, Canadian Police Association
Jeff Wilkins  National President, Union of Canadian Correctional Officers
Patrick Tanguy  Assistant Deputy Minister, Emergency Management and Programs, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Sally Thornton  Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
Cindy Evans  Acting Vice-President, Emergency Management, Public Health Agency of Canada

3:15 p.m.

Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Sally Thornton

In my opening remarks, I did talk about the gradual evolution of the national emergency strategic stockpile, and it has evolved from wartime to current times, right before the pandemic, with various phases and various types of funding. It does not have a large budget, as compared with my international colleagues or even some of my domestic partners. It has been funded for what it was asked to do. However, it was not asked to prepare beyond surge capacity for provinces and territories.

With hindsight, one could always like more. One would always wish, however this goes forward, as we do the preparedness and identify the risks and what's required to address those risks, that in the future the budget allocation is proportionate, to allow us to meet that.

3:20 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

Thank you. I know that in—

3:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Mr. Davies, you're at your time right now.

3:20 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

Thank you.

3:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

That ends our first round of questions.

We now start our second round of questions with Ms. Jansen.

Ms. Jansen, please go ahead. You have five minutes.

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

Thank you. I have a question for Ms. Thornton.

Ms. Thornton, is the the national emergency strategic stockpile separate from the provincial stockpiles?

3:20 p.m.

Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

Then my question is this: What quantity of masks were on hand in NESS at the start of this pandemic?

3:20 p.m.

Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Sally Thornton

We would have to follow up on that number.

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

Okay, if I could get that number....

Yesterday, we heard from Mr. Matthews that he's ordered more than 293 million surgical masks. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is, at the current burn rate, how long those will last.

3:20 p.m.

Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Sally Thornton

For that number, we'd have to do calculations on burn rate. I would just caution that a procurement order is not the same as what we receive.

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

Okay, then my next question is in regard to stock rotation. How often per year do you offer PPE for sale in order to help rotate the stock that you have in the stockpile?

3:20 p.m.

Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Sally Thornton

We don't offer it for sale, but we will distribute it.

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

How often does that happen? That goes to the provinces, I'm assuming.

3:20 p.m.

Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Sally Thornton

Not necessarily. We've had cases, particularly with third world countries during the Ebola outbreak. Just let me grab my—

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

No, that's all right.

Your stock rotation is given away as it gets close to expiry. Do you immediately restock when you do that?

3:20 p.m.

Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Sally Thornton

Depending on the nature of the item, yes.

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

How often does that happen?

3:20 p.m.

Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Sally Thornton

Antivirals, which are where we are active, happen regularly.

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

How about the masks?

3:20 p.m.

Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Sally Thornton

I would have to confirm that.

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

I think you mentioned that the masks were five years old. Is that correct?

3:20 p.m.

Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Sally Thornton

The ones in the Regina warehouse we kept well beyond their expiry date, and normally we would not keep them that long.

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

Okay, who is in charge of stock rotation? How does that work? How could those have been left out like that?

3:20 p.m.

Vice-President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Sally Thornton

I am in charge of stock rotation. Typically we do keep things that could work a bit beyond their expiry, but a bit beyond their expiry we are not able to donate them, such as our donations to Texas for Hurricane Harvey or our donations to the Ebola outbreak. We—