Welcome, everyone, to meeting number 18 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health. Pursuant to the orders of reference of April 11 and April 20, 2020, the committee is meeting for the purpose of receiving evidence concerning matters related to the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to facilitate the work of our interpreters and ensure an orderly meeting, I would like to outline a few rules to follow.
First, interpretation in this video conference will work very much as in a regular committee meeting. You have a choice at the bottom of your screen of floor, English or French. If you will be speaking in both official languages, please ensure that the interpretation is listed as the language you will speak. For example, if you're going to speak English, please switch to the English feed, then speak. This allows for better sound quality for interpretation.
Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. That will be a little different once questioning starts, when it will be a bit more free flow.
When you are ready to speak, click on the microphone icon to activate your mike. Should members need to request the floor outside of their designated time for questions, they should activate their mike and state that they have a point of order.
I'll remind you that all comments by members and witnesses should be addressed through the chair.
When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly, and when you're not speaking, your mike should be on mute. If you have earbuds with a microphone, please hold the microphone near your mouth when you're speaking.
Should any technical challenges arise, please advise the chair or the clerk immediately, and a technical team will work to resolve them.
Before we get started, I would like everyone to check in the top right-hand corner and be sure they are on gallery view. With this view, you should be able to see all of the participants in a grid-like fashion. It will ensure that all video participants can see one another.
I would now like to welcome our witnesses. Each witness group will have 10 minutes for an opening statement, followed by the usual rounds of questions from members.
Today we have, from the Canadian Lung Association, Terry Dean, president and chief executive officer, and Dr. Mohit Bhutani, representative and professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary medicine at the University of Alberta.
From the Canadian Cancer Society, we have Andrea Seale, chief executive officer, and Kelly Masotti, director of public issues.
From the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders, we have Dr. Durhane Wong-Rieger, president and chief executive officer.
From HealthCareCAN, we have Paul-Émile Cloutier, president and chief executive officer, and Dr. Bradly Wouters, representative and executive vice-president for science and research at the University Health Network.
From the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, we have Anne Simard, chief mission and research officer.
With that, we will start with Mr. Dean.
Mr. Dean, please go ahead with your statement. You have 10 minutes, please.