I call this meeting to order.
Welcome, everyone, to meeting 19 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health. We are operating 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.
First, interpretation in this video conference will work very much the way it does 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 before you start. For example, if you are going to speak English, switch to the English feed. If you're going to speak French, switch to the French feed. This will allow for much better sound quality for interpretation.
Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. Once the questioning starts, the witnesses may feel free to respond as appropriate. When you are ready to speak, click on your 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 remind you that all comments by members and witnesses should be addressed through the chair.
When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly. 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 are speaking. Should any technical challenges arise, please advise the chair or the clerk immediately. The technical team will work to resolve them. It may be necessary at times to suspend the meeting in order to deal with such technical issues as they arise.
Before we get started, can everyone click on the screen at the top right-hand corner and ensure they are on gallery view? With this view, you should be able to see all of the participants in a grid-like manner. It will ensure that all video participants can see one another.
I would like to welcome our witnesses: from the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, Dr. Paul Dorian, representative and department director, division of cardiology, University of Toronto; from the Canadian Health Coalition, Melanie Benard, national director, policy and advocacy; from the Canadian Nurses Association, Michael Villeneuve, chief executive officer; and finally, from Diabetes Canada, Russell Williams, president, and Kimberley Hanson, executive director, federal affairs.
Coincidentally, this week is National Nursing Week, and 2020 is the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth. I would like to take a moment to recognize all the nurses working so diligently in the face of this pandemic and doing critically important work every single day, in all areas of care.
I will start the opening statements with Michael Villeneuve, CEO of the Canadian Nurses Association.
Mr. Villeneuve, go ahead for 10 minutes, please.