Health Committee on Feb. 3rd, 2020

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Hopefully this is a quick question. Has there been any consideration of possibly triaging, of separating people on the plane according to their risk? I would think that some people have been in close proximity to people who caught the coronavirus but are as yet asymptomatic, and there are other people with basically no contact.

Given the possibility and the unconfirmed reports out of China that it is contagious during the asymptomatic period, the incubation period, have you considered the possibility of putting those who you think are more likely to end up being infected in a different part of the plane than those who haven't been exposed?

[Heather Jeffrey]

We've been working very closely with our colleagues at Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada to develop guidance, procedures, protocols and training for our staff, not just those who are at our embassies and consulates in China, but also those who are going to be on the plane and are on the ground. We will have a full DND medical team of six doctors and nurses who are going to be on board and provide that kind of care, and there is going to be a questionnaire administered as part of their screening.

As I mentioned, even to access the airport there is a three-kilometre perimeter where the Chinese government is maintaining quarantine controls. There will be Chinese medical screening. They will be checked again by Chinese doctors at the airport. There are a number of protocols. Once they are approved through exit controls, they will be rescreened by the DND medical team before boarding, and there will be a questionnaire also applied there that will touch on what contacts they've had, etc. Then we will take the guidance of the DND medical staff about how to arrange things on the plane appropriately.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you.

We'll go now to Mr. Thériault for two and a half minutes.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll try to keep it short to have time for a long answer.

From the time that the World Health Organization, or WHO, declared a global health emergency regarding the coronavirus, I would assume that, territorially, border crossings were of the utmost concern. After all, the virus has a 14-day incubation period and carriers of the virus can be asymptomatic.

When the WHO deemed the situation a global crisis, did you take any specific measures vis-à-vis our neighbours to the south or have any relevant communications with them?

[Paul MacKinnon]

We certainly speak with our American colleagues, Mr. Chair, on a regular basis. We spoke to our colleagues at the CBP, the Customs and Border Protection agency, just before coming here this afternoon. We're in constant communication with them, certainly with their decision over the weekend to ban some flights coming in from China and some passengers coming in. We talk to them on an ongoing basis.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

In the space of 14 days, a person can return from China and travel to the United States through a Canadian airport. Therefore, did you take any specific measures in Canada to prevent the secondary spread of the virus?

[Denis Vinette]

We work very closely with the United States. I'm in contact with my American counterpart. We have very similar screening processes for travellers arriving at the border. When they enter the United States, they are subject to the same screening measures. One of the reasons why we expanded the health screening question to 10 airports is to also screen people who have been to the United States.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Is that the case at land border crossings as well?

[Denis Vinette]

No.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Airports aren't the only places these people pass through.

[Denis Vinette]

Officers at land border crossings have the same information as those working in airports, but they weren't given a mandate to put the screening question to travellers. Their information comes from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

We work with our American counterparts to ensure our approaches are consistent with one another. If anything happens in the United States, the authorities there will notify us and vice versa. We are in daily contact to stay abreast of what is happening on both sides of the border and to prevent infection on either side.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you.

Mr. Davies, you have two and a half minutes.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

By my count, outside of China, there are at least 24 countries that have reported a case of the coronavirus. To pick up on my earlier question about WHO expressing concern about the ability of some countries to handle the virus, does Canada have a list of countries of specific concern?

[Paul MacKinnon]

From our perspective, Mr. Chair, at the border we do not have such a list. I don't know if colleagues....

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

I'm seeing them nodding no.

Okay. Thank you.

Is the CBSA using thermal scanning to screen higher body temperatures related to coronavirus infection?

[Paul MacKinnon]

I believe not, Mr. Chair.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

This was a one-off case, maybe. According to a January 31 article from CBC News, a Canadian physician said he developed a nasty cold with cough and runny nose while on a flight from Hong Kong to Toronto. He is questioning whether there are adequate safeguards to stop the spread of coronavirus in Canada. His name is Massey Beveridge. He is a retired surgeon. He said he was waved through Pearson International Airport even after reporting the symptoms to a border services agent.

Are you aware of this news report, and if so, does it concern you?

[Paul MacKinnon]

Mr. Chair, for privacy reasons, I wouldn't want to speak about a specific individual.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

He went public to CBC.

[Paul MacKinnon]

Still, Mr. Chair, we would not get into the particulars of an individual's case at an airport. We feel confident that our assessment process, which we described earlier, is working in terms of referrals to PHAC.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Without getting into that particular case, just hearing the description of the event, does that situation cause you any concern? What would you tell the committee about the effectiveness of the screening process, if that's indeed happening?

[Paul MacKinnon]

Generally, Mr. Chair, we discuss all kinds of cases that are happening at the border on an ongoing basis to see, as in my earlier answer to a question, if there are ways we should be working to improve. We are constantly asking ourselves those questions, in a general sense.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

What support will the Government of Canada make available to Canadians in China who cannot be evacuated because they are exhibiting respiratory or other flu-like symptoms?

[Heather Jeffrey]

At the moment, we don't have any such cases, but we're alert to them.

The Government of China has a policy of trying to contain this virus through quarantine and through exit controls around provinces and cities. For example, if an individual is found at screening to be symptomatic, they are going to be referred to the Chinese medical system, the health clinics and the hospitals that are being set up to treat this virus.

Our support on the consular side would be to keep in touch with those persons, with their family, to make sure they have access to the necessary things they need and to facilitate. We would deal with it on a case-by-case basis, with linkages to insurance companies, and work with local authorities. It's hypothetical at this stage, because we don't have any such case, but there are a wide range of tools we have at our disposal to engage. Whether it's directly or even remotely, in cases where we're not able to access that particular area, we have some contingency planning for those things, but we currently don't have a case where we've had to use those supports.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you. That brings our third round to a close.

I'd like to thank all the witnesses for being here, for giving us such excellent information and for spending time with us today.

For our next meeting, which is Wednesday, we currently have a couple of confirmed witnesses. I was wondering if we want to ask the clerk to invite Dr. Tam to return for further questions.