Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Konyndyk and Professor Gostin, you both said it was a great honour to be here in front of our committee today. I will tell you that the honour is all ours. I thank you for being here today.
When I think of this pandemic, when I think of COVID-19, I think of the faces of public health. I think specifically of the importance of Dr. Tam, of the importance of Canada's relationship with the World Health Organization and of the absolute importance of trusting our experts. With regard to a novel virus, of course we are learning along the way as citizens, as the public and as health experts. I think of the importance of following science and data rather than politics. Personally, I feel that Canadians are very lucky to have Dr. Tam as Canada's chief public health officer.
Professor Gostin, I believe it was you who spoke of public trust and solidarity. How important is it that we continue to trust in science and experts through this pandemic and into the future, assuming there will be more?