I call this meeting to order.
Welcome, everyone, to meeting number 13 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health. The committee is meeting today to study the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board's guidelines. Then we will proceed to the clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-210, an act to amend the Canada Revenue Agency Act, regarding organ and tissue donors.
I thank the witnesses for appearing today. From Best Medicines Coalition, we have John Adams, who is the board chair. From Boehringer Ingelheim Canada Limited, we have Mehmood Alibhai, director, national policy and patient access, and Annie Beauchemin, executive director, patient access, pricing, health care affairs solutions. From Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, we have Stephen Frank, president and chief executive officer, and from Independent Voices for Safe and Effective Drugs, we have Colleen Fuller.
I will start the meeting by providing you with some information, following the motion that was adopted in the House on Wednesday, September 13, 2020. The committee is now sitting in a hybrid format, meaning that members can participate either in person or by video conference. All members, regardless of their method of participation, will be counted for the purpose of quorum. The committee's power to sit is, however, limited by the priority use of House resources, which is determined by the whips. All questions must be decided by recorded vote unless the committee disposes of them with unanimous consent or on division. Finally, the committee may deliberate in camera, provided that it takes into account the potential risks to confidentiality inherent to such deliberations with remote participants.
The proceedings will be made available via the House of Commons website and, so you are aware, the webcast will always show the person speaking rather than the entirety of the committee.
To ensure an orderly meeting, I will outline a few rules to follow. Members and witnesses may speak in the official language of their choice. Interpretation services are available for this meeting. You have the choice at the bottom of your screen of floor, English or French. Before speaking, click on the microphone icon to activate your own mike, and when you have finished speaking, please put your mike on mute to minimize any interference.
As a reminder, all comments by members and witnesses should be addressed through the chair. Should members need to request the floor outside their designated time for questions, they should activate their mike and state that they have a point of order. Members should do likewise if they wish to intervene on a point of order that has been raised by another member. In the event that a debate ensues, members should use the “raise hand” function, which will signal to the chair your interest to speak and create a speakers list. In order to do so, you should click on “Participants” at the bottom of the screen. When the list pops up, you will see next to your name that you can click “raise hand”.
When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the use of headsets with a boom microphone is mandatory for everyone participating remotely. Should any technical challenges arise, please advise the chair. Please note that we might need to suspend a few minutes, as we need to ensure that all members are able to participate fully.
For those who are participating in person, proceed as you usually would when the whole committee is meeting in person in a committee room, keeping in mind the directives from the Board of Internal Economy regarding masking and health protocols. Should you wish to get my attention, signal me with a hand gesture, or at an appropriate time, call out my name. Should you wish to raise a point of order, wait for an appropriate time and indicate to me clearly that you wish to raise a point of order.
With regard to a speaking list, the committee clerk and I will do the best we can to maintain a consolidated order of speaking for all members, whether they are participating virtually or in person.
Thank you all for listening to that long housekeeping speech one more time.
Before I ask the witnesses to make their statements, I will advise the committee that we have received a letter from the law clerk indicating the status of the document production order. I would ask the committee for authorization to make this letter and its addendum public.
Do I have the approval of the committee to do this?