Health Committee on Feb. 5th, 2021

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

It's very difficult for me to determine what decisions provinces and territories will take. It will depend on the circulation of the virus.

As Dr. Tam has already indicated, we know a lot about the virus and protecting people from death and from adverse outcomes with infection from COVID-19. What we don't know yet is how it affects asymptomatic transmission. I'm again repeating what Dr. Tam has advised the committee earlier.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

With the delays we're experiencing in vaccine shipments, it not only means that more Canadians are going to be dying preventable deaths, but also that the businesses that all of us are hearing from will continue to be closed, and Canadians won't be able to make their rent and put food on the table because of the measures that remain in place. What you're saying is that you expect the lockdowns to continue until vaccines are available—

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

No, Mr. Barlow. Please don't say what you think you've heard me say. What I'm saying is that of course we're working—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Well, you're not answering the question.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Well, you still can't...you don't have the right to tell this committee what you think you've heard me say. I will say that is not what I said.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Well, then, answer the question, Minister. Answer the question.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

I did answer the question, Mr. Barlow, and the answer is, of course we're working as quickly as possible to vaccinate as many Canadians as possible, because we know that vaccination is an important tool to ending the destruction that COVID-19 has wreaked on Canadians' lives. We are solely focused on that, but I will also say that many of the public health measures that you refer to are imposed by provinces and territories, and it is at their full discretion when and how they lift them.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Barlow.

We go now to Mr. Fisher.

Mr. Fisher, please go ahead. You have five minutes.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank our witnesses, and I also want to thank the government officials for being here. I know we're not hearing an awful lot from them, but I do want to thank them for the work they're doing day and night to keep Canadians safe.

My question is for Minister Anand. Under previous governments, Canada lost the manufacturing capability and technology to produce some of these extremely highly technical vaccines. I think this is just obviously one of the reasons why it's so important that you, Minister, and our government have worked so hard to make sure Canada has a very strong—I know we've heard this a lot—and diverse vaccine portfolio. We hear that a lot. We have the most units per capita in the world.

I recognize that members opposite like to say that this portfolio doesn't necessarily matter, that Canadians won't be vaccinated until 2022 or 2030, but we know that it does matter. This type of misinformation only serves to mislead Canadians and spread fear. As soon as Health Canada approved the first vaccine candidate, we took delivery of vaccines, and the same with the second. We've already delivered more than a million vaccines to provinces and territories.

Minister, I think we can agree that we're hearing a lot of false and misleading information about vaccine delivery and distribution. I want to know if you can tell this committee what the reality is of vaccines being delivered in Canada.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

By all means, I would very much like to present the facts as I know them, and as I present them to Canadians whenever I have an opportunity.

First and foremost, you are correct that we were one of the first countries to begin inoculations in December, and, indeed, to roll out a vaccine across the country. The reason why we were chosen by Pfizer and Moderna as the recipient of their vaccines earlier than other countries was because Canada was ready.

The Public Health Agency of Canada, Minister Hajdu and I mentioned to the vaccine companies that we would be ready to accept delivery. That readiness and perseverance has certainly paid off in terms of our negotiations with the vaccine companies.

Moderna in particular has continued to mention that this is only a temporary delay, and they will continue to deliver. Pfizer has also mentioned that this is only a temporary delay. We will, through both of those suppliers, see six million doses in this country prior to the end of March, as those companies are committed to do under contract.

We at PSPC have moved very quickly to ensure that we would have options under contract and accelerated delivery so we will see 20 million more doses of approved vaccines alone coming into this country in Q2. That is a very important fact to remember when thinking about the deliveries that Canadians should be expecting. Millions and millions of vaccines are going to be coming into this country in Q2. Canadians, provinces and territories should realize that and be ready.

Then at the end of Q3, if not sooner, we expect there to be more than 70 million vaccines in aggregate in this country, and all Canadians who wish to have access to a vaccine should have it.

In my opinion, the Economist timetable, the Bloomberg timetable and the messaging we have heard from the opposition on the impossibility of reaching our timelines, are false. We have had assurances from the vaccine suppliers, and, indeed, from approved vaccine suppliers alone—Moderna and Pfizer—that they will be shipping those vaccines to this country. I am confident that we will be seeing Canadians who wish to be inoculated being inoculated prior to the end of September, if not sooner.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you very much, Minister.

Quickly, I would like to go Major-General Fortin.

Major-General, from day one it appears that you have been giving Canadians real-time information, whether it's good news or disappointing news. I want to thank you for that because I don't think there's another country out there that's doing that, and I see you do it every day.

I want to know if you made a conscious decision from the start to take that information in real time and pass it along to Canadians, whether it's good news or whether it's disappointing news.

[MGen Dany Fortin]

It's an absolute honour for me to represent day in and day out a much larger team. What you see is me talking, but it's a team effort of military and public servants from across the Government of Canada, as well as provinces, territories and a number of stakeholders, so it's with great pride that I share those numbers.

I share numbers as we have them and as they become actionable information for partners. If we're unsure about those numbers, we wait, but we want to provide the truth with confidence to provinces, territories and shareholders to allow them to plan as effectively as possible.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Fisher.

We go now to Ms. Rempel Garner. Please go ahead for five minutes.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Thank you, Chair.

To the minister of procurement, The Globe and Mail is reporting that new Statistics Canada data suggests we're paying significantly higher per dose for vaccines than the United States and the EU, yet we're receiving them later.

Is that correct?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

We are paying fair value for our vaccines. We have, as I mentioned, confidentiality provisions that prevent me from providing specifics relating to price, but I will say that when I say “fair value”, that means prices are, to my knowledge, comparable.

Of course, I don't know exactly what all other jurisdictions are paying, but we negotiated in earnest for the accelerated delivery, and we will continue to do that with the vaccine suppliers.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

The accelerated delivery we received was zero. The Globe and Mail is reporting $38 per dose and that's higher than the U.S. and the EU.

Would you like to comment on that?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

I sure would.

It's actually incorrect for us to be talking about one price per dose. We have seven agreements with vaccine candidates and therefore the price per dose differs per vaccine. I don't think it's accurate simply to throw out global numbers like that.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Is it accurate for The Globe and Mail and Statistics Canada to suggest that?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

As I have mentioned, there is a confidentiality clause in our agreements, and I personally would be in violation of those clauses if I mentioned the price.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

I'd like to go back to the Minister of Health. She started responding to one of my colleague's questions about the subject of international travel restrictions and she raised the issue of COVAX.

Is the minister looking at international travel restrictions as they apply to global herd immunity or domestic herd immunity?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Those considerations are very live and active right now globally, as you know. Countries are struggling with decisions about what to do to restore international travel safely, and Canada is a participant in those conversations.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Would the minister be advising lifting those restrictions upon domestic herd immunity or global herd immunity being achieved?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

I would not actually be advising at this point. I'm taking advice from research and science, and that research and science is under way and it is a complex space. I have had regular ongoing biweekly conversations with my G7 counterparts, and this is something all countries are examining in terms of next steps on international travel.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Is the minister going to be advising any exemptions for quarantine requirements on international travellers for any groups such as those travelling abroad for medical surgery, family reunification, minors under 18 or religious missionary travel?