Health Committee on March 5th, 2021

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Clerk.

Mr. Fisher, I see your hand up again. Go ahead.

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

Thanks to the clerk for that clarity.

I'm not sure what others think, but I think that Thursday next week is difficult. If the committee decides on Thursday, so be it, but I know that I'm very booked on Thursday and on Thursday evening. I could do the extra two hours on Friday. Again, I don't mean this to sound as if it has anything to do with it being about me. I'm just suggesting that perhaps, based on Don's intervention.... I believe that Monday sometime, if the clerk says it's amenable, is also a possibility. Thursday is a little bit problematic, but again, it's not about me.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Fisher.

Mr. Davies, go ahead.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

I had put my hand up before I heard Darren's comment about Thursday being difficult.

My initial reaction was to grab the Thursday slot. It seems as if it satisfies everybody. It satisfies Michelle's desire to have the meeting next week. It avoids having to move any of our meetings. It gets us out of a four-hour marathon meeting on Friday. To me, it's perfect.

I understand that we're never going to get everybody's schedule to be perfect on this, but I'm going to, subject to Luc's.... I know we're still dealing with his motion, so I apologize for that. I don't know if it's proper to make a subamendment or to make a friendly amendment to Mr. Thériault's motion, but I would move that we hold a two-hour meeting to discuss the contents of Michelle's motion in the Thursday slot, from 6:30 to 8:30.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Perhaps we could get to the vote on Luc's motion, and then maybe consider that later, if it's okay with you. Is that okay, Mr. Davies?

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

We have Mr. Van Bynen next.

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Chair, unfortunately, I have House duty on Thursday night.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Van Bynen.

Mr. Barlow, please go ahead.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thursday would work for the Conservative team. We can make that work.

If we can get to some sort of consensus.... We're not going to get to a consensus where every member can make it there, but if we are leaning towards that, perhaps either we could vote on Mr. Thériault's motion now, or Mr. Thériault could withdraw his motion and maybe put in a second amendment to look at Thursday night. That seems to be more amenable to more members. It's just a suggestion, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Barlow.

We'll get to the vote as soon as we have no one wishing to speak to the amendment.

I see no more hands raised. Let us proceed to the vote on Mr. Thériault's amendment.

Mr. Clerk, I would ask you to take the roll call, please.

(Amendment negatived: nays 6; yeas 5)

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Clerk.

The amendment does not carry. We now go back to the discussion on the main motion.

I have Mr. Davies.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would move that we hold the meeting called for in the motion on Thursday, at the time slot identified by the clerk, which I believe was from 6:30 to 8:30 eastern time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Davies.

We'll go forward on discussion of Mr. Davies' amendment.

Mr. Fisher, go ahead.

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

Once again, Mr. Chair, I put my hand up to speak to the main motion and then Mr. Davies moved another amendment.

Notwithstanding what I said before, Thursday is not perfect for me, but again, it's not about me. I hate to continue to harp on this, but I'll go back to the clerk again. Perhaps I wasn't listening, but I thought he didn't say that Thursday evening was available and now I'm hearing that it is.

I hate to ask for even more clarification, but, Mr. Clerk, are you certain that Thursday evening is available?

[The Clerk]

Yes. I didn't have the information, but I got an email saying that Thursday is free now. That's why it was not mentioned earlier. I'm sorry for the confusion.

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

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

We're getting the information hot off the press as it comes in.

Are you finished with your intervention, Mr. Fisher? Okay.

Mr. Kelloway, please go ahead.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

I was just going to bring up what Darren brought up. It seems that we have clarity that Thursday is open. It sounds like that's assured. It's clear that Thursday is open. The basis of my question was to get confirmation that Thursday was open and, through the clerk, it sounds like it is indeed open.

I was going to suggest Friday if Thursday wasn't open, but I don't want to muddy the waters. I'll hang up now.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Kelloway.

I see no more hands raised. We shall proceed to the vote on Mr. Davies' amendment.

(Amendment agreed to: yeas 6; nays 5)

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

The discussion now is on the motion as amended by Mr. Davies. The motion as amended by Mr. Davies basically calls for the meeting, the one spoken of in the motion, to take place on Thursday evening.

Ms. Sidhu, on the motion as amended, please go ahead.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

As I said before, I am curious as to why the members who submitted the motion did not include any representatives from Health Canada who approve the vaccines. I think we all want to listen to Health Canada. It seems like there are questions about the authorization of the vaccines. It's important that Health Canada be in there.

I would like to amend the motion by requesting that Dr. Supriya Sharma, the chief medical adviser, and Dr. Marc Berthiaume, the director of the bureau of medical sciences, be invited to present in this meeting and that they be given the same time as the NACI experts.

Also, I think we should hear from some outside experts as well. I have a list that should be considered. The list includes Dr. Cora from the University of Calgary; Dr. Andrew Morris, medical director, antimicrobial stewardship program; Caroline Colijin, mathematician and modeller at Simon Fraser University; Horacio Bach; Dr. Hassan Masri, ICU physician and associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan; Dr. Joss Reimer, MB vaccine task force; Dr. Isaac Bogoch, Ontario vaccine task force; Dr. Danuta Skowronski, epidemiology lead on influenza; and Dr. Krishana Sankar, program manager of COVID-19 Resources Canada.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Ms. Sidhu, did you wish to move an amendment?

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Yes, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

I'll ask you to restate your amendment, because it's kind of hard for me to figure out exactly what the motion will be.

You wish to amend the motion as amended already by Mr. Davies.