Evidence of meeting #29 for Health in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was vaccines.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Dany Fortin  Vice-President, Vaccine Roll-Out Task Force, Logistics and Operations, Public Health Agency of Canada
Matthew Tunis  Executive Secretary, National Advisory Committee on Immunization, Public Health Agency of Canada
Stephen Lucas  Deputy Minister, Department of Health
Bill Matthews  Deputy Minister, Department of Public Works and Government Services
Theresa Tam  Chief Public Health Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada
Iain Stewart  President, Public Health Agency of Canada

2:25 p.m.

Liberal

Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON

My next question is for Minister Hajdu.

Peel now has more than 5,000 active cases. We keep hearing local concern that Peel region is not getting a sufficient supply from the provincial distribution stage for the number of cases.

Yesterday, the mayor of Brampton had a discussion with the Prime Minister, sharing these concerns. Today, the Prime Minister said that the government is ready 24-7 to help Ontario, if such help is requested.

Minister Hajdu, the Peel chief medical officer has a similar concern. Who can he call about the supply to Peel? How does this system work? Is there sufficient supply from the provincial distribution stage? What steps is our government taking to assist hot spots like my home community in Brampton?

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON

First of all, my heart goes out to everyone working in the Peel and Brampton area and everyone living in the area, because you're right that your region of the province has been very hard hit for, I would argue, a very long time. The appropriate supports have not been in place to help people isolate and stay safe. Our federal government, as you know, has been trying very hard to make sure people have access to, for example, financial supports if they're sick, as well as other kinds of health supports through Red Cross support. I work very closely, as you know, with Dr. Loh, and we've provided isolation housing, for example, in your community.

More needs to be done.

You asked me first about how we could tell who's getting which vaccines, and we can't really. This is the job of the Ontario government to provide that transparency about how they are further distributing vaccines in the province. You heard my colleague speak about Pfizer deliveries going directly to provinces and territories. That's really the only data we have. Data from other vaccines and how they're distributed across the province is owned by the province, and they have not as of yet been transparent with that data, although I believe Dr. Adalsteinn Brown just recently gave some modelling and some updated data on vaccine distribution.

The best approach in terms of trying to understand Peel's allocation of vaccinations from the Province of Ontario is directly with the province itself. Mayor Brown would know that, but of course Dr. Loh would know that as well.

You're absolutely right. We stand by, ready to help the Province of Ontario and indeed local public health units with anything they need. If it would be helpful, I'm happy to speak with Dr. Loh again, or the public health units, just to make sure we haven't missed anything. As I said, we have been providing rapid response supports, including Red Cross workers, isolation housing, contact tracers, epidemiological support to break out where those clusters of outbreaks are happening, and of course the financial supports. It's very important they have someone like you also, MP Sidhu, to advocate for them.

Thank you so much for being a constant voice for your community members. In every meeting I'm at, you are speaking out for the health and safety of the people you care for.

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Thank you, Ms. Sidhu.

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

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Thank you.

Major Fortin, how many doses of vaccine is Ontario projected to receive between now and the end of May?

2:30 p.m.

MGen Dany Fortin

We are still crunching numbers with the new announcement by Pfizer. With that increase we'll have to come back to Ontario and issue those numbers, and across Canadian provinces.

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Going back to you, Major-General, Ontario just released information saying it would need to vaccinate approximately two million people per week in order to have a hope of bending the curve by the end of May. Is that something that is possible, given current projected supplies to Ontario?

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON

Maybe I can take this question—

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

It was for Major-General Fortin. Thank you.

2:30 p.m.

MGen Dany Fortin

Again, Mr. Chair, I'll have to do the number crunching with colleagues here before I can answer this question in detail, but the projections are that those numbers will increase for all provinces, including Ontario.

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Would you be able to provide that data to committee, perhaps by the end of next week, with regard to projected doses for Ontario by the end of May?

2:30 p.m.

MGen Dany Fortin

We'll take that on notice, Mr. Chair.

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Thank you.

This next question is for Mr. Stewart.

Has the government asked you to provide any advice to update allocations to provinces or any other group based on hot spots, or is it still per capita?

2:35 p.m.

Iain Stewart President, Public Health Agency of Canada

Our current approach, as mentioned, is per capita.

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Has the government asked you to look at revising that approach at all?

2:35 p.m.

President, Public Health Agency of Canada

Iain Stewart

I have my team continually working on different ways to respond to the pandemic, and different strategies.

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Are you—

2:35 p.m.

President, Public Health Agency of Canada

Iain Stewart

It's just the phrasing of your question. I'm not sure what you mean, but we work on this—

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Are you actively looking right now at potentially updating advice on allocations of vaccines from per capita to any other criteria?

2:35 p.m.

President, Public Health Agency of Canada

Iain Stewart

It would be very normal for us to do scenario planning like you're saying, yes.

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

When would that become public?

2:35 p.m.

President, Public Health Agency of Canada

Iain Stewart

This is internal work. That would be for ministers, if this was of interest to them.

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Can you table any documentation that you have on that with committee by the end of next week?

2:35 p.m.

President, Public Health Agency of Canada

Iain Stewart

I'll look into what's appropriate to provide and the extent that it's advice that's available to be shared.

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Thank you.

According to CTV reports, Mr. Stewart, Toronto hospitals are reporting that as many as 20% of ICU COVID patients are pregnant women. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada is asking government to prioritize women more than 20 weeks pregnant immediately, because of heightened risks to them from COVID. Are you preparing any advice for the government to advocate for prioritizing pregnant women for vaccination?

2:35 p.m.

President, Public Health Agency of Canada

Iain Stewart

My colleagues from Health Canada would be better placed, Mr. Chair, to respond to the question. Before any of the vaccines can be used by Dany and our team with the provinces in this way, they would have to be approved for use for that indication.