Health Committee on April 16th, 2021

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

I challenge your ruling.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

The question is, shall the decision of the chair to carry on with the agenda and the witness statements be sustained?

(Ruling of the chair overturned: nays 6; yeas 5)

Very well, the committee has made its decision. We will not carry on with the statements from the other witnesses.

We will therefore start our round of questioning. We will begin with the Conservatives.

Ms. Rempel Garner, I expect that would be you.

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

That's correct. Thank you, Chair.

My question is for Major-General Dany Fortin.

How many doses of Moderna vaccines will arrive in Canada between today and the end of the month of April?

[Major-General Dany Fortin, Vice-President, Vaccine Roll-Out Task Force, Logistics and Operations, Public Health Agency of Canada]

Mr. Chair, there will be 650,000.

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

How many doses of Pfizer vaccines will arrive in Canada between today and the end of the month of April?

[MGen Dany Fortin]

Between now and the end of April, there will be two million.

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

How many doses of Moderna vaccines will arrive in Canada between May 1 and May 15?

[MGen Dany Fortin]

Mr. Chair, I do not know at this time.

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

How many doses of Pfizer will arrive in Canada between May 1 and May 15?

[MGen Dany Fortin]

Mr. Chair, from May onwards, we expect approximately two million a week.

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

Okay, and that has been confirmed, so there will be four million Pfizer doses between May 1 and May 15.

[MGen Dany Fortin]

Yes, Mr. Chair, there will be two million a week, every week.

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

Thank you.

Mr. Tunis, when do you expect to reach a decision on whether to change NACI's recommendations on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in persons under age 55?

[Dr. Matthew Tunis, Executive Secretary, National Advisory Committee on Immunization, Public Health Agency of Canada]

Mr. Chair, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, or NACI, has been meeting this week to discuss the evolving situation and the conclusion of Health Canada's assessment. They are working very quickly to try to update any recommendations on that to provide advice to the Government of Canada and to provinces and territories.

We would expect something in the coming weeks from the committee.

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

How many weeks will it be on that?

[Dr. Matthew Tunis]

It will likely be next week. The committee is working right now to deliberate.

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

Thank you.

Dr. Tunis, this question is also for you. The United States has paused the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Is NACI preparing similar advice for Canada, or will the rollout proceed under current advice as scheduled, at the beginning of May?

[Dr. Matthew Tunis]

NACI has not yet issued advice on how the Janssen vaccine should be integrated into public health programs in Canada. It is authorized, of course, in the country, but the committee has been deliberating and has been waiting as more information comes forward. Obviously, we have seen the evolving situation in the U.S.

The committee has been discussing the Janssen vaccine and is expecting to provide advice before doses arrive in the country. They are moving to provide us advice this month. That's the expectation from the committee.

We don't know at this time what the conclusions of their deliberations will be and where they will see to fit Janssen into the public health programs recommended to provinces and territories.

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

When will that advice be ready?

[Dr. Matthew Tunis]

Mr. Chair, they're working on it now. The expectation of the committee is that the advice will be ready before the doses arrive, so before the end of the month.

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

Thank you.

Minister Hajdu, has the federal government made a formal request to any other country or aid organization for critical care workers in the event that provinces request surge capacity in coming weeks?

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

Mr. Chair, we work really closely with the provinces and territories on their anticipated health human resource requests.

I will turn to Deputy Lucas to talk about those conversations he is having with other deputy ministers across the country.

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

Deputy Lucas, the question was as follows: Has the federal government made a formal request to any other country or aid organization for critical care workers in the event that provinces request surge capacity in the coming weeks?

[Dr. Stephen Lucas, Deputy Minister, Department of Health]

We are in discussion at the officials level with provinces in terms of anticipated needs for both health human resources and medical equipment and other supplies. On the basis of those, we'll address them in terms of federal assets and supports from other provinces—

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

Deputy Lucas, have you asked any other country or aid organization for critical care workers?