Evidence of meeting #38 for Health in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was doses.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Did anybody suggest to you, between the time you were first made aware and May 13, that Major-General Fortin might need to be replaced?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
Well, I certainly began thinking: If there is some incident, what would it entail? I guess that's kind of what my response was.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Did you share those concerns with the Minister of Health?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
It's an operational matter. The personnel at the Public Health Agency of Canada and the teams involved are under my responsibility.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Did you have any concerns that an undisclosed problem with the person in charge of Canada's vaccine rollout might be problematic?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
As I said, I began to think about it, but at that time, it actually wasn't clear what we were dealing with.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Did you press for any more information between March, when you were made aware of this, and the end of May?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
Who pressed for information from...?
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
I meant you. Did you do anything to get more information to understand how this might compromise Canada's vaccine rollout?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
We have a highly effective and well-performing team that involves over 200 people doing the vaccine rollout. We have a variety of executives leading that team, including 2ICs, etc. The vital mandate of the vaccine rollout is taken extremely seriously by this organization. At that stage it was not clear what the potential issue was, nor was it clear what the repercussions were going to be.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Did you discuss this issue with anyone in the Privy Council Office, any other minister's office or the Prime Minister's Office when you became aware of it in March?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
As I mentioned, when I became aware of it I did not discuss it with the minister or with the minister's office; nor, of course, would I discuss it with the Prime Minister's Office.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Was there no one else you discussed it with beyond the person who made you aware of it in March?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
Do you mean within my organization? What do you mean?
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Sure. I just want to know who knew, essentially, once you became aware of this.
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
I have a chief of staff, for instance. I would have discussed it with my chief of staff just as an issue that we were thinking about.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Thank you.
Mr. Stewart or Dr. Lucas, by what date do you currently expect 20% of Canadians to have received both doses of vaccine?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
Steve, are you going to answer that or do you want me to?
Deputy Minister, Department of Health
You go ahead, Iain.
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
We're trending well toward late June to make an achievement of that nature.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Thank you.
What date do you expect to have about 50% of Canadians having received both doses of vaccine?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
Two doses of vaccine I think would be something we would be achieving in July—the back end of July or August. It would be in around then.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Thank you.
This is my last question.
Mr. Stewart, do you think that not acting on a potential allegation of sexual harassment might send out the wrong message to women in your department as well? I'm just kind of flabbergasted that you would know about this in the middle of March and not do anything about it.