Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Dr. Tam, I still feel that public trust remains the most important asset for a public health agency. Such an agency gives directives to people; it does mass medicine and asks people to follow those directives.
The pandemic is obviously still with us, but we are taking stock of a number of things.
During the pandemic, many people in the public had difficulty distinguishing between politics and science. It was hard to know what specific recommendations you had made to the government and what analyses you had given them.
It was difficult to know which parts were political. It's good that there is political involvement, because politicians are elected to make decisions, especially on social cohesion. I am not here to put your agency on trial. In fact, I think it has done a good job.
I wonder what could have been done differently to increase public confidence in the scientific process that led to health measures, mandates, and vaccination, among others.
Dr. Tam, I don't want you to waste my remaining time telling me what you did. I would like you to tell me what you would have done differently and what could have been done differently.
Communication is part of the scientific process in public health. I am not asking you to play politics, but rather to tell me what should have been done differently.