Health Committee on Feb. 28th, 2022

[Laila Goodridge]

We thank the Office of the Auditor General for flagging this important recommendation so early on in the pandemic. We did rapid point in time assessments from January to March 2020, which identified the impact of the virus as low. Our risk assessments were based on the WHO's rapid risk assessment guidance.

We looked to update. In June of 2020, that rapid risk assessment tool used was revised and updated. Similarly, improved tools were used to look at the variants of concern including, most recently, the omicron variant of concern. We will be working through our new Centre for Integrated Risk Assessment on the rapid risk assessment tools.

It's quite critical that we work with provinces and territories, as well as our international partners, to look for synergy across the methodologies that are used. However, we agree that there's work to be done.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Ms. Evans and Dr. Hanley.

We have Mr. Lake, please, for five minutes.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Before I do this last round, let me recognize that the pandemic has been hard on everybody. I recognize how hard all of you are working and have been working for the last couple of years. You may not be able to answer some of the questions I ask, but I'm going to ask them anyway, because I think they're important to Canadians.

Allison, I think you're the chief data officer. Can you point to any data that you have found to back up the Prime Minister's comments that of the people who choose not to be vaccinated, many are misogynists and racists? Is there any data to back that up?

[Christopher Allison]

The work that we're doing in the corporate surveillance and data branches really supports the data and analytics and the risk assessments that are happening in other parts of the organization. I'm not aware of any data that we have related to the question.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

With regard to communications, we all want—at least I do, and I imagine all of you do—to see more Canadians get vaccinated.

Is there any evidence to suggest that referring to people who choose not to be vaccinated as “misogynists” and “racists” helps to convince them to choose to get vaccinated?

[Laila Goodridge]

With respect, I believe my colleague has already responded to the question to the best of our ability to answer it.

Thank you.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

It's part of your job, I imagine, to convince people to choose to be vaccinated. Have you found those comments to be helpful in your work to assure Canadians that vaccines are safe?

[Laila Goodridge]

With respect to the vaccination program, as I've stated, the officials who led the vaccine rollout are not here at the Standing Committee of Health today.

We'd be pleased to speak to the data with regard to the success of the vaccination effort, including, most recently, through the omicron aspect of the outbreak and the impacts on hospitalization and ICU utilization.

If there are specific questions, we'll be happy to do our best to answer those, but as I've stated, the officials who led our vaccine rollout program are not at the committee today.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Thank you. We'll look forward to hopefully having them at committee soon.

I'm going to pass the rest of my time to Dr. Ellis.

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I have a couple of questions about data again. What are the metrics that we're going to use in Canada that would suggest we've moved from the pandemic to an endemic state of COVID-19?

Maybe Mr. Allison can answer that. I understand you're the chief data officer for the Public Health Agency of Canada.

[Laila Goodridge]

I'll start the answer and if my colleague has additional points to add, I'll turn to him.

We've not yet reached an endemic state in Canada—

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Excuse me, ma'am. I don't want to be rude, but tell me what the metrics are. What are we going to use? It's just three things, because we know about vaccines, how many people have been immunized and those kinds of things. Answer quickly.

[Laila Goodridge]

In looking at the endemic state, we would be looking at the load on the health care system and its resilience to the demands. We would also be looking to be in a position to provide Canadians with clear and sustained communication.

We expect, based on our modelling, that we would enter the transition period towards the endemic state over the next number of months, but the transition is unlikely to be linear and there remains the potential for a resurgence and variants throughout.

Our experience with the omicron variant of concern is a lesson learned for all in terms of being prepared for worst-case scenarios.

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

I understood that.

When might Canadians have access to that plan? Canadians have no idea when this is happening. Canadians don't know anything about the metrics.

When might PHAC roll out that plan for Canadians? It's very important: Canadians need some hope.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Please be very quick.

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

The chair says be quick. Let me have the date.

[Laila Goodridge]

The epidemiology of the COVID-19 virus is what will determine when we move to an endemic state.

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

I just want the date for the plan.

[Laila Goodridge]

If you'd like to hear about it with respect to our border measures, I could ask my colleague Ms. Diogo to speak to that. In terms of—

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

There is no plan.

[Laila Goodridge]

As I said, the virus and the epidemiology in Canada will dictate when we have reached an endemic state. When we have some—

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

I understand that. I know I'm dogging you here, but I'm not asking you when you're going to declare that it's happening. I asked you that and you said you couldn't answer it.

When are you going to give Canadians a plan? That's my question. It's simple.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

That's the last question and I'll let you answer it without being interrupted, Ms. Evans.

Go ahead.

[Laila Goodridge]

I'll turn to my colleague, Ms. Diogo, if there is additional detail with respect to the public health measures associated with the border that she is in a position to share.

[Brigitte Diogo]

Thank you.

There is no date for a plan that I can give to the committee, Mr. Chair. The chief public health—