Mr. Chair, the member has raised an important issue with respect to the life-cycle management of products through the national emergency strategic stockpile.
Certainly, our first line of deployment is to the provinces and territories for use within their health care systems, but where we see that stocks may expire before we're able to deploy them, we would follow the policies that are laid out by the Treasury Board in terms of appropriate divestment and deployment. We would, for example, look to transfer to other federal departments, usually through the Government of Canada surplus. We have an ability to sell them at fair market value.
As well, we look to do donations to other levels of government and recognize charitable organizations. That's another opportunity for a broader reach within Canada to make sure the supplies can be effectively used.
Conversion to waste, using the most environmentally sustainable method possible, is the choice that would be made following an attempt to look at all of the other avenues for effective use within Canada.