Health Committee on Feb. 3rd, 2026

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

Thank you so much, Madam Chair.

Thank you to all the witnesses for your contributions today.

I'll start with Dr. Nguyen.

Dr. Nguyen, you made the comment that we need to speed up diagnostic tests to get results to see if we need to prescribe antibiotics in the first place. Who is responsible for making this happen? We all know hospitals have their own labs. We know there are major chains out there like LifeLabs, but how should we make this happen so that we get results from diagnostic tests more quickly?

[Dao Nguyen]

I will only speak to what I know about the Quebec system. I believe every single province has its own regulations and ways of doing things. On one level, diagnostic tests or devices have to be approved at the federal level; however, the question subsequently becomes about approval on a formulary, uptake at a given hospital and then implementation and availability.

From a practical standpoint, there are many barriers to this being a reality. Also, if we think about diagnostic tests in human health care, there are many different types of tests that one can imagine, whether it's something available in a hospital setting or it's perhaps more point of care and point of use, which has become more of a reality. There's even home testing. There is a spectrum.

A number of those products at this time probably do not have a track record yet of how to properly regulate and implement them. There are certainly many local barriers as well as federal level regulatory steps.

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

As we're learning, things are really complicated.

Dr. Weese, you implied that perhaps there was limited crossover between the use of antibiotics in food in the agricultural sector and human health. Has anyone looked at quantifying how much impact the use of antimicrobials in animals has had in relation to resistance in humans?

[Scott Weese]

It's very difficult. If we look at the impact of antimicrobial resistance, whether that's globally or by high-income or low-income countries, and look at the organisms that cause the most deaths, for most of them you can't see a solid link with animals. For some of them you can.

We know that certain organisms are being driven by antibiotic use in humans and human-to-human transmission. Things like salmonella and E. coli we associate with food and food animals. Those definitely play a role, but E. coli, for example, could be driven by human use or animal use. It's very hard to tease that out. We do know, however, from the really nice Canadian example of CIPARS, as mentioned, that changes in antimicrobial use practices in food animals can influence resistance in people who are sick.

There definitely is a role. We just have no idea how much. My guess is that it's low. I think that's reasonable, but it's very hard to get a number.

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

In essence, though, the less use, the better, presumably, when it's inappropriate.

[Scott Weese]

Yes, absolutely.

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

Canada has made some efforts to get new products through the regulatory pathway. There's been criticism, obviously, of red tape and the difficulty of getting new therapies to market. There is an effort now by Health Canada to move toward greater international collaboration and reliance on foreign regulators, including the FDA.

Mr. Roy, perhaps, or Dr. Brockhoff, do you have any comments on this? Is this going to help?

[René Roy]

I'll let Mr. Brockhoff go ahead.

[Egan Brockhoff]

It is a positive step forward. Will it be the entire solution? We're not sure. We have been exploring a lot of ideas across the different livestock sectors, the veterinary community and the nutritionist community. A lot of barriers have traditionally been built up. That white paper we spoke about earlier covered a very broad gamut of what we think some of the barriers are, but a cultural shift has to happen as well. There will be a need to become attractive: How do we become attractive as a nation?

Reducing red tape is absolutely critical. Making Canada an attractive place to do business for investment in vaccination development, in medication development and in feed additives and water additives—all of these holistic things that can help us reduce the need for antimicrobials—will be critically important, but it will be about more than just checking boxes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

Mr. Blanchette-Joncas, you have six minutes, please.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

My first question is for you, Mr. Roy.

Quebec has already adopted stricter restrictions on the use of certain critical antimicrobials in agriculture and has had positive results. Does this show that tailored approaches, such as the one in Quebec that I just mentioned, can be more effective, considering that the context varies depending on where you are in Canada, provided that there is stable financial support rather than an underfunded uniform framework?

[René Roy]

There are certainly different realities. There is disease pressure in certain regions and territories, and so I'd say yes, adapting to the realities on the ground is important.

I'd also like to point out that in several provinces, farmers have decided to go beyond the legislation because they recognize the importance of responsible antimicrobial use.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

That's interesting. I'd like us to continue in that vein.

There are things that can be done in certain places because the will or the context is different. However, aren't you concerned that a uniform national framework could diminish or even prevent such good faith or goodwill initiatives?

[René Roy]

A coordinated initiative among the various stakeholders is still a good approach.

That said, to move forward more quickly and to go farther, we often need a more structured, closer-to-the-ground approach. We're adopting such an approach with various provincial organizations. We're adapting, given that, for example, animal pressure and diseases are different in western Canada and eastern Canada. We have to adjust to different realities in order to be effective.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

In your field, as a Quebec resident, you are, of course, familiar with issues affecting Quebec. Are there any initiatives that Quebec wanted to put forward but was not necessarily able to fully implement, possibly because of a uniform national framework that did not necessarily align with the different strategies that may have been adopted across the board?

[René Roy]

Generally speaking, it's not difficult to be more disciplined than average if you want to be. What we've seen in the field is that some industries, particularly those in Quebec, have decided to go a little farther in this area. I can't single out anything that could not be carried out. Some groups of producers decided to do more, without necessarily being required to do so by the rules, just by being disciplined and committing to making reductions. I did that on my farm. I reviewed my use and asked myself whether it was really necessary in light of the different tools. As a good steward, I reduced my use of antimicrobials on my farm.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

I understand your point of view as a farmer. It's all well and good to have a strategic plan or to try to have a national framework, but you need flexibility to be free to do the things you want to prioritize, not to disadvantage others, but to be forward-thinking. These initiatives should not be delayed or hindered by funding requirements in the context of a uniform national framework.

[René Roy]

Flexibility and willingness must be tailored to the reality on the ground. We must not forget that these tools come at a cost. We operate in a competitive environment, so we need to make sure we remain efficient.

I'd also like to point out that we have changed many of our animal management practices over the years, simply to reduce disease pressure and improve biosecurity. As such, beyond antibiotics, there are other practices, including setting aside resources that can be used to improve practices and reduce the use of antibiotics that have an impact on antibiotic resistance.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Roy.

I'd like to continue with you, Dr. Nguyen.

Experts agree that there will be other pandemics, which will be compounded by antimicrobial resistance. This phenomenon is aggravated by two factors, namely global warming and a lack of funding for health and research to ensure we're better prepared.

Do you think there is a lack of political will, or is it just a lack of interest?

[Dao Nguyen]

I think there is a lack of political will to truly unlock the necessary resources and overcome the many obstacles. I think we can agree that this is a very complicated problem that requires a lot of partners to come to an agreement. I therefore think that the political will is lacking.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

If I were to give you the keys to power tomorrow, what would you recommend?

[Dao Nguyen]

We need an antimicrobial resistance czar.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Did you hear that, Madam Chair? We need an antimicrobial resistance czar. Should we give him or her a nickname? How about the antimicrobial resistance warrior?

That's all. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I think she's here because of that, Mr. Blanchette-Joncas.

Now we're going to Ms. Konanz for five minutes.

[Helena Konanz, Conservative, Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Thank you, Chair.

Dr. Fisher, I believe you mentioned, or it has been mentioned today, that there's a severe shortage of veterinarians in Canada and it's causing huge problems, particularly as they've been called the gatekeepers of antimicrobial use.

We're studying the shortage of professionals in Canada. In your opinion, what can we do as a government to solve this problem?