Health Committee on Feb. 10th, 2026

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'm going to go back to the value of the expired PPE that we have, that we're presently paying storage on. I think you said it was $150 million or something like that.

In my research for this, my understanding is we use, and don't quote me exactly, six million hospital gowns in our regular system, across our hospital system, in Canada.

Why would the PHAC operating the NESS not strike...? I heard in your testimony earlier that you have a system where you try to dispose of expiring or about to expire stock. Why would you not set up a rotating system through our NESS, and then at least a year before the gowns expire—because they are photosensitive—run them through our system so that we aren't paying storage? What is the barrier there?

[Stacey Mantha]

What you've described is the exact model that some jurisdictions have chosen to put into place. For that reason, we're exploring different operational management tools and operational delivery models, for example.

We are looking at vendor-managed solutions, which describes what you've just described there. We would effectively contract with a vendor who would provide us with supply, but rotate that through the health care system so that we're not effectively sitting on a stockpile of gowns. Some jurisdictions have chosen to implement that model, and we are learning from those experiences.

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

We went into the pandemic with an expired stockpile, or relatively expired, and now we're coming out of the pandemic with an expired stockpile. That's why I don't understand how, through that lesson, the lessons weren't learned a bit faster.

[Stacey Mantha]

We've been discussing the expired stock that we have and that we are responsibly life-cycle managing. That volume has significantly decreased between your two OPQs.

We do have capacity today across the range of personal protective equipment, so we have masks, surgical masks, respirators, gowns and gloves within the stockpile that are not expired and are available for use.

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

With the procurement system, you listed your three criteria, with a domestic or an indigenous source being one of them. I assume cost is in there as well. How do you rank them? How do you weight the three criteria that you listed earlier?

[Stacey Mantha]

The ranking really does consider the contracting vehicle. Depending on what contracting mechanism or procurement mechanism we would apply, there are criteria we would develop with PSPC as our contract authority, and we would apply those criteria. It might vary in different contracting exercises.

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

How significant is price?

[Stacey Mantha]

Price is definitely a factor. Diversity of supply is also a factor. We may choose in the future to contract with multiple suppliers rather than with only one supplier so that we have diversity in our supply. Again, quality is a key component.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

We're well over time. Thank you.

I now go to Mr. Eyolfson for two and a half minutes.

[Doug Eyolfson, Liberal, Winnipeg West, MB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

There's been a lot of information that's come around. This is a little off what we were talking about before, but it's still in your mandate, of course.

We know that in 2025, once again, we had quite a devastating forest fire season. This caused a lot of problems with respiratory ailments and other hazards among the people in the affected locations and far beyond.

What role did the NESS play in Canada's response to that?

[Nancy Hamzawi]

I would argue this is directly linked to the NESS; I wouldn't say it's off-topic.

In this last wildfire season, we responded to three separate requests for assistance, deploying over 27,000 units of emergency social service assets. In addition to everything you've heard today about medical devices and drugs, we also, in this case, provided 5,300 blankets, 5,000 cots, 4,800 mattress rolls, 3,200 pillows, 6,100 face cloths and 3,400 towels.

Those requests came in and deployments were moving within hours to respond to the very serious situation, as well as the mini clinic, which was also deployed during the wildfire season.

The agency engages more broadly within wildfire response in other areas too.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

You have one minute, Doug.

[Doug Eyolfson, Liberal, Winnipeg West, MB]

I have no further questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I'm going to borrow your extra minute and ask a quick question.

Given that we're possibly looking at other pandemics and you got a lot of your stuff from the United States, what's going to happen now that there's a difference with the CDC and the United States with regard to vaccines? Is that going to impact your ability to get supplies when you need them?

[Stacey Mantha]

One of the reasons we stockpile some of these drugs and medical countermeasures we've been talking about over the last hour and a bit is that you need to have them on hand when the emergency arrives. You can't wait to place an order when the emergency occurs.

For that reason, we have stockpiles. We have built some capacity to bridge any supply constraints that may arise, and we work very closely with our colleagues in the United States, who also acquire these same drug products, as well as other Five Eyes colleagues.

[Nancy Hamzawi]

We are diversifying our supply sources of vaccines, so that is evolving.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Good. That's what I wanted to know. The CDC is not stockpiling anymore, because it doesn't have the same vaccine protocols that it used to have in policy. I wondered if you were getting it from somewhere else.

[Nancy Hamzawi]

Yes, we're looking at other sources and we're looking at, from a security of supply chain perspective, precursor products that will help us in terms of domestic production, for example.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I want to thank the witnesses for coming and once again sharing their expertise and they knowledge with us.

Some of the questions were difficult, I know, and a bit tough, but you can take it. I want to thank you all.

I would like to move that this meeting be adjourned.