Evidence of meeting #21 for Health in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pandemic.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Maggie Chi Liberal Don Valley North, ON
Thank you so much.
This incident, as we've learned, has really focused attention on the storage and monitoring of the NESS. I don't have a lot of time left, but given that COVID really demonstrated the risk to our critical medicine supply, maybe you could opine on this a little bit. What are your thoughts on our supply chain resilience for critical medical countermeasures?
Director General, Regional Operations and Emergency Management Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
Supply chains for critical medical countermeasures are extremely complex. One product may be sourced from multiple different locations. The source material and maybe even the capsule that encases it might come from different supply chains.
We are working very closely with partners in Health Canada who manage drug shortages, with health emergency readiness Canada, and with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada who are seized with supply chains and resiliency around supply chains so that we can collectively better understand these and build resiliency into our plans and our systems for response.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
Madam Chair, I have a point of order.
Given the language difficulties and hiccups we had at one point, could we have consent to give Monsieur Blanchette-Joncas five minutes for this round?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
As I said earlier on, we have a time limit with the interpreters.
We'll be barely making the time we must leave here, so it won't be this time around. I'm sorry.
Bloc
Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC
Can you explain to me why the distribution of speaking time for the second hour is not identical to that for the first hour?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
It's because according to what was agreed to by this committee, every one hour the Bloc will get six minutes. Then the Bloc gets 2.5 minutes and another 2.5 minutes after that.
When we have a full two hours—not two separate hours—the Bloc is given the extra six minutes in a second round to make up for that.
This time you had two six-minute rounds. In the first round in camera, and in the first round in the second hour, the Bloc got six minutes.
But that's not the issue. The issue is that the interpreters have to leave at a certain time. Given that we'll probably be going just over that time, any amount of time we take off means that we'll have to end without somebody finishing their time as it is.
Bloc
Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC
I just want to be clear: For the second hour, the Bloc has six minutes. Then, for the second round, it gets two and a half minutes, or—
Bloc
Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC
According to the agreement, the first hour isn't identical to the second hour. Is that correct?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
No. Each hour has an arrangement of six minutes for everybody. Then it's five, five, 2.5, five and five. That was agreed by this committee at the very beginning.
The reason we sometimes do not stop but go a full two hours is that everyone agreed to give the Bloc that chance of a second-hour six minutes. That's why, when we were meeting for two full hours with no break, there were two six-minute periods allotted to the Bloc. This time it was six minutes during the in camera first hour and six minutes during the public hour. The Bloc got its two six-minute periods.
As I was saying, somebody will have to give up their time, because we have to finish on the dot at 5:50. We're cutting that out right now.
Ms. Chi, have you finished?
Liberal
Bloc
Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Ms. Hamzawi, I'll continue with my questions.
As a result of the shortcomings observed during the COVID‑19 pandemic, Quebec chose to take matters into its own hands, through Santé Québec; we created our own strategic stockpile of drugs and supplies.
In this context, I would like you to explain to us why the federal government is retaining the decision-making and financial power over the funds and stocks in the national emergency strategic stockpile rather than transferring these resources directly to the Government of Quebec, which has demonstrated its management ability.
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
Several provinces made the decision, during or before the pandemic, to have their own emergency strategic stockpile. The role of the national stockpile is to be a backstop for provinces and territories.
Bloc
Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC
Okay.
What can your national stockpile do that Quebec's national stockpile is unable to do?
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
The answer to that question is complex.
Let's just take the example of a situation where we're analyzing the supply capacity of a given province. If the real risk is higher than what that province has identified in terms of its supply, we're the ones who will immediately help that province in the event of an emergency.
Before the pandemic, we had received three to five requests for assistance from the provinces. However, to date, we have received over 40 requests for assistance from provinces and territories.
I'll turn it over to you, Stacey, to add to that.
Director General, Regional Operations and Emergency Management Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
There are also certain medical countermeasures, like the drugs that we discussed earlier in the in camera session, that simply are not available to anyone other than national governments. In those circumstances, we are the sole provider in Canada for Canadians.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I'm now going to go to Mr. Epp. The Conservatives and Liberals have agreed to cut their five-minute slots to two and a half.
You have two and a half minutes, please, Mr. Epp.