Health Committee on Oct. 2nd, 2025

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Good morning, everyone.

I call this meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number three of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health.

We recognize that we meet on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe peoples.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the Standing Orders.

I want to remind participants of the following points.

Please wait until I recognize you by name before speaking. I wanted to remind you that your comments should be addressed through the chair. I also wanted to remind you to be careful about your audio, because we don't want anybody to have feedback that harms their ears.

You have a little decal on your desk. Remember to put your phone there so that it doesn't interfere with the sound.

For members in the room, raise your hand when you wish to speak, and I will recognize you. Because this is a meeting where we all have the order of speaking, I just wanted to remind you that the first round is a six-minute round; the second round is five minutes, five minutes and 2.5 minutes for the Bloc; and then it's five minutes and five minutes. We're going to see how many rounds we can get in.

We have all of the participants in the room, so I'm going to suggest that we just go straight through the two hours and not break it into two one-hour segments.

We will begin.

Pursuant to the motion adopted on Tuesday, September 23, the committee will commence the briefing session with Health Canada officials—

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Madam Chair, I have a point of order.

Right out the gate, you just decided that we were going to hold a single two-hour meeting rather than two one-hour meetings. I'd like to point out that when it comes to my right to speak, I'm entitled to six minutes of speaking time during the second hour when we hold two one-hour meetings.

Do you want to give me only two and a half minutes of speaking time in the whole second hour?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Excuse me, Mr. Thériault. I can't hear you. I didn't have my earpiece in my ear. I'm getting old and deaf. I'm sorry. Please go ahead.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

That's fine. No problem. I hope everyone puts their earpieces in, so I don't have to go through this again today.

I said that you had decided, from the outset, that we would hold a two-hour meeting rather than two one-hour meetings. However, I'd like to point out that when we hold two one-hour meetings, I'm entitled to six minutes of speaking time at the start of the second hour.

Does your decision mean that I'll get only two-and-a-half-minute turns in the second hour?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I think the Bloc will have six minutes in the first round as per usual, but the agreement at this committee over the last while and now is that in the second round the Bloc will have two and a half minutes. The Liberals and Conservatives will have five minutes each.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

That isn't my question, Madam Chair. I'll start again.

We have a two-hour meeting. We agree on that, right? That means I'd have six minutes of speaking time in the first round. In the second round, I'd have two and a half minutes of speaking time. I'm asking you whether I'll have two and a half minutes for the rest of the meeting, or whether I'll be able to get another six-minute turn, as is the case when we do two one-hour meetings.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

No, because we're not breaking it into two separate hours. We are doing one full meeting, so we will go through and the first round will be six minutes and then the second round as has been always done, unless you wish to suggest that your colleagues want to give you equal time. I would entertain that, if you wish to ask them.

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Madam Chair, I would favour giving him a second six-minute round, and we can move on.

Are the Conservatives okay?

We'll give him two six-minute rounds.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I'm sorry. The second round is not six minutes. It's five.

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

No. In the second or third round, maybe he could have six minutes. That's what he's suggesting.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Is everyone in agreement that we give equal time to the Bloc?

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Yes? Good. I see nobody dissenting. We will do that.

Thank you, Mr. Thériault.

I want to say that, pursuant to the motion adopted on Tuesday, September 23, the committee will begin the briefing session with Health Canada officials and the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada.

I want to welcome our witnesses. I'm going to give the Department of Health five minutes to speak, and then the Public Health Agency of Canada will have five minutes to speak. I will start with the Department of Health.

We have here today Greg Orencsak, deputy minister; Jocelyne Voisin, senior assistant deputy minister, health policy branch; Pamela Aung-Thin, assistant deputy minister, health products and food branch; Matt Jones, assistant deputy minister, healthy environments and consumer safety branch; Kendal Weber, assistant deputy minister, controlled substances and cannabis branch; and Dr. Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser.

From the Public Health Agency, we have Nancy Hamzawi, president; Stephen Bent, vice-president, regulatory, operations and emergency management branch; and Michael Collins, vice-president, health promotion and chronic disease prevention branch.

The two principals have five minutes each. I will give you a two-minute sort of warning so that you can begin to wrap up, and a warning at 30 seconds at the very end.

If that's okay with everyone, we will commence, and we'll begin with Mr. Orencsak.

Please begin, sir.

[Greg Orencsak, Deputy Minister, Department of Health]

Thank you, Madam Chair and honourable members. Thank you for inviting us here before the committee today. We welcome this opportunity to discuss Health Canada's priorities and to describe how the work we do supports the Government of Canada's priorities.

Last spring, the Prime Minister sent ministers a shared mandate letter that announced seven key priorities. Today, I'm happy to share how Health Canada is helping to achieve those objectives.

I will begin with our work modernizing regulations.

The government launched a red tape review this past summer. For us, the goal is to eliminate outdated or overly complicated rules and reduce duplication and overlap that delay decision-making, while still prioritizing health and safety.

Health Canada's report lists 42 measures that the department and the Public Health Agency of Canada are taking to reduce the administrative burden, all while continuing to protect the health and safety of Canadians.

Key areas of focus include reducing trade barriers by aligning with international standards, improving client experience and service delivery, adopting risk-based approaches, streamlining regulations and simplifying rules, and enabling new products and technologies.

I'm going to move on to the distribution of toxic illegal drugs and the overdose crisis.

Through Canada's border plan, Health Canada works with partners across the government to disrupt illegal drug production and distribution. For example, we are providing additional domestic capacity to deliver quality drug-profiling information and services to Canada's law enforcement and public health agencies to more strategically target actions to address the synthetic drug threat.

Health Canada has also launched a new precursor chemical risk management unit to increase oversight and enhance monitoring and surveillance to enable timely law and border enforcement actions. Earlier this year, Canada put new controls in place for three fentanyl precursors, using an emergency scheduling pathway. We will continue pushing these efforts forward.

From a public safety perspective, the Canadian drugs and substances strategy informs our efforts to address the overdose crisis and the risks associated with substance use.

A strong health care system depends on having a well-supported and capable workforce. That's why we're taking concrete steps to help more internationally trained health professionals put their skills to work here in Canada. It's not just about bringing in top talent; it's about giving them the tools, resources and support they need to successfully join the workforce and start caring for patients without delay.

Technology also plays a key role in improving access. We're striving to ensure that everyone receives the care they need, and digital tools are helping us make that objective a reality. Access to personal health information is essential. That's why we're continuing to advance the health data program with the provinces and territories.

Mental health is another key priority for Health Canada. We're working with our partners in the provinces and territories to support the expansion of integrated youth services and community-based mental health initiatives through the youth mental health fund.

Health Canada is also continuing to administer programs that help make life more affordable for Canadians.

For example, the Canadian dental care plan continues to grow, with more than five million Canadians approved for coverage.

We remain focused on our core mandate, which is helping Canadians maintain and improve their health.

This is essential to Canada's success, because when Canadians are healthy, they can participate more fully in our country's civic and economic life.

I want to thank the committee for its work in helping us drive our priorities forward and ultimately improve health outcomes for all Canadians.

That concludes my opening remarks. Thank you for the opportunity.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you very much, Mr. Orencsak.

Now, I'd like to go to Nancy Hamzawi, president of PHAC, please.

You have five minutes.

[Nancy Hamzawi, President, Public Health Agency of Canada]

Madam Chair and honourable members, thank you for inviting us before the committee today. It is an honour to be here to discuss the Public Health Agency of Canada's mandate and priorities.

A strong public health system contributes to ensuring Canada's economic and national security and is fundamental to supporting a healthy and productive workforce, social and economic prosperity, and the long-term well-being of our society.

Health Canada's mandate is to improve the health of every individual and community in Canada by responding to threats to public safety, preventing illnesses and injuries, and fostering good physical and mental health. The mandate includes mitigating the public health impacts of infectious disease outbreaks and health emergencies, such as pandemics and natural disasters.

Against the backdrop of increased geopolitical complexities, the agency is focused on building resilience and preparedness and contributing to Canada's defence posture.

While the agency's reach is broad, three public health concerns are top of mind for the agency this fall: highly pathogenic avian influenza, the ongoing measles outbreaks and the toxic drug crisis.

On avian influenza, PHAC, in partnership with health portfolio departments and agencies, as well as provincial and territorial partners, continues to enhance efforts in risk assessments, surveillance, response and coordination, and medical countermeasures to increase our readiness to protect the public.

While the current risk to the public remains low, avian influenza can cause serious illness in people. Canada is being proactive and has already obtained 870,000 doses of human vaccine against avian influenza to help provinces and territories protect Canadians against this emerging global threat.

I'll turn to measles. Over the past 30 years, Canada has been considered by the World Health Organization to have officially eliminated measles. Canada is now at risk of losing our measles elimination status as early as this month, given that transmission will have been sustained for over one year.

As of September 26, a total of 5,449 cases have been reported to the agency. The majority of these cases are linked to a multi-jurisdictional outbreak that started in October 2024 and is ongoing.

Overall, the risk remains highest amongst unvaccinated individuals—93% of cases were unimmunized or had unknown vaccination histories—and children, where we are seeing that 70% of cases were under 18 years of age.

The agency is actively monitoring recent increases in measles detected worldwide, as well as supporting provinces and territories as needed with new cases in Canada.

Canada is also working hard to combat the toxic drug crisis, which has had significant and tragic health, social and economic impacts on Canadian society.

Over 12 months, between April 2024 and March 2025—our most recent reporting period—there was a daily average of 18 opioid toxicity deaths, 15 opioid-related hospitalizations, 64 emergency room visits due to opioid-related poisonings and 95 responses by emergency medical services for suspected opioid-related overdoses. That's every day.

The agency is carefully monitoring this ever-changing situation and providing activities to advance the government's drug policies through surveillance and applied research, upstream prevention approaches and targeted public education.

Throughout all streams of work at the agency, scientific excellence is at the heart of what we do.

The agency now has an advisory committee on science, which is composed of external experts to provide impartial and timely scientific advice on the agency's science and research agenda.

This committee is mandated to provide critical assessments of our proposed scientific activities, including science planning, innovation in public health science and research and health equity promotion.

As you may have seen in the news, the agency is undergoing transformation as it continues to ramp down from our pandemic response toward a sustainable posture that concentrates on our health security mandate.

During this period of recalibration, we remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering for Canadians by advancing our mandate with a renewed focus on public health impact and alignment with the government's mandate and missions. It is the unwavering commitment to public health and public service of all PHAC employees that drives our work forward for all Canadians. It's a commitment that is truly a privilege for me to observe and recognize every day.

It is a privilege for my colleagues and me to appear before this committee today to share with you all the work—

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you very much.

Now we will begin the question and answer period. I would like to say that it's a six-minute round, and the six minutes include the questions and answers. Just be reminded of that, and I will give you a time call when I think you're getting near the end of that time period.

We will begin with a six-minute round, starting with Mr. Mazier for six minutes for the Conservatives.

Mr. Mazier.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the officials for coming out this morning.

My questions will be for Health Canada.

Ms. Weber, Health Canada is the federal department that approves supervised consumption sites. Is this correct?

[Kendal Weber, Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health]

Yes, when a request comes in to seek an exemption to put a supervised consumption site in place, Health Canada reviews the exemption request for public health and public safety.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

According to Health Canada's website, a supervised consumption site is a place where “a person brings their drugs to a site to consume” and “depending on the site, drugs are injected, snorted, inhaled or consumed as pills”.

Is that description still accurate?

[Kendal Weber]

The supervised consumption sites provide a place for individuals to go to use illegal substances in a place where there is supervision, so that if there is an overdose, there is support for the individual.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

It is a place where they consume, where drugs are injected, snorted and inhaled.

[Kendal Weber]

Yes.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

That's what they do.

Is crack cocaine allowed to be used in some federally approved supervised consumption sites, yes or no?

[Kendal Weber]

The supervised consumption sites are approved taking into consideration public health and public safety concerns. They provide a place for individuals who use substances to go into a supervised place to use illegal drugs.