Evidence of meeting #34 for Health in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was study.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Kelly Farrah Committee Researcher
It's hard for us to provide an estimate, given that we haven't heard the meetings yet. It depends, too, on what members want to see in the report and how long they want the report to be. If the report is short, then it would take less time for us to produce.
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
I was thinking more about resources and the urgency of it.
Could we actually produce this by July 22, or is this something that will take longer? Could translation be done? Could you provide anything to the committee on these types of questions?
Committee Researcher
We'd have to touch base with the House of Commons publication service to see what their translation deadlines are at the moment.
Conservative
Committee Researcher
I could contact them and see if we could find an answer for you.
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Thank you.
I wanted to add a few things.
I actually googled, similar to what Dr. Strauss did. I was really surprised that our government has spent $44 million on HIV studies in the last few years. I want to make sure that these studies are being utilized.
Conservative
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
I'm wondering if the clerk could advise us as to whether all of the documents ordered by this committee from Canada Health Infoway have been received?
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier
That's a good question.
No, we have not received all of them.
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
Could she advise us of when they will be received, or if she will be enforcing...?
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier
It's only up to them. We're still waiting for responses.
There's been no indication from Canada Health Infoway of when they will decide to respond, which is kind of weird in itself.
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
My point was that the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research have spent over $44 million. A simple Google search indicated this to me.
I would like to know how we can use these studies as an analysis. Can you start to print some of this out, share it and give us some of the findings? I'm very interested in the one that Matt was talking about that's directly pertinent to Manitoba.
This simple Google search has told me the surveillance.... I can read it, but I don't want to waste the committee's time.
Can the analysts help us use some of these already-done studies to help us with our study?
I'm sorry, Chair, I caught you off guard.
It's a very simple question. There are all of these studies that have been done by our federal government. There are 44 million dollars' worth of studies. I am wondering if the analysts can weed through them and give us the basic facts that Dr. Strauss was talking about to help advise us on how we are going to request our experts.
I don't want to be doing stuff twice that we have already spent $44 million on. There is some really good material here.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
We will see what we can do. I will talk to the analysts later on.
Right now, the debate is still on. There are lots of people on the list.
If it is necessary, we will circulate it. Right now, we don't even know whether the motion is going to go through and whatnot.
You still have the floor. Do you want to continue, or are we going to Madam Konanz?
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
No, Mr. Chair. I'm going to read this study, because I think it's very important that everyone understands what I'm talking about.
The government reports continually track new HIV infections and progress towards what are called UNAIDS' 95-95-95 goals: 95% of the people with HIV have a diagnosis, 95% are on treatment and 95% are virally suppressed. The diagnosis rates in Canada in 2024 report 2,288 new HIV diagnoses. Prior to this, reports had observed a spike, with the “HIV in Canada, Surveillance Report to December 31, 2023” showing 2,434 diagnoses, representing a rebound and subsequent plateau after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Progress towards national testing and treatment targets is summarized in the “Canada's Progress Towards Ending the HIV Epidemic, 2022” report—another study that I would really like to learn more about—offering detailed breakdowns of the care continuum across different demographics. It even goes so far as to give the Canadian guidelines on pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis, which was a funded study that outlines the evidence-based recommendations for clinical indications in drug regimes. It then goes into Health Canada's synthesized medical data to evaluate the risk of sexual transmission between partners. Of course, this would get into some of the groups that we listed in our motion.
The results of the study of the risk of HIV transmission support the undetectable equals untransmittable—U equals U—consensus, providing that the risk of sexual HIV transmission is negligible when an individual is on an effective ART and has a suppressed viral load.
Another study is the surveillance details of how HIV impacts priority groups. This is where we get into some of the minority groups. Again, a cross-sectional investigation was done. I really feel that a lot of these studies on which we've spent millions of dollars need to be taken into account with our committee study. For full access and professional guidance, monitoring data, and methodologies, there are two organizations that are all part of our Canada.ca portal, and it lists over 800 studies.
This is why I'm asking the analyst this: How can we take all these studies that the government has spent $44 million on and incorporate them into our study, as opposed to trying to get all these professionals in and hearing from them in two meetings for that matter?
Again, I would ask the analyst....
I don't know, Mr. Chair. How would she communicate that to us?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
—from my experience from many years of sitting on committees, I can say that there are an enormous number of reports done. When the committee brings in business, we determine our own destination, what we want to do and how we want to proceed.
The committee is trying to vote on this subject. There might be thousands and thousands of books that have been written in the past on HIV and syphilis, but the committee particularly wants to focus on Manitoba in those two meetings. My focus will be to keep that whole discussion to Manitoba and on this.
You can ask the analysts as many questions as you want, but I can tell you right now that the questions should come to me, and I will only entertain.... If the witnesses come in and refer to those reports and you want them to table those reports, then we can do that. However, right now I'm not going to ask the analysts to produce any reports. Right now, their duty is to make sure that they take notes on what's happening here. Once the committee decides to study this topic, then we can determine all these things—predetermined things—you are asking. That's what my experience tells me.
Let's focus on the motion as amended, and particularly on Manitoba, and we will continue.
I have a speaking order already. After you, we have Mr. Mazier, Madam Konanz, Dr. Eyolfson and Dr. Strauss, so there are quite a few people.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.
It's something that came across my desk. It's talking about...and I'm reflecting on the conversation I had with the minister yesterday about the Ebola situation that's hitting the world, especially in Canada—
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
I'm wondering if I can seek UC to have the minister come in and give the health committee a briefing on Thursday on how our government's responding to Ebola.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Is there unanimous consent for this?
There's no unanimous consent.
I'm going back to Mr. Bailey.
Mr. Bailey, the floor is yours.
Conservative
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Thank you, Chair.
I sure understand what you're saying. I take this committee very seriously.
I think what you've told me is that it becomes my responsibility to start to review it. I can't rely on any of the staff to help me get prepared for these meetings.
I will take it upon myself to focus, as Dr. Strauss did, on some of these studies, because I believe there is a lot of information that could aid us in this study.
Thank you.