Evidence of meeting #5 for Health in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
I have just outlined them to you, but I can give you them in writing if you like.
Conservative
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
Thank you, Chair.
Welcome, Minister.
My questions today are regarding the vaccine injury support program. I'm speaking about it largely because of a very excellent Global News investigative report. In that report, they interviewed the widow of Stephen MacDougall. He is confirmed to have died of vaccine-induced myocarditis. He leaves behind two little children.
Do you know how much money his family would have received to compensate for his death?
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
First, it is clear that for all those who have been negatively affected by vaccines, this has had a major impact on their families.
The program you mention was set up after the pandemic, as you know, and the government had turned over its management to a third party, Oxaro. Now, I won't tell you that we were satisfied with what Oxaro was doing. That's why we decided to hand the program back to the government.
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
I'm sorry to interrupt, Minister.
I think we all agree on the point that the program has been unsatisfactory. It sounds to me like perhaps you're not aware of how much the family would have been compensated. CBC reports that the maximum compensation allowable under the program as it stands is less than a federal minister's salary.
I'm just asking for your reflections on that. Was his life worth less than a year's salary for a minister?
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
I am not aware of the details regarding the amounts granted to each patient and the associated criteria. I do not know whether it is a single amount or different amounts. We will be able to provide you with more details later.
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
I would suggest that his family should be compensated more than they have been. I would ask you to reflect on that and perhaps at another engagement undertake to compensate them more than they have been.
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
Excuse me, I have the figures: The amount ranges from $493,000 for the spouse to $78,000 for the children.
In the case you mentioned, I don't know how much money the person received or what the reason was. Requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, so I cannot provide you with the details of each case. However, I do know that the amount runs as high as $493,000.
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
Thank you, Minister.
This committee was briefed previously by Stephen's twin sister in the last Parliament. She asked for transparency with this vaccine injury program.
Will you undertake to provide the transparency that she asked for?
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
Thank you.
She also asked that the vaccine mandates for employment and engagement in society be removed. They have been.
Will you commit today to not instituting further vaccine mandates of that nature?
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
I would say that vaccines, in any case, protect lives. This has been proved by the science.
It all depends on where we are. I can't stand here today and say that I'll never put certain things back in place. That's impossible. We will have to base our decisions on the situation at that time and on what science tells us.
I also think that, after the pandemic we have been through, we are ready if something else were to happen. We are also in a position to see the impact on people, since we have had experience. Of course, we will look at the whole situation before making any decisions.
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
Thank you, Minister.
There's science, and of course you must listen to science. Of course vaccines save lives, but every medical manoeuvre can also cost lives, as it unfortunately did in Stephen's case.
If you had a time machine, would you go back and tell Stephen not to take that vaccine?
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
As I said, the pandemic hit every country. It wasn't just us. But I think vaccines saved lives during the pandemic. I know you've already seen the figures. Thanks to modelling, we were able to see if it weren't for the vaccines there would have been many more deaths and many more cases.
It's always unfortunate when people experience negative effects from a vaccine, but that can also happen with many other types of treatment. It's really unfortunate.
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
Thank you, Minister.
It is regrettable. I think that I would have advised him not to take it, but hindsight is 20/20.
When will the audit of the vaccine injury support program be completed? Is the current program still processing claims while that audit is under way?
October 9th, 2025 / 11:35 a.m.
Conservative
Conservative
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister, for coming.
There are a number of questions that come up. I have a few areas that I'm curious about.
In regard to supervised consumption sites, is there any evidence that more drugs are being consumed because of the presence of these sites?
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
I want to clarify a comment that was made earlier.
It said that there are people being supplied fentanyl at these supervised consumption sites. Do people not bring their own and then take them in the supervised place? Is that not the case?
Liberal
Marjorie Michel Liberal Papineau, QC
That is exactly why supervised consumption sites were created. They are meant to ensure the safety of people who are using illegal drugs anyway. Their drug use is unfortunate. No one should take or sell illegal drugs, but these people, for all sorts of reasons, do consume illegal drugs. Supervised consumption sites were set up for the very purpose of preventing overdoses and saving these people's lives. That is the ultimate goal.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
Thank you.
We're in agreement that these sites are not supplying the drugs. Is that correct?
