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.

On the agenda

Members speaking

Before the committee

Marjorie Michel  Minister of Health
Orencsak  Deputy Minister, Department of Health
Weber  Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health
Hamzawi  President, Public Health Agency of Canada

12:15 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health

Kendal Weber

They do include pipes.

The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier

Thank you.

How many pipes were distributed through these federally approved supervised consumption sites last year?

12:15 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health

Kendal Weber

Thank you for the question. I should also note, though, that restrictions with SCS regarding inhalation do depend on whether there's a bylaw in that jurisdiction—

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier

How many pipes? The question was this: How many pipes were distributed through this federally approved site?

12:15 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health

Kendal Weber

Thank you for the question. I'll make the point that we don't actually have a lot of SCS that have approved inhalation. I would have to come back to you with that answer about pipes, because inhalation and smoking in SCS is very limited across the country due to municipal bylaws.

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier

The crack pipes and the needles, do you collect that data?

12:15 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier

You don't.

12:15 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health

Kendal Weber

The exemption is for the use of a controlled substance—

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier

Do you not collect that data?

12:15 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health

Kendal Weber

—in a supervised consumption site.

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier

Yes.

12:15 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health

Kendal Weber

The supervised consumption site exemption is separate from the provision of harm reduction supplies in the supervised consumption site and the health services. We provide an exemption for the use of a controlled substance that the individual brings into the site to reduce overdose, and then those services will also—

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier

I know, but that wasn't my question.

12:15 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health

Kendal Weber

I'm sorry.

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier

How many needles were distributed through the federally approved supervised consumption sites last year? Do you collect that data?

12:15 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health

Kendal Weber

The needle distribution is separate from the actual supervised consumption site exemption, so—

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier

Do you collect that data, yes or no? It's one question.

12:15 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health

Kendal Weber

It's unrelated. The supervised consumption site—

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier

It doesn't matter that it's not related. Do you collect the data? This is a simple question.

12:15 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Department of Health

Kendal Weber

The supervised consumption site is an exemption for the use of a controlled substance. Under the practitioner—

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier

That isn't the answer to my yes-or-no question.

Maggie Chi Liberal Don Valley North, ON

I have a point of order, Chair. Can we just let the witness speak so we can...?

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Dan Mazier

She's not answering my question, and I'm the chair, so I guess I have a say in this.

Maggie Chi Liberal Don Valley North, ON

Maybe she's getting there. Just giving her an opportunity to get to her thought out would be appreciated by both sides. Thank you.