Thank you, Madam Chair.
I am here today with Pierre Parent, our chief human resources officer, who is leading the House administration's crisis management team.
We have put in place a number of preventative measures to help ensure the health and safety of members, their staff, and administration employees throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our actions are guided by information from public health officials at various levels, with whom our health and safety team is in regular communication. We are liaising closely on various matters with parliamentary partners, other legislatures and security partners in order to base our actions on relevant and up-to-date information.
For several weeks now, the administration's crisis management and incident management teams have been meeting regularly to assess the situation, discuss mitigation strategies, and determine how to best support members and ensure a safe and healthy workplace.
In direct support of members and their staff, we have established a medical advisory service for those experiencing health-related issues that may be linked to COVID-19. Available Monday to Friday, the service arranges medical callback support with an on-call physician. Our in-house occupational health nurses are tracking cases, following up and responding to any concerns. In addition, four virtual sessions were offered by our members’ HR services team to provide information to members relating to their role as employers. These complemented the information shared with members on Source.
Our employee and family assistance program continues to be available to members, their staff and administration employees for confidential support 24 hours a day. Mental health support is an ongoing priority. We want to ensure that everyone in the House of Commons community is aware of the resources that are available to them.
For House administration employees, I can assure you that only those whose physical presence is necessary to provide required services are reporting to work on site. All other employees are teleworking where possible. I am proud of and impressed by the ingenuity of employees who are finding solutions to continue to provide support and services while also, in many cases, caring for family members. Where employees are unable to work, we have introduced flexible leave options.
Several steps have also been taken to protect those who are on site. We have increased the cleaning of high-traffic areas to three times a day. This includes entrances, elevators and handrails. A special COVID-19 cleaning and disinfecting service has been implemented for suspected and confirmed cases. This is in keeping with a protocol that has been established based on advice from public health officials. Additional hand-sanitizing stations have been deployed. Sanitizing wipes have been made available to front-line personnel. Physical distancing measures and proper hand hygiene reminders have been communicated, and signage is displayed throughout the precinct. Plexiglass barriers have been installed in areas where physical distancing options are not always possible. Other simple but important measures have also been taken, such as the rearrangement of furniture in lunchrooms. Our health and safety team continues to monitor the situation on site to ensure that guidance is being respected and to answer employee questions.
Regular communication with staff continues to be a priority. We are making special efforts to stay in touch with those who do not have House of Commons mobile devices. As such, we are communicating by text message, email, desktop pop-up and by the public website, and keeping a dial-in information line up to date. We use our regular communications to provide updated information—for example, the ID guidelines for interprovincial travel and changes to the House sitting calendar—and also to remind all employees of public health recommendations. Our occupational health nurses are personally following up with employees who have shown symptoms, and are liaising with public health authorities.
Through consultations with public health officials, we have been informed that personal protective equipment is not required at this time for employees working on site. However, given recent indications of a possible change of view on the use of masks, this policy will be closely monitored and adjusted as necessary. We have procured masks and gloves, and are preparing fact sheets to accompany their distribution, if required.
We are confident that we are in a strong position to support the activities of the House of Commons at the lowest risk possible to everyone involved. We will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and adjust our actions.
I can say without reservation that this commitment to ensure a safe workplace is shared by all in the parliamentary community. Members of my team and I have been in constant communication with all the whips' offices, and I am confident that everyone is contributing to the application and respect of the various measures put in place to protect us and mitigate potential risks.
It will be our pleasure to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you.