Industry Committee on Feb. 2nd, 2021

[James Cumming, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Can you not see how this creates some difficulties? For example, in Alberta they had scheduled out vaccines, including for caregivers. I have personal knowledge of this. Caregivers were scheduled for their vaccine and then it was dropped, with no date laid out into the future. Can you not understand how difficult that is, first, for all of the people who are worried and looking for these vaccines, and second, for a province to manage?

Can there not be a greater level of transparency on what the plan is on the layout? It must be in the contracts.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Absolutely, MP Cumming, every step of the way we've been transparent with provinces and territories, even when the news is not good. When Pfizer and Moderna needed to reduce shipments to increase production, we were immediately clear with the provinces and territories about that disappointing news. It is obviously short term, but nonetheless, I can fully understand why that is very stressful for those on the ground waiting for the vaccines.

Now, having said that, it is our assurance to the provinces and territories that we will be open and we will be transparent. As soon as we have information, whether it's a reduction in doses, whether it's the resumption of doses, or whether it's a delivery schedule from a pharmaceutical company coming on board with the ability to produces doses, we will be clear with provinces and territories and give them the information they need to plan ahead.

[James Cumming, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

We have outstanding scientists working in vaccine development and on therapeutics. One thing we've heard from them is how slow the government has been to get behind some of these vaccines.

You suggested that the vaccine task force has played a big role in this, but they didn't actually come into play until quite late in the game. Why wasn't it put into place earlier? Should we not have looked at internal vaccine development, and funding vaccine development, earlier in the game and in a more substantive way rather than the trickle of capital they received?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

I can't speak to the decisions on the Innovation, Science and Economic Development end. I would suggest that those are good questions for Minister Champagne about how decisions were made.

I will just say that the vaccine task force has been providing advice prior to any vaccine submitting for regulatory review. In fact, of the candidates they selected, as I mentioned, five of them now have applied for regulatory approval. Two of them have been approved. In fact, one was a Canadian company. Medicago is showing a great degree of promise, as I mentioned before.

I'm very grateful for the early and very thorough work of the vaccine task force, which I think has put Canada in good stead.

[James Cumming, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Would you not acknowledge that Canadian vaccine development is well behind the curve comparative to those that you've written purchase orders to?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

I would just say that including a Canadian developer was important to the vaccine task force for the purpose of building our biomanufacturing capacity. That is why in fact Canadian companies are included. This company had promise. It was also a way to invest in the company. It was a way to start to rebuild that footprint of biomanufacturing that is so important for our health security.

[James Cumming, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I want to come back to the manufacturing.

Do I have time?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sherry Romanado]

You have three seconds, unfortunately.

We will have time for another round with the deputy minister, if you'd like.

[James Cumming, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

That's fair enough. I'll yield.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sherry Romanado]

Thank you.

Next up we have MP Jaczek.

You have the floor for five minutes.

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

Thank you very much, Chair.

My first question is for Mr. Stewart.

How is PHAC keeping track of vaccinations given across Canada? Is there a national database that's recording first dose, second dose?

There might come a time when Canadians want to travel and might need to produce proof of vaccination. I won't call it an immunity passport, of course. How is PHAC looking at that particular dataset?

[Iain Stewart]

That's an excellent question.

We're very much looking at this idea of some kind of vaccination certification documentation. As people are immunized, it will be increasingly needed, so it's a great point.

As you know and as has been discussed here today, provinces and territories are the ones administering the vaccination on the ground, and each of them has a documentation system for tracking who was immunized and who needs a second dose. What we've been doing with them is creating a sharing of that data, and as that data comes in to us, we have been putting it up on our website.

When it comes to negative aspects, for instance, adverse effects, there's a well-established network to communicate as quickly as possible that something has occurred. Fortunately, so far, there have been very few instances of problems.

There is a well-developed system in place, and through the national operations centre we're making that information transparent to each of the jurisdictions participating in the campaign.

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

Thank you.

Minister Hajdu, it has been quite a year for you. Personally, I will simply say thank you for all your answers here today and for what you've done over the last year, remaining calm and thoughtful and responding to so many different questions.

Obviously, over the last year there have been lessons learned. I wonder if you could summarize for us as we go beyond the pandemic and applying some of the lessons you've learned as Minister of Health, are there areas you can see within the ministry and within the many agencies that relate to the ministry where there's need for improved staffing, areas where we could have benefited perhaps from increased data, or anything you've learned that will be put to good use going forward?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Thank you very much for the kind words. Yes, we are actually conducting a lessons learned, broader review, as you know, in terms of the entire pandemic process.

I will just say personally, and I've said this before publicly, so it won't come as a surprise to any of my colleagues, that as someone who worked in public health with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit for nine years prior to politics—and I know you were also a minister of health at the provincial level, public health—I think the things we've all come to know now in terms of contact tracing, protection, prevention and promotion are often dramatically under-recognized as critically important to the health of a community. We spend a lot of money on physical delivery of health, the health care systems, hospitals, doctors, all the kinds of stuff that we think of when we see health, but public health typically, if lucky, might get 2% of a health care budget in any province or territory, maybe a bit more or a bit less. It plays a pivotal role in protecting the health of citizens. At the federal level, we are looking now at ways that we can ensure that the Public Health Agency of Canada has a robust footprint here within the family of departments and agencies, because that prevention and protection role that public health has played for centuries is incredibly important.

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

You mentioned contact tracing as a key element of prevention and public health practice. The federal government has assisted provinces with personnel able to help with contact tracing. Could you quickly tell us what that has consisted of?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Absolutely.

We have assisted provinces and territories not only with contact tracing, for example, through trained contact tracers at Statistics Canada, but we've also assisted with many other supports to deliver health care, according to their responsibilities: Red Cross supports in long-term care homes, and epidemiological and other research expertise.

I see the red flag.

We've been there for provinces and territories, not just with the safe restart's $19 billion, but with tangible supports in communities that are experiencing significant crises.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sherry Romanado]

Thank you so much.

That ends our third round of questions and the time that we have with Minister Hajdu and Mr. Stewart. I want to thank you both for being with us today.

I understand that the deputy minister will remain for the last 18 minutes of committee so that he can answer any additional questions from committee members.

I want to thank you both for your hard work, and I want to thank your teams. Thank you, again, for being here today to answer all of our questions. We greatly appreciate it.

With that, we will start the next round of questions. We'll start with a five-minute round.

MP Généreux, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Other Canadian companies had expressed interest in interacting with Health Canada regarding vaccine production, including Alberta-based Providence Therapeutics. It announced last week that it has the capacity to produce mRNA vaccines. They intended to proceed with clinical trials in the event that an agreement was reached with Pfizer or Moderna.

Could this company meet our supply needs by next summer or fall, just like Moderna, for example?

[Dr. Stephen Lucas]

Madam Chair, what I would indicate is that the government has entered into a series of contracts for vaccine procurement, as has been noted.

That being said, work continues in supporting Canadian firms, as Minister Champagne and officials can indicate. Health Canada plays an important role from a regulatory perspective. We've recently approved a clinical trial for the Providence Therapeutics vaccine candidate, as noted, and we'll work with the company as it proceeds with its clinical development program.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

The Sanofi company, which has a plant in Ontario, had hoped to develop its own vaccine over the past year, but unfortunately, it has not worked. It is reportedly in discussions with Pfizer to produce its vaccines.

Is the government considering producing Pfizer vaccines in Canada instead of importing them from Belgium?

[Dr. Stephen Lucas]

Madam Chair, as Minister Hajdu noted previously, the government is focused on the contracts to provide vaccines to Canadians, as has been discussed, but as well, through the leadership of Minister Champagne, advancing work on biomanufacturing. I'm sure that he will be more than pleased to respond to questions pertaining to that work, to answer in that capacity looking forward.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Lucas, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been approved and vaccination has already begun.

Other vaccines are being studied. AstraZeneca's vaccine is under review. There is the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. Novavax, it seems, will eventually produce vaccines in Montreal after the summer. There are also vaccines from Medicago and Sanofi.

Could you tell us at what stage of the process these companies are at?

[Dr. Stephen Lucas]

Madam Chair, in responding, we have rolling submissions from AstraZeneca, submitted in October; Johnson & Johnson, or Janssen, submitted in late November; and as of last Friday, Novavax. Those are—

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Madam Chair, there is no interpretation.

[Dr. Stephen Lucas]

Is that better, Madam Chair?