National Defence Committee on Nov. 27th, 2020

[Col Scott Malcolm]

Thanks for the opportunity to respond to that question.

I would suggest that documentation and maintenance of that documentation over that century, while somewhat challenging.... Certainly we were able to look back to more recent lessons, specifically through the H1N1 experience and to roles there. There were some lessons learned but it was suggested that, again, we were looking at more of a known entity in an influenza, with H1N1. There's much more uncertainty with this pandemic, being the first-ever coronavirus.

[Ken Hardie, Liberal, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Thank you.

Early on in our experience with the pandemic, we watched in shock and horror what was going on in Europe, particularly in Italy. That was certainly where I saw the first involvement of the military, in helping civil authorities deal with the situation.

Have there been discussions, exchanges of intelligence or ongoing liaison with military in Europe as to how they've been dealing with this, and are there learnings for us?

[Col Scott Malcolm]

Thanks for the question.

Both through our NATO allies and through other partners across the globe, we've been receiving valuable lessons, whether it's from Japan, Korea.... Everyone in the military sphere is quite willing to share lessons and we've been keeping abreast of those throughout this time. Given the fact that the first wave came a couple of months after it struck the other side of the world, we were able to be somewhat better prepared, given the limited knowledge that was available at that time.

[Ken Hardie, Liberal, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

It seems that you will be called on with respect to the issue of getting the vaccines out. How good are you guys at logistics? This is your commercial.

[Col Scott Malcolm]

Unfortunately, you're asking a doctor about how good we are with logistics. That's not my area of expertise but I can tell you that, when it comes to medical logistics, we relied very heavily on our medical logisticians to get PPE around the world—when we supported Operation Globe—and also into the long-term care facilities. They did marvellously. No member went into those long-term care facilities without having the top-quality PPE they required to protect themselves and the vulnerable populations they were serving.

[Ken Hardie, Liberal, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

I have time for another quick question to Ms. Estabrooks and Ms. van Beusekom.

Isolation has been mentioned. What do we do about it? What are your suggestions?

[Dr. Carole Estabrooks]

We can't eliminate risk. We have to accept some risk when we allow visitors and family in, but we can mitigate that risk. We can limit the number of people in. We can ask that families comply, and if families don't comply with the infection control practices, they shouldn't be able to visit. However, we must let them in, because individuals who are older with dementia deteriorate not just physically from being alone in bed but very rapidly cognitively when they have no contact, in particular with familiar people.

Remember, people are walking into the room with masks, gowns and hats. They don't have good sensory comprehension as their dementia progresses. They can't hear well and they can't see well, so it's frightening and confusing. We can mitigate the risk. We must accept there'll be some. We can do this quite safely if we're thoughtful about it, and we have to. We can't let people die alone.

[Michelle van Beusekom]

There's a great precedent in Ontario with the essential caregiver program, which was introduced thanks to the lobbying of many people. Each resident now has the right to two essential caregivers. I am one for my parents. That makes all the difference. We're tested regularly. We're trained in PPE and infection control protocols, and it makes a world of difference. Going into their home, I see the decline of people who don't have access to family members.

It can be done safely and Ontario is actually a leader in that regard. That should be extended across the country in my opinion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karen McCrimmon]

That brings us to the end of our time.

Thank you, everyone.

Thank you so much for your brevity, and for treating the time of the fellow witnesses and committee members with such respect. I thank you for being with us today. We know your time is precious.

With that, the meeting is adjourned.