Yes, Mr. Chairman, I can confirm that Health Canada does a good job in reviewing its drug submissions. When Health Canada does approve a drug for use in Canada, it has a rigorous process behind it.
Nevertheless, Health Canada is struggling in two areas in particular.
It has service standards: timelines that it expects to meet with respect to its review and approval of drug submissions. For the most part, it is struggling with meeting those timelines. The review process takes longer than the standards that Health Canada has set for itself.
The other issue that I will flag, Mr. Chairman, has to do with monitoring of potential safety issues with respect to drugs that have been approved for use. The department actively monitors those safety issues, but in many cases the time it takes to conduct its review of a potential safety issue and to communicate the results of its review to Canadians is too long. In some cases, it can take up to two years to assess those safety issues and communicate the results to Canadians.