Thank you, Chair, and welcome, witnesses, to our meeting.
I'd like to focus on conflict of interest. As we all know, it's essential that our federal regulatory system be as objective and impartial as possible. Drug approval decisions should be based on what's safe for Canadians, not on any private interest, and I'm sure you're aware of the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, which requires all departments to establish measures to manage conflicts of interest.
The Auditor General's report found that Health Canada's code of conduct and conflict of interest guidelines are consistent with the government's Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, but did note that improvements needed to be made. In his report, the Auditor General recommends that Health Canada do a better job in assessing the risks of conflicts of interest in the drug review process.
Ms. Yeates, you alluded to this in your earlier remarks. I'd like to focus on what Health Canada is doing to ensure that drug reviewers are not using confidential information about drug approvals for personal gain.