Evidence of meeting #11 for Public Safety and National Security in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was going.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
In Laval, north of Montreal, there is an institute located in a research park of biochemistry or biomedial area where some fifty companies can be found. The institute responsible for their gathering is called the Institut Armand-Frappier which, during the last world war, started making vaccines for the Canadian Forces. It has expanded much since then. Its facilities include a two week supply of oxygen and water should there be a major disaster.
The institute does not ask for any grant, precisely because it developed around a research park where many private companies moved in. People in the institute wonder why when planning the governement does not consider the role they could be playing. They have all the necessary equipment to face pandemics. For example, they are ready to face bird flu thanks to their ties with the Institut Pasteur, which has branches throughout the world. Incidentally, the Institut Pasteur has one branch in Vietnam and others in Asia where human cases of bird flu were reported.
What they do is as important as what is done in Winnipeg, and even more important in some respects. They had contacted me in order to make the government aware of their existence, which apparently wasn't the case since they ask the government nothing. But they want somebody at the federal level to know they do exist and can be included in the preperations for a potential far-reaching natural disaster with important medical implications.
They propose to meet with us. I think they've sent the chair a letter explaining they're ready to welcome us. I don't know if you're interested in visiting these facilities, but it's two and a half hours drive away. Many medical experiments are carried out there as well.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
We as a committee had previously thought this was a good idea and we were going to do this. If we can find a day sometime when the schedule is fairly light, we will likely attend.
This meeting stands adjourned.