With respect to the appointment to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Governing Council of Dr. Bernard Prigent, Vice President and Medical Director of Pfizer Canada: (a) as per the requirements for Order in Council (OIC) selection processes, what were the selection criteria developed to outline qualifications required for the position in question; (b) as per the requirements for OIC selection processes, how was the pool of suitable candidates reached; (c) before the Minister of Health made the recommendation of this appointment to the Governor General in Council, did she consult with the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner on the appointment and, if so, what was the Commissioner’s opinion and the reasons for it on the matter, and, if not, why not; (d) was anyone at CIHR given any opportunity to comment on the appointment prior to its announcement and, if not, why not, and, if so (i) who was given this opportunity, (ii) what responses were received, (iii) were any concerns of objections raised and, if so, what were they; (e) what options are available to the CIHR President, Governing Council members and Scientific Directors before and after an appointment is announced if they disagree with an Order in Council appointment because they anticipate it could negatively affect CIHR’s ability to fulfill its legislative mandate; (f) what options are available to the members of the CIHR Standing Committee on Ethics before and after an appointment is announced if they disagree with an Order in Council appointment because they anticipate it could negatively affect CIHR’s ability to fulfill its ethics mandate; (g) was anyone (apart from anyone at CIHR) outside of the Minister’s Office given any opportunity to comment on the appointment prior to its announcement and, if so, what were the responses, and, if not, why not; (h) did the Minister of Health consider names from pharmaceutical companies other than Pfizer and, if so, why was the Pfizer person selected instead of someone from a different company, and, if not, why not; (i) did the Minister of Health consider names of individuals from business sectors other than the pharmaceutical industry (e.g., banking, natural resources, etc.) and, if so, why was a person from the pharmaceutical industry selected instead of someone from a different sector, and, if not, why not; (j) where did Dr. Prigent’s name originate for consideration for membership on the CIHR Governing Council; and (k) who participated in any discussions with the Minister or her staff about the Minister’s recommendation of Dr. Prigent for membership on the CIHR Governing Council?
In the House of Commons on April 16th, 2010. See this statement in context.