Debates of Nov. 26th, 2020

Health—Main Estimates, 2020-21

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Chair, I will start with brief remarks and then go into questions for the purposes of your timing.

The COVID pandemic has been the greatest crisis in the modern history of our country. It has been a difficult year for Canada, for Canadian families, seniors, small businesses, front-line nurses, PSWs and doctors. Our country has pivoted in remarkable ways.

I want to thank those on our front lines who have been a part of the national response to COVID-19.

The questions we will have for the minister are based on Canada needing to do better. The very hybrid nature of Parliament itself is a result. People are working from home. We have a hybrid structure. The minister will be on a screen today as opposed to in the House where she was earlier today. That is a sign of the hybrid nature of how things are changing.

After months of lockdown, of uncertainty, of businesses failing, of people declaring bankruptcy and of people losing a loved one, a vaccine on the eve of Christmas was the hope for which our country was looking. That hope and that desire for Canada to do well, to recover and to help our people will underline my questions here tonight.

When was the minister first informed, or her office, by company representatives, telling them that the Pfizer vaccine would require specific logistics of a pharmaceutical-grade freezer and cold logistics chain?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Chair, every step of the way, the Department of Health has been working very closely with Procurement Canada, in fact, hand in glove. We have been working with the manufacturer to understand what the requirements are to transport vaccines, store vaccines and, in fact, to deploy vaccines. We are working with provinces and territories right now to ensure everyone is set up for success.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Chair, my question was when was the minister informed of the extreme cold temperature requirements for the Pfizer vaccine?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, the work of procurement has been integrated with the work of Health Canada as we pursue, acquire and plan to deploy vaccines. I am very proud to say that the whole of government—

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Chair, this will be long night if we just have more “whole of government” or “our portfolio of vaccines”. Those are the lines we want to get past tonight.

Again to the minister, when was her team informed of the challenges posed by the extreme cold storage requirements for the Pfizer vaccine?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, every step of the way we have negotiated and communicated extensively with the manufacturers of the seven very promising vaccine candidates. Of course, we know the requirements for storing, transporting and deploying. We are working now to have every success with provinces and territories to do that.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Chair, I will move on. One last time, can I get a date on the cold storage requirements for the Pfizer vaccine?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, we have worked extensively with the pharmaceutical manufacturers to fully understand how best to transport, store and deploy them.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Chair, moving on, Ford Motor Company has begun to procure the type of specialized freezers to store the Pfizer vaccine.

Can the minister tell the House how many freezers Health Canada has procured to store the Pfizer vaccine?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, I am so grateful for the work of Procurement Canada that is working hand in glove with Health Canada and indeed the work that we are doing with provinces and territories to understand their capacities and ensure we have the materials available when the vaccine arrives. We are very well along in that process and we are very optimistic about the ability of the provinces and territories to deploy this vaccine.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Chair, I will let Canadians and journalists watching this committee of the whole know that we will hear a lot of “hand in glove”, “whole of government” and a lot of “robust portfolio” tonight. We want answers to simple questions that are important in the public interest, so I will continue.

Did the government negotiate or attempt to negotiate the right to manufacture the Pfizer vaccine in Canada?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, we have been so well served by the vaccine task force, which is composed of hard-working volunteer Canadians with a variety of expertise in manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, vaccination and virology. That is why we are so well situated, with seven candidates. They are the most promising candidates around the world, a diverse portfolio indeed, and Canadians will be well served by their expertise and leadership.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Chair, I will ask again. Did the minister, with respect to the Pfizer vaccine, in their great portfolio of vaccines, negotiate the ability to manufacture that vaccine in Canada?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, I am thrilled that Canadians will have such a variety of vaccines. Canada has purchased more vaccine per capita than any other country in the world. We are very confident that the provinces and territories have the expertise they need to deploy the vaccine. We are working with the—

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Chair, hand in hand, whole of government and grand portfolio; no answers to specific questions. I will move on; no answer on Pfizer.

Did the government negotiate or attempt to negotiate the right to manufacture the Moderna vaccine in Canada?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, the president of Moderna has noted how well situated Canada is to acquire the Moderna vaccine and deploy it. The president has noted that we placed our order early and that we are well situated in our ability to receive Moderna and deploy it successfully in Canada.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Chair, does the minister think I would actually get answers from perhaps the president of Moderna?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, as the member opposite knows, pharmaceutical companies are working with countries around the world. They have been contracted to provide doses for this global pandemic, and we are thrilled that Moderna has Canada at the top of its list.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Chair, I hear no answers on the Pfizer vaccine, no specific details on the Moderna vaccine and more reference to a vague portfolio. I am sure it is reassuring, as Canadians will see vaccines rolling out to billions of people around the planet, that we will have a robust portfolio in two years.

On May 12, the government signed an agreement between the National Research Council and CanSino that would “allow the NRC to advance a scale-up production process for a vaccine candidate.”

Did the government have the right to manufacture the CanSino vaccine in Canada?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have to say that I am incredibly confident, with the portfolio of vaccines that we have acquired, that we have the right blend of vaccines.

As the member opposite knows, we have vaccines from a variety of different kinds of technology, and we have the capacity, as a leading country in immunization, to deploy these vaccines successfully. This is good news for Canadians.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Chair, I heard no response to making Pfizer, Moderna or CanSino in Canada, for those following.

The news release from the announcement states that the National Research Council will have “readiness for Canadian bioprocessing of potential vaccine candidates as they become available.”

Did the government originally intend to manufacture multiple vaccine candidates at the NRC site in Montreal?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, as the member opposite knows, our government has been investing in science and research and has been investing in the biomanufacturing sector, and that is exactly what we need to do to combat future pandemics. In terms of vaccination for Canadians, we are thrilled that we have seven such promising candidates, three of them already with Health Canada for regulatory approval.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Chair, of the seven promising candidates she has referred to several times, did the government negotiate to have any manufactured in Canada?