Health committee  Yes, we would require confidentiality.

Health committee  There was an independent arm's-length group of advisers—the expert advisory committee and vaccine task force. They assessed all the different technologies that were available. They recommended that Canada pursue a portfolio approach to conclude APAs. That portfolio, the seven APAs that we did conclude, comprised a wide variety of technologies ranging from mRNA to protein subunit to viral vector-based vaccines and a variety of platforms, including the plant-based innovative technologies of Medicago.

Health committee  The $150 million was the advance payment for the at-risk manufacturing of those vaccines to guarantee Canadian access to doses from Medicago.

Health committee  I would say that the provisions of the contracts are subject to non-disclosure and confidentiality arrangements. They were disclosed to the public accounts committee, but in a public forum we can't speak to the other details of the contracts.

Health committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, for the question. We believe that the issue of breast cancer screening and guidelines is really of paramount importance to Canadians. That's the reason we put in place a knowledge exchange forum that took place with scientific experts from across the screening continuum to bring their experience to the table as well as those with lived experience of breast cancer.

Health committee  The number of doses that have expired to date is 25.6 million. A dose could be considered expired for many reasons. Sometimes the expiry date has been reached. Sometimes the container has been opened. Sometimes it's related to the refrigeration process. In a few cases, containers had been damaged during transportation.

Health committee  To keep doses from expiring, we transferred them between the provinces and territories, worked with manufacturers, expanded vaccine requirements and promoted active international vaccine donations. We're taking a number of steps to minimize the number of vaccines that expire. However, as the minister mentioned, in order to be prepared and to ensure that all Canadians have access to doses, we procured a wide variety of vaccines in significant quantities to make sure that everyone would have access.

Health committee  There is indeed a plan. We have been working in real time, incorporating the lessons learned from the COVID response as we've gone along in pandemic response. That includes some of the information management and information technology that I was speaking about earlier. It includes a risk management approach to ensuring that we have the appropriate stockpiles.

Health committee  We can provide the lessons learned that have been implemented and the approach that we are taking to restock the NESS and to—

Health committee  The plan that would be published in response to the Auditor General's report, as you mentioned, is within a year of the end of the pandemic, and we continue to be responding to the pandemic as we speak.

Health committee  I would say, Mr. Chair, respectfully, that we do indeed have a pandemic preparedness plan. It includes the NESS. It includes its organization, its management and its stocks. Those plans have been updated in accordance with the new lessons that we've learned throughout this pandemic, and they're being implemented in real time.

Health committee  The NESS has been expanded greatly as a result of the response to the COVID pandemic, so we're seeing the specific supplies needed to respond to COVID in addition to the traditional stockpiles that it's always maintained. It is fully stocked with COVID-specific therapeutics, medical countermeasures, ventilators and personal protective gear and equipment.

Health committee  I do not have the total figure for that number, but I can—

Health committee  I can provide it to the committee.