Government Operations committee  Speaking for our side, I can say that, based on that international supply chain we had already established and the supplier relationships that we had established, we were lucky to be able to get out in front of the supply chain aspect early on and be able to stockpile material ou

Government Operations committee  Ours already started off fairly low, given the robustness of our existing infrastructure, so I would say they have not changed.

Government Operations committee  We're looking at somewhere between 25 and 30 people over the next two or three months, and probably accelerating beyond that.

Government Operations committee  Yes, absolutely. In fact, in our work with the different government partners I've mentioned, they have already identified basic chemical manufacturers where many of these raw materials that are currently sourced outside of Canada can be synthesized and produced in large quantitie

Government Operations committee  The total value is approximately $102 million for these 25 million to 26 million tests over the next year. The span of the contract goes until March 31, 2021.

Government Operations committee  I'm answering first. Sorry, Dr. Lem. The answer to that is no, not in Canada. We have had government contracts in other jurisdictions.

Government Operations committee  As for the laboratory-based or centralized testing, the advantage is simply scale: being able to process a very large number of samples very quickly using large equipment that is typically automated or robotic. The backbone of that style of testing lies in the different provincia

Government Operations committee  Yes, absolutely, and investment not only in the equipment but also in the people, the trained professionals who can run these styles of tests. It's important to have that infrastructure, that backbone, so we can crank out a maximum number of tests.

Government Operations committee  It was an interesting situation. It was a supplier we typically use that we know to be very reliable. It makes the highest quality product in the world. Typically this material has to be shipped by boat. We had a shipment scheduled, but it would have taken 30 days to cross the P

Government Operations committee  The answer to that is no. We were making similar technologies and measuring similar things, bacteria and other viruses, but not COVID-19 specifically.

Government Operations committee  We actually already have. Saying we have not produced this test for COVID before is perhaps a bit of a mistake on my side. We are producing the chemical reagents that are universal for measuring any virus, including the novel coronavirus, and we have produced them before. We hav

Government Operations committee  At the end of June.

Government Operations committee  Once we're absolutely 100% certain that we've met the needs of Canada, then we'll look at the potential for export, yes.

Government Operations committee  I think it's some of the more basic materials, Mr. MacKinnon, things around having Canadian production facilities for swabs and some of the base chemicals that are required for reagents. Having that capacity, I think, will make a world of difference from the standpoint of prepare

Government Operations committee  Yes, I do. In discussions with ISED, PSPC, PHAC and NRC, they are already working to shore those things up.