Canada-China Relations committee  Like Canada, none of our partners has completely cut ties with China when it comes to research. Researchers themselves would tell you that it is not healthy for innovation in Canada to completely cut ties with China in terms of research. That doesn't mean we have to do it blindly and with just anybody, as we would, for example, with our Five Eyes partners.

Canada-China Relations committee  Do you mean the role I'm playing?

Canada-China Relations committee  I think my role encompasses all national security aspects. We know now that national security also has an economic component. It can also have a health component and a climate component. All of that is to say that our innovation and research and the safety of our researchers are under my purview, of course with the support of key departments, mainly the science departments and the national security agencies.

Canada-China Relations committee  I think what I'm saying is that researchers' innovation, as I said in my opening remarks, can be the targets and victims of national security threats. I need to make sure that the system we have in place, whether we're talking about the legislative framework or the procedures, is something that's being looked at by the different key departments and agencies.

Canada-China Relations committee  There are a lot of layers to that. If I talk only about labs, for example, employees are subject to security clearance at the secret level. They also have to respect the legislation that guides laboratories. If they need a top secret...they will have to respect another layer of protection.

Canada-China Relations committee  I can talk about that. First of all, let me repeat that when PHAC and the lab in particular received an awareness briefing from CSIS, they themselves identified employees who were at risk. They flagged those employees and found, unfortunately, other concerns. Those are things they have done.

Canada-China Relations committee  I would be able to provide a timing in which that...but I believe it was not in 2018.

Canada-China Relations committee  I'd like to add a couple of things. First of all, it's always easy to look at what happened in the past with a retrospective lens and then see how easy it was. That is my first caveat. However, I agree with you that from the first signal.... To the credit of CSIS and the PHAC, they were the ones who identified the first signal.

Canada-China Relations committee  I don't have specific dates to offer to you. As you know, I was not at the Privy Council, but this is not the reason. I know that my predecessor briefed the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister's Office regarding the situation at the lab.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you as well to the members of the committee for the opportunity to speak to you and answer some of your questions about the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. With me this evening is David Vigneault, who is well known to the committee. He is the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, or CSIS.