Government Operations committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Government Operations committee  There are a couple of aspects to that question, Mr. Chair. In terms of how we're organized within PSPC, it's by product group. We would have a group that's dedicated to and has experts on masks or ventilators—pick your product—so there are little mini-teams. We have also hived off a specific group to look at the logistics.

Government Operations committee  Thank you very much for your question. For now, only Air Canada and Cargojet have been approved to operate flights between Shanghai and Canada. We are in discussions with other companies to help them obtain the necessary approval. We believe it is better to have more options. We are in the process of organizing that, but it takes time.

Government Operations committee  Thank you for your question. Deloitte is an accounting services firm, that is true, but it also offers consulting services. To manage the crisis, we clearly need experts from outside the government. However, Deloitte is not the only company responsible for logistics. We use the services of other companies, Boloré Logistics, for example, which specializes in transportation and warehousing.

Government Operations committee  That's Canadian dollars.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, I'm not sure where the member got that information, but at the end of the day, PSPC is accountable for what gets on our flights. We are using the assistance of the private sector. Deloitte plays a role in vetting suppliers and helping us with our supply chain, but the goods we're talking about were cleared by customs in the warehouse and ready for loading.

Government Operations committee  We have arrangements with both Cargojet and Air Canada on an ongoing basis. Early on, we had used a couple of other carriers as well, but going forward it's been Air Canada and Cargojet on an ongoing basis.

Government Operations committee  Thank you for the question. I have a couple of comments. Yes, as the member mentioned, I have some friends with me, and I'll be happy to turn to them should I need some help. The Public Health Agency, like other departments, is a client of PSPC, so when it places orders we do our best to fill them and we talk about schedules and need.

Government Operations committee  That is correct. It is worked through by the Public Health Agency of Canada with its colleagues. That is from an ongoing order perspective. Obviously, if there's an acute shortage that pops up, we will be taking steps to manage that, but it is worked out with the Public Health Agency of Canada and its counterparts.

Government Operations committee  It's good to see everyone. In terms of the empty planes, there are a couple of things to say. There were a few empty planes that left the airports and only one of them was a Government of Canada plane. As mentioned earlier, the Shanghai airports, and all airports in China in fact, are extremely busy.

Government Operations committee  It's a little more complicated than that in that the airport is extraordinarily busy. We do actually have a warehouse that we're making use of at the airport, and that's where we store our products. Basically it's a constant lining up of goods to make sure they clear customs in our warehouse and are ready to go.

Government Operations committee  Just to be clear, Mr. Chair, one plane from the Government of Canada was left empty, but it was not the only one. This is not a unique issue for the Government of Canada, and I want to clarify that for the member. No matter who you're dealing with, nobody wants to send an empty plane home.

Health committee  The member has touched on a very important issue in his question. Ventilators are in short supply worldwide. They're not sitting around on shelves. We are going to see ventilators start arriving in small numbers in the next couple of weeks, and this will ramp up through May.

Health committee  I'm happy to provide the committee with updates of receipts. For distribution, I would encourage you to ask the Public Health Agency of Canada, because they would be the ones who would then distribute those out to the provinces.

Health committee  Thank you for your question. In the case of Fluid Energy Group, the company manufactured the hand sanitizer itself.