Health committee  Yes.

Health committee  Mr. Chair, again, from the point of view of the efforts we have in place with our colleagues with the Canada Border Services Agency, they are very aligned with what's actually happening in other countries as well. From our perspective, at the end of the day the efforts are very much focused on controlling the introduction and subsequently the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Health committee  No, not the entire flight. We have a protocol that tells us what we must do in situations where contacts need to be found. We are following the protocol. It's really a focused concentration on individuals who are in rows around the index case we're interested in. Again, based on the science and what we know about the disease, it is not a protocol that would have us look at contact tracing for everybody on the plane.

Health committee  In terms of the collaboration that's been taking place between the federal government and all of the provinces and territories, there has been a lot of work done to ensure there is agreed-upon guidance with regard to infection prevention and control measures that are utilized in hospital settings, and guidance around what should be done in the event there are individuals who present themselves at a health facility and indicate that they have been in Wuhan, for example.

Health committee  Of course the concern also includes not just Canadians here but the Canadians who would be returning on the plane.

Health committee  Mr. Chair, I just want to attempt to make it clear. Working very closely with our partners, including the Canada Border Services Agency, we are implementing the Quarantine Act across the country at every single port of entry. We're doing that now. We've been doing that for some period of time, and we'll continue to do that into the future.

Health committee  All those details are being worked out, and obviously the Government of Canada is engaging closely with the Chinese authorities in relation to working out some of those details. From the point of view of the earlier questions you were asking, I can assure all committee members that we are very conscious of the concerns that exist around the potential for individuals to return to Canada and potentially be asymptomatic and then subsequently symptomatic.

Health committee  Pursuant to the comment I made during my opening statement, contact tracing is something that falls within the responsibility of the local provincial health authority within the jurisdiction that has the individual they're dealing with. That said, we've been working very hard with the Province of Ontario to support its efforts in terms of identifying individuals who were on the plane associated with the first index case in Canada.

Health committee  In terms of the role the province plays, they are the ones responsible for the case management of the individual. We support them in terms of helping to find where those individuals might be and how to get a hold of them, but in terms of reporting back to us on who those individuals are, there is no obligation for them to do that.

Health committee  Obviously, in terms of any kind of confirmed case or a suspected case, we are certainly working very closely with the provinces and territories. They definitely report that to us.

Health committee  We are working very closely with our colleagues at Global Affairs Canada, who are leading that particular initiative. As our minister indicated, that includes how we will assess and deal with people when they return to Canada. That work is under way.

Health committee  We have responsibility for the administration of the Quarantine Act, and we're working closely, as I said, with our colleagues at Global Affairs Canada, as well as others, in terms of coming up with what we think is the best approach in terms of dealing with individuals when they return to Canada.

Health committee  We're working through all those details at this point in time, so it's premature for me to pronounce on that because we've yet to conclude the way in which we are going to operationalize the return of the flight. However, we're working through that as quickly as possible. It's safe to say that we are very much attuned to ensuring we are doing the requisite public safety or public health measures—

Health committee  The Quarantine Act is focused on preventing the introduction and spread of communicable diseases, and the Quarantine Act applies at all ports of entry. Pursuant to that act, we definitely have the authority to take measures that would help us ensure that the health and safety of individuals who are coming home to Canada is dealt with appropriately.

Health committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for the opportunity to address the Standing Committee on Health regarding the Public Health Agency of Canada's efforts to prepare for and respond to the arrival of novel coronavirus in Canada. l'm here today with Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, and Dr.