Health committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. I apologize if there was any misunderstanding. I have some notes here in English. We can have them ready in French very quickly, but not today. I will take you through what we have. Dr. Butler-Jones and I are prepared to table our notes. Health Canada's strategic review helped identify areas where we can better focus the federal government's core role in health; where we can improve how we work with partners inside and outside the federal government; and where we can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of how we do business within the department.

Health committee  I'll start with the first question, while we try to see if we have information on the second one. Our total budget this year for the Canada Health Act administration enforcement is $4,217,000. On the Copeman Clinic, I'm trying to see if we can get the information. If not, I'll get back to you.

Health committee  Of course. When we introduce new regulations—and especially regulations as important as this one—it is always the practice of Health Canada and the Government of Canada to undertake consultations with the public before the regulations become official either in the form of a working document or a draft regulation published in Part 1 of the Canada Gazette.

Health committee  I don't know the exact date, but I can find out and let you know.

Health committee  A report was published in July 2008 on nanotechnology. This report was prepared by the Council of Canadian Academies. As to whether Health Canada will be undertaking consultations on this matter, I will find out, but I don't know the date as such. Before the end of this hearing, I hope to have information for you.

Health committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. I am going to try to answer that question. I can say that we are of course working on this new technology, nanotechnology, which does present advantages, but also risks which we do not completely understand at this time. This has led us to be very prudent.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  I would just add that I think the move by CFIA to mandatory environmental testing is welcome. It will be reflected in our updated listeria policy, on which we're having broad consultations, as I mentioned, and which we hope to have in place before the end of this fiscal year. Just to reiterate, we are putting in place through our lessons learned exercise a number of initiatives to try to ensure that we are as efficient as we can be.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  First of all, each of the organizations, in dealing with an outbreak, will do a lessons learned exercise. In this case, given the nature of the outbreak, it was a more formal exercise. There were separate reports done for each organization, because each organization has a specific mandate and was looking at what it did.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  I'll just finish on one point, and then I'll let David speak. I will say--

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  I have one final point before I turn it over to Dr. Butler-Jones. In the implementation of these lessons learned, there is an ADM-level committee with representatives from all three agencies who are working on implementation and meeting two times a week.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm going to ask Dr. Farber to respond to the question.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  I completely agree with that. I think it is a shared responsibility. One of the challenges in dealing with this is to try to sort through responsibility when there are a number of players in the system. Within the federal government there are three principal players, all of whom have a piece of the role.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to thank the subcommittee for inviting us to be here this evening. I'd like to introduce my colleagues. I have with me today Ms. Meena Ballantyne, assistant deputy minister of Health Canada's health products and food branch; and Dr. Jeff Farber, director, bureau of microbial hazards in the food directorate, health products and food branch.

Health committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll start with the electronic health records first. As you are aware, there was an additional investment in Canada Health Infoway in this year's budget. Canada Health Infoway is, I would say, a very prudently managed enterprise and will release money as they have assurances that projects meet a strict set of criteria.

Health committee  We don't have that here today, but we'd be happy to provide it later.