Health committee  Good afternoon. I'd like to thank the committee for the opportunity to talk about this important issue. More specifically, I appreciate being able to provide details on how the CFIA supports the Canadian response. As you all know, the COVID-19 pandemic is a human crisis that req

Health committee  I'll turn it over to Colleen Barnes, my colleague. I believe she has better sound quality.

Health committee  We promoted guidance to industry very early in the pandemic indicating that they should have a response plan in place to respond to any outbreaks in their establishments, and that was in place very early on in the pandemic.

Health committee  At the moment we have sufficient PPE for our meat inspectors. We are providing them with disposable masks. Certainly there are cloth or surgical masks—

Health committee  We have a sufficient supply of masks and visors for meat inspection staff at the moment.

Health committee  We began providing equipment to meat inspection staff in meat-processing plants where social distancing could not be respected [Technical difficulty—Editor].

Health committee  Mr. Chair, as soon as the public health advice on the use of masks evolved, we immediately procured masks for our front-line staff. Those masks were deployed in late March and we began deploying face shields in mid- to late April.

Health committee  Our occupational health and safety experts would take that into consideration, absolutely.

Health committee  We take a number of measures to ensure that our workers can operate in a safe environment. Obviously the health and safety of our staff is the number one priority. It starts with following the advice of public health authorities, and that includes everything from hand hygiene to

Health committee  I would add that we continue to refine our business continuity plan. We have defined what our critical services are and we are prepared to focus on delivering those critical services in the event of a resurgence of cases.

Health committee  We have identified what the critical services are, and we are prepared to ensure the delivery of those services.

Health committee  I'll start by saying that the health and safety of our staff is a top priority for us at the CFIA. All of the actions that we have taken to mitigate risks have been done in consultation with our occupational health and safety experts, our unions, local public health authorities,

Health committee  Yes, I can.

Health committee  The health and safety of staff is a priority for the CFIA. Do you want me to continue, or should I turn it over...?

Health committee  We provide overtime services on a daily basis for industry, overtime in terms of daily shifts and overtime on weekends. So that—