Health committee  I can highlight three of those investments because they're each very interesting in terms of capability that's possible for Canada in the future. For example, Medicago is working on a unique virus-like platform based in plants. Obviously it has been supported to build out its p

Health committee  Mr. Chair, I'm not sure if that question is directed to me, but I would say that the biologics market and global outlook are very strong. I think the RNA/DNA medicine area, which has been mentioned by Dr. Lewis, is obviously an area of high potential, not only for treating viruse

Health committee  Mr. Chair, in our case our facility started with a green field of grass, and that explains the scale and scope of what we're undertaking. The fact that it is now a completely enclosed building with HVAC systems and walls, and equipment being procured, stored in facilities and rea

Health committee  Of course, Mr. Chair, I can't speak for Health Canada and I'll be very careful not to do anything to suggest that I do. Obviously, we'll be working towards having engineering runs at the facility by the end of the year that then would be available for evaluation. This facility w

Health committee  I just want to clarify that the two million doses per month that has been referenced by the honourable member and in the previous question relates to the Biologics Manufacturing Centre, which is now under way. Construction is going well. It will be completed by the end of July. T

Health committee  Mr. Chair, the goal with the pilot plant would have been to be able to produce, for emergency use under emergency use authorization, something in the range of 100,000 to 200,000 doses per month if that could have been pursued. Obviously, that wasn't the position we were in last N

Health committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think I would refer to the vaccine task force and the position it took in terms of what was the fastest path to getting large-scale numbers of doses into Canada, and that was to acquire them. Those are the doses now coming into Canada. They have been comi

Health committee  The construction at the Royalmount site started last summer. I assure you that it has been proceeding at a very rapid pace under circumstances that are very unique. We're building a building under COVID-19 health protocols. We have to have due regard for the health and safety of

Health committee  I believe the vaccine task force is coming before this committee later in the week—

Health committee  —along with the secretariat. That would be a question you best address to them. As president of the NRC, I don't have any role or direct involvement in supporting the task force. It's operated at arm's length from me, with the secretary, and of course, supporting the task force m

Health committee  From the perspective of the president of the NRC, obviously, our role is to provide administrative support for the committee, but it operates in accordance with its co-chairs and its members. That's how they proceed.

Health committee  The secretary of the vaccine task force would take minutes of the meetings, record all the deliberations, the outcomes, the advice letters to ministers, all the indications of conflict of interest and declaration of interest, and provide administrative support.

Health committee  I'm not in a position to make that commitment, obviously. That would be a question that's best addressed to the vaccine task force in terms of what it would be prepared to share. Of course, given that it has a lot of confidential information that's been provided to it by vaccine

Health committee  Mr. Chair, the question of capacity and the question of authorization and being able to produce it for human use, those are two different questions.

Health committee  I just want to be very clear for Canadians that I'm not indicating that we had Health Canada approval. We did not have an emergency product approval in train at the time of the fall of 2020, and we were working in collaboration with other vaccine candidates in the country, but ag