Health committee  The positive changes, I think, would be interacting on a coordinated approach. We recently had engagements with HERC, health emergency readiness Canada. It's still in its beginning days, but there's been quite a bit of excitement around that strategy to work with both the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada and to take that forward in a more proactive approach than we have had in the past.

Health committee  You're right that there are many lessons learned through any type of risk to or any type of stress on our supply chain. What we've done is collaborate on a different level. I think the national agenda has shifted. As a national organization, we work very closely with many provinces, as you said, on all kinds of critical supplies.

Health committee  You did hear me speak earlier about the data strategy, which I think is paramount to many of the other recommendations we have for building transparency and the national coordination of the data that we own. You're absolutely right that we do not have the capacity to develop a fully sufficient pharmaceutical strategy in Canada.

Health committee  At this point, we look at all patients who present to our hospitals as increased demand. I would say that we always have a challenge when it comes to forecasting the actual demand, the true demand, against what we project. There's a real opportunity here for us to look at any sort of population change or growth.

Health committee  I'm sorry. I do not have any insight or commentary to add to that question.

Health committee  The vulnerabilities today can be addressed through a national coordinated policy and framework. As I mentioned in my remarks, there is an opportunity to focus on critical and vulnerable medications. Health Canada has had some leadership in this area. We have a vested interest here, as a provider to hospitals and health care organizations, as many of the products on that list are injectable medications and are life-saving.

Health committee  HealthPRO Canada has certain helium contracts for hospitals. Some of them are used for medical gases, and as you said, there is a product used in MRI machines. At this point, one of the producers has put out a notice that says there is a 50% allocation for a certain type of liquid helium.

Health committee  I do not have any line of sight as to when that could change.

Health committee  Unfortunately, I do not have much interaction with the domestically based suppliers. I think your question is a thoughtful one, and I believe that the Minister of Energy and Resources in the province of Saskatchewan is actively looking into those strategies. We have an open market opportunity within all of our contracts that encourages, wherever we can, domestic production by allowing suppliers to enter into a formal contract with HealthPRO Canada.

Health committee  Madam Chair, vice-chairs and honourable members of the committee, I thank you for this opportunity to appear today. My name is Christine Donaldson, and I am the president and CEO of HealthPRO Canada. We are a national, member-owned, group-purchasing organization that serves more than 2,100 hospitals and health care organizations across the country.