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Results: 31 - 45 of 967
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:23
I would point to two items I've noticed in this series of audits. When we looked at pandemic preparedness, I might have pointed to other matters, but here I would talk about the drive of short-term thinking, of dealing with the current things on the table versus that long-term view and, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, really planning for a rainy day. I think that's a natural tension between Parliament and government. We need to recognize that the federal public service has to always make sure that they keep their eye on the long-term thinking and do all that behind-the-scenes work.
The second thing I would point to here is that in reviewing internal documents and also in talking to officials, we found that the Public Health Agency cited budget constraints and limitations that limited their ability to deal with some of these issues and also to restock the stockpile when it had been used.
View Jean Yip Profile
Lib. (ON)
On the topic of oversight of third party warehousing and logistics, it stated that one of the reasons third party service providers were sometimes unable to fulfill their contractual obligations was incomplete information from suppliers. How does your recommendation address this?
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:25
We did provide a recommendation there about how enforcing the terms of contracts is essential. The federal public service spends a lot of time making sure that there are good clauses in the contracts; enforcing them is essential.
Here, the third party warehouses didn't always have accurate information from the suppliers and hence couldn't document what was in the inventory and what was being received and shipped, but there were also limitations in the Public Health Agency's inventory management system that contributed to the ongoing inability to have a complete record over the pandemic.
It's about enforcing those rules, but it's also about making sure that you have an IT system that supports a really important program. In this case, it's the national emergency strategic stockpile.
View Jean Yip Profile
Lib. (ON)
In your opening remarks, there was also a reference to Public Services and Procurement Canada making adjustments by accepting some risk to facilitate the quick purchase of large quantities of equipment in a highly competitive market where supply was not always keeping pace with demand.
What kinds of risks were deemed acceptable?
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:26
All right. I will do my best.
I would highlight just two things. One would be invoking the national security exception, which allows for non-competitive processes. The second would be accepting the risk of making advance payments in order to secure equipment to replenish the stockpile and deal with provinces' and territories' requests.
View Julie Vignola Profile
BQ (QC)
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Ms. Hogan, Canada has warehouses built to store equipment should the provinces and territories need it. A few weeks before the pandemic began, thousands of apparently expired masks were thrown away.
To your knowledge, does Canada have a schedule or system for tracking equipment, as any company does if they don't want to throw their money out the window or into the landfill?
In its procurement strategy, has Canada found ways to ensure that, in the future, it won't be dependent on foreign countries to meet its needs?
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:27
You raise one of the shortcomings we found in our audit, that the electronic inventory management system for the national emergency strategic stockpile was not effective. The government could not track the expiry dates of certain equipment stored in the Reserve Force and was therefore unable to act if necessary.
We recommend that the government put in place a comprehensive process to better manage the reserves, and that requires technology that provides data to make good decisions. We could not find out why the government did what it did, but we know that there was some very important data missing.
We found that, during the pandemic, the government tried to use Canadian suppliers, but that there was a lack of personal protective equipment suppliers in Canada. We didn't really look at how the government had expanded that market. As I mentioned on the day I tabled my report, this is something I will look into in the future, as it will help us determine whether Canada has positioned itself well and is better prepared for a future crisis by ensuring that we have Canadian suppliers.
View Julie Vignola Profile
BQ (QC)
Thank you.
On January 30, the WHO announced the health emergency represented by the coronavirus. In early March, the WHO declared a shortage of medical equipment.
What preventive measures did Canada take between January 30 and early March?
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:29
Between January 30 and early March, the provinces and territories began making requests for equipment. As I mentioned in an earlier answer, the government attempted to meet these needs, but could not meet them fully.
In early March, the government began a transition to mass procurement. Public Services and Procurement Canada created a procurement team to support this initiative. After March, work continued on how to best assess needs and make the necessary equipment purchases.
The process was very reactive initially, as the government was just trying to get equipment to meet the needs.
View Julie Vignola Profile
BQ (QC)
Canada sent tons of medical equipment to China to help it in its own fight against the coronavirus. Isn't it strange that Canada would send equipment to the country that succeeded and continues to succeed in supplying equipment to the entire world?
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:31
We haven't really looked at what the government has done for humanitarian purposes. However, I pointed out in my March report that the government did not have the necessary tools to more accurately determine the risk that COVID-19 posed to our country. Perhaps that explains the initiatives it has taken. In any event, we didn't look at the humanitarian initiatives that were taken until it was felt that there was a need to change the approach to a Canadian-centred approach. For our part, we did audit the Canadian approach to personal protective equipment.
View Julie Vignola Profile
BQ (QC)
Thank you.
The diagram in exhibit 10.2 shows me that the Public Health Agency of Canada is responsible for assessing the needs referred to it by the provinces and territories and authorizing the equipment and the suppliers.
Would PHAC have determined that the provinces and territories did not need as much equipment as they were requesting and, on that basis, reduced or denied the requested quantity? I suspect they didn't, I'm quite sure of that, but did it have the authority to do so?
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:32
We found at the beginning of the pandemic that there was a lot of confusion. There was a lack of information at the federal level about exactly what the provinces and territories needed and what they had in their own stockpiles. Each province or territory must use its own stockpile before applying to the national emergency strategic stockpile. We have seen change and collaboration during the pandemic, but at the beginning there really was a lack of information.
Yes, the agency had the authority not to respond to these requests. However, the reason it did not respond to all requests was because it didn't have the equipment requested, not because it had the authority not to respond to the requests.
View Julie Vignola Profile
BQ (QC)
In short, to be 100% assured of receiving the necessary equipment, the provinces and territories could just as easily have acted independently and made their own decisions. Is that correct?
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:33
Madam Chair seems to be indicating that I have to answer quickly.
Each province or territory has its own stockpile and should use it to try to meet its needs. When there is a very high demand that the provinces and territories can't meet, they must turn to the national emergency strategic stockpile. Then, it's a collaborative effort. If the reserve can't meet their needs, they can ask for support from other provinces.
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