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Minutes of Proceedings

43rd Parliament, 2nd Session
Meeting 40
Wednesday, June 2, 2021, 4:34 p.m. to 5:14 p.m.
Webcast
Presiding
Ron McKinnon, Chair (Liberal)

Library of Parliament
• Sonya Norris, Analyst
• Tu-Quynh Trinh, Analyst
Pursuant to Standing Order 106(4), the committee commenced consideration of the request by four members of the committee to discuss a work plan.

Motion

Michelle Rempel Garner moved, — That, the following regularly scheduled meetings of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health be programmed as follows: On June 4, 2021, the Committee undertake one more three hour meeting regarding Patented Medicine Prices Review Board’s Guidelines, that each political party represented on the Committee be given leave to invite two witnesses of their choosing to provide testimony on the topic for this meeting, and that upon the completion of this meeting, the analysts of the Committee be directed to commence the development of a draft report based on witness testimony and written submissions received by the Committee on this subject to date;

On June 7, 2021, that the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, the Clerk of the Privy Council Office, and Canada’s Privacy Commissioner and Canada’s Information Commissioner be invited for the duration of a two hour meeting to discuss issues related to, but not limited to, the production of documents regarding the October 26th House of Commons motion, and that the total time allotted for opening statements be limited to 5 minutes for each witness up to a maximum of 20 minutes in total to ensure adequate time for questions to be posed by committee members;

For the first hour on the meetings scheduled for June 11, 14, 18, and 21, 2021, each political party represented on the Committee be given leave to invite one witness of their choosing to discuss issues related to, but not limited to, the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the total time allotted for opening statements be limited to 5 minutes by witnesses to ensure adequate time for questions to be posed by committee members;

For the second hour on the meetings scheduled for June 11, 14, 18, and 21, 2021, Deputy Minister of Health Canada, the Deputy Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement, the President of the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, the Vice President of Logistics and Operations for the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the head of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, be invited to discuss issues related to, but not limited to, the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, that the Minister of Health be in attendance for at least one of these meetings, that the meeting that the Minister of Health is in attendance be held on a Friday, be three hours in length, that the Minister and officials be in attendance for two consecutive hours, and that the total time allotted for opening statements by officials (and the Minister) during this portion of these meetings be limited to 5 minutes by witnesses up to a maximum of 20 minutes in total to ensure adequate time for questions to be posed by committee members.

Amendment

Don Davies moved, — That the motion be amended by deleting the third and the fourth paragraphs the following:

For the first hour of the meetings scheduled on June 11, 14, and 18 2021, each political party represented on the Committee be given leave to invite one witness of their choosing to discuss issues related to, but not limited to, the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the total time allotted for opening statements be limited to 5 minutes by witnesses to ensure adequate time for questions to be posed by committee members and for the second hour for these meetings, the Deputy Minister of Health Canada, the Deputy Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement, the President of the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, the Vice President of Logistics and Operations for the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the head of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, be invited to discuss issues related to, but not limited to, the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic; provided that

For one of the meetings scheduled on any of June 11, 14, or 18 2021, the Supplementary Estimates (A) be discussed and disposed of, and that the Minister of Health be in attendance for this meeting with her officials including the Deputy Minister of Health Canada, the President of the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, the Vice President of Logistics and Operations for the Public Health Agency of Canada, and that the head of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, the Deputy Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement also be in attendance, that all witnesses be in attendance for at least two consecutive hours, and that the total time allotted for opening statements be limited to 10 minutes in total to ensure adequate time for questions to be posed by committee members; and

That for the meeting on June 21, each political party represented on the committee be given leave to invite two witness of their choosing to discuss issues related to, but not limited to, the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the total time allotted for opening statements be limited to 5 minutes by each witnesses or witness group to ensure adequate time for questions to be posed by committee members.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: John Barlow, Don Davies, Chris d'Entremont, Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Mike Kelloway, Larry Maguire, Jennifer O'Connell, Marcus Powlowski, Michelle Rempel Garner, Sonia Sidhu, Tony Van Bynen — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

Amendment

Marcus Powlowski moved, — That all dates be removed from the motion with the exception of the date for the PMPRB meeting, which is to occur this Friday for three hours.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: John Barlow, Don Davies, Chris d'Entremont, Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Mike Kelloway, Larry Maguire, Jennifer O'Connell, Marcus Powlowski, Michelle Rempel Garner, Sonia Sidhu, Tony Van Bynen — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

It was agreed, — That the motion be amended by adding after the words “be limited to 5 minutes by each witnesses or witness group to ensure adequate time for questions to be posed by committee members” the following: “but that the meetings referenced in this motion be scheduled during regularly-scheduled meeting slots prior to the end of day on June 21, 2021”.

The question was put on the motion, as amended, and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: John Barlow, Don Davies, Chris d'Entremont, Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Mike Kelloway, Larry Maguire, Jennifer O'Connell, Marcus Powlowski, Michelle Rempel Garner, Sonia Sidhu, Tony Van Bynen — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

On June 4, 2021 the Committee undertake one more three hour meeting regarding Patented Medicine Prices Review Board’s Guidelines, that each political party represented on the Committee be given leave to invite two witnesses of their choosing to provide testimony on the topic for this meeting, and that upon the completion of this meeting, the analysts of the Committee be directed to commence the development of a draft report based on witness testimony and written submissions received by the Committee on this subject to date;

That the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, the Clerk of the Privy Council Office, and Canada’s Privacy Commissioner and Canada’s Information Commissioner be invited for the duration of a two hour meeting to discuss issues related to, but not limited to, the production of documents regarding the October 26th House of Commons motion, and that the total time allotted for opening statements be limited to 5 minutes for each witness up to a maximum of 20 minutes in total to ensure adequate time for questions to be posed by committee members;;

For the first hour of three meetings, each political party represented on the Committee be given leave to invite one witness of their choosing to discuss issues related to, but not limited to, the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the total time allotted for opening statements be limited to 5 minutes by witnesses to ensure adequate time for questions to be posed by committee members and for the second hour for these meetings, the Deputy Minister of Health Canada, the Deputy Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement, the President of the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, the Vice President of Logistics and Operations for the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the head of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, be invited to discuss issues related to, but not limited to, the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic; provided that

For one of the meeting, the Supplementary Estimates A be discussed and disposed of, and that the Minister of Health be in attendance for this meeting with her officials including the Deputy Minister of Health Canada, the President of the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, the Vice President of Logistics and Operations for the Public Health Agency of Canada, and that the head of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, the Deputy Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement also be in attendance, that all witnesses be in attendance for at least two consecutive hours, and that the total time allotted for opening statements be limited to 10 minutes in total to ensure adequate time for questions to be posed by committee members; and

That for one meeting, each political party represented on the Committee be given leave to invite two witness of their choosing to discuss issues related to, but not limited to, the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the total time allotted for opening statements be limited to 5 minutes by each witnesses or witness group to ensure adequate time for questions to be posed by committee members;

That the meetings referenced in this motion be scheduled during regularly scheduled meeting slots prior to the end of day on June 21,2021.

At 5:14 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.



Jean-François Pagé
Clerk of the Committee