:
I call this meeting to order.
Welcome, everyone, to meeting number 7 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health. The committee is meeting again today to discuss the supplementary estimates (B) for 2020-21. I want to thank the witnesses for appearing again today.
We have as witnesses the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health. We have, from the Department of Health, Deputy Minister Stephen Lucas and Les Linklater, federal lead for COVID-19 testing, contract tracing and data management strategies.
With us from the Public Health Agency of Canada are Dr. Theresa Tam, chief public health officer, and Iain Stewart, president.
From the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, we have Dr. Siddika Mithani, president.
From the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, we have Dr. Michael Strong, president.
Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format. I would like to start the meeting by providing you with some information following the motion that was adopted in the House on Wednesday, September 23, 2020.
The committee is now sitting in a hybrid format, meaning that members can participate either in person or by video conference. All members, regardless of their method of participation, will be counted for the purpose of quorum. The committee's power to sit is, however, limited by the priority use of House resources, which is determined by the whips. All questions must be decided by a recorded vote, unless the committee disposes of them with unanimous consent or on division. Finally, the committee may deliberate in camera, providing that it takes into account the potential risks to confidentiality inherent to such deliberation with remote participants.
The proceedings will be made available via the House of Commons website. Just so you are aware, the webcast will always show the person speaking, rather than the entirety of the committee.
To ensure an orderly meeting, I would like to outline a few rules to follow.
For those participating virtually, members and witnesses may speak in the official language of their choice. Interpretation services are available for this meeting. You have the choice at the bottom of your screen of either “Floor”, “English” or “French”.
Before speaking, click on the microphone icon to activate your own mike. When you are done speaking, please put your mike on mute to minimize any interference.
I will give a reminder that all comments by members and witnesses should be addressed through the chair. Should members need to request the floor outside of their designated time for questions, they should activate their mike and state that they have a point of order.
If a member wishes to intervene on a point of order that has been raised by another member, they should use the “raise hand” function. This will signal to the chair your interest in speaking and create a speakers list. In order to do so, you should click on “Participants” at the bottom of the screen. When the list pops up, you will see next to your name that you can click “raise hand”.
When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the use of headsets with a boom microphone is mandatory for everyone participating remotely.
Should any technical challenges arise, please advise the chair or the clerk. Please note that we may then need to suspend for a few minutes as we need to ensure that all members are able to participate fully.
For those who are participating in person, proceed as you usually would when the whole committee is meeting in person in a committee room. Keep in mind the directives from the Board of Internal Economy regarding masking and health protocols.
Should you wish to get my attention, signal me with a hand gesture or, at an appropriate time, call out my name.
Should you wish to raise a point of order, wait for an appropriate time and indicate to me clearly that you wish to raise a point of order.
With regard to a speaking list, the committee clerk and I will do the best we can to maintain a consolidated order of speaking for all members, whether they are participating virtually or in person. In order to be fair to all committee members, the list of speakers will only be activated once the meeting has officially started and not upon admission to the room.
Having said that and gone through our housekeeping, I invite the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, to make an opening statement of 10 minutes, please.
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I thank all the members for inviting me to appear before the HESA committee.
I will reiterate that I have a number of departmental officials joining me today, including Dr. Stephen Lucas, who is the deputy minister of Health Canada; Iain Stewart, who is the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada; Dr. Theresa Tam, who is Canada's chief public health officer; Dr. Mike Strong, who is the president of CIHR; Les Linklater, who is the federal lead for COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and data management strategies; and Dr. Siddika Mithani, president of the CFIA.
As per the request of interpretation, I'll keep my remarks in one language so that translation is easier for them.
I want to start at the beginning and reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped and continues to shape our work.
Right now, we are seeing a troubling trend of resurgence in Canada. Cases of COVID-19 in our communities are rising at a concerning rate, one that is higher than it was during the spring peak, but Canada is better prepared. Our procurement of personal protective equipment is more secure, we have a higher testing capacity across the country, and we have a better understanding of the virus, thanks in great part to investments in research and science. We also have a better understanding of how to treat COVID-19. These things are helping to keep Canadians safer across the country during the second wave.
Because this is a new virus, we've made significant investments in Canadian research. This research has improved our understanding of COVID-19 and its impacts on Canadians, and indeed the international community. We've all learned that the path through this pandemic is anything but predictable or straightforward.
As we face a long winter, we continue to ask Canadians to follow public health guidelines so that we can get this virus under control, avoid further loss of life, prevent more economic hardship and buy us the time we need until we have a safe and viable vaccine here on our shores. This will continue to be our top priority in the months to come, both for our government and for my portfolio.
Mr. Chair, you will recall that the recent Speech from the Throne responds directly to the challenges posed by the pandemic. It also confirms my department's role at the centre of the response. I have to thank the hard-working people of Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, who have worked diligently to help the provinces and territories to increase their testing capacity and their ability to perform contact tracing and suppress outbreaks.
That work includes ensuring access to personal protective equipment, both by building our domestic capacity and by securing our supply chains. The work includes developing and deploying a vaccine strategy to ensure that we're ready when one is available.
The health response to COVID-19 is only part of the story. The pandemic has exposed a number of gaps in Canada's social systems, which we referred to in the Speech from the Throne. Again, my department continues to do important work to address these gaps and to support the provinces and territories in their role and responsibility to administer health care.
The pandemic has highlighted systemic problems in long-term care. As many Canadians and many of my colleagues here today have advocated, we are committed to working with the provinces and territories to set standards for long-term care for seniors who reside in long-term care homes. We are also working to improve access to family doctors and primary care teams, especially in rural and remote communities. We've been working with provinces and territories to improve access to virtual health care, which is a service that has proven essential to Canadians during the pandemic. For example, 530,000 Canadians have accessed the mental wellness portal to chat, text or meet over video with professionals. We'll continue to address the opioid overdose crisis, which has worsened during the pandemic. It is essential that Canadians be able to access mental health and substance use supports that they need during this time.
Finally, we will continue to take action and accelerate action towards a national universal pharmacare program. These priorities reflect a great deal of work that is already under way in the health portfolio. As we move into the fall and winter, we will tackle each of these issues with increased focus and vigour.
As the pandemic has evolved, so has our response. This is reflected in our budgetary needs. Throughout the health portfolio, we are seeking additional authorities for a variety of purposes related to COVID-19: medical research, federal investments through the safe restart agreement, drugs, medical devices, and virtual care, along with many other initiatives to help Canadians through these uncertain times.
Our government has taken swift, coordinated and unprecedented actions to protect the health and well-being of Canadians, to keep businesses afloat, to support Canadians through difficult times and to keep our economy running.
In true Canadian fashion, Canadians have stepped up. They have listened to public health advice. They have made sacrifices and they've shown resilience. However, we are not out of the woods just yet, and we cannot forget that this virus remains a threat to all of us. We need to stay vigilant. With infection rates climbing across the country, we all must do more together.
The world is working feverishly toward a long-term solution to defeat COVID-19. Until we reach that point, we must continue to persevere and to support each other, because together we will get through this.
Thank you for joining us today, Minister. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to you and the officials here with us today for your hard work protecting Canadians since the onset of this pandemic.
As you know and as many know, the J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport in my riding has suffered greatly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many airports have.
While the Atlantic bubble has kept those of us in the Atlantic provinces safe, my constituents and many Canadians are looking for innovative solutions to the challenges airports in the Atlantic are facing because of the two-week isolation period caused by the pandemic. It's undeniable that international travel and mobility during the pandemic have contributed to the spread of COVID-19 in Canada, but we also know that these measures are causing strain on Canadians. Could you tell us about the strategies that the government is looking at to potentially reduce isolation periods for travellers entering Canada, or Canadians entering the Atlantic bubble, without compromising the health and safety of Canadians?
:
Thank you very much. That's an excellent question.
I know that the 14-day quarantine, while protecting Canadians, also presents some real challenges for people, interprovincial travel being one of them in the case of the Atlantic bubble, but it's also travel across international borders, including the United States.
The 14-day quarantine, although difficult, has been an important tool to reduce the importation of the virus into Canada and into regions that have very low transmission. That is why we continue to enforce those border measures in Canada, especially at the international borders. We believe that changes to these measures need to be grounded in evidence and in research. That's why we've been working closely with Alberta on the feasibility of using a rigorous testing and monitoring program that combines testing and some limited isolation to understand how we can reduce that mandatory quarantine system in a safe way. I'm very pleased that Calgary International Airport and the Coutts land border crossing are the location of this pilot.
The work of Air Canada and WestJet, in partnership with universities, will provide additional evidence. I think that evidence will give Canada a very strong scientific basis to move forward on how we alleviate mandatory quarantine length.
I want to pivot a bit on vaccines. There has been lots of talk about them and we've had a question here today about them.
A lot of exciting developments have started to come up, and we're starting to feel a bit more optimistic about having a vaccine soon, perhaps in a couple of months, but we know that the provinces and territories are responsible. They are responsible for delivering health care, but the COVID vaccine is going to take a lot of logistical coordination and co-operation.
Can you tell us a bit more about the work being done to ensure that vaccines will be developed quickly and safely when the time comes? Additionally, I've heard from provinces like Ontario and Alberta that they are expecting certain numbers of vaccines. I work with a lot of vulnerable groups, Minister, in my riding. I'm wondering if this is also true for indigenous populations and other federally supported groups.
:
I think you're right. It's such exciting news for the world that there are vaccines that are starting to demonstrate high degrees of effectiveness. Of course, it's early days still, but we have one of the strongest vaccine portfolios in the world and, again, the vaccine task force has been guiding our way.
The members of the task force are volunteers on top of that. They come from all kinds of diverse backgrounds. That might include virology, the business sector or experts in the pharmaceutical sector. I think that blend of expertise has really been helpful for Canada.
As you know, we have been working closely with provincial and territorial partners on the issue of vaccines and how we will deploy them. Some of the vaccines have very challenging logistical considerations. We will be supporting provinces and territories to make sure they have in place what they need to store these vaccines and transport them safely.
While I know provinces are excited to get doses and talk about numbers, we are still in discussions right now with the provinces and territories about how we'll share the doses as they arrive. It's very important that we do this together, because we want it to be fair.
Of course, we've done this before with things like personal protective equipment and rapid tests. I have every confidence that we'll work out an agreement with provinces and territories that ensures that we can protect Canadians and that the federal government can protect the populations for which we have a responsibility.
:
I'll start, and then I'll turn to the officials to speak a little more about the review process in detail.
First of all, the member is right. We have purchased 56 million doses of Moderna and 20 million doses of Pfizer. That sets us up well in terms of our capacity with these two promising vaccines. We have also procured millions of doses from five others, AstraZeneca being one of them. Again, the vaccine task force has served us so well in guiding us towards very promising vaccines and placing our bets, if you will, on the right horses, so to speak, in the vaccine world.
In terms of the contractual obligations, that's probably a better question for the . Certainly I know that the contracts are extensive and complex, and I would prefer to let her answer questions around the details of contracts; she may know which aspects are confidential.
I will just say this. This has been a whole-of-government approach. I know that the has worked incredibly hard with all the companies, in some cases with personal calls to the CEOs. I myself have also met to encourage them to have Canada at the top of the list, and that has served us well, those personal relationships and that ongoing conversation with all the pharmaceutical companies to make sure they see Canada and they know that Canada matters and that even though we might be much smaller than our American counterpart, we are an important player in this space. I think that has served us well.
In terms of the regulatory approval, obviously, it's very important to Canadians that we have a Canadian review. I know we consult with other regulators, but I will turn to Stephen Lucas to talk about the nature of those conversations.
Thank you, Minister and Dr. Tam, for being here today.
I'm grateful to all of the witnesses for appearing. All of you, along with the public service, have been working tirelessly since the beginning of the pandemic to keep us safe. Thank you.
Minister, we have spoken several times about how the pandemic is affecting my constituents in Brampton and Peel region. You were there as well. While I know that the government has provided support to Ontario, including sending in the Canadian Armed Forces and providing other resources, what is the current status of support being provided to Ontario when Peel is in the red zone?
This is a tragedy that has happened through the first wave. We're seeing infections rise in long-term care homes during this wave. That's why we're all working so hard to protect the seniors and the vulnerable people in our communities. It's also why, during the safe restart agreement, we contributed $740 million to provinces and territories to augment their infection prevention and control measures. We know that many of the homes had additional needs to strengthen those protections and keep COVID-19 out of those facilities.
As you know, there were a number of other economic measures during the first wave, including wage subsidies, for example, to the most hard-hit front-line workers, which included home health care workers, through the provinces.
Through the Speech from the Throne, we made a commitment to create national long-term care standards that I think will be a legacy of this government in the years to come. No matter where a person lives, they deserve the right to age in dignity and safety. I think all provinces and territories agree. Creating national long-term care standards together will be an important way that we can protect seniors in the years to come.
:
Thank you again for the question.
Over 10.6 million Canadians have been tested for COVID-19 to date. As you know, a large portion of the safe restart agreement was to help provinces and territories build their capacity to test Canadians.
Testing is one component of the strategy. Test, contact trace, and isolate is the way that we reduce the cases across the country. People obviously have to take actions themselves to reduce their mobility, but we know that this robust test, trace, isolate strategy is one of the ways that we can actually reduce the growth of cases as well.
In addition to the safe restart agreement, we've also been procuring and sending rapid tests to provinces and territories. In fact, over 4.6 million rapid tests have ben distributed to provinces and territories to date, and two million have gone to Ontario alone since early October. We've had rapid tests in the field in rural and remote communities for a very long time to support those communities to get access to test results very quickly. I'm thinking of indigenous communities in Ontario, for example, that have very vulnerable health care systems.
We've been there for provinces and territories. The good news is that we're starting to see testing numbers go up across the country as provinces and territories build their capacity to have a robust testing strategy.
:
Canada, as a country and everyone working together, did well to flatten the first wave. What happened was that over the summer, of course, public health measures were relaxed. There was an increased mixing of the population. Then, as the fall and winter seasons approached, we began to see an increase in numbers. A lot of it was in young adults, so a different population from the first wave.
A really key challenge was one of looking at human behaviour. Of course, young adults are going to work. It's not because they were being irresponsible necessarily; they are mixing more. However, there were also some social gatherings, which were driving the cases as reported by colleagues in the provinces and territories. Therefore, a lot of it could not be necessarily managed within a workplace or a long-term care facility. There were actual social gatherings, which included some important cultural events such as weddings, funerals and other things. I think that was what resulted in an acceleration in the younger population, which then spilled over into the higher-risk populations.
Some of the jurisdictions you're seeing, such as Manitoba, hardly had a first wave. I think, in some ways, people didn't quite believe this was perhaps going to happen and fatigue set in, so it was really difficult to get that type of momentum going again.
There are multiple different factors, but the long-drawn-out nature of the pandemic in areas that haven't experienced it is definitely challenging on the ground.
Thank you for joining us again today, Minister. It's been a very busy time for you and the health officials who are here today, particularly Dr. Tam. I really appreciate your virtually stopping by York Region recently and for joining us a second time here in committee. I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to ask you the questions that I consider to be important to my constituents.
Minister, we are all aware of the heavy toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Canadians, and especially on their mental health. I'm seriously concerned about this, which is why I introduced a motion for us to study the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of Canadians. These are uncertain times, and there's no doubt that many Canadians are facing new and increased concerns with their mental health.
Could you please explain to the committee what your department is doing to help Canadians access mental health services?
:
Thank you to the member for the focus on mental health and people who use substances.
We know that this pandemic is creating a high degree of anxiety, loneliness, stress and grief for Canadians as they work through the many aspects of living through a pandemic. In fact, early on, drawing from experiences of countries that were ahead of us, we knew that we needed to rapidly act to put together supports for Canadians, no matter where they lived, no matter what supports they already had in place, because so many Canadians don't have access to mental health services or substance-use services where they live.
That's why we launched the Wellness Together portal this spring. It's completely free. It's completely confidential. It's available in both official languages. In fact, there's translation for folks who don't speak either official language. As of November 17, more than 613,000 Canadians across the country have used this portal, with over 1.7 million distinct web sessions.
The main thing about the portal is it actually connects people to professionals, as well as providing some self-assessments and self-help tools. People can actually get help from professionals through texting, telephone and virtual visits. I know there's more to do, but certainly this can help support people, especially folks who don't have access or trusted providers in other parts of their life.
:
Thanks for the question.
There's no doubt that data has been a challenge during this pandemic. Obviously different provinces and territories have vastly different data systems, different ways of collecting data and different kinds of characteristics that they collect. There are huge gaps, for example, in racialized data and knowing exactly how the pandemic is affecting racialized groups, depending on the province or territory and sometimes even the local jurisdictions.
That has made it challenging at the federal level to truly have a concrete picture. In fact, part of the safe restart agreement—over $5 billion—was for testing, contact tracing and data systems that can give all levels of government a more granular understanding of how the pandemic is affecting the various groups that we have responsibility to deliver services to.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is working very closely with the provinces and territories now to get data on patient ethnicity and build out that data set, because we know from other jurisdictions, and even from the limited data that we have, that oftentimes various racialized groups are experiencing COVID-19 in worse ways than other folks.
:
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the member for advocating on behalf of the mental health of seniors.
You're absolutely right. I think many Canadians worry most about the mental health of the seniors who, for their own protection, are isolated. I think we can all think of someone in our lives who is alone and needs us more than ever—ironically, as we are being told to stay apart.
That is why we launched the Wellness Together Canada portal to provide confidential support. I've spoken extensively about that. It's certainly available for seniors, but I think the additional investment in the new horizons for seniors program is also worthy of talking about. This additional $20 million is to support these community-based projects. Most of us know about these programs in our ridings. They're small programs, but they're mighty programs. Oftentimes, they are building programs that are face to face in communities, and this additional investment is allowing for many of these different kinds of organizations—oftentimes, not-for-profit organizations—to find new ways to keep seniors connected in their communities.
Some of the innovation that you can imagine is connecting seniors with young people digitally, for example, and making sure that seniors have the ability to have the tools they need in place to communicate via FaceTime, for example. These are in some cases new tools for seniors—not always—but certainly I want to thank and commend those not-for-profit organizations for thinking outside the box all across the country and doing that incredibly hard work to keep people buoyed and comforted during this time.
:
The COVID Alert app is a really important tool for Canadians and, in fact, for public health officials, to help alleviate the burden on public health to do that contact tracing.
The difference between a notification and contact tracing is that one happens through the app. It's very confidential, by the way. You get a notification on your phone that says you've had a close contact with someone who has tested positive. It doesn't identify their name or even where that contact might have happened, but it gives you an indication that you should reach out to public health, perhaps to get tested and to get advice about what to do next.
The contact tracing is a much more intensive process that public health officials undertake when there is a positive case. With the person, they're going through who they have been around and where they have gone. Oftentimes, it's hard for a person to remember. Sometimes there are issues of privacy, and it can be very labour intensive.
This COVID Alert app actually provides that rapid, private way for people to know if they've been in close contact with someone who is positive. It uses Bluetooth technology. It doesn't record users' locations or other personal information. Obviously, it was really important to Canadians that first and foremost, we protect their privacy. It's actually more private than the Instagram and Facebook apps that are often on people's phones. It's really important that people download the app. I'd just like to put a plug out right now to any Canadian who might be listening to us that they download the COVID Alert app.
As the said this morning, in fact, even if you're in a province where the COVID Alert app is not functional, it's wise to download it, because if you do come into contact with someone from another province who is using the app and they put in the code that they've tested positive, you'll still get a notification even if you're in a province that doesn't currently utilize the app.
We have almost all the provinces on board. It's a really important tool to help alleviate that burden on our hard-working public health staff on the front lines.
:
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My congratulations on your French.
I will start by raising a point of order.
A few moments ago, a number of committee members raised points of order at the same time. I would remind members of the committee that this makes the task of interpretation very difficult. Because our sessions are hybrid, I would like to ask members of the committee to try not to intervene at the same time—even though sometimes they seem to want to do that—out of respect for our interpreters, who are doing a remarkable job that I would like to recognize.
That concludes my point of order, Mr. Chair.
My question goes to the Minister.
In the light of the answers that Dr. Tam and the Minister have given us, I can see that the public health system was already fragile before the pandemic, because it was underfunded. When we look at what the Parliamentary Budget Officer said about the matter, it is clear that the underfunding is in large part explained by the federal government's abdication of responsibility.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer says this:
By indexing federal funding for health care at the rate of growth of GDP, the federal government has mostly insulated itself from the fiscal impact of an aging population. But provincial governments, with direct constitutional responsibility for the delivery of health care, are unable to do so.
However, just now, the Minister told us that there would actually be a premiers' meeting at the beginning of December, where that issue may come up. The Minister of Finance is also announcing an economic update for sometime soon.
Can the Minister tell us whether the requests made by the provinces in the Speech from the Throne, could in part find an answer here, meaning better funding for health care provided in a stable manner, not just for the duration of the pandemic?
I recognize the work that the Minister is doing during the pandemic. However, in the longer term, can we expect positive news at the beginning of December, even though we do not have the exact date?
Through the chair, let me say that I admire the member's persistence, but I don't have the....
Listen, those conversations will happen. The has made a commitment to meet with the provinces and territories to talk about long-term health care funding. I think that demonstrates an openness to understanding that we all need robust health care systems in all provinces and territories.
I agree with his statement that oftentimes it's hard for provinces, territories and, indeed, local governments to see the value of prevention in investing in local public health, and I think Dr. Tam has said that, but the commitment of the is to meet with the provinces and territories in December to talk about health care transfers.
My question goes to Dr. Tam or to someone in her team. It's about the mathematical modelling that she unveiled today. This is most concerning. According to the model, we could have 20,000 cases of the disease per day by the end of the year.
I would like to know whether the model is largely based on the situation in most of the countries of western Europe. That situation seems to be a little ahead of what we are experiencing here.
In terms of the parameters for social contacts, what are the key points where we can limit the contagion?
Are they in schools, in workplaces, or in social gatherings outside those settings?
Where can a difference be made?
:
Thank you. I am not a mathematical modeller. For the model methodology, there's a link on our website. It's from Simon Fraser University. The model is put through many different scenarios to give projections.
What I can provide, though, is more on the epidemiology front and what is being reported by local public health. There are a number of really key take-homes.
One is that even at the national level we can see that at least 30%, and in some cases more, of the cases are unlinked, which means they are community transmissions that haven't linked back to a particular site. That's very concerning, because that trace-back mechanism is really important.
For the rest, the long-term care facility outbreaks are currently escalating, so we have to do more on that front.
There are school outbreaks, quite a number of them, but many of them are in small numbers and based on community transmission, not necessarily in-school transmission, so they need to be handled differently as well.
There are a number of quite large outbreaks related to certain work settings. We've heard about the meat-packing area, where there are a lot of measures that have to be put in place in order to sustain that essential service; as well as some in the food and retail area.
The reporting is, in a way, biased towards long-term care and schools or workplaces where there's a defined population and you can find them. Where it's difficult is outside of that, where people are not linking back, so it's up to the local jurisdiction, which currently has to put in these restrictive measures because they have lost the ability to link.
However, a lot of it is also due to social situations and private gatherings, as I've mentioned, whether they be weddings and other celebrations, or funerals, unfortunately.
Minister, I know you've been preoccupied with the COVID pandemic, but of course we have a raging opioid overdose crisis in this country at the same time. Here in Vancouver in British Columbia, we're on track to have the worst record in history of the number of people dying from overdoses.
This week Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart unveiled his plan to implement a fully health-focused approach to substance use by decriminalizing simple possession of all drugs through a federal health exemption. I note that this plan is backed by B.C. Premier John Horgan, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, Vancouver Coastal Health chief medical health officer Dr. Patricia Daly and even the Vancouver Police Department itself.
Minister, will you grant this health exemption requested by Mayor Stewart in light of the comprehensive support for this approach here in the city of Vancouver?
That ends our several rounds of questions. We have a number of votes on estimates to go ahead with at this point, for which we do not require the presence of the minister or the officials.
On behalf of the committee, I'd like to thank the minister and the officials for giving us so much of their time today and for sharing their expertise. I thank you for all your work on an ongoing basis.
To the committee, we have a number of votes. I don't expect they should take a long time, so I shall call the first one right now.
Shall votes 1b and 5b under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency carry?
CANADIAN FOOD INSPECTION AGENCY
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Vote 1b—Operating expenditures, grants and contributions..........$3,822,060
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Vote 5b—Capital expenditures..........$891,046
(Votes 1b and 5b agreed to on division)
The Chair: Shall votes 1b and 5b under Canadian Institutes of Health Research carry?
CANADIAN INSTITUTES OF HEALTH RESEARCH
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Vote 1b—Operating expenses..........$403,571
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Vote 5b—Grants..........$22,399,149
(Votes 1b and 5b agreed to on division)