Health

This House of Commons Health Committee meeting on March 12, 2026, studied the Supplementary Estimates (C) for the Department of Health and related agencies. The committee heard from Health Minister Marjorie Michel and eight senior officials from Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

Minister Michel stated that supervised consumption sites save lives by preventing overdoses, and that she would review a recent University of Calgary study on the closure of the Red Deer site. She confirmed that the government is working with provinces on the toxic drug crisis, that 98% of dental providers participate in the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), and that she was aware of and supported the closure of the CFIA laboratory in Longueuil, with work transferred to other labs. She also highlighted the launch of a national conversation on men and boys’ health and efforts to speed up drug approvals.

Kendal Weber, Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, explained that supervised consumption sites do not provide drugs; individuals bring their own substances. She noted that the Red Deer study was received two days prior and that its authors said a longer-term study was needed. She confirmed that the minister has authority to grant or revoke exemptions for sites under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, but that many decisions are delegated to officials.

Shalene Curtis-Micallef, Deputy Minister, Health, agreed to provide in writing the analysis behind the October 17, 2025, cap on CDCP laboratory fees and data on patients who lost coverage. She noted that the CDCP is recent and that full evaluation will take years.

Robert Ianiro, Vice-President, Policy and Programs, CFIA, stated that the closure of the Longueuil lab posed no food safety risks, as marine biotoxin testing moved to Dartmouth and Burnaby and food allergen testing to Burnaby. He said no post-closure capacity assessment had been done and agreed to provide documents on the decision.

Paul Hébert, President, CIHR, said the $41-million cancer prevention investment funds 19 projects in a significant research gap. He noted that Canada has lost 3% of its clinical trial market share, worth $2.5 billion annually, and that CIHR is working to modernize ethics and contract processes to speed up trials.

Pamela Aung-Thin, Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Products and Food Branch, said the clinical trial modernization package in consultation includes a targeted risk-based approach, alignment with international standards, and a framework for national research ethics boards.

Nancy Hamzawi, President, PHAC, said federal-provincial-territorial discussions are advancing toward a public health information-sharing agreement to improve real-time data exchange, a lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sarah Lawley, Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, explained that $60 million in supplementary estimates for New Brunswick will create a fully bilingual digital health system, connecting separate platforms in Canada’s only officially bilingual province.

Lynne René de Cotret, Assistant Deputy Minister, Oral Health Branch, agreed to provide detailed CDCP data on registrations, treatments, costs by province, and provider participation, but said the department does not track wait times for appointments.

Kerry Robinson, Vice-President, Infectious Diseases and Vaccination Programs Branch, PHAC, said supplementary funds for a measles awareness campaign aim to address vaccine hesitancy and support health care providers with evidence on vaccine safety.

After the witness testimony, the committee debated a Conservative motion to order the production of numerous unredacted documents related to the CDCP, the substance use and addictions program, the vaccine injury support program, PrescribeIT, Canadian Blood Services agreements with Grifols, and other matters. Liberal members moved several amendments to delete or replace sections of the motion, arguing the requests were overly broad, commercially sensitive, or outside federal jurisdiction. The chair ruled amendments in order, but Conservative members repeatedly challenged the chair’s rulings. After a series of procedural votes and points of order, the Bloc Québécois member moved to adjourn debate, and the committee adjourned the meeting without concluding the motion.