Health

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Health met to study the mandate and operations of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and to hear from the new Chief Public Health Officer of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Appearing were Harpreet S. Kochhar, President of the CFIA, and Dr. Joss Reimer, Chief Public Health Officer of the PHAC.

Harpreet S. Kochhar described the CFIA as a science-based regulator focused on food safety, plant health, and animal health, emphasizing its role in building trust and enabling trade. He stated that the agency is modernizing by reducing red tape, with 92% of 26 identified actions complete or on track, and is moving to a new business line model. On the Longueuil laboratory, he confirmed the closure is postponed to 2028 as part of a three-year expenditure review, arguing that testing capacity exists at other labs like Dartmouth and Burnaby and that food safety will not be compromised. He noted that the CFIA has over 500 veterinarians and that there have been no cuts to frontline inspection staff, but he could not provide specific vacancy rates or data on cancelled inspections, agreeing to table that information. He also stated that the CFIA's mandate change to consider food security and cost of food will be addressed in future legislation, with broad stakeholder consultation planned.

Dr. Joss Reimer outlined her mandate to provide independent, science-based public health advice, focusing on rebuilding trust, addressing vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, the toxic drug crisis, and health misinformation. She agreed that losing measles elimination status was disappointing and that vaccine uptake has decreased for complex reasons, including pandemic-related distress. On supervised consumption sites, she described the toxic drug crisis as complex, requiring a multi-faceted response including prevention, treatment, and harm reduction, and she declined to give a simple yes or no on whether consuming illegal fentanyl is safe. She committed to reviewing evidence alongside Health Canada and provinces. Regarding the Longueuil lab closure, she had not yet been consulted and could not confirm whether a public health risk assessment was done, but she agreed to ask the agency. On pandemic preparedness, she noted that lessons from COVID-19 have been applied to the national stockpile and that surveillance systems for reportable diseases are functioning, with international collaboration through the WHO.

A significant portion of the meeting was consumed by procedural debate. Conservative members moved to summon Michael Green, former CEO of Canada Health Infoway, arguing the committee's original motion intended to call him personally. Liberal members countered that the motion summoned the position, not the person, and that a new motion required 48 hours' notice. The chair ruled the motion out of order, and a subsequent challenge to the chair was not resolved in the transcript. Later, Bloc Québécois member Maxime Blanchette-Joncas introduced three motions ordering the CFIA, PHAC, and the Government of Canada to produce unredacted documents on the Longueuil lab closure and the Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Working Group. Each motion was met with a Liberal motion to adjourn debate, which was carried each time, preventing a vote on the substantive motions.