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ETHI Committee Meeting

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Minutes of Proceedings

Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI)
44th Parliament, 1st Session
Meeting 107
Monday, March 4, 2024, 12:07 p.m. to 12:54 p.m.
Televised
Presiding
John Brassard, Chair (Conservative)

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• Hon. Michael D. Chong for Larry Brock (Conservative)
• Michael Cooper for Michael Barrett (Conservative)
• Stephen Ellis for Damien C. Kurek (Conservative)
• Francesco Sorbara for Hon. Mona Fortier (Liberal)
• Luc Berthold (Conservative)
• James Bezan (Conservative)
• Ken McDonald (Liberal)
Library of Parliament
• Lindsay McGlashan, Analyst
Meeting Requested Pursuant to Standing Order 106(4) to Discuss a Request to Undertake a Study of Documents in Relation to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg Tabled in the House on Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Pursuant to Standing Order 106(4), the committee commenced consideration of the request by members of the committee to undertake a study of documents in relation to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg tabled in the House on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

Motion

Michael D. Chong moved, — That, in light of the February 28, 2024, tabling of the Winnipeg lab documents which contained the government’s own findings concluding that the People’s Republic of China and its entities infiltrated Canada’s top microbiology lab, a national security breach representing a very serious and credible threat to Canada, and given that access to this information had been denied to Parliament and all Canadians by the government for several years, the committee undertake a study, pursuant to Standing Orders 108(3)(h)(vi) and (vii), of the collection and transmission of information and intelligence within the Government of Canada and the government’s reliance on its over-classification to deny access to it by Parliament and Canadians, provided that the committee report its findings to the House and call the following witnesses to appear:

(a) the Departmental Security Officer, Executive Director of Security, Public Health Agency of Canada;

(b) the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Stephen Lucas;

(c) the Vice President, Infectious Diseases Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada, Dr. Donald Sheppard;

(d) the Vice President, National Microbiology Laboratory Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada, Dr. Guillaume Poliquin;

(e) the President of the Public Health Agency of Canada, Heather Jeffrey;

(f) the Minister of Health, the Honourable Mark Holland;

(g) the Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, David Vigneault;

(h) the Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister, Nathalie G. Drouin; and

(i) the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc.

Debate arose thereon.

Motion

Iqra Khalid moved, — That the committee do now adjourn.

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

YEAS: Parm Bains, Pam Damoff, Matthew Green, Anthony Housefather, Iqra Khalid, Francesco Sorbara — 6;

NAYS: Michael D. Chong, Michael Cooper, Stephen Ellis, René Villemure — 4.

At 12:54 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.



Nancy Vohl
Clerk of the committee