Dell tell a question for Mr. Dell. Tell us up next you have five minutes. Thank you, Chair. And welcome to our witnesses. Chair, I'm a guy from Quebec. I was a journalist and I know Medicago very well, I actually covered Medicago as a journalist, and I think this is a very troubling matter. We need to keep in mind that this story has been contaminated by a virus, not a medical virus, but a property virus in 2005, Canada, 125 other countries around the world signed the OMS Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. And I quote that this policy may not be or no policy be influenced by the tobacco industry. So it's clear as soon as the tobacco industry asks for funding, the World Health Organization says no. So in 2008, Philip Morris became a shareholder 21% off Medicago in March 2020. In the middle of the pandemic, of course, we all were looking for solutions. The government of 23rd of March announced that it would help companies carry out research, and I quote, funding will allow Medicago to quickly go forward to medical trials to then scale up production in response to the pandemic. Ladies at that time, did you know that Medicago had as a shareholder, a tobacco industry, so would never be recognized by the World Health Organization. All at demand the Public Health Agency Canada asked us following the advice or based on the advice of sign tourists to go ahead with a purchase or an advanced purchase agreement with Medicare. My question is as follows. Did you know that Medicare go ahead as a shareholder, a tobacco company? Does the World Health Organization would never ever ever recognize that work?
partial ownership by PMI. So why did you go on? We could not presume watch decisions the world for health organization.
Presuming you're not on snip allocation at one, I'm sorry, but how could you not presume an agreement signed by Canada with so many other countries that stated clearly black on white that if tobacco had anything to do with it, it would not be recognized? How could you imagine it would be any different? That agreement 2005 that Canada had signed
18 pandemic was an unprecedented the Texas or clay? Yeah,
I know. I know. But texts, legal texts are clear. Mr. Digital in this committee, we have adopted a procedure to the effect that a witness has as much time to respond to the question as you have to put it. So please, stop interrupting. without at least leaving time for a response. That's why I'm asking yes or no. Did you know yes or no. We knew that the company was in part owned by a tobacco company. But the vaccines were purchased for Canadians, because we didn't know who would come out to with reliable vaccination and vaccine for Canadians. So you knew though, that the World Health Organization would not recognize the work of meant Medicago we could not foresee what decision the World Health Organization would take. We didn't presume one way or the other. Given that the pandemic was such an unusual situation, there was so much uncertainty
or in completely new circumstances, we couldn't presume what
would come look double Doom event when do millbay When in October 2020, the federal government 360 million, gave it to Medicago. Did you advise the politicians of the situation at that time? That wouldn't be a question to put to innovation science and did you warn them of innovation science and so on that there was this virus the virus of the ownership of Medicago such that the World Health Organization would never recognize it? We were not contributing to that decision making at the time. We set up a contract with Medicago for vaccine doses for Canadians. We had no other vaccine available at that time. Okay, I've only got 20 seconds left. Given that Canada is a signatory of the World Health Organization framework on tobacco has Canada actually breached its own agreements? I'm not able to answer that today. here, because Canada did sign the Framework Convention on Tobacco. And it's quite clear. No one can fund any research for the tobacco company when the tobacco companies involved and that's exactly the case of Medicago and that's why the problem is as it is still today
