I have a few comments.
I'm not 100% sure how important the motion is.
What's most important here is that we actually get the motion passed so that we can get the officials here to explain the issue. However, to me, the fact that it says “given recent media reports that the Public Health Agency of Canada lost over $300 million dollars” is not an assertion that it did happen. It's an assertion that the media has reported that, which is a fact.
I don't really see what the import of Mr. Jowhari's problem with it is. What we do know for sure, because it's been conceded, is that $150 million was spent and lost for new vaccines. That's been conceded publicly by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Mr. Perkins seems to have the figures quite accurately, but my understanding is that there is a further $173 million, which was invested by a different source, a different fund, to construct the facilities that Medicago was to produce the vaccines in.
My understanding of that is that it may or may not be lost. I've read recent media reports that suggest that the Mitsubishi Chemical Group is in the process of winding up the assets of Medicago. I'm not exactly sure what the legal status of Medicago is, if it's bankrupt or if it's.... I think it is shut down in a vernacular...but I don't know what its legal status is. There could be assets there to satisfy recovery of some of that. I don't know.
I'm still not exactly sure how much of that $173 million, if any, can be recouped, but that's a fair question.
I don't think that the motion is stating as a fact that that's lost, so I think the motion is fine the way it is. In any event, it still gives both the Liberals and the opposition the ability to explore that without it being categorically stated in the motion.
I also support adding the Mitsubishi Chemical Group because, depending on Medicago's status.... It could be bankrupt; it could be wound up. I'm not sure what its legal status is. If we just add “Medicago/Mitsubishi Chemical Group”, or “Medicago and Mitsubishi Chemical Group”, so that it's broad enough that we could have whoever is the operating, directing mind of those assets at this point, I think that would be prudent.
I never really did hear an answer about the Auditor General, but I did hear inside talk with Ms. Sidhu, who believes that the Auditor General.... I know the Auditor General did write a report that looked at the way the Public Health Agency of Canada dealt with vaccines. I'm not convinced that this report specifically dealt with this issue. I think that it may have gone around that, but I'm happy to have the Auditor General tell us otherwise or appear here and explain.