Senator Moodie: Thank you. With the recent history of the pandemic that we have lived through, Canadians are justifiably focused on the government’s stockpile of essential health care supplies, such as flu and COVID vaccines, masks and other protective equipment. Does the government have a sufficient stockpile of these essentials for the 2023-24 winter season?

Senator Gold: Thank you for that. Again, vaccines are our best defence, and to date, I’m advised that more than 11 million total doses of the new formulation — that’s mRNA XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccines — have already been delivered by the Government of Canada to the provinces and territories to support the immunization programs in those provinces and territories. I’m assured that doses will continue to arrive and be distributed throughout the fall.

Hon. Rosemary Moodie: Senator Gold, as you know, the fall represents a challenging time for respiratory illnesses. Last year, we saw the health care system pushed to the brink because of COVID-19 and the respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, striking at the same time. We also saw pediatric drug shortages affect families across this country.

What steps is the Government of Canada taking this year to prepare for the upcoming flu season? What are the tangible ways our health care system is better prepared to handle this incoming shock that we anticipate?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. It’s the position of the government, and all responsible professionals and students in this matter, that vaccines are absolutely the best defence to protect Canadians from the flu, respiratory diseases more generally and COVID-19 in particular. We saved countless hundreds of thousands of lives through vaccination programs during the pandemic, and that continues to be the centrepiece of both provincial and federal governments’ approach to combatting and protecting Canadians.

It’s important that Canadians protect themselves, especially seniors and those most vulnerable. The government will continue to use its national surveillance system. It monitors the spread of influenza and shares that information with provincial counterparts — as well as influenza-like illnesses — throughout the year so that decisions can be better informed. I’m assured that the government will continue to follow the advice of health experts in this important area.