Alert level: yellow OPQ: Q-229 Session: 451 Suggested file name: HC_confidentiality_agreements_of_PHAC_personnel_Sep_2025 Tabled on: Agencies: PHAC|PSPC Estimated questions: 2 Estimated responses: 1 Original filename: Q-229_HC, confidentiality agreements of PHAC personnel, Sep 2025.pdf External links / references: (none detected) Extracted PDF text preview: INQUIRY OF MINISTRY DEMANDE DE RENSEIGNEMENT AU GOUVERNEMENT PREPARE IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH MARKING "ORIGINAL TEXT" OR "TRANSLATION" PRÉPARER EN ANGLAIS ET EN FRANÇAIS EN INDIQUANT "TEXTE ORIGINAL" OU "TRADUCTION" QUESTION NO./N O DE LA QUESTION Q - 2 2 9 BY / DE Dean Allison (Niagara West) DATE June 1 8 , 2025 Reply by the Minister of Health Réponse du ministre de la Santé Signed by Maggie Chi PRINT NAM E OF SIGNATORY INSCRIRE LE NOM DU SIGNATAIRE SIGNATURE MINISTER OR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY MINISTRE OU SECRÉTAIRE PARLEMENTAIRE QUESTION With regard to information arising from an access to information request from the Public Health Agency of Canada – A - 2023 - 000165, which stated that the Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam and “quite a few” pandemic managers at the Department of Health, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Department of Industry, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development and the Department of National Defence were required to sign a secret oath promising never to divulge information that “may result in embarrassment”: (a) which specific individual or individuals initiated the requirement for staff to sign a confidentiality agreement; (b) which divisions of which departments did the individual or individuals in (a) work in; (c) who wa s asked to sign this confidentiality agreement and what positions did they hold in their respective departments; (d) which divisions of which departments did the individuals in (c) work in; (e) what was the exact content of the confidentialit y agreement; ( f) why did the government feel such a confidentiality agreement was necessary; (g) did the government conceal or attempt to conceal any information from the public and media that could result in embarrassment; (h) if the answer to (g) is affirmative, what was the specific information that the government concealed or attempted to conceal from the public and media that could result in embarrassment; (i) what specific criteria do Department of Health officials use to determine wheth er it's more important to no t embarrass the government versus the requirement to be open and transparent with Canadians; (j) are the staff who signed this confidentiality agreement still under a legal obligation to meet the demands as outlined in the confidentiality agreement; (k) un der what other circumstances are these types of confidentiality agreements required of bureaucratic staff; (l) how did this confidentiality agreement differ from the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector; (m) who specifically wrote the confidentiali ty agreement and which division and which department do they work in; and (n) who approved the requirements of the confidentiality agreement? REPLY / RÉPONSE ORIGINAL TEXT TRANSLATION TEXTE ORIGINAL TRADUCTION Public Health Agency of Canada The Government of Canada is committed to transparency. Information that is not shared publicly is withheld only in compliance with applicable legislation. The access to information release package in question does not reference a “ secret oath ” in connection with the vaccine contracts , nor w ere confidentiality requirement s themselves a secret. S ection 54 of the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) requires employees in the core public service to affirmation as a condition of employment that they will not, without due authority, disclose or make known any matter tha t comes to their knowledge by reason of such employment. Public servants are also subject to the Treasury Board Secretariat ’s Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sect o r , the code of conduct applicable to their particular organization , and other statutory and policy obligations of confidentiality in accordance with the security clearance or status required of their position. During the COVID - 19 pandemic, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) officials worked closely with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and other departments to ensure vaccines were available for Canadians. X - 2 - I n the context of COVID - 19 vaccine procurement, confidentiality agreements and/or non - disclosure agreements (NDAs) initially were required as a precautionary measure to reinforce the importance of protecting confidential business information that was shar ed during contract negotiation discussions. Subsequently it was recognized that public servants’ existing obligations that are a condition of their employment were sufficient and an additional agreement was no t needed. I t is expected that public servants are to meet their obligations to maintain confidentiality of commercially sensitive information and to adhere to their organization ’s standard procedures for reporting conflicts of interest. This is documented in the referenced access to information release package. Employees who were asked to sign confidentiality agreements and / or NDAs included those who worked close ly with PSPC on the procurement of COVID - 19 vaccine s , or required access to the agreements to support planning for subsequent distribution, management and administration of the vaccine . This approach mirrored industry practices and reflected the requirement to manage confidential business information by all signatories. R equest s for signature of the confidentiality agreements and / or NDAs to support CO V ID - 19 contract negotiations and discussions w ere overseen by PSPC . INQUIRY OF MINISTRY DEMANDE DE RENSEIGNEMENT AU GOUVERNEMENT PREPARE IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH MARKING "ORIGINAL TEXT" OR "TRANSLATION" PRÉPARER EN ANGLAIS ET EN FRANÇAIS EN INDIQUANT "TEXTE ORIGINAL" OU "TRADUCTION" QUESTION NO./N O DE LA QUESTION Q - 2 2 9 BY / DE Dean Allison (Niagara - Ouest) DATE Le 1 8 juin 2025 Reply by the Minister of Health Réponse du ministre de la Santé Signé par Maggie Chi PRINT NAME OF SIGNATORY INSCRIRE LE NOM DU SIGNATAIRE SIGNATURE MINISTER OR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY MINISTRE OU SECRÉTAIRE PARLEMENTAIRE QUESTION En ce qui concerne les informations issues d’une demande d’accès à l’information de l’Agence de la santé publique du Canada – A - 2023 - 000165, qui indiquait que la Dre Theresa Tam, administratrice en chef de la santé publique du Canada, et « plusieurs » gestionnaires de la pandémie au ministère de la Santé, à l’Agence de la santé publique du Canada, au ministère de l'Industrie, au ministère des Affaires étrangères, du Commerce et du Développement et au ministère de la Défense nationale ont été tenus de signer un serment secret les engageant à ne jamais divulguer des renseigne ments qui « pourraient causer de l’embarras » : a) qui a exigé que le personnel signe un accord de confidentialité; b) dans quelles divisions de que ls ministères les personnes en a) travaillaient - elles; c) qui a été invité à signer cet accord de confidenti alité et quelles postes occupaient - ils dans leurs ministères respectifs; d) dans quelles divisions de quels ministères les personnes en c) travaillaient - elles; e) quel était le contenu exact de l’accord de confidentialité; f) pourquoi le gouvernement a - t - i l jugé nécessaire de conclure un tel accord de confidentialité; g) le gouvernement a - t - il dissimulé ou tenté de dissimuler au public et aux médias des informations susceptibles de causer de l’embarras; h) si la réponse en g) est affirmative, quelles inform ations au juste le gouvernement a - t - il dissimulées ou tenté de dissimuler au public et aux médias qui auraient pu cau