Many lessons will be learned from the COVID-19 crisis and Canada’s response. Our dependence on foreign markets for critical health products and supplies has proven to be a source of vulnerability to health supply-chain capacity to effectively respond to the pandemic. For example, at the onset of the crisis, the most critical tools — such as personal protective equipment (PPE) — were sorely lacking in some areas, resulting in high risk to the health of Canadians and, in particular, health providers. 

The objective of this interactive virtual conference is to take a step towards building consensus on how to support a strong domestic marketplace that serves the needs of Canadians, while also contributing economic value to optimize recovery. Achieving a resilient and well-performing supply chain, consistent with public values such as accountability, transparency and social responsibility, should be our priority at this time. 

Exchanges among participants will be anchored in three distinct but convergent themes: First, we will examine the key lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify the unique opportunities for Canadian health systems to achieve a sustainable supply chain infrastructure that enables proactive management of public health emergencies and crises. Supply chain strategies such as digital infrastructure, domestic supply capacity, coordination of efforts across jurisdictions, national and international, will be discussed. Second, participants will have an opportunity to discuss challenges faced by Canadian Companies as they sought to ramp up or pivot their production to meet domestic needs, and the lessons learned for enabling government functions. Discussion will cover issues such as supply chain disruptions, scalability, sustainability, and interoperability between systems and sectors, with references to real-life examples and experiences of firms. Third, we shall focus on policy dimensions of public health supply management, taking into consideration both the federal and provincial and territorial roles and perspectives. 

Join the School of Public Policy, and the Supply Chain Advancement Network in Health (SCAN Health) for a high-level discussion, among a broad range of experts, practitioners and decision-makers on how to ensure Canada is well prepared for the challenges of future public health crises. This virtual conference is jointly funded by the Government of Canada.