This being Canada, the members of the committee seeking to pose questions to Aylward have been both polite and patient. He was supposed to testify early in April but cancelled on short notice. Members of the committee then sent off a second invitation, only to be told by a lawyer for the WHO that he wouldn’t show. Committee members were told they could submit written questions, which the organization would, presumably, answer as it saw fit. That was a bit much even for courteous Canadians, so, last week, in a third try, the committee took the rare step of voting to issue a summons for Aylward to appear, if and when he steps foot on Canadian soil. The vote was unanimous.
“Canada is a member of the WHO and I think the WHO ought to operate with accountability and transparency to its members,” said New Democratic Party health critic Don Davies, reasonably enough.