COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on May 27th, 2020

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, we think it's very important to protect employees across the country and in every economic sector that's experiencing a significant drop in income. That's the approach we've taken to protect people and to ensure that there will be jobs in the future. We will continue this approach.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

It's especially important to protect the employees who work for the Liberals to ensure their re-election, yet the Liberal Party has raised more than $7 million since the last election. Is the party in jeopardy? Can it go bankrupt?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, as I said, our approach is to protect employees. We think that this principle is very important and that this approach must be maintained in order to have a better job market in the future.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, we still don't know exactly how much money the Liberals took from the cookie jar. We think they may have taken as much as $1 million. How many SMEs could have been saved with the $1 million that the Liberals took out of the jar and took away from SMEs?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, we appreciate the question. We are protecting hundreds of thousands of SMEs through the emergency wage subsidy, the Canada emergency response benefit and all our programs. We will continue this approach to help SMEs and their employees.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, I will propose a choice of answers, or I won't get any.

When did the government decide to use the emergency wage subsidy?

Now here are three possible answers. The first possible answer is that when the Liberals brought in the emergency wage subsidy, they set parameters allowing them to use it. The second is that when the Liberals saw the Conservative Party—which is as rich as they are, but also sanctimonious and self-righteous—take advantage of the subsidy, they thought they could do it too. The third possible answer is that the Liberals hadn't planned to use the subsidy, but they pounced on the cookie jar when they saw it, because that's what they do.

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, we continue to think it is very important to protect employees in every sector of the economy and across Canada.

That's our approach, and I believe it's the right one to protect and preserve jobs across the country during a pandemic.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We are now going to suspend the proceedings for a few seconds to allow the employees who provide support for the meeting to replace each other safely.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

We will now resume the discussion.

We'll continue with Ms. Khalid, the honourable member for Mississauga—Erin Mills.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'll be splitting my time with the member for Pickering—Uxbridge.

Mr. Chair, when the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces stepped in to provide support to five long-term care homes in Ontario at the request of the premier, they released a report that outlined their findings in detail. Military members witnessed residents' cries for help going unanswered. They saw force-feeding. They saw bug infestations, a lack of personal protective equipment and neglect.

Canadians are shaken. They are appalled by the horrific conditions outlined in the military report. Almost 1,000 seniors so far have lost their lives in long-term care homes in Ontario alone, over 25 of them in my riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills. These deaths could have been prevented.

Can the Minister of Health please update the House on how our federal government is working with the provinces and territories to prevent further tragic occurrences from happening at long-term care homes and to ensure that our most vulnerable seniors are properly looked after and cared for?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, it's such an important question. I believe all Canadians were deeply horrified to read the details from the Canadian Armed Forces on the conditions in long-term care homes in Ontario. What's happening to seniors in Ontario is completely unacceptable. The report is very troubling.

Seniors deserve to live with dignity, with respect and with safety. While long-term care is provincially regulated, we know that we need to work together. The Government of Canada stands ready to support provinces and territories as they continue to respond to this crisis. I had a very good conversation with my provincial and territorial counterparts last night about the work we can do at a national level to support their important work.

We also know that seniors want to stay at home longer. That's why our historic investment of $6 billion in home care was so important. We'll continue to work with the provinces and territories to ensure that they get the care and dignity they deserve.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

We'll go now to Ms. O'Connell.

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Pickering—Uxbridge, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I will sadly report that my community of Pickering has experienced the largest number of deaths at a single COVID-19 outbreak location anywhere in this country. Seventy residents at Orchard Villa long-term care home died during this pandemic. It was a devastating blow to our community. Yesterday, we received the horrific report from the Canadian Armed Forces detailing what they witnessed at Orchard Villa in Pickering, Altamont Care Community in Scarborough, Eatonville Care Centre in Etobicoke, Hawthorne Place in North York, and Holland Christian Homes' Grace Manor in Brampton.

The loved ones of those who have passed away, as well as the homes' workers, have asked for a full public inquiry from the Ontario government. I know that the responsibility for these facilities falls within provincial jurisdiction, but on behalf of our communities, can the Minister of Health update us on the work she is doing to ensure that the Ontario government takes action immediately and initiates a full, independent, non-partisan public inquiry and reverses its decision to create a government-led commission that won't even start until September?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, I would say that all Canadians were shocked and horrified to hear about the conditions that existed in these particular care homes. We're so grateful to the members of the armed forces who not only improved conditions but also reported them quickly and appropriately to ensure amelioration of those conditions for those particular individuals.

We also know that there are seniors all across the country who are struggling with care and with the appropriate level of care. We have to do better as a country. These are our loved ones. These are our parents and our grandparents. These are the people in our lives who have given so much to us.

I stand committed to working with my provincial and territorial counterparts to ensure that we do better as a society. We know that there's a role we can play at the federal level with advice, with guidance, with support and, yes, with investments. We look forward to having those conversations about how best we can improve the care for all seniors amongst us.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

We'll go now to Mr. Davies from Vancouver Kingsway.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Canadians were horrified to hear the report yesterday from our armed forces about the appalling conditions experienced by seniors in our long-term care homes. Page after page detailed the filth, neglect, abuse and danger our seniors in care are exposed to on a daily basis. Shockingly they face injury and death through missed medications, expired medications, unsterile devices and violations of basic contagion rules to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Given that evidence of possible criminal conduct was contained in the military's report, will the minister refer this matter to the RCMP for investigation immediately?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Chair, thanks very much to the member for those expressions of concern, which we share.

We understand in long-term care facilities both seniors and persons living with a disability face unique challenges, and the findings of this report are in fact deeply concerning and completely unacceptable. Considering the severity of this report, we promptly shared it with the Province of Ontario, and the Province of Ontario has initiated an investigation based on the report's findings. Their investigation includes alerting the province's chief coroner who has the authority to alert the police of jurisdiction.

We will continue to work with the province to protect those living in long-term care facilities, and we continue to support them through the deployment of our outstanding Canadian Armed Forces and in our partnership with the Red Cross.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Chair, that's a shocking answer considering there's clear evidence of criminal conduct and negligence in this. That this federal government is not taking immediate steps to refer this to the nation's RCMP is unacceptable.

The seniors care crisis is a national problem. COVID-19 has exposed critical vulnerabilities across Canada's entire network of long-term care facilities. Not a single province or territory currently meets the benchmark of 4.1 hours of hands-on care per day. As a result Canada has the worst record of COVID-19 deaths in long-term care among 14 comparable countries, with over 80% of Canadian fatalities occurring in these facilities.

Will this government move swiftly to establish binding national standards for long-term care?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, the member opposite is exactly correct when he says that those who are hardest hit in terms of losing their lives and the negative effects of COVID are those who are living in long-term care homes. He's also correct when he indicates that COVID-19 has shown us what many of us have known for a long time, that we need to do better in long-term care and supports for seniors. As the member knows, we started those steps some four years ago or so when we began to make incredible investments in aging at home. We know that is one part of the solution, but we have to do better for those seniors who need a higher level of care.

That's the work I'm doing now. I'm working with my colleagues at the provinces and territories to make sure that we come up with a solution that will truly result in better standards for all.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Chair, what we need is binding national standards, just like we set through the Canada Health Act in the health care sector generally. Gross fecal contamination, filthy medical equipment, insect infestations, ignoring patient cries for hours—we would never tolerate these conditions in Canada's hospitals. There's no reason to accept them in Canada's long-term care facilities.

Will the minister move to bring long-term care facilities under the Canada Health Act, or similar legislation, with formal funds tied to acceptable standards of care for our seniors, just like we do for hospitals?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, the member shares the disgust and concern of so many Canadians across the country, not only those who have read the report but many of those who have struggled to provide care to elders in those long-term care homes, regardless of the province in which they live. We know we need to do better. We know that collectively, at all levels of government, we must do better for those people who cared for us and nurtured us all of those years.

The member has my commitment that I will work with provinces and territories to find a solution forward to ensure that every person has the right to age with dignity and safety.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Mr. Davies, you have 15 seconds for another question, a short one, and leave time for a response.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

These failures are the product of systemic neglect often motivated by prioritizing profit over the provision of adequate care.

Does the minister agree that we should not be putting profits above the health care needs of Canada's seniors?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, I believe that, when we commit to taking care of people, we must do so with the utmost care that is required. I know that provinces and territories have a lot of work to do. So do we, at the federal level, and obviously at the local level. We must all work together to protect those people in our lives who are most vulnerable, whether they be seniors, children or others.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

We will now move on to Mr. Schmale, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock.

Mr. Schmale, go ahead.