Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to the officials for coming.
I really want to stress at the beginning that it was not partisan politics to bring this committee back. We have a window of unprecedented opportunity to prepare for a pandemic, to reduce the economic and social impacts, the cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. We don't know what the fall will bring. We have to be prepared, and preparedness is our insurance policy.
I have many concerns. Back in June, I put close to 35 questions on the order paper, one question with 35 parts. Dr. Bennett and I submitted a letter with 17 questions to the first nations and Inuit health branch on June 16. We are still waiting for the answers to those questions. Dr. Bennett did an open letter to the minister, and she is still waiting for that information. There needs to be a real dialogue with Canadians, providing real information, without being alarmist.
For example, when do you seek urgent care and when do you not need to worry? People need to remain vigilant, but that's just a word. What does “vigilant” mean? Have we looked at the communication among stakeholders? What was the public awareness, degree of concern, complacency? We need to encourage our communities and vulnerable populations to be prepared.
We have been in first nations communities. We were in a community five minutes away from a community that was beautifully prepared, and they really hadn't started their planning. They didn't even know that they could order supplies. We know now that there is going to be help with business planning.
My real concern, though, is a possible gap, a gap between when vaccines might be ready, mid-November, and if this was to start earlier in the fall. So my question will be around vaccines. First of all, why do we have to wait until mid-November? And the second part of that is, what are we going to do in the meantime should this hit earlier?
Thank you.