Evidence of meeting #45 for Health in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was point.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:25 p.m.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
We will be releasing measures for the next phase of our reopening of the border in the very near future. I encourage the member to stay tuned.
3:25 p.m.
Conservative
John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB
You're saying you won't split families up. Will they all have to go to a hotel quarantine, yes or no?
3:25 p.m.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Families will not be separated during the process of returning to Canada.
3:25 p.m.
Conservative
John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB
Okay.
We've already seen that you've spent $225 million on the hotel quarantine, and now you're asking for an additional billion dollars for isolation sites and border measures. How much of that billion dollars will be spent on hotel quarantines?
3:25 p.m.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
For that I'll turn to my officials, but before I do I'll just say that, in fact, isolation sites are around the country, and they have been at the request of communities that are providing isolation for families or other residents who don't have—
3:25 p.m.
Conservative
John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB
How much of that billion will be spent on hotel quarantine sites?
3:25 p.m.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
—the ability to quarantine. In fact, we stepped into this space willingly—
3:25 p.m.
Liberal
3:25 p.m.
Conservative
John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB
—the question I asked her. The minister is not answering the questions I asked her. I asked her very simply how much of the billion dollars is going to be spent on designated hotel quarantine sites that even our Prime Minister isn't willing to use.
3:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you, Mr. Barlow.
It is up to the minister to respond to these questions as she deems appropriate—
3:25 p.m.
Conservative
3:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
—or to ask her officials to do so on her behalf. It is up to the minister.
Minister, if you wish to respond, go ahead.
3:25 p.m.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Again, I will just say that the isolation sites, as I was trying to explain, have been critically important for communities and have been established at the request of communities. In fact, they have been important components of communities to be able to isolate close contacts and positive cases of COVID away from other family members in order to reduce the spread of COVID.
We'll continue to be there, whether it's at the border when people don't have appropriate quarantine plans, or whether it's in communities where people don't have the ability to quarantine—
3:25 p.m.
Conservative
John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB
Thank you, Minister. Can you please answer the question I asked?
3:25 p.m.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
—safely away from their families to limit the spread of COVID.
3:25 p.m.
Conservative
John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB
Can you please answer the question I asked? How much of the new billion dollars that you've requested in the supplementary estimates is designated for hotel quarantine sites?
3:25 p.m.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
I will turn to my officials to speak to the specifics of the question.
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
3:30 p.m.
President, Public Health Agency of Canada
Mr. Chair and honourable member, thank you for the question.
We don't fund government-approved accommodations. The travellers pay for those directly themselves.