Health Committee on June 18th, 2021

[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.

[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?

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

Families will not be separated during the process of returning to Canada.

[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?

[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—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

How much of that billion will be spent on hotel quarantine sites?

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

—the ability to quarantine. In fact, we stepped into this space willingly—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

How much of that $1 billion—

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

—because we knew we would be able—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

I'm asking a very simple question—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Mr. Barlow.

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

—to reduce cases of COVID....

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Chair, she's not answering—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Mr. Barlow, please let the witness speak.

[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.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Barlow.

It is up to the minister to respond to these questions as she deems appropriate—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

She should respond to the question that's asked, Mr. Chair.

[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.

[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—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Thank you, Minister. Can you please answer the question I asked?

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

—safely away from their families to limit the spread of COVID.

[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?

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

I will turn to my officials to speak to the specifics of the question.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

You could have done that 30 seconds ago.

[Iain Stewart]

Mr. Chair and honourable member, thank you for the question.

We don't fund government-approved accommodations. The travellers pay for those directly themselves.