I'm sorry, Minister, but I'm going to interrupt. We're at about the same amount of time.
I'm not hearing a clear answer to that. I think we'd appreciate one, if you could give one to the committee.
In 2021, former health minister Patty Hajdu told Canadians that a “full investigation” into Canada's COVID-19 response would be required at the “appropriate time”. She said, “We are still in a crisis and so our focus remains right now on getting Canadians...through this...crisis... And when the time is right, our government will be very open to examining very thoroughly the response of this country to the COVID-19 crisis”.
Minister, in September 2022 you noted that a government decision could come “soon” on what kind of review should be held, but your government has yet to take action in the six months that have passed since you made that comment.
We're clearly out of the crisis. Will you make a firm commitment today to launching an independent public inquiry into the federal government's COVID-19 response?