Thanks, Mr. Chair.
For the benefit of our colleagues, I want to read what we are suggesting with CPC-4. It would amend the bill in line 2 on page 3 by adding, to “analyse the health, economic and social factors relevant to the impact of the pandemic in Canada”, the following words: “with a special focus on children, seniors and essential workers.”
My colleague Mr. Ellis has been succinct, I think. As the day has gone on, I think that was a pretty succinct explanation as to why it's important, but I thought I would take this opportunity to remind our colleagues and those who are listening about the profound impact the pandemic had on these three groups.
In Quebec, I believe there was an inquiry as to how seniors were handled or on the impact on seniors. I remember family members and families reaching out to us during this and pleading with us to do something for their loved ones who were all alone in care homes. Their relationships were relegated to basically plexiglass or a window in between their loved ones. How heartbreaking it was for the seniors to basically be all alone in their final days in this pandemic. Sheer loneliness swept through our care homes for seniors.
My brother works for large care home facilities in British Columbia. He's a supervisor there. He would relay stories to us about his patients. Their health absolutely plummeted during this time. He said there has to be a study. There was a correlation with this loneliness and isolation of seniors that he said was just profound. It was not only that. It was also how COVID swept through these care homes. You had essential workers, and for the first part of this, because there was such a shortage, you had nurses and staff going from one care home to the other. They were carriers of COVID and were in fact infecting other facilities.
With children, as was mentioned by my colleague, I don't think we have yet seen the total impact of COVID in terms of the impact that loneliness, isolation and not being with their peer groups had on the mental health and well-being of our children.
I'll go back to my motion on safe supply. Overdose is the leading cause of death for children aged 10 to 18 in my province. I can't help but think that the pandemic has contributed to that. I wish I were able to continue on, because that's what I was leading towards at that time. We know that 11 Canadians die by suicide every day. A further 275 will attempt suicide each and every day. Those are the stats that we know. We know that those numbers are actually higher coming out of the pandemic. We also know that domestic abuse and domestic violence actually increased. Lateral violence increased during this time because of the confinement of these families.
Coming out of the pandemic, we know over a quarter of our population is now forced to use food banks each and every month. Think about that for a second. The most recent statistics say that almost eight million Canadians have to use food banks across our country. That's one-quarter of our population. It's staggering.
Speaking of violence, I have a bill in committee now regarding violence against our first responders and health care workers. We saw an increase of that during the pandemic toward our essential workers. Our country was shut down, yet there was a very targeted group that had to go to work each and every day, given all the uncertainties circulating online and all the stoking of fears about the unknowns of this illness. These people had to don their uniforms each and every day. They'd very often encounter absolutely horrific sights, sounds and smells, but they also had to fear for their lives, whether they were just showing up to work or getting into their cars...being followed. It's unbelievable. The stress of that alone is unbelievable.
As was mentioned—I hope it comes out in this study or bill—the impact alone of our top leaders...on vilifying those who wanted their own choice. Our Prime Minister said, “Should we even tolerate these people?" It's crazy. We divided families. We divided communities. I shouldn't say “we”. Families and communities were divided over this, vaccinated or unvaccinated: “Do you believe in it, or don't you?” The prevalence of forcing people to be isolated, alone and turning to social media....
I go back again to my motion. We know how easy it is for kids and teens—for anybody looking for it—to now get drugs online. It's staggering. I hope our colleagues will vote to include this in there.
I want to mention one thing. We're talking about our essential workers and all the bad stuff that came out of the pandemic. I think something like this will also focus on some of the good things that came out of the pandemic.
In my community of Prince George, we have a first nations drumming group, the UHNBC drumming group. Every Monday night, through rain, snow or minus-40 temperatures...to this day, they still do it. From the very early days of the pandemic, they went outside of our hospital and they would drum and sing songs for the workers and patients in the hospital and care homes. What a moving image, Mr. Chair: seeing these people who have been torn away or separated from their loved ones. They would come up to the window and put their hands on it. It was so moving. The University Hospital of Northern British Columbia drumming group is led by my good friends, Wes and Ivan. They do that to this day.
I think that's one of the amazing things that came about, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
With that, I think we should move to adjourn.