Evidence of meeting #19 for Public Safety and National Security in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A video is available from Parliament.
7:20 p.m.
Vice President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
Thank you.
7:20 p.m.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
Thank you, Chair.
I have one question, Ms. Diogo, regarding the Sheraton situation. Is there any policy with respect to locks on doors in that facility?
7:20 p.m.
Vice President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
Yes, there are locks on doors at the facility.
7:20 p.m.
Vice President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
Yes.
7:20 p.m.
Vice President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
People are required to stay in their rooms.
7:20 p.m.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
Okay, thank you for clarifying that.
Dr. Bogoch, since we have you here and you have your expertise, I'd like you to explore a little further the idea of essential workers who are travelling regularly across the border. As has been pointed out, there's been no decrease in the number of them travelling. They're not subject to a hotel quarantine or any quarantine except that which may be regarded by the provinces.
Is the idea of ensuring that a vaccine might be either mandated by the Government of Canada or supplied by the Government of Canada something that you would want to expound on a little bit? It seems to me that this is a weak link in our system that could be easily fixed.
7:20 p.m.
Physician and Scientist, Toronto General Hospital and University of Toronto, As an Individual
I would completely agree with you. We certainly have tightened up the non-essential travel and the risk that that poses in importing COVID-19 and variants of concern into Canada. Of course, there is essential travel. This is low-hanging fruit. We certainly could provide vaccination to the thousands of essential travellers who come over our border every day. It would just reduce the risk of important variants of concern and COVID-19, especially in a time when most of us are not yet vaccinated.
Of course, our border policy will change with time, commensurate with our vaccination and our protection as a country, but currently that is a weak spot.
7:20 p.m.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
There has been some suggestion that this is up to the provinces, but surely the Government of Canada, with its quarantine rules, could make that a condition of entry. Presumably the federal government could provide that service directly itself, if need be.
7:20 p.m.
Physician and Scientist, Toronto General Hospital and University of Toronto, As an Individual
I agree.
7:20 p.m.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
Thank you.
I have eight seconds left, but I'll leave that to the chair to use as he sees fit.
7:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Thank you. I don't propose to give it to Mr. Motz, though.
Mr. Kurek has five minutes.
Madam Khera, do you have the next five minutes for the Liberals?
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
Damien Kurek Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB
I'll hand it over to Mrs. Stubbs to start my time.
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Thanks, Damien and thanks, Chair.
Now that we finally seem to have established that PHAC is responsible for running the facilities in which the instances occurred about which we are all here meeting today, can PHAC please clarify the La Presse report that says that residents are not allowed to use the security locks inside the rooms and in Sarah's room, it was removed altogether.
7:25 p.m.
Vice President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
Mr. Chair, I just wanted to confirm again that there are locks on the doors in these facilities.
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Right. What about before? I'm talking about the La Presse report that says exactly what I just said.
7:25 p.m.
Vice President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
There have always been locks on the doors on these hotel rooms.
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
7:25 p.m.
Vice President, Health Security Infrastructure Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
I can only tell you what I know about our practices in the facilities that we run. There are locks on the doors.
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Do you have other reports of alleged assaults or any other criminal behaviour within the facilities?
