Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Do you know what? I'm glad that Canadians are able to see members of the government trying to put this committee into closed doors, into secret conversations, because that is all we've seen when we've demanded public health advice.
We have asked consistently for the public health advice that has led to the decisions on airport testing and mandates. Time and time again, we get the same answers. I can name you at least 15 occasions where the minister, the parliamentary secretary or members of the government have said, “We are following the expert advice.” Even the president of PHAC told carriers and airports that they would remove testing from airports in January.
All this committee is asking for, on behalf of all Canadians, is to know that the half-measures that were announced just days ago by this government to remove some of the restrictions from airports, and certainly not all of them.... Why have they othered an entire segment of the Canadian population? Why, for so long, did they not allow four or five million people to travel domestically? Why are the quarantine rules inconsistent with the rules we have in this country, where we have to quarantine for 14 days but, if you have a COVID infection, there are some provinces where it is five days?
It's June. It's almost July, and we still have not seen any evidence from the government.
Now we see an amendment to a motion that allows the government to continue to say what it has been saying all along: “Something, something, we rely on the experts.” We have not seen any expert testimony.
I'm glad Canadians are able to see this conversation open in committee, that they're able to see members of the government filibuster this motion to the point that this committee meeting will be over and they still will not have provided the public health advice that has led to the decisions that are causing the chaos in our airports, which, earlier in this meeting, they said have nothing to do with the government. This government's abdication of responsibility around airports is something Canadians should be able to see. I'm glad we're discussing it in committee.
We don't support this amendment. We support the original motion that would require the government to table at this committee the public health advice that has led to its decision-making. Every Canadian has been asking for it. Every parliamentarian has been asking for it. To this day we have not seen it.
I think Canadians deserve that. I think this committee deserves that. I think Parliament deserves that. I think there's been enough of this filibustering. Allow this motion to carry.