Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have this opportunity today to address the Ebola crisis in West Africa and to talk a bit about our government's response to it to date.
I will note at the start that I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Mississauga East—Cooksville.
I will start today by expressing heartfelt sympathy to all of those affected by the Ebola situation in West Africa. Although the outbreak is taking place beyond our borders, Canada is committed to playing an important and valuable role in the global response and to engaging in extensive preparedness measures at home to protect Canadians.
There are no confirmed cases of Ebola in Canada. It is important to stress that, but it is also important to stress that we must be prepared in case we have an Ebola situation in Canada. Provincial and local health officials are the lead on any Ebola case in Canada, but the Public Health Agency of Canada continues to assist them to ensure that they remain prepared.
On August 8, 2014, the World Health Organization declared the recent outbreak of Ebola in West Africa a public health emergency of international concern. The World Health Organization also determined that a coordinated response by the international community is required to prevent further spread of the disease. An effective response and management of this emergency requires rapid diagnosis, good infection control practices, and tight coordination among partners, and Canada is a very important one.
From the outset, our government has been at the forefront of the international response to this Ebola outbreak. Canada is working with other countries and international organizations, including the World Health Organization, to assist in the overall response to this public health emergency. Canada should be proud of its support in addressing the spread of Ebola in West Africa. Canada has contributed more than $65 million in support of humanitarian, security, and public health interventions to address the disease in West Africa. This funding is being used to improve prevention efforts across the affected regions, including social mobilization and health education to prevent the disease from spreading further. This is very important work indeed.
Canada has been on the front line of the response effort since June. It has been providing world-leading laboratory expertise to help in West Africa. The Public Health Agency of Canada recently deployed a second mobile lab team to West Africa to assist in the Ebola outbreak. The lab and the three additional scientists from the agency are joining the agency's existing team in the field in Kailahun. One mobile lab team will continue to provide rapid diagnostic support to help local health care workers quickly diagnose Ebola. The second mobile lab team will work with Doctors Without Borders to take samples in the health care environment to help determine how Ebola continues to spread. There is a lot to learn about this disease still. This information will be invaluable to helping end the outbreak.
Both teams have the capacity to quickly deploy to other areas, in and out of the country, to provide support if required. On-site laboratory support produces results in only a few hours, which in turn allows for faster isolation of Ebola cases and patient care. It is pivotal to an effective response.
We know that some health care workers have become infected. This is a key reason for the work of the second mobile laboratory sent from Canada. Scientists are looking for explanations relating to the working environments of all those trying desperately to help in difficult conditions. We are very proud of the efforts of the agency's employees, and of course, we want to ensure their safety as much as possible. Employees on the ground have been well trained in preventive and protective measures. Nevertheless, if there is any doubt as to their safety, we will take every measure to evacuate them, on medical grounds, in a timely manner.
Protective equipment is absolutely vital for helping to prevent the spread of Ebola. In response to the World Health Organization's appeal to member states for the donation of personal protective equipment to support the ongoing outbreak response in West Africa, the government recently made available for donation more than $2.5 million in personal protective equipment. This included gowns, respirator masks, face shields, and gloves. They are greatly needed in the affected areas.
These efforts offer much-needed assistance to workers on the front lines and ensure the health and safety of workers. We are proud to support our international partners to help stop the spread of this disease.
On the testing front, the agency's National Microbiology Laboratory has also been very active. Laboratory diagnostic materials to support testing have been provided to African countries such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Liberia, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Algeria, and Uganda. The NML has also shared its expertise and materials with the Caribbean Public Health Agency in Trinidad. Chile is also part of the worldwide effort.
Here at home, the health and safety of Canadians has always been, and continues to be, a top priority. While there has never been a case of Ebola in Canada, the government remains vigilant and is taking concerted action at home to ensure that Canadians are protected against the Ebola virus in the event that a case appears here in Canada.
The Public Health Agency of Canada was created in response to SARS to enhance Canada's preparedness to respond to situations just like the one before us today. As a result, Canada is more prepared to address infectious disease risks today than ever before, in spite of what many opposition members have been incorrectly saying. The agency works in close collaboration with the provinces and territories, which are the lead in any response, and with all interested parties to address infectious disease risks.
Canada's health care system and front-line medical staff are well prepared to deal with the identification and treatment of diseases. In Canada, hospitals have sophisticated infection control systems in place that are designed to limit the spread of infection, protect health care workers, and provide state-of-the-art care for Canadians right across the country.
The agency's National Microbiology Laboratory has been working with provincial and territorial labs to increase its capacity to test for infectious diseases, particularly, recently, the Ebola virus. This will further improve Canada's ability to identify Ebola quickly so that the right steps can be taken to protect patients and the community.
Canada has the capacity to respond to and manage ill travellers. The Quarantine Act, which was introduced to prevent the introduction of infectious or contagious diseases to Canada, is administered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Canada requires travellers to report to a Canada Border Services Agency agent if they are ill upon arrival in Canada. Front-line staff at the Canada Border Services Agency and Transport Canada are also trained to screen arriving international travellers for signs and symptoms of infectious diseases. Any traveller showing symptoms is referred to quarantine officers from the Public Health Agency of Canada for follow-up. Canada is well prepared.
In conclusion, our Conservative government has taken steps to assist the people of West Africa and will continue to monitor the situation closely. It has also taken action to prepare for and to protect Canadians from infectious disease threats. The government has been on top of this from the start, and Canadians should take pride in the way this has been handled. Again, I remind Canadians that there has not been a single Ebola case in Canada to date.