Debates of Sept. 15th, 2014

Ebola Outbreak

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank my colleague, the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie, for putting in for an emergency debate today on this very important and concerning issue of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. I would also like to thank the Speaker for granting that request. This is something that can happen in our Parliament.

It does not happen very often, but clearly this is an emergent issue. Therefore, I am very glad that on our first day back in Parliament we are debating this very important issue. I think it is very good that the NDP has brought this forward.

I have listened very carefully to what my colleague from Laurier—Sainte-Marie has had to say as our deputy foreign affairs critic, and as a person who, in her professional life, is very knowledgeable about West Africa and other countries she has lived in.

As parliamentarians, as human beings, we have a sense of responsibility about the human condition. We are thousands of miles away from what is taking place. We may have some connections, as my colleague from Burnaby—New Westminster said, through constituents and families, but we are very far away from what has been taking place, other than what we see on the nightly news. It is heartbreaking, and one feels a sense of powerlessness that such a deadly virus can take hold of communities and spread fear. Therefore, I think it is very important that as parliamentarians we stop and think about what is going on there, what we can do, and how we can share responsibility.

This is a transcontinental and a global issue, and there is no way that we should see ourselves as somehow separate from it or that it does not affect us. Obviously, we are not affected as directly as people are in those communities, but there is a connection. I think that tonight's debate is about those connections and what we as Canadian parliamentarians need to do.

As the health critic for the NDP, there are a couple of points that I would like to focus on.

First, I think it is important to recognize that the basic conditions in some of these countries are precarious and severe. If there were an outbreak like this in Canada, one would hope that the response would be immediate. I am sure there would be challenges and barriers, and we saw that with SARS, for example, which was minuscule compared to what we are seeing with Ebola.

We have a high-functioning health care system. We have community health centres, doctors, public health agencies, and the Public Health Agency of Canada. In fact, we learned from SARS what we need to do in terms of a public response when something like this happens. However, I think it is very important to recognize the very precarious nature of the health care systems in the countries we are speaking about.

For example, in Liberia, there is one doctor to treat nearly 100,000 people, so already the health condition of the population is very precarious. If you add on to that an outbreak and epidemic of Ebola, there are health care workers who themselves are getting sick. In fact, the WHO reports that over 240 health care workers have contracted Ebola in the affected countries and at least 150 have died. If you add on that health care workers then feel very fearful about going to work, we can begin to see that whatever fragile system was in place begins to break down and makes the pandemic even more difficult to cope with.

We have a responsibility in the short term to think about what needs to be done, but we also have to think about this in the longer term, in terms of the north and the south and the needs of developing countries, the global inequities, income inequality, where resources go, and basic infrastructure for health care. This point has been made by the WHO, over many decades, in terms of accessibility of health care and how incredibly important it is to life and well-being. Of course, this now is magnified a thousand times or more when we look at a deadly epidemic.

I liken this to the HIV/AIDS outbreak in a way. When we think about the early stage of HIV/AIDS, there was fear and stigmatization. That still actually exists today. There was very little treatment available. Even today, research is being done to look for a vaccine. Over the decades, the scientific community and the research community did come up with accessible treatment options. In fact, some of that work was done here in Canada by amazing doctors, like Dr. Julio Montaner, from Vancouver.

Looking at HIV/AIDS and how the globe responded, it took a global effort. The Global Fund is the largest funder of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. It took that kind of effort to get into those communities, to build the infrastructure for basic health care.

We need to pay attention to that and not lose sight of it. We cannot say that a short-term effort is needed to get on top of this. It is not. It is about changing the way that the global community works. It is about dealing with those inequities between the north and the south. It is about ensuring that the human right and dignity for health care, for basic medicine and access to medicine, is upheld.

Then it would not be the daunting challenge that it looks to be when we read that the WHO is saying that over the next three months we could be looking at 20,000 infected people. The exponential growth of this epidemic is quite frightening. That is my first point.

The other point I would like to make is in terms of what Canada can do. My colleague, the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie, has already given some suggestions about what Canada can do. One thing we could do is to make sure that our own public health agency, the Public Health Agency of Canada, is in good shape. We actually do need to have a response here in Canada as well as assisting internationally.

It is very disturbing when I read information from the Canadian Public Health Association, which is a sort of non-governmental association of public health advocates and practitioners across the country. It points out, for example, that PHAC, the Public Health Agency of Canada, has seen a budget allocation decrease, from $677 million in 2010-11, to $579 million in 2013-14. That is a reduction of over 14%.

That has to be concerning, because the Public Health Agency of Canada is the agency responsible for public health overall, and for infectious diseases. PHAC's budget for health promotion, disease prevention, and public health infrastructure has decreased by $152 million, or 26%, between 2010-11 and 2013-14.

I want the government to take note of that. What is our own capacity to assist here in Canada, when we have a Public Health Agency of Canada that is being depleted and its capacity is being diminished?

Further, in terms of what Canada can do, my colleague has spoken about DART, the Disaster Assistance Response Team, which Canada has become very well-known for. That is a very important initiative. We do want to hear from the government as to whether they are planning to consider sending in DART.

As well, there are other measures that we need to be following up on: supporting the scaling up of isolation centres in the country, deploying mobile laboratories to improve diagnostic capabilities, establishing dedicated air bridges to move personnel and equipment to and from West Africa, and building a regional network of field hospitals to treat suspected or infected medical personnel.

Those are a few concrete suggestions. At the end of the day, we want our government to step up. We want Canada to be leading the way, not following. We want to show a sense of solidarity with those communities that are so horribly affected by this virus. We want Canada to play its part.

Hopefully, through this debate tonight, the government will step up to the plate and will make it clear to Canadians that we will do our part.

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her comments.

She reminded us how fortunate we are to have a public health care system here in Canada. However, at the same time, we need to be concerned about the cuts being made to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

As the member said, we are obviously all concerned about these issues. As they say, a virus does not need a visa to travel. We are all concerned, and we are obviously all concerned on a human level.

I was interested in my colleague's comments on thinking long term about these countries' health care services. As I pointed out in my own speech, this Ebola epidemic will have a significant negative impact on the development of these countries, which means that it will also have a negative impact on the countries' ability to develop adequate public health care systems. This is a sort of vicious circle.

Could my colleague speak to that?

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, clearly we look at structural questions. We have to respond in an immediate way, but we have to approach this very serious question of the Ebola virus in a structural way and make sure that there is a sustained, progressive, and accessible approach that begins to change the social and economic conditions and ensure that people have access to health care.

I want to add one other point, and that is that right here in Ottawa, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute itself has been doing a lot of research. When they wrote to the minister in the middle of August, they said:

We have constructed and commissioned a Virus-Manufacturing Suite that specializes in the production of pharmaceutical grade products very similar to the VSV-EBOV vaccine.

This is actually another initiative that could be taken up right here in Canada. I do not know where the government is on the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the incredible work it is doing. This is taking place right here in Canada, and the government needs to support it, because the development of a vaccine, of course, is very critical.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa threatens the lives and well-being of whole communities, and the virus has, and will continue to have, a significant impact on children's health and well-being. There are currently 4.5 million children under the age of five living in areas affected by the Ebola virus. Although Ebola is not typically a children's disease, its impact on children has been significant. Children who have lost one or both of their parents to Ebola face the risk of growing up without proper care or of having to fend for themselves. They may also experience distress from witnessing the suffering of their parents or relatives or face stigma and discrimination.

I am wondering what my colleague thinks about what more the government could do to help children in areas where Ebola is spreading.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that is a very thoughtful question.

We can learn a lot from HIV/AIDS. We can learn about sustained support in communities that are affected; the empowerment of women; systems that can provide support to those communities in the long term, whether it is health care, social, or economic; and getting rid of stigma and discrimination. This is what had to happen when the HIV/AIDS epidemic first began, and it still has to happen today.

At the AIDS conference in Melbourne in July, the UNAIDS was predicting that it is possible that by the year 2030, we could have a generation free of AIDS. That is because of the systematic work that is being done. We have to do the same thing here. We have to take the same approach. It cannot be short-term; it has to be long-term.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as Canada's Minister of Health, I am pleased to participate in tonight's debate on Canada's contribution to assisting with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. I will be splitting my time with the member for Don Valley East.

Tonight I would like to provide an update on Canada's response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. Let me begin by stating that the risk to Canadians is very low.

The risk to Canadians remains very low.

There has never been a case of Ebola in Canada. The Ebola virus does not spread easily from person to person. It is spread through direct contact with infected body fluids, not through casual contact, like the flu.

As previously stated by Dr. Greg Taylor, deputy chief public health officer for Canada, we have a number of systems in place in Canada to identify and prevent the spread of serious infectious diseases like Ebola. We have comprehensive procedures in place at our borders to identify sick travellers arriving in Canada. These are set out in the Quarantine Act, which is administered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at every point of entry into Canada. The act requires travellers to report to the Canada Borders Services Agency if they are ill upon arrival. As well, airlines and airport authorities are required to report ill travellers arriving on international flights to quarantine officers. Quarantine officers are vigilant in their surveillance of travellers who are ill. These officers have authorities under the act to take action to protect the public.

In addition, we are fortunate to live in a country like Canada where hospitals have sophisticated infection control systems and procedures in place that are designed to limit the spread of infection, protect health care workers, and provide the best care possible for the patient. To support these systems, the public health agency has a series of infection control guidelines that are used by health care institutions across the country. Dr. Taylor, his team, and all of us are working closely with provincial and territorial partners in health.

Abroad, the Ebola outbreak in Africa is the largest on record. Tragically, it is by far the most severe and complex the world has seen in 40 years of combatting this virus.

What is tragic is that this is the most serious and complex epidemic of this virus that the world has seen in 40 years of fighting this disease. It has had a devastating effect on West African countries.

The impact has been devastating for West African countries.

While the risk to Canadians is very low, Canada is committed to supporting our international partners in responding to the outbreak. To date, Canada has contributed well over $5 million dollars in support of humanitarian, security, and public health interventions to address the spread of the disease in West Africa. This includes things like funding Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders and the World Health Organization to strengthen the field response to the outbreak and to mitigate associated threats to health and security.

We have also provided a mobile lab unit that is now based in Sierra Leone and is staffed by Public Health Agency of Canada employees. It provides on-the-ground laboratory diagnostic support. This helps quickly identify when a person is infected with Ebola so that necessary steps can be taken to protect the person and the community.

After speaking with Dr. Margaret Chan, head of the WHO, we are also donating 800 to 1,000 doses of the experimental vaccine known as vesicular stomatitis virus-based vaccine, made for the Ebola virus. As many may be aware, this vaccine has never been tested in humans but has shown great promise in animal research. Canadian scientists at the agency's national microbiology laboratory developed the vaccine, and the Government of Canada owns the intellectual property associated with the vaccine.

I mention this because Canadians should be very proud not only of our nation's aid efforts and the work of non-governmental organizations on the ground but of the groundbreaking research that continues to be conducted in Winnipeg. This is among the many accomplishments of this world-renowned lab, and I am very proud of the work Dr. Kobinger and his colleagues are doing.

While the experimental vaccine is promising, it does not replace the need for rapid diagnosis, good infection control practices, and tight coordination among partners involved in the response.

Though Canada is a leader in helping to fight this outbreak, it is clear that further comprehensive efforts from the international community are still required to prevent and control the spread. The Director-General of the World Health Organization has called on countries to intensify international, regional, and national outreach to bring the outbreak under control. To meet that goal, preventing further transmission of the virus to health care workers is essential.

Health care professionals responding to the outbreak are often on the front lines of an unpredictable, contaminated environment. They often face the risk of infection themselves, a risk that increases if they do not have the resources and equipment they need, yet protective equipment and resources are in short supply in these affected regions. In some areas, these resources are overly expensive or unaffordable for the most affected countries.

Our international colleagues confirm that health care workers need more resources and the best available protection to reduce the spread and risk of infection. This will of course allow more health care workers to continue working in those communities to help fight the spread of the virus.

Recently the World Health Organization reported a shortage of equipment in the affected countries and has appealed to member states for donations for use by front-line workers in the affected countries, and Canada is stepping up to provide that assistance. I am pleased to announce that tonight our government is offering over $2.5 million in personal protective equipment to the World Health Organization to aid in the global response to Ebola in West Africa.

Equipment such as respirator masks, gloves, face shields, and gowns are necessary to prevent the spread of infection. When used correctly, protective equipment can also help reduce the risk of coming into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. The equipment and resources we will be providing are medical assets for Canada, meaning that we will still have sufficient stockpiles to meet Canada's own needs and to protect Canadians, but we do have the ability to give.

By providing these much needed supplies, the Government of Canada is enabling health care workers and other response workers in the area to manage this outbreak. It is our hope that our announcement tonight will offer much-needed assistance to workers on the front lines of the Ebola response and that they will have the equipment needed to ensure their safety for the duration of the outbreak.

As we continue to fight together, Canada remains committed to supporting all of our partners in controlling this epidemic.

As we continue to fight together, Canada stands determined to help all of its partners fight this epidemic.

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to hear that additional supplies will be sent to the region. That is important. However, the crisis is so severe that it will take drastic measures to combat this virus and prevent it from getting worse.

As the minister knows, we have military personnel with the medical expertise to deal with this type of situation. We have DART, of course, which is known all over the world. I am wondering whether the Canadian government would consider sending these resources to the region.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Edmonton—Spruce Grove, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that the Public Health Agency of Canada is in contact with all departments that have the ability to respond. I thank her for her support of tonight's donation to the WHO. It will strengthen the field response on the ground.

I want to reassure Canadians about what has been a very sustained and progressive response by the Canadian government in the fight against Ebola.

We have had very close contact with the WHO. We have been working very closely at the Public Health Agency of Canada with those at the WHO in the response. We have not only donated millions to help the WHO to strengthen its own field response, we now have donated close to $2 million to support humanitarian interventions led by Doctors Without Borders. We are also supporting the Red Cross in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone through its emergency disaster assistance fund. As well, we are supporting the WHO through its international health grants program to support more assistance for its operational costs in West Africa.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has been at the forefront working with the WHO with technical expertise, whether it is giving advice to those working on this issue through the expertise of our microbiology lab in Winnipeg or deploying a team of scientists in a mobile lab from Winnipeg to Sierra Leone to contribute to efforts to stop the Ebola outbreak. We had a team before which just came back to Canada. We deployed a new team last week and it is on the ground helping to test samples submitted by local health authorities. That does a great deal in helping the public health capacity in those local regions.

The experimental vaccine is something new and very promising, but there is a lot of hope that we can work with the international community to either ensure that the vaccine is available and that we continue to do the proper research necessary to ensure if it is safe and effective, that it is something we can use in the future. It is ready to transport when necessary.

We are on the ground now supporting those communities that are being affected immediately with the resources they need. We are also looking and involved in meeting the long-term research and capacity building to help those communities in a way that they need most.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the minister for her contribution tonight. Could she tell us what the Global Health Security Action Group is, the global health security agenda and is Canada participating and if so, how?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Edmonton—Spruce Grove, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the global health security initiative is an initiative that was very much spearheaded by Canada originally, but has a number of global partners that come together to discuss these kinds of issues in particular, like Ebola, and the threat that they can have on the global context.

A meeting has been called by the United States of the global health security initiative group that will be held in two weeks in Washington. We will be participating in that meeting along with a number of our global partners to talk about next steps in tackling Ebola.

We are already in contact with our partners in that global community to share information, talk about next steps and resources. I met with the U.S. ambassador today to speak about Ebola at length and the U.S. response in ensuring that we have a coordinated response with the United States as well as our border protection.

The global health security initiative is a global initiative that is effective and in this context is exactly the right kind of vehicle to be discussing these issues. It brings together the many different facets that have to respond when something like this is happening, whether it is the public health agencies, the health departments, the departments of defence, foreign affairs departments of many different countries that come together. They need to be a part of a response like this.

[Joe Daniel, Conservative, Don Valley East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to speak to the House about the tragic outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, and the steps the Government of Canada is taking to ensure Canadians here at home remain safe and protected.

The Ebola situation in West Africa has been devastating. My thoughts are with those who are affected by this. The Government of Canada is closely monitoring the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and working closely with our international partners to support the response and to help those who are suffering. Thankfully, we have learned that while Ebola outbreaks have generally had a case fatality rate of up to 90%, this particular outbreak has shown a survival rate of 47%.

While this current outbreak in West Africa has been ongoing since December 2013, Ebola first appeared in 1976. The House and all Canadians should be reassured that in all this time there has never been a case of Ebola in Canada. The risk to Canadians is very low. The outbreak continues to be confined to several countries in West Africa.

Even if a case of Ebola were to arrive in Canada, it would not be able to spread easily. There are a number of reasons for this.

First, Ebola spreads in the community through direct contact with infected bodily fluids. The scientific evidence shows that Ebola is not airborne and cannot be transmitted through casual contact. The Ebola virus does not spread like a common cold or influenza or even like SARS. Furthermore, it cannot be spread by a person who is not showing any symptoms.

Second, the situation and environmental context in West Africa is radically different from that in Canada. Our hospitals in Canada have sophisticated infection control systems and procedures in place that are designed to limit the spread of infection, protect the health care workers and provide the best possible care for patients. In contrast, the West African countries that are affected have limited resources to respond to a prolonged outbreak, especially in rural areas. In the health care infrastructure, greatly in the countries and communities affected, there is a lack of personal protective equipment and, tragically, outbreak control strategies have been met with distrust due to fear and misinformation.

Despite the fact that the risk to Canadians is very low, the Government of Canada remains vigilant and is taking concerted action to ensure Canadians continue to be protected against the Ebola virus. This includes maintaining our preparedness to detect, investigate and mange people with Ebola virus in the unlikely event that a case were to appear in Canada. We are well prepared.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has recommended that Canadians avoid all non-essential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone due to the outbreak. As well, public health notices have been issued for Nigeria and Senegal recommending that travellers take special precautions.

For those who must travel, I must reiterate that the risks remain low. To date, there has not been one confirmed Ebola case contracted on an airplane anywhere in the world. Furthermore, there are no direct flights between Canada and the countries affected by the Ebola outbreak, further reducing the risk to the rest of the Canadian public.

The government is ensuring that Canadian travellers know how to protect themselves and what they need to do if they begin to experience symptoms of illness. It is recommended that those travelling in affected areas monitor their health carefully and seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms that could be associated with Ebola within three weeks of returning.

Canada is well prepared to identify and manage ill travellers. The Quarantine Act is administered by the Public Health Agency of Canada 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at all points of entry into Canada. Technical guidance and protocol have been shared with provinces and territories and with the transportation sector to detect and manage suspected cases of Ebola infection. Front-line staff have been trained to screen international travellers arriving in Canada for communicable diseases and to refer any traveller suspected of being ill to quarantine officers. Under the Quarantine Act, officers have the authority to implement the appropriate public health measures to ensure public safety.

From there, a strong network of laboratories stands at the ready to detect and respond quickly in the unlikely event that a case of Ebola arrives in Canada.

While maintaining our domestic vigilance, the Government of Canada is also involved in an international early warning system that detects reports of outbreaks and emergencies from around the world. The Government of Canada is keeping frequent contact with the WHO and other international partners and authorities responding to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Some Canadians were unnerved to hear the media reports over the past few weeks of suspected cases of Ebola in Canada from people who had travelled to West Africa. In every case, the individuals suspected of being infected with the Ebola virus were identified, isolated, investigated by the public health authorities and tested for the Ebola virus by the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.

While each case turned out to be negative, these cases tested our responsive capability and demonstrated to Canadians that we were ready to respond and that our systems were working. We have learned from our experiences with SARS and the H1N1 influenza pandemic, and we are applying those learnings to how we prepare for future outbreaks.

Canada should be proud of its world-class researchers and science capacity. It was our very own scientists at the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory who developed an experimental vaccine for the Ebola virus. The Government of Canada has offered a donation of 800 to 1,000 doses of this experimental vaccine to the WHO. We are committed to supporting the efforts of our international partners to control the Ebola outbreak, and we hope that the experimental vaccine will help to address this global crisis.

Canada is keeping a small supply of the experimental vaccine to conduct research and clinical trials on safety and efficacy. We will also keep some doses in the unlikely event that it is needed in Canada. At the same time, Canada continues to work with our international partners to explore the significant legal and ethical issues on the use of experimental vaccines and therapies in humans. The Public Health Agency of Canada is working with Health Canada to develop the Canadian protocol for this compassionate use of the vaccine.

Canada should also be proud of our humanitarian support to address the spread of Ebola in West Africa, including significant funding and the deployment of Canadian experts to assist on the ground.

While the situation and the media reports from West Africa are quite dire, I want to reiterate that the risk to Canadians is very low. There has never been a case of Ebola in Canada. The Ebola virus does not spread easily from person to person, and it cannot be transmitted by casual contact. The Government of Canada is already taking action and will continue to take action to prepare and protect Canadians against the Ebola virus and other infectious disease threats.

I would like to close by extending my heartfelt condolences to those affected in West Africa and by encouraging Canadians to support international relief organizations working in this area.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to participate in tonight's emergency debate requested by my NDP colleagues. I feel this is the right thing to do. For the past month and a half or two months, public awareness has been raised to the crisis unfolding so far away and yet so close to us. Under circumstances such as these, we realize that we practically live in a great big village.

I will always remember Philippe Leblanc's report on Radio-Canada at the end of July, when he described how the situation was starting to affect villages in West Africa. When we look into the issue, we clearly see today that many people feel that western countries not directly affected are slow to respond and are turning a blind eye to this reality. We are happy to see that some announcements have already been made.

I will therefore ask my colleague from Don Valley East whether he does not think that it would be in our best interests to do something as soon as possible to eradicate the disease as quickly as we can. The bigger the problem, the more dangerous it becomes for everyone on the planet.

[Joe Daniel, Conservative, Don Valley East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, clearly we need a full understanding of how lacking some of these countries are in infrastructure and in being able to implement things in an instant, like in Canada. It is obviously a difficult situation. Some of the areas in West Africa are extremely remote and getting to the people, and putting things into action before they discover what the virus is, is very difficult. That is clearly why Canada has put a mobile unit in that area, so it can get a quick response in diagnosing this virus.

I think Canada is participating extremely well in supporting the eradication of that in the African countries.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am also grateful that people like Dr. Theresa Tam and Dr. Eilish Cleary have gone to the region. They make us very proud because Canada has had tremendous leadership on the Ebola virus for a very long time, including in Angola over a decade ago.

As the member explained, this disease is very difficult to get, other than human-to-human direct contact, bodily fluids. I wonder two things. As a member from Toronto who was on the receiving end of the travel advisory in Toronto during SARS, I wonder if the member could explain why the travel advisory has been given to Canadians going to Africa when we know it will seriously affect the economy of the region. Indeed, the member is saying that the risk is low. I have been hearing all summer that it is very difficult for those countries that Canada has taken this stand, when other countries have taken a different stand.

In the member's explanation that even though there are no direct flights from that region to Canada, are passengers on flights from London and connecting flights given information about Ebola on landing in Canada, including being asked if they have been to the region and letting them know about the symptoms and the fact that they should seek medical advice if they get these kinds of symptoms?

[Joe Daniel, Conservative, Don Valley East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the advice has already been posted and is available to all people. Clearly, the effect is going to be an economic one. It is a risk. There is no reason at all for travelling there except for essential business, because the risk of catching this and bringing it back to this country is higher if people do that. The advisories have been given for these countries. It will affect them economically and it would affect us economically as well if we were to have an Ebola outbreak here. That is clear.

In terms of the advice being given to passengers, I am not familiar with that part of it. From a Canadian perspective, I visited North York General Hospital just the other day and it already has Ebola facilities ready. They have tested two cases, which were not positive. Therefore, the infrastructure that we have in place in Canada is also ready for a potential outbreak of Ebola and I think we are in good hands.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Ottawa—Vanier tonight.

I rise tonight to speak about the Ebola outbreak in West Africa where the situation is dire and getting worse every day, where the international response has been inadequate, and where the global community must dramatically scale up its response. The worst Ebola outbreak in history has hit Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and has reached Nigeria and Senegal. It has been blamed for more than 2,200 deaths. Ebola is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of sick patients, making doctors and nurses especially vulnerable to contracting the virus, which has no vaccine or approved treatment. Without immediate international action we are facing the potential for a public health crisis that could claim lives on a scale far greater than the current estimates and set the countries of West Africa back a generation.

As U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said, “This is a perilous crisis but one we can contain if the international community comes together to meet it head on.” As a result, she has asked the 193 UN member states to come to a meeting with concrete commitments to tackle the outbreak, especially in hardest-hit Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.

Health practitioners and scientists know how to contain Ebola and it is important that we must avoid panic and fear, but our collective response to date has not been sufficient. We must tackle Ebola aggressively and in a coordinated manner.

Very briefly, Ebola virus disease, formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe often fatal illness in humans. Outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90% and have primarily occurred in remote villages in Central and West Africa near tropical rainforests. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. Fruit bats of a particular family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus. Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. No licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals.

Our health critic and I first wrote to the Minister of International Development on August 3, 2014, about Ebola and asked, among other requests, whether the government would consider providing additional funding to help fight the Ebola outbreak. We were pleased to see the government provided an additional $5 million in funding on August 8, 2014. I am looking forward to receiving answers to our other questions.

The needs on the ground have changed significantly since the beginning of August and Canada can and should be doing more. At that time, the World Health Organization was asking for $100 million, but it is now asking for $600 million to stop Ebola transmission in affected countries within six to nine months and to prevent the international spread of the virus in West Africa.

Moreover, in many areas of intense transmission the actual number of cases may be two- to fourfold higher than that currently reported, and the aggregate case load of Ebola virus disease cases could exceed 20,000 over the course of this emergency. The top U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official has warned that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has become a real risk to the stability and security of society in the region.

While I recognize Canada's contributions to date, I would like to know what more the government is considering to assist its international partners to provide aid in the affected regions, particularly as the international response has been inadequate and the world is losing the battle to control Ebola.

The reality is that we need to dramatically scale up international response. Nearly 40% of the total number of reported cases has occurred within the past several weeks. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued an international rescue call for a massive surge in assistance on September 5, warning that “the world can no longer afford to short-change global public health.” Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone need more doctors, nurses, beds, and more equipment.

The European Commission and the U.S. have given more than $250 million in additional funding. The U.S. has a 26-person disaster response team in place, and the U.S. military has trained 230 armed forces of Liberia personnel on the proper use of personal protective equipment, safe handling of patients, securing health sites, and escorting humanitarian and medical personnel. The United States has also sent more than 70 disease control experts to West Africa who are providing technical expertise to national public health institutions and agencies to help protect and prevent the spread of the Ebola virus, and have put in place a second Ebola testing laboratory.

Does the government accept that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has become a real risk to the stability and security of society in the region? Does the government accept that Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone need more doctors, nurses, beds, and equipment?

Does the government accept that the international response has been inadequate and that we need to scale up international response? Is the government considering responding to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's international rescue call and the World Health Organization's request of $600 million? In light of the United Nation's international rescue call, will Canada do more to help?

Specifically, how is Canada working with other countries, particularly through the Global Health Security Action Group and the global health security agenda? How is the government working across departments and what specific departments are involved in each of preparedness, response and recovery, and what is the lead agency for each? What specific actions are each of the departments undertaking?

What is the government doing to ensure the safety of Canadians travelling to West Africa to undertake humanitarian work, commerce and trade, and to safeguard the well-being of those who are there now in areas where Ebola is spreading? What guidance is being provided to Canadians before they leave and while in areas in which Ebola has been reported? If they think they have symptoms compatible with Ebola, what should they do upon their return to Canada?

How specifically was the April 18 funding of $1,285,000 used to address the outbreak? How many specialists and in what disciplines did Canada send to work with the World Health Organization and/or to West Africa to help? How specifically was the August 8 funding of $5 million to address the outbreak spent?

What specific plans were put in place to monitor the health of the three-person mobile team from Winnipeg's National Microbiology Laboratory as they were brought home from Sierra Leone and afterward in voluntary isolation, and for how long were they in isolation?

Although the risk is low, is Canada ready to isolate and care for someone if affected? Does the Public Health Agency of Canada have a public awareness plan to help Canadians understand the prevention, transmission, and signs and symptoms of the disease?

Canada can and must do more. We are asking the government to show leadership in responding to this deadly, devastating outbreak.

As the United Nations said, a humane world cannot allow Africa to suffer on such an extraordinary scale.

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her comments. I completely agree with her that the world is about to lose this battle. However, I think there is also a way to turn things around and win. As she pointed out, the situation is very serious in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. I would say Nigeria as well, even though there are not a lot of cases reported there, because the cases identified in that country are in highly populated urban areas and therefore the risk of the disease spreading is very high.

I would also like to point out that I agree with my colleague that Canada can and should do more. I would now like to know whether she has specific suggestions on what more Canada should do.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there are many interventions that must be prioritized: scaling up isolation centres; deploying mobile laboratories to improve diagnostic capabilities; dedicated air bridges to move personnel and equipment to and within West Africa; building a regional network of field hospitals to treat suspected or infected medical personnel; and, what really needs to happen, an operationalization of the new Ebola road map.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague has raised a number of serious questions that need answers from the government.

She raised a series of questions, and I would hope that the members of the governing party would ensure those answers are provided. It goes right to the heart of the strategy of controlling Ebola, of assisting internationally, and of protecting the country domestically from an outbreak.

A number of us were here at the time of the SARS outbreak. The government took a lot of measures at that time, in terms of protecting our own country and assisting the rest of the world.

I listened to the minister speak earlier. She talked about how people are required to report to Canada Border Services and that there are people who monitor. However, in previous times when there were these kinds of outbreaks, there were temperature spotters. I am not sure about the technology, but there was equipment at the airport to ensure that anyone who came off a plane with a temperature was checked. I do not see these kinds of measures being taken in this country.

My colleague outlined how not enough is happening internationally, and I agree with her 100%. However, what does she see happening domestically to protect Canadians?

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is one of the reasons we wrote to the Minister of International Development on August 3.

At that time, we asked that the minister show leadership and work across departments; we suggested Border Services and Health, for example. Unfortunately, we are still waiting for answers to that letter. I am hoping that those answers will be forthcoming.

That is why I have outlined a series of questions tonight. We have asked the same thing: Will the government show leadership, and how is it working across departments?

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Etobicoke North for sharing her time with me.

This is an extremely serious situation that not only five countries in Africa face, the whole region of West Africa faces, and if we are not prudent, the entire could face it.

There is a three-prong approach that I would encourage the government to take good note of, and perhaps act on and advise Canadians about.

The first is one that everyone would agree on. It is to contain the situation. It started in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Incidentally, the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association was planning a bilateral visit to both Liberia and Sierra Leone at the end of August. We felt that out of respect and concern for our colleagues, we should postpone that visit, not even thinking that it would get as bad as it is currently. It just goes to show that if we did that, there is an entire array of people who are cancelling visits or business trips to those countries. That is one of the factors that has to be looked at.

Those are the three countries. However, it has now spread to Nigeria, and I gather there has been a case or more in Senegal. It has to be contained, and that is not easy because these countries, Liberia in particular, have lost a great number of their health professionals who were trying to help the population fight this terrible virus.

The containment is also difficult because of the long incubation period. As we know, it is 21 days. The World Health Organization has now given notice that it could take at least nine months before the world can feel secure that the virus has been contained. Therefore, we are looking at a very difficult, costly, and demanding episode in front of us.

Canada needs to help protect Médicins sans frontières, and others who are volunteering to go there as well, so they can protect the populations wherever they go. However, it goes beyond that.

The Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association executive met with Ivory Coast's Minister of Foreign Affairs this afternoon. As the minister explained to us, 26% of Ivory Coast's population is from neighbouring countries. As a result, movement is continuous. Ivory Coast borders two of the countries I just mentioned, and they are already afflicted and affected by this virus.

I must congratulate the Ivorian authorities for what they have done. Apparently, 90% of the population has a mobile phone. The authorities used them to inform everyone about best practices to avoid contamination and the transmission of the virus. For example, the minister told us that people do not shake hands anymore. To avoid any contact that might spread the virus, they use gestures to say hello and goodbye. These measures are fairly simple, but by contacting 90% of the population, they have so far managed to prevent the spread of the virus.

However, there are other countries in West Africa.

These other countries, whether Ghana, Togo, or closer, Cameroon and so on, also need help to make sure that this is contained. We are not talking about immediately, or 21 days, which is the incubation period; we are talking about nine months at least. They need help financially, and with professionals, so they are able to train other professionals they need in a very short timeframe.

Financially and on a professional level, the ability to contain the virus is the primary objective.

The second one is more domestic. Canadians have to be made aware of this, and of the measures they need to take, so that if this virus ever reaches our soil, it is not spread. We had a case not long ago.

A young woman returning from Sierra Leone was hospitalized and quarantined in Gatineau because she had a fever. Thank God, she was not infected with Ebola. However, it is not impossible that one of our constituents might become infected.

Indeed, we should ensure that the general public knows what to do to keep from spreading this virus, which can kill 50% to 90% of people affected, depending on the population.

I was listening this afternoon to one of my colleagues on the government side. He did not give me permission to speak publicly, but it was in a meeting, so I will tell the details.

His daughter was working in Liberia and she married someone from there. She saw a mother of seven kids whose husband died of Ebola, and she wanted to have the body of her husband to bury it. However, the authorities would not give it. They put the body in a bag and put in all kinds of chemicals to contain it, and they buried it. Somehow, during the night, they convinced a guardian at wherever the body was buried to get it. They got it and brought it home. The seven children were all infected and they have all died now.

This is the reality on the ground that they face right now. We have to help them contain it, and we have to ensure it is not transmitted here.

My second proposal is therefore to prepare Canadians.

Third, we need to find a cure for this virus. I would like to applaud a number of our fellow Canadians in the medical field who have worked on it. It seems that the Department of Defence has also done some research.

It is known that viruses frequently mutate. So far the human race has been fairly lucky, in that this contamination is not spread in the air. It is spread by transmission of bodily fluids. However, if ever this virus mutates to the point that it can be transmitted by airborne contagion, we are facing a humanitarian crisis worldwide. We need to address this. We saw how these things can happen when they spread.

The other bracket I need to open is the economic impact. In Nigeria, where it has not spread as widely as it has in Liberia or Sierra Leone, already four per cent of the economy has tanked. The gross domestic product has tanked by four per cent. It is the same thing in Sierra Leone, and it is affecting places like Ivory Coast where there is no contagion right now. That is because people are cancelling meetings; people are not going there.

We saw that happen in Toronto when the SARS disease reached our shores, and that was spread by air. We in Canada have a fairly good health system and a good prevention system, and a fairly well-advised population, yet we saw the impact it had on Toronto and its area.

If we do not find a way to first stop this transmission and a way to fight it, then we are looking at an incredibly devastating situation. It will be in Africa to start, and it will spread elsewhere, and eventually it will reach the whole world.

We, our government and Canadians, have a responsibility to address this. It is as imminent and urgent as anything we are facing now. If we do not address it, unfortunately we will all end up paying a huge price. We can avoid that, and we should avoid that.

That was the gist of my message.

Now, this virus needs to be contained not only in the affected countries, but also in the neighbouring countries. We need to help those countries financially and enable professionals to travel there. We owe so much to those professionals who are willing to go.

We need to prepare Canadians as a preventive measure and put in place the resources needed to find a way to kill this virus.

[Hélène LeBlanc, NDP, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from the Liberal Party for his speech. I have come to know his passion for Africa and for the parliamentary association in which actively participates.

The hon. member did a good job of explaining what steps need to be taken to deal with this terrible disease and the different ways Canada can help.

I heard a report on Radio-Canada about the many children being orphaned by this epidemic. The report talked about what needs to be done not only immediately, but also on the heels of the devastation the Ebola virus has caused in the affected countries.

Can my colleague explain in detail what he thinks about this?

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for the question.

Obviously, we will have to talk later about what to do after the crisis. Right now we have to focus on the crisis and how to contain it, and on finding a way to eradicate the virus before it spreads in an absolutely disastrous way. After the fact there will certainly be many situations in which every developed country like ours will have a role to play. I am thinking about the orphans, for example. Four years ago, on January 12, some 250,000 people perished in a massive earthquake in Haiti and many children became orphans. Canada stepped up to the plate.

I think we can definitely do something to help the orphaned children whose parents have died from this virus, whether in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea or anywhere else. For now, we must focus on how to control and eradicate this virus, otherwise the needs will exceed our ability to help people.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising the issues and in particular for speaking about the issue of SARS.

The riding that I represent in many ways was the epicentre of the SARS epidemic that hit Toronto, and there were lessons learned that extended well beyond just the health care sector.

For example, we know that many people within the health care sector require three jobs to earn a single salary, and the way they moved between hospitals played a significant role in the spread of that disease. We came to understand in Toronto that cuts to other parts of government and government programs sometimes impact epidemics in ways that are catastrophic not just for health care professionals but also for the people who are directly affected, the victims.

We know that the government has reduced the number of embassies and consulates in Africa and is now requiring people from different African countries to travel through three, four, five, and six different countries simply to file immigration documents or business documents or even inquiries to the Canadian government, just because they are required to do it in person. That movement through these different countries in Africa is becoming more and more difficult, and it also risks becoming an agent by which the disease gets spread.

I am curious as to whether there has been any discussion or response you are aware of to try to see if the Canadian government should not be restructuring its response diplomatically to Africa so that it can support these countries and also avoid playing a role in unexpectedly spreading this disease to unaffected parts of the continent.

As well—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Order, please.

Before I go to the member for Ottawa—Vanier, I know the member for Trinity—Spadina is new and I welcome him to the House. If he could direct his comments to the Chair rather than directly to his colleagues, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, the Chair will give you a cue when your time is approaching its end.

The hon. member for Ottawa--Vanier.