Debates of Nov. 26th, 2020

Health—Main Estimates, 2020-21

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, is the minister proud that approximately 40 million Americans will receive COVID-19 vaccines before a single Canadian receives a COVID-19 vaccine?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, I am extremely thrilled for Canadians that we have managed to secure seven contracts, more doses per capita than any other country and that we have three of the leading promising vaccine candidates submitted for regulatory approval before any other country in the world.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, does the minister realize how ridiculous she sounds right now?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, I am not sure how to answer that question other than to say that I stay focused on the health and safety of Canadians, and that I do not believe they are served by insults.

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

I would like to remind members that we do not call each other names.

The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, the minister should be able to tell us when the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered to Canadians.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, Canadians can have confidence that, as soon as the regulators approve the vaccines to be safe for use in Canada, there will be vaccines for Canadians.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, why can the minister not provide a date for when the first COVID-19 vaccine will be available for Canadians?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, the manufacturers are working extremely closely with Health Canada. In fact, the three leading manufacturers that have promising vaccines to date have submitted to Health Canada for regulatory approval. The data is coming in on a rolling regulatory process, which means that we can review the data—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, at least 40 other countries are able to tell when the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines will be delivered to their population. When will the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines be available to Canadians?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, as soon as the vaccines are approved for safety, they will be available to Canadians.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, are we not working as fast as the Americans, the U.K., Germany, Argentina or the Mexicans?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, in fact, we are working very closely with the FDA and the EU regulators to share data so we can all approve vaccines as quickly as possible.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, then why can the minister not tell us when the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be available in Canada?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, we are grateful that the manufacturers are submitting the data as quickly as they acquire it. As they acquire the data necessary to complete those reviews, we will review that data expeditiously. We have regulators working on reviewing the data 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When they are safe for Canadians, we will approve them and vaccines will be available.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, how many businesses will close before the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine is delivered in Canada?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, I am so proud of our government for the work we have done to support small businesses and individuals through this very difficult and terrible time, including things like the wage subsidy, the small business loans, the supports for individuals who—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, how many more people will die in long-term care without seeing their families before the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine is delivered in Canada?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, we all need to do our part to protect and save lives in Canada. We are doing our absolute best at Health Canada to ensure that provinces and territories can deliver on their health care responsibilities.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, how many more marriages will dissolve in Canada due to COVID-19 lockdowns before the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine is delivered in Canada?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, let me take a moment to talk about Wellness Together. This is a free tool for Canadians who need access to supports for mental health, substance use or marital problems, for any kind of emotional stress. It is private, confidential and personalized.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Chair, does the minister understand that her inability to tell Canadians when the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered is directly responsible for deaths, business closures, marriage failures and people dying in long-term care without seeing their families?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Madam Chair, I want to thank Canadians for the hard work they have taken on to protect each other from COVID-19. Canadians understand this is a global pandemic, that all countries are struggling, and they are making enormous sacrifices to keep each other safe. I want to thank Canadians for that hard work. I know it is extremely difficult, but I want them to know we have their backs and we will throughout this pandemic.