Debates of Nov. 26th, 2020

Health—Main Estimates, 2020-21

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

Madam Chair, provinces, territories and local public health officers are working day and night to protect Canadians and save lives. I want to thank them for their dedication and their tireless work.

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

Madam Chair, how many people are projected to die of COVID-19 in Canada before the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine is delivered in Canada?

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

Madam Chair, it is a great time to remind Canadians that, really, the power to flatten the curve is in all of our hands. We need to continue those public health measures that we have all been taught over the last several months, such as keeping our physical distance—

[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 people are projected to die in Canada of COVID-19 before the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine is delivered in Canada?

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

Madam Chair, again I thank the health care workers, who are struggling every single day to save lives from COVID-19. The more that we take the public health measures seriously, the more lives we can save.

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

Madam Chair, when will the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine be delivered in Canada?

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

Madam Chair, we are anticipating the first doses to arrive in quarter one.

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

Madam Chair, when will the first vaccine be delivered to a Canadian for COVID-19? On what date?

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

Madam Chair, as soon as a vaccine is proven to be safe, we will be able to deliver doses of vaccines to Canadians.

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

Madam Chair, the member opposite just heckled that the first dose would be available on January 19. Is this correct?

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

Madam Chair, Procurement Canada and Health Canada are working extremely closely together. As soon as the vaccines are demonstrated to be safe, they will be available to Canadians.

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

Madam Chair, will the first dose of COVID vaccine be available on January 1?

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

Madam Chair, as soon as the vaccines are proven to be safe, we will be able to deliver vaccines to Canadians.

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

Madam Chair, will the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine be available on January 2?

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

Madam Chair, at Health Canada we take our obligation to protect Canadians' safety very seriously. The regulators will approve the vaccines when they are certain that the data proves they are safe and Canadians will receive vaccines thereafter.

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

Madam Chair, will the first vaccine be available on January 3?

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

Madam Chair, the vaccines will be available when they are approved by Health Canada.

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

Madam Chair, this is not a joke. We do not have a date and the Americans are about to vaccinate the equivalent of the entire population of Canada by the middle of January.

Will the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine be available in Canada on January 15?

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

Madam Chair, as soon as Health Canada approves the vaccines for being safe for use on Canadians, then the vaccine will be available to Canadians.

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

Madam Chair, does the minister understand that it is her job to provide a timeline to Canadians on when the COVID-19 vaccine will be available?

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

Madam Chair, I am so proud of the hard-working regulators who are working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assess the data from the three manufacturers submitted for regulatory approval. As soon as the vaccines are approved, they will be available to Canadians.

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

Madam Chair, why was the minister's counterpart under the Trump administration able to provide a date for the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine, but she was not?

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

Madam Chair, I cannot speak to the process of the Americans. I can only speak to the Canadian process.

I will tell colleagues that we put the safety of Canadians first and foremost in the work that we are doing at the regulatory body. I am so proud of the hard-working civil servants, scientists, researchers who are poring over the data—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill.