Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to join the debate today in honour of our opposition day motion.
The Conservative Party is asking the government to put forward something and accomplish something that it has been avoiding since this pandemic began, and that is to show Canadians a plan. We are asking the Liberal government to table, by December 16, an update on how each type of vaccine will be safely delivered, stored and distributed to Canadians; when each vaccine type will be deployed in Canada; what rate of vaccination we can expect for each month; how different segments of the population will be prioritized for vaccines; and how vaccines will be distributed to indigenous communities, armed forces members and veterans.
There is absolutely no reason why the government should not be able to provide this information to Canadians within two weeks. Frankly, I believe the fact that they are not able to provide this information today is incredibly worrisome.
The Liberals know, and all of us in this House know, that Canadians have been waiting with bated breath for a vaccine. They have been reviewing the news and looking for updates on the development of one. They have been speculating on what they might do once they receive a vaccine. The government is well aware, of course, that this is key to defeating the virus, keeping Canadians safe and keeping our economy going.
In fact, this past spring, the Prime Minister himself said, “Normality as it was before will not come back full-on until we get a vaccine”. I believe the Prime Minister said this in April, yet all this time has passed and the government has done very little, if anything, to procure a vaccine, plan for its distribution and ensure that every Canadian who wants one will be able to get one.
The Liberal government has been caught completely unprepared and it is truly showing. Canada has ended up behind the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Mexico, Brazil, India and Indonesia for vaccine procurement. There are over 2.7 billion people in line before Canadians.
What is really troubling is that the Liberals not only do not have a plan to procure vaccines, but they also seem to have no plan on what they will do once we finally do receive them. They have no plan for distributing vaccines to Canadians, and they have no plan for prioritizing who will be able to have access to vaccines first. In fact, in response to a vaccine procurement plan, the Minister of Natural Resources tweeted out a graphic stating this supposed plan. It said, “Every Canadian will have access to an effective and free vaccine once ready.”
That really is not a plan. It, frankly, was not that good of a graphic either, if I do say so myself, but those are the non-answers that Canadians are incredibly frustrated with. As people in the United States and the United Kingdom will begin receiving vaccines as early as next week, the Liberal government is talking about having vaccinations available to most Canadians by September.
As I said, our neighbours to the south and many around the world will be getting their lives back. They will be seeing families again. They will potentially be reopening some of their businesses and returning safely to their jobs. They could be having weddings, graduations, and holiday celebrations. However, in Canada, we will be missing many of those moments, and we will be missing time with our families and our loved ones.
At this pace, Canadians will still be postponing events well into the summer. They will be having to do head counts at weddings and funerals to ensure there are not too many people present.
The emotional toll of this pandemic is also impacting mental health, as those struggling with mental health issues and addictions will continue to be isolated from many of their support systems. Further, remote first nation communities, like many in my riding, will likely have to keep their borders closed to stop the spread. Many Canadians with loved ones living abroad, or even in other provinces, will remain separated.
Seniors will be expected to content themselves with virtual get-togethers at a time when they could use support from friends and family more than ever. Parents may worry every time they send their kids to school, and students, who are unable to attend in-person classes and who lack reliable Internet, may fall behind or fall through the cracks. Businesses will continue to lose revenue, lay off employees and may potentially close their doors permanently. More workers will lose their jobs, and more families will struggle.
Students and young people will see their careers put on hold, as they graduate into a job market that is one of the worst in history. Tourism operators across the Kenora riding, northern Ontario and Canada will potentially lose yet another season. Many of the airlines that service remote northern communities will not be able to provide that critical service.
Canadians are rightfully concerned. They are rightfully frustrated and disappointed with the Liberal government. Citizens have complied with public health guidelines and regulations, and they have really done their part to combat the virus, but people want their lives back, and they want a plan with some hope from the government on how we can get back to that place.
I do not understand how the Liberals can expect us to be content with the knowledge that we may have an opportunity for a vaccination in 10 months' time. Unfortunately, this is not coming as a surprise to me, many members on our side of the House and many Canadians. After all, the Liberals have bungled this pandemic response since day one.
We know they dropped the ball with rapid testing, where an effective rollout could have avoided some of the pain that Canadians have faced over the last few months. Canadians could have potentially been safely visiting with loved ones. Businesses could have stayed open or reopened, and students could have been feeling safe back at school. The Liberals also dragged their feet on closing the border until it was too late.
In September, the health minister claimed that she had been “fully briefed” on the risk of COVID-19 by December of last year, yet her government sat by and did nothing for months. If the Liberals had implemented travel restrictions or recommended mask wearing when the minister and the government first knew about the severity of this pandemic, lives could have been saved. We could have avoided the economic shutdown that has devastated businesses and families across the country.
Instead, we got nothing but mixed signals and lectures from the government. As I have said, the Liberal government was clearly unprepared for COVID-19, and after all this time, it is clear that it has not learned from its mistakes, because we are still to see an all-important plan.
Canadians should be looking ahead to a recovery right now, but instead we are facing increased restrictions. Many businesses that have invested thousands of dollars in health and safety upgrades to help reduce the risk of transmission and keep everyone safe are not even sure if they will be allowed to operate come the spring time, or if it will be financially possible for them to do so.
The government's approach to this crisis can truly be summed up in a quote from the finance minister in the House. In the chamber a few weeks ago, I stood up and asked the finance minister when we could expect to see a budget and a plan from the government. Her response was that we needed to have patience, but I believe patience is a very privileged position to hold during this crisis.
It is easy for politicians to be patient when our livelihoods have not been impacted, but small business owners watching their lives' work slip between their fingers cannot afford to be patient any longer. Workers who have lost their jobs cannot afford to be patient. Vulnerable Canadians who are afraid to leave their homes cannot afford to be patient.
Canadians have been patient for nearly 10 months. It is time for the government to be transparent, be accountable and bring forward a real plan to guide our country through the next phase of this health and economic crisis. Today's motion would give the government an opportunity to do just that, and I encourage all of my colleagues in the House to support this important proposal.