Madam Speaker, this year Canadians have been faced with much adversity. Our seniors have been particularly hard hit, and today we are asking the Prime Minister and his government to give them confidence that their government has a plan. We are asking the government to be honest and clear with them and to demonstrate it has the competence to navigate them through this pandemic. They deserve as much.
This week's fall economic statement was an opportunity to do just that, but it did not offer Canadians a clear plan on vaccines or even a clear plan for testing in the meantime. In fact, the government has had the opportunity to offer Canadians that assurance every time it is asked for a plan. Instead, it responds every time with the same non-answers.
The Minister of Health was not pleased when I asked her if seniors would have to wait until September 2021 to see their grandchildren again. The reality is that the government has not provided Canadians with that answer. There is no readily available plan on when vulnerable populations will have access to a vaccine.
The Liberal government cannot expect us to offer it blind trust because it certainly has not earned it, not when the health minister allowed our pandemic early warning system to be shut down just months before the pandemic, not when the Prime Minister sent hundreds of thousands of personal protective equipment from our reserves to China only to leave our front-line health care workers without, and not when the government refused to close our borders, allowing the virus to spread, flip-flopped on mask use or delayed on approving rapid tests. These failures have not earned the government the trust of Canadians, so it should understand why we are asking for a vaccine rollout plan.
Still without adequate access to rapid tests, Canadians are missing an important tool to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Testing is crucial to treating and isolating COVID. The government delayed approvals to rapid testing and now Liberals proudly stand in the House to tell us they have delivered rapid tests to the provinces. Those numbers are wholly inadequate. Those numbers are not anywhere in the vicinity of what is needed to be effective. Regular and mass testing would be a game-changer for our seniors, vulnerable populations, front-line health care workers, essential workers and all Canadians. It has the potential to significantly safeguard our long-term care homes, which have been the hardest hit by this pandemic.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information did a comparison in the spring of the impact of COVID-19 in long-term care homes in OECD countries. In that report, Canada had the highest proportion of deaths occurring in long-term care. Fatalities in long-term care accounted for around 81% of COVID deaths in Canada compared with an OECD average of only 38%. Those numbers are shameful. We have to better protect our seniors in care.
Now well into the second wave, the majority of deaths in Canada continue to be in long-term care homes and outbreaks in care continue to be on the rise. It is absolutely shameful that we do not at least have adequate access to rapid tests in our tool belt. Rapid tests could help isolate COVID in these homes and even help prevent outbreaks in the first place. To do that effectively though, we need rapid tests to be readily available. We are just not there.
Long-term care residents, their families and the workers who care for them deserve better. Supports for them are needed in the immediate term. Staff in long-term care need access to PPE and resources to do their jobs. As well, the staffing crisis in long-term care needs serious attention and not just a band-aid solution. We need a plan for family reunification. Some of our seniors have been physically and socially isolated for months on end, separated from their loved ones, friends and in some cases from their neighbours down the hall.
Last night during the debate on the government's bill on medically assisted death, I talked about Nancy Russell, a senior who reportedly opted for medically assisted death instead of facing another lonely and isolated lockdown in her care home. Her story is truly heartbreaking. I have no doubt that she is not the only Canadian to experience feelings of loneliness in the face of COVID. We cannot expect our seniors and our vulnerable populations to endlessly isolate from their loved ones. They have already missed birthdays, holidays and many important gatherings. We have to be aware of the serious mental health toll this pandemic is having on our seniors, our vulnerable populations and, in essence, all Canadians. We need to offer our seniors hope. All Canadians need hope.
At the outset of this pandemic, the government talked about temporary restrictions and lockdowns to help buy time. Now, more than 11 months after we first heard about COVID, there has to be a better response. We know that mass testing is key to isolating COVID infections, and that the delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be the real light at the end of the tunnel. We know that a safe and effective vaccine will also be vital to our economic recovery. It is certainly not unreasonable for us to expect the government to have a plan, to tell Canadians who want a vaccine when they can expect to receive one that is safe and effective, and how many doses each province will be receiving, or to be clear on the details of negotiated contracts.
We are hearing reports and details from other countries on their vaccine delivery plans and timelines. Other countries are starting to roll out a vaccine in the coming weeks, and we still do not even have a clear plan, or have not heard of a clear plan. The United States and Britain are talking about mass access to the vaccine in December and January. December is here, and now our Prime Minister is throwing around September. He needs to tell Canadians why this is, and what the plan is between now and then. It is not just opposition members asking for clarity. Team Canada is asking. Canadians are asking.
The provincial premiers, who will be tasked with delivering the vaccine, are asking for clarity. Premier Scott Moe, from my home province of Saskatchewan, has said that he is concerned and troubled to hear that Canada is at the back of the line when it comes to receiving a vaccine. The premier has said that he has not received confirmation from the federal government that a vaccine will be distributed on a per-capita basis, nor has he received clarity on when it will be received by the provinces. He is not the only premier asking questions.
Earlier this week, Premier Doug Ford of Ontario said:
I have to get answers. I've been asking the federal government. We need to know when we're getting it, how much we're getting and what we're getting. There's different vaccines out there so, to be perfectly frank, I'm not any more comfortable than I was last week.
Premier Sandy Silver of Yukon is asking for a national distribution strategy.
Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer, has said he is waiting on federal guidance on issues ranging from priority groups to transportation and logistics.
The provinces cannot move ahead with their planning without clarity from the government, and the more it protests against providing details, the more concerning it is. It is even more concerning when we hear conflicting dates and timelines from those front benches. Canadians want their lives back, and their jobs and businesses. More important than that, human life hangs in the balance of the government's response to this pandemic.
We are now into December and the Christmas holidays are fast approaching. Canadians do not need more empty promises. They are worried about their loved ones and their livelihoods. They need a real team Canada approach. They need a timeline. They need a plan for distribution. They need to know who will get first access. They need answers. They need a clear path forward.
That is what Conservatives are asking for today: a clear path forward. We are asking that the Liberal government give Canadians the certainty, the clarity and the competence that they deserve from their government.