Mr. Speaker, a single mom working back-to-back shifts to make ends meet cannot stand for seven hours in line for a COVID-19 test. People in rural and remote communities or living on reserve need quick access and readily available testing options.
As Dr. Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto, said, “As a screening tool, saliva tests would let parents test their kids, and themselves, regularly.”
Canadians are struggling. The government needs to realize that the expectation of a quarantine for 14 days if a person has come into contact with a case is elitist. Several of our close allies, including Germany, the U.S.A. and Japan, have rapid testing options. Meanwhile, our government continues to drag its heels on reviewing these technologies.
That is why Conservatives continue to call on the Prime Minister to finally do his job and both expeditiously and fulsomely review these testing options. Canadians are depending on this.