Debates of Jan. 25th, 2021

Health

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is providing examples of countries that are doing worse than Canada, but why not look at those that are doing better? We currently rank 24th in the world among large countries in terms of vaccinations per capita. We have been saying all along that the contracts have been mismanaged, and now the facts are clear.

When will the Prime Minister come clean to Canadians and admit that he did a poor job of negotiating the contracts?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, there is nothing wrong with the contracts.

We feel the same sense of urgency as Canadians to secure these essential vaccines as quickly as possible. More than 1.1 million vaccines have been distributed across the country so far. Canada ranks among the top five G20 countries in COVID‑19 vaccinations.

Our government is responsible for this file and we will not stop until the job is done.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we may rank fifth in the G20, but we rank 24th when compared to countries like the Seychelles, which is ahead of Canada. That is not normal.

We have been pointing out problems with the contracts since November and December. These problems are now playing out, as we learn that no vaccines will be distributed in Canada this week. That is not normal for a country that claims to have the best vaccine portfolio in the world. We want the facts, and that means getting vaccines.

Will the minister confirm whether someone somewhere is leading this government and will get us vaccines as quickly as possible?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by saying this:

This is a completely temporary situation, as we are working hard to ensure that every Canadian who wants a vaccine gets one.

Canada remains well positioned, since we rank in the top five of G20 countries when it comes to per capita vaccination. We plan to vaccinate three million people by the end of March and at least 13 million people by the end of the second quarter, and we are on the right track.

Air Transportation

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is reluctant to stop people from travelling from Quebec and Canada to other countries, even though, for almost a year now, many preventive measures have been proposed and could even have been implemented, had it not been for the government's stubbornness.

The government also promised to force companies that receive assistance to reimburse airline tickets. Airlines, even foreign ones, have received the Canada emergency wage subsidy. They have received assistance.

Will the government at least force the airlines to refund the cost of tickets for people who have cancelled their pleasure trips?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we are aware of how frustrating the situation is for Canadians. We are very much supportive of our airline industry and sector. Discussions are ongoing with the airline sector to prepare a support package, but members can rest assured that no support package will happen without refunds for passengers and support for our regional routes.

Health

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is twiddling its thumbs while people are losing their jobs and thousands of people are not getting their refunds. Now it is in the hands of the courts. In an initial ruling today, the courts indicated that the companies must refund the flights.

The Prime Minister spends his time lecturing Quebec during his press conferences in front of his residence. What is he doing to stop tourists from travelling south? He is doing nothing. What is he doing to ensure that they quarantine when they return? He is doing nothing. What is he doing to prevent foreign variants from entering the country? He is doing absolutely nothing.

It is January 25, and for the tourist arriving at the airport today it is business as usual. When will the Prime Minister take action?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, we are very much aware of the situation. We are considering all options. Let me remind my colleague that since March 2020, we have advised all Canadians to avoid unnecessary or non-essential international travel. We have put extra measures in place. We have banned foreigners from travelling to Canada for non-essential purposes. We have also implemented pre-departure testing to ensure that all arrivals to Canada are tested for COVID before arrival.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is still busy tackling the issues that came up over the holidays. A month later, Ottawa has yet to do a single thing to prevent non-essential travel or to monitor quarantines.

A month after the U.K. alerted the world about a new variant of COVID‑19, Ottawa is doing nothing to control the borders and Ontario was hit by a massive outbreak at a long-term care facility.

Everyone is calling on the federal government to restrict travel and oversee the quarantines.

When will they take action? What are they waiting for?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, at every step of the way, we have used science and evidence to advise our country on how best to respond to COVID-19 from those very early days when we were undertaking screening at the border, increasing measures to ban foreign nationals and asking Canadians to forgo non-essential travel. We have some of the strictest measures in the world, including a 14-day quarantine that is enforced and is enforceable by all provinces, territories and local police officers. We need to work together in enforcement as Canadians, provinces and territories to make sure that people adhere to quarantine, and in fact Canadians largely are. We will continue that work and, as my colleagues have said—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Battlefords—Lloydminster.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, protecting our seniors and those who care for them must be a priority. An efficient and timely vaccine rollout for long-term care residents and staff is critical to preventing the deadly outbreaks that we are seeing across the country, but our premiers are now reporting that they have run out of vaccines.

With a drop in supply and with uncertainty about the schedule moving forward, strong federal leadership is needed, but once again thePrime Minister is missing in action. When will sufficient doses be available to protect our seniors in long-term care?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, I share the concern about our long-term care residents. My own father is 90 years old and is also waiting for a vaccine. I am working with my department and the Government of Canada extremely hard every single day to ensure that all Canadians will have access to a vaccine as soon as possible.

That is why we are assured that we will receive over 300,000 vaccines next week, and those will be distributed to the provinces and territories. From there, the vaccines are going to ramp up, and we will see millions and millions of vaccines rolling into this country in the next quarter.

Why? It is because this government—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Barrie—Innisfil.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, at the height of an unfolding tragedy at the Roberta Place long-term care centre in my riding, our local health unit has effectively run out of vaccines. The shortage is so serious that seniors, their families, PSWs and front-line health care workers have been told that there is no timeline for when to expect their first doses or vital second doses. We have run out of vaccines at the most critical point in this crisis.

Minister, what do I tell families who are calling me, some in tears, about when they should expect their vaccines, when they know other countries are still getting their vaccines and Canada is not?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Once again, I just want to remind hon. members to place their questions through the Chair and not directly to the person they are asking.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, again, I share the concern about long-term care residents and all people in this country.

We have administered fewer vaccines in this country than we have received, so there are still vaccines that are being utilized, and we will indeed see vaccines ramping up by the hundreds of thousands in this quarter and by the millions for the rest of the year. We are on track to have vaccines for all Canadians before the end of September, because we will stop at nothing to ensure that all Canadians have access to a vaccine this year. That is our promise and that is what we are working on.

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, residents of The Elden of Bradford in York—Simcoe were supposed to be getting their vaccines last week, but their vaccination clinics were cancelled, and residents are now being told that they will have to wait until the end of February because of Canada’s shortage of the Pfizer vaccine. With outbreaks in long-term care homes on the rise again, these delays are unacceptable and deadly. Not enough is being done to protect our most vulnerable.

Why is the Prime Minister failing to show leadership to ensure that Canada has the vaccines needed to protect our citizens?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, Ontario has reported about 100,000 doses that have not been utilized as of yet. Therefore, the claim that the province has run out is simply inaccurate.

That does not take away from the importance of continuing to receive vaccines into this country, and we will continue to do that. There will be 300,000-plus next week, building up over the first trimester, and then going on into the rest of the year. This is our goal. We have the largest number of doses per capita of any country in the world, and that strategy is still on track for this country.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a scathing internal audit has exposed disarray and chaos at the Public Health Agency of Canada. The audit notes limited public health expertise at senior levels and a lack of emergency response capacity, and it even revealed that incorrect information was being fed to Canada's chief public health officer. Today, as Canada's vaccine deliveries shift from week to week, it appears that many of these problems remain unresolved.

How does the minister explain this appalling state of affairs, and can she assure Canadians that these serious gaps are being addressed?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, at every step of the way, Canada's response has been based on science and evidence. I want to thank Dr. Tam for her excellent leadership during this time. I will also thank the Public Health Agency of Canada employees who have worked so hard on behalf of Canadians all across this country. We will continue to spare nothing to ensure the agency has what it needs to continue to deliver for Canadians.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, prior to Christmas, cases of trench fever were found in my riding. This is a disease of extreme poverty. That is abhorrent, and it is a result of the long-standing lack of investment. Our front-line organizations have the ability to address the needs of our community but often lack the resources to respond and provide care for individuals in need. We need help now.

Will the government commit to making additional investments in front-line organizations in my riding of Winnipeg Centre so that individuals can stay safe from this current health crisis?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way, we have worked closely with provinces and territories on our COVID-19 response, including the challenges that many organizations are facing in caring for some of the most vulnerable. I continue to have those conversations with health ministers, including the minister from the member's province.

We will continue to ensure that the provinces have what they need as they face this crisis and all the circumstances it causes along with it.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today marks one year since the first COVID-19 case was identified in Canada. Since then, the virus has drastically changed our ways of life, as we have all taken unprecedented measures to stop the spread of the virus.

Since the start of the pandemic, the federal government has been there to support the provinces and territories to combat the virus, especially in the harder hit provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Could the Minister of Health update the House on what steps our government has taken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and keep Canadians safe?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Scarborough—Agincourt for her incredibly hard work to protect the people in her riding.

Together, as a nation, we have worked to keep Canadians safe by securing millions of items of PPE, COVID tests and vaccines for provinces, territories and indigenous communities. We funded the Canadian Red Cross to provide rapid help in hot spots, including in long-term care homes across the country. Our military has helped to ensure that seniors stay safe in some of the hardest hit homes in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. We funded hundreds of millions of dollars in research to support our scientists to better understand how to fight this virus.

I thank our health care heroes, essential workers and every Canadian for working so hard and sacrificing so much to save lives and protect each other.