Debates of Jan. 25th, 2021

Health

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, in just a few days he has already lost thousands of jobs in both Canada and the U.S. from inaction.

We also know, on vaccines, that the government was talking to Pfizer last fall about logistics. It has known for months there were going to be problems with production. It did not plan for it. This week, there will be no deliveries of the Pfizer vaccine. Next week, our order has been cut by 86%, which is more than any other country.

Why are Canadians always paying for the Prime Minister's failure to act quickly?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning, we knew there would be challenges with the global supply chains around vaccines as they were developed, which is why we set out and succeeded in signing more contracts with more different companies for more doses per Canadian than any other country in the world. We know that momentary delays are happening on Pfizer, but we will be receiving hundreds of thousands of doses later in February and we are still on track to vaccinate over three million Canadians by the end of Q1, and everyone who wants it by September.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, across Canada, 18% of vaccine deliveries have been reduced. This week, there have been no vaccine deliveries, no distribution plan and delivery delays. This is increasing the concerns of Canadians. The Prime Minister must act now.

When will the Liberal government take action to get more vaccines?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to talk with all the different vaccine companies because we have been able to sign contracts with more vaccine companies to get more potential doses per Canadian than any other country.

We are disappointed by Pfizer's interruption, but we continue to receive deliveries from Moderna. We continue to work with the other companies to get vaccines to Canada more quickly.

I can reassure Canadians. Our goal remains to have at least three million Canadians vaccinated by the end of March and everyone—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we need more doses. This week, in the middle of a pandemic, Canada will not be getting a single dose.

There is a significant delay in Canada's vaccine supply. At long-term care homes and seniors' residences, vaccinations are on pause. This is a crucial time for all Canadians. This week, there will not be a single vaccine.

Why are we still behind on vaccines and other measures during this pandemic?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Leader of the Opposition is looking to score political points, but he must not sow fear among Canadians. He must not deliberately mislead Canadians.

We will still receive doses from Moderna. There will, indeed, be a temporary interruption in deliveries from Pfizer, but we are working very closely with the company to ensure that we receive more doses in a few weeks when their factory is once again operational. We will be able to vaccinate everyone by September. We are on track to meet our objectives for the end of March.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is nice to hear the Prime Minister say that members must not mislead people. Perhaps he should listen to his own advice.

The media is reporting that Quebec has had to postpone vaccinations for parents and grandparents in Quebec because of delays in shipments from Pfizer, which were already in short supply, on top of the delays that had been announced in mid-January.

I want to hear it from his own mouth. How many vaccines will we receive from Pfizer this week?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as we told the provinces a few weeks ago, the Pfizer deliveries were interrupted because the company is retooling its Belgian plant. Pfizer will be sending us hundreds of thousands of doses in a few weeks, but deliveries are on hold for now. However, the good news is that, because we negotiated agreements with several companies, we are still getting doses from Moderna. We are working with Pfizer and other manufacturers to get as many doses as we can as quickly as possible.

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

Mr. Speaker, the answer is zero deliveries.

I would like to hear him tell Quebec seniors that these delays are a good thing.

On January 21, Global News reminded us that Pfizer had asked the finance committee for improvements to the corporate tax regime, tax incentives for the industry and changes to drug pricing procedures in Canada.

Is the Prime Minister at all concerned about the fact that, even as Pfizer is delaying and cancelling deliveries, it is asking Canada's finance department for more favourable treatment?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the good news is that we negotiated several contracts with different companies just in case there were interruptions with any of them. That is the good news. Our plan heading into negotiations was solid.

Unfortunately, the leader of the Bloc Québécois is once again hinting at conspiracy theories behind various issues. We are working with all the vaccine manufacturers to deliver as many vaccines as possible across Canada. We have a plan to vaccinate everyone by September, and we will keep that promise.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we have lost more than 19,000 people to COVID‑19, including front‑line workers and seniors. Families are mourning the loss of their loved ones.

Why is the Prime Minister advocating for an election instead of putting all his efforts into protecting the public and making sure that everyone is vaccinated?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is the leader of the NDP who is talking about elections.

We are focused on delivering vaccines to Canadians and helping seniors across the country. That is why we are working with the provinces on standards for long-term care and working with the Red Cross and the Canadian Armed Forces to help our seniors. We will continue to focus on what Canadians want, which is to provide the help Canadians need.

We made a promise to be there for everyone, for as long as necessary, and we are going to keep that promise.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we have lost over 19,000 Canadians to COVID-19, and that is a staggering number. However, it is not just a number: These are real people, like Yassin Dabeh, a 19-year-old Syrian refugee who fled war to end up losing his life to COVID-19 while working in a long-term care centre, a for-profit long-term care centre.

Why is the Prime Minister spending time preparing for an election when he should be spending all of his time protecting Canadians by making sure that everyone has access to a vaccine?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we made a promise to Canadians that we would have their backs, whatever it took, as long as it takes to get through this pandemic, and that is what we are focused on.

I will allow the leader of the NDP to talk about elections all he wants, but our focus is on delivering for Canadians and supporting Canadians through the tragedies and the incredible heroics we are seeing on display right across the country from our front-line workers. There are far too many tragedies, but we know that Canadians are continuing to be there for each other, and this government will continue to be there for them.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to check the Prime Minister's math. He said that every adult would be vaccinated by September, which is 32 weeks away, and all the leading COVID-19 vaccines require two doses. There are approximately 30 million adults in Canada and under 2% have received a single dose so far. This means that Canada, on average, needs to be administering roughly two million doses per week to meet this goal. This week's total is zero.

How the hell did this happen, and what are the Liberals doing to fix it?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I know that everyone has been away for a while and parliamentary language is something that we tend to forget, and so I just want to remind everyone that certain words do rank as unparliamentary. However, I know it was slip-up and do not think it was planned.

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

Mr. Speaker, there is no question that we share the urgency of Canadians to obtain vaccines as soon as possible. With more than 1.1 million vaccines distributed across this country to date, we are on track to have three million Canadians vaccinated by the end of March, and all Canadians who wish to be vaccinated will have access to a vaccine before the end of September 2021.

We are on track with our strategy. This is a temporary interruption, and we will make sure we deliver for Canadians, because nothing is more important.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to congratulate Romania, Poland, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, France and other countries for receiving doses from Pfizer this week, as their governments negotiated more favourable terms with drug companies than Canada's procurement minister. We know why the procurement minister will not release the details of these contracts: It is because she executed a terrible deal.

What are the Liberals doing to fix their deadly screw-ups and get us vaccines?

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

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we secured, under seven APAs, the largest number of doses per capita of any country in the world. We also made sure not to put all our eggs in one basket so that in case there are interruptions in the supply chain, we will be able to draw on other companies' deliveries.

To that end, we will be receiving over 300,000 doses from both Pfizer and Moderna next week alone. We will have six million doses in this country before the end of March. Then, going on through the rest of the year, we will see millions and millions more vaccines—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would argue that this week Canada is receiving the lowest per capita amount of vaccines, because we are receiving zero. Zero is zero; it is not something that is there. I do not know why the procurement minister does not understand that. We do not have the same favourable terms as other countries do, and that is her fault. It is the Prime Minister's fault.

Not having a plan is not going to cut it. What is the government going to do to get us vaccines now?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is inaccurate to say that we do not have a plan. On the contrary, we have secured more vaccines per capita than any other country in the world. We will see 20 million vaccines coming in from Pfizer and Moderna alone in Q2. We will see 70 million vaccines coming in from these companies prior to the end of September.

That is the plan, and we are on track.

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

Mr. Speaker, Maccabi Healthcare Services, an Israeli health care provider, reported a 60% reduction in COVID-19 infections three weeks after the first vaccine was administered. Here in Canada, our economy is suffocating and people are in lockdown and suffering pointlessly just because this Prime Minister screwed up negotiations with vaccine manufacturers. No fewer than 20 countries, including England, Ireland and Denmark, are way ahead of Canada in per capita vaccine administration.

Why is the Prime Minister refusing to tell Canadians the truth?

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

Mr. Speaker, the retooling is temporary. Canada is in a good position. Retooling is not causing us to lose a single dose. Canada received vaccines in December before many other countries, and we are on track to vaccinate at least three million people by the end of March. Let us not forget that some countries, such as Japan, New Zealand, Australia and South Korea, have not even started vaccinating at all yet.