Mr. Speaker, Manitoba has just emerged from 11 weeks of code red restrictions that had all Manitobans staying at home and staying apart during the holidays. The ongoing lockdowns have put 5,600 Manitoba businesses at risk of permanently disappearing and many have already closed, impacting thousands of workers who had good-paying, stable jobs.
These last three months, and frankly the last year, have been extremely difficult for my constituents. They deserve a federal government that has their backs and secures vaccines for Canadians so we can get our economy back on track and return to our normal lives. However, this week Manitoba will receive zero doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and all new vaccination appointments have been halted as a result.
Despite this critical situation, the Prime Minister took his time in calling the CEO of Pfizer. Meanwhile, other world leaders were calling and securing vaccines for their countries and will receive their vaccine shipments while Canada is left behind. Canadians deserve a real plan to secure vaccines now.