Mr. Speaker, another question that is repeatedly asked of the government and that it utterly refuses to answer is why is it refusing to release a single line from any of the seven contracts it has negotiated on behalf of Canadians, and why will it not tell us why?
We all understand that there may be commercially sensitive information. There may be some technology secrets in the documents. There may be some confidential aspects that may interfere with the government's ability to negotiate. Surely there is information in those contracts that does not fall into those categories, and which Canadians have a right to know about. However, the government will not release a word.
What does that tell Canadians? How can that inspire confidence that the government really is backing up its rhetoric with reality? If someone goes to a lawyer and the lawyer tells them not to worry, that everything is taken care of, and they ask to see the paperwork but are told they cannot see it, that is not going to inspire confidence that the paperwork backs up the words spoken.
It is time the government trusted Canadians with the basic information in those contracts and assisted the provinces and territories with planning their vaccinations, because it is the provinces and territories that are responsible for rolling out the vaccination plans. They cannot do so if we do not know the basic details from the government, details it is so carefully and inexplicably hiding.