Madam Speaker, tonight I was talking to a friend of mine who is an infectious disease specialist. He is concerned not only about the progress of the rollout of the vaccinations but also about the volume of international travel that is taking place, and he said that these issues actually intersect. He stated that not only do we need to limit entry of the virus into Canada but that we also especially need to stop the spread of the new variants that are starting to come to fruition. As we start to see case reductions in Ontario and Quebec, it is critical that we use all the barriers possible to keep transmission low. The last thing we need is a new variant coming in that we cannot fight or for which our vaccines are no longer effective. He also said that it is critical that we vaccinate as many people as possible.
After seeing other countries imposing strict measures and requiring people to stay at designated hotels for quarantine upon arrival, does my colleague agree that we need to be doing more when it comes to international travel?