Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her speech and for her advocacy around the opioid crisis.
I was just talking to Deb Hamilton, the executive director of the Alberni Valley Drug and Alcohol Prevention Service in Port Alberni. She is deeply concerned about the delay in the vaccine rollout and what the government is doing to ensure not only that the vaccine rollout is timely but also that there is critical access for vulnerable populations who have complex issues, including impacts of the opioid catastrophe. Further, she is concerned about how this delay will impact the front-line service providers who give non-medical support and intervention to these vulnerable people. She cites that the COVID restrictions have impacted face-to-face service and the social services that are left on the ground, and they are burning out in the face of the dual public health emergencies of COVID and opioid deaths. She cites that the collective burdens on these vulnerable populations and the workers supporting them are indescribable.
Does the member agree how important it is that the vaccine rollout happens, so that we can protect these vulnerable populations and their workers? Maybe she can speak a bit about what is happening in her communities.