Debates of Jan. 27th, 2021

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says he cast the net wide. Well, Providence Therapeutics is a Canadian company that has been part of the COVID-19 vaccine race. It submitted a proposal to the Liberal government in April for a vaccine. It did not hear back until August, the same time the government rolled out Pfizer and Moderna, which would not make vaccines in Canada.

After months of global hoarding of PPE and supply issues in the first wave of the campaign, why did the Liberal government abandon the chance to make a vaccine here in Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I think most Canadians understand that what was incredibly important during this pandemic was to make our decisions informed by the recommendations of our top scientists, health officers and medical professionals, and that is what we did. We followed the advice of the vaccine task force on who to sign deals with and how to move forward.

I am very pleased to highlight that we have actually given $10 million to Providence Therapeutics for it to commence its clinical trials to support made-in-Canada solutions as well. Science has guided us every step of the way.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister waited five months to even respond to a Canadian company that could make the vaccine here, and months are an eternity in the worldwide race for vaccines.

In June, the National Research Council told committee that the CanSino agreement was still going ahead. In July, the government told CTV that the CanSino vaccine was going to be produced in Canada. The government was negotiating with other manufacturers while all this was going on.

Why did the government not get the right to produce any of these vaccines in Canada when the Prime Minister knew that the CanSino deal was dead?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, again, this government based our decisions on the best recommendations of the top scientists and experts in vaccinations and epidemiology across the country to make the right decisions. That guided us every step of the way.

Yes, we looked to sign deals with as many different companies as possible to ensure that we would get the vaccines for Canadians as they started to arrive, and that is exactly what we are doing. We had a strong and aggressive plan to do that and we are delivering for Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, there are actually no deliveries for Canadians this week.

The European supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is worrisome for Canada.

The European Union is going to impose export controls on the vaccines. They are engaging in protectionism over the vaccines. We could end up seeing a bidding war. There is fierce competition around the world.

Has the minister called European leaders to confirm our orders?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, just an hour ago, I spoke to Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, about our concerns. We are all worried that we will not get the vaccine doses we signed a contract to buy.

She assured me that the transparency measures undertaken in Europe would not have an impact on Canada's deliveries of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are tired of the long delays, and there are problems with vaccine distribution. Anxiety is at an all-time high for Canadians, and COVID-19 variants are emerging. Canadians deserve better.

When will the Prime Minister take action and give Canadians the truth about the real vaccine delivery dates?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I find it a bit disturbing to hear the leader of the official opposition playing political games and suggesting that we are not telling Canadians the truth.

On the contrary, we have demonstrated rigour and transparency from the beginning. We have been sharing with the provinces and territories all of the dates and forecasts that we have and that we are receiving from the companies providing the vaccines. We will continue to be transparent.

If the leader of the official opposition really wants to reassure Canadians during this pandemic, he needs to start making sure he is telling the truth.

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

Mr. Speaker, the federal government has a responsibility when it comes to funding the health care systems of Quebec and the provinces. The existing commitment to contribute 50% has never been implemented in real life.

This morning, I had the opportunity to talk to the Premier of Quebec in his capacity as the chair of the Council of the Federation. He is going to speak to the leader of the official opposition in the coming days, and he wants to know whether the premiers' demands for health transfers to be increased to 35% will be met in the next federal budget, the budget that the Prime Minister is preparing for the election.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I regularly discuss this issue with the provincial premiers, including the Premier of Quebec, who chairs the Council of the Federation.

We have assured them that we will keep increasing health transfers. For now, however, we are offering short-term help. That is why we have sent billions and billions of dollars in direct transfers to help Quebeckers and Canadians across the country. That is what we will continue to do.

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

Mr. Speaker, their phone calls must not be going all that well, because what Quebec and the provinces want is long-term, predictable funding. They want transfers boosted from the current 22% to 35%.

That amounts to $28 billion, because our parents and grandparents and vulnerable people need health care workers, health care equipment and health care services.

Is the Prime Minister saying no to all of Canada's premiers? Is the Prime Minister saying no to our parents, our grandparents and our seniors?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, actually, I have a question for the leader of the Bloc Québécois. Why is he saying no to working together to better protect our seniors, our parents and our grandparents?

We want to bring in measures to ensure that all seniors in Canada, no matter where they live, receive the best possible care. That is what we are working on with many of the provinces. I hope that Quebec will recognize that we must work together in order to protect our parents and grandparents and not make political attacks.

Employment Insurance

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the vaccination delays mean more people will get infected and more people will die. Experts have made it clear that one of the biggest transmissions of COVID-19 happens in workplaces.

Will the Prime Minister commit to improving access to paid sick leave to protect our workers?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we were very proud to be able to introduce sick leave measures that received unanimous support from all members of the House of Commons, because we know how important it is.

We continue to work with the provinces, and we hope that the provinces will also participate and ensure, as many already have, that workers have sick leave and support. The federal government is there to provide $8 or $9 out of every $10 for such measures during this pandemic. We also look forward to working with the provinces on issues like these.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, delays in receiving the vaccine mean more people will get infected and, sadly, more people will die. Experts have said one of the biggest transmissions of COVID-19 happens in workplaces. Experts also agree that one of the best tools we have to stop the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces is paid sick leave.

Will the Prime Minister commit to making the existing federal program, which we fought for, broader and easier to access to protect workers and their communities?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we were pleased to bring forward paid sick leave for workers who are not covered by their workplaces. We were happy to have the support of all parties in the House to do just that. We will continue to work with the provinces and territories to ensure that every worker gets the right protection. We have done a lot from the federal level and are always looking to do more, but we also know there are many things we should be doing in partnership with the provinces. We look forward to continuing to work with willing provinces.

Health

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the provinces had to speed up vaccinations under pressure from the federal government, which had promised that vaccines would arrive in Canada regularly every week. This week, however, Pfizer is not sending us any vaccines. Next week, we will get a very small amount. Quebec is ready and able to administer 250,000 doses per week. Canadians and Quebeckers are tired of being taken for fools.

Where are the vaccines that were promised?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as new vaccines were being developed for the entire world, we knew there would be some bumps in the road in terms of product and plant issues. That is why Pfizer's delay is unfortunate, but within a few weeks, it will be back to shipping hundreds of thousands of doses a week for everyone. We are still on track to meet all our targets for the end of February, the end of March and even having everyone vaccinated by September. We are still delivering for Canadians, because we know how important this is.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps saying that we have a vaccine portfolio. What good is a portfolio if we cannot get the vaccines? There is no consistency and no transparency, which is causing chaos. The truth is that he did a bad job negotiating the contracts. The provinces have to make decisions with what little information they have.

Will the Prime Minister be transparent and make the contracts public?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, that question is ridiculous.

We have been transparent all along. We immediately inform the provinces and territories of waiting times for the vaccines. Because we negotiated many different contracts with many different companies, we are able to minimize the impact of issues like the one Pfizer is experiencing. Since the company is renovating its factory, it will be able to deliver even more doses to us in a few weeks.

We will continue to be there to deliver vaccines for Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada is receiving zero doses of COVID-19 vaccines this week, even though other countries are getting planeloads of them. Last night, the minister of procurement said that Canada has the right to sue companies that break vaccine contracts with us.

Is the Prime Minister planning on suing any company for failing to deliver much-needed vaccines to Canada, or did he negotiate such bad terms that he does not have a leg to stand on?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to correct the member forCalgary Nose Hill. The contract, and the expectation, for the Pfizer vaccine is to receive four million doses by the end of March. We are very much on track for that.

Yes, there is a temporary disruption because the company is improving the factory in Belgium that produces our vaccines, but within a few weeks it will be sending us more even than the hundreds of thousands we were receiving before, and we will be on track to fulfill all of the responsibilities we laid out for Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to correct the Prime Minister. We actually received 8% of what he said we would receive last month in the same period, so it is really one or the other. He either negotiated an ironclad contract that would allow us to have recourse and get vaccines, or he completely failed.

We do not have any recourse. The rest of the world is getting vaccines and we are not. Which one is it?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to speak with the heads of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca over the past few days and I can assure the House that Canada is very much on track to continue to receive doses of vaccines for Canadians. We are on track to getting more than three million Canadians vaccinated by the end of Q1, as we said from the very beginning, and we will have all Canadians who want to be vaccinated, vaccinated by September 2021.

That is us delivering on the commitment we made to Canadians: that we have their backs.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last September, the government tabled a 50-page bill at the last minute, and we had to pass it in 24 hours. As a result, it contains mistakes and problems, such as giving $1,000 to workers who travelled for non-essential purposes. That does not make sense and must be fixed.

Yesterday, I moved a motion to let the government table a bill that would fix this immediately. Unfortunately, the government said no.

Why did the Prime Minister turn down our offer to work in a positive and constructive manner to close the scandalous $1,000 loophole for travellers?