Debates of April 21st, 2021

Government Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Madam Speaker, I do not know about the system in B.C., but I know that in Ontario there is a federal program and people have to wait two weeks to get dollars. In Ontario, some are pushing the premier to implement sick days, and that means not having the wait period. I encourage them.

I know the member is in the NDP, so perhaps she could speak to her NDP premier. If sick days are not available in B.C., I urge her to get inspiration from the Liberals and the NDP in Ontario to push the premier to implement sick days.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, I will start by saying to my hon. colleague from Glengarry—Prescott—Russell that I look forward to the day when we are back in the House of Commons again.

I am going to ask the hon. member to reflect on the answer I would have given the member for Kingston and the Islands when I was in the queue. That member said that he really did not see the benefit of greater coordination. To be clear, the Greens are saying we need a different structure. If it is not the Emergencies Act, it is something else, such as a task force, and something that works.

We just saw reports this week. What difference would it make? The Emergencies Act, for example, allows the government to decide where critical supplies should go. That would include vaccines.

We are getting reports that Ontario has for political reasons not listened to science and has not delivered vaccines to the places where they are most needed. Low-income, racialized communities with high levels of COVID were not given the vaccines they should have received, in preference for areas where Conservative voters predominate. I do not know if this is true, as it is a media report, but it is absolutely wrong. It verges on the criminal. Certainly there is more we should do to ensure that vaccines go where scientists say they should go.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Madam Speaker, I miss the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands. I look forward to seeing her in the back corner where I usually sit. We get to chat about everything else but politics.

I hear the member regarding the task force and perhaps creating a new governance structure, but with the number of vaccines that will be coming within a month and a half, I do not know if creating a new governance structure right now would be the appropriate way forward.

I will continue to push the provinces to continue to speak to our chief medical officers. In Ontario, for instance, there are 34 or 35 public health authorities. I am certainly in close contact with my province's chief medical officer to ensure that we get our fair share of vaccines and to ensure that he has the proper resources. If he needs access to the Red Cross or the military, he needs to speak up through the chain of command in his area. I will be that voice in Ottawa.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, as the member just referenced, we will have an estimated 44 million vaccine doses before the end of June. Part of this goes to the importance of the relationship between the provinces and Ottawa and of working together. This is about Ottawa getting the vaccines and the provinces administering the vaccines.

There is a great deal of coordination between the two levels of government through different departments and so forth. Could the member emphasize from his perspective the importance of that relationship?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Madam Speaker, I agree with his question. I want to say that coordination is extremely important. I only hope that if provinces need more resources that they ask the federal government so that we can provide them.

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue]

Madam Speaker, it is great to see my colleagues this evening. I look forward to the opportunity to participate in this emergency debate that was requested by my hon. colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands. My thanks for this opportunity and for raising a very important issue to, I know, all Canadians who are watching or not watching this evening, who are home with their families and preparing for the day ahead tomorrow.

I rise tonight as many parts of our country are plunged into a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. For 13 months, Canadians and the residents of my riding of Vaughan—Woodbridge have been carefully following public health measures, limiting their interactions, wearing masks in public, working from home and keeping their distance whenever possible. It has not been easy, but Canadians have risen to the occasion, doing what needs to be done to protect themselves and each other. I would add that at this time, many residents of my riding and Canadians across the country are now signing up to be vaccinated. I encourage all residents and all Canadians when they are eligible to do so, to please go and get their vaccines. The way we get out of this pandemic is to obtain a vaccine. We know that literally millions of them are arriving on a weekly basis here in Canada. I am very happy to announce that I will be receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine tomorrow in late afternoon. I look forward to that.

I would like to assure Canadians that the Government of Canada has developed and is implementing its plan to respond to the pandemic on all fronts. COVID-19, as we know, is a very contagious illness with significant rates of both hospitalizations and deaths. Every day in Canada we are seeing case counts climb and hospitalizations increase. These are real people. They have families. We pray for them that they make it safely back home and recover from COVID-19.

Health Canada has authorized four different COVID-19 vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen. Another vaccine by Novavax is currently undergoing Health Canada's regulatory review. All of the authorized vaccines have shown to be very effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths. Health Canada only authorizes a vaccine if it is supported by very robust scientific data and evidence showing that the benefits of the vaccine clearly outweigh any potential risks. Each vaccine has unique characteristics and all authorized vaccines are very helpful in the fight against COVID-19. Having additional vaccines from different manufacturers can help meet volume requirements to get more people vaccinated sooner and offers more vaccination options.

The government has been hard at work negotiating with manufacturers and suppliers to secure significant vaccine supply for Canadians and planning for the vaccine rollout. In the development of this plan, the federal government has engaged in consulting all levels of government; indigenous leaders; international partners; industry; and medical and science experts, among others.

On December 8, 2020, the government published “Canada's COVID-19 Immunization Plan: Saving Lives and Livelihoods”. At the heart of the plan are six core principles: science-driven decision-making, transparency, coherence and adaptability, fairness and equity, public involvement and consistent reporting. These principles are governing and informing our vaccination rollout actions. The plan also outlines the seven steps in the rollout process. These are communicating with and engaging Canadians throughout the campaign; obtaining sufficient supply of vaccine; obtaining regulatory authorization from Health Canada to ensure safety and efficacy of vaccines; allocating and distributing vaccines efficiently and securely; administering the vaccines according to a sequence of priority populations identified by experts; and collecting data to monitor vaccine safety, effectiveness and coverage.

We are making progress and we are laying the groundwork for great gains and momentum in the coming months. As colleagues no doubt know from the news, we have procured through advance purchase agreements, more than enough vaccine doses to vaccinate all eligible Canadians who wish to receive a vaccination. The federal government and the provinces and territories have worked together collaboratively to develop a plan for the fair and equitable allocation of vaccine doses. Without compromising regulatory integrity, we have expedited the regulatory reviews of promising vaccine candidates. Health Canada is using agile regulatory processes to review vaccines as quickly as possible, while maintaining our rigorous standard for safety, efficacy and quality. Health Canada has hired additional scientists and has established dedicated review teams for COVID-19 vaccines.

In order to ensure consistency in their reviews, these teams have been working literally around the clock to expedite them. Health Canada's findings are based on a sound and thorough review of all evidence available. The department only authorizes a vaccine following a rigorous review of the evidence to determine that it meets stringent requirements for safety, efficacy and quality. Health Canada continues to actively monitor and assess the safety and effectiveness of all vaccines authorized for use in Canada.

Health Canada is also working closely with other major regulators who are reviewing the same vaccines. These partnerships allow us to share scientific evidence and streamline review processes while still making independent decisions for Canadians. These partners include international regulators in Europe, the United Kingdom and around the world to share evidence, discuss findings and combine the best scientific brains to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health Canada's assessments and regulatory decisions are largely aligned with those of our partners. All the vaccines in use in Canada are closely monitored through Canada's vaccine safety monitoring system. We will keep Canadians informed about what we find out, and take appropriate action should any safety issue be confirmed. We will report any adverse events that occur following vaccination and conduct investigations in order to assess whether they were caused by vaccination.

We are deeply grateful to have members of the Canadian Armed Forces working within the operations of the vaccine rollout task force. As logistics experts, they are playing a vital role in the success of our campaign. In addition to the forces, we have engaged the private sector to support the logistics of this ambitious undertaking, and to assist with administering the vaccines in the provinces and territories, we are enlisting the help of the Canadian Red Cross and other health care professionals.

We are truly in an unprecedented situation, and this has called for all hands on deck. In fulfilling our mandate to provide transparency, we post updates to the Government of Canada's website, canada.ca, on our progress on vaccination administration and coverage. We also provide authoritative information and data on COVID-19.

In closing, although we must continue to implement public health measures, we can be optimistic that our efforts will start to pay off if we remain steadfast.

[Paul Manly, Green, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Madam Speaker, one of the things that both the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands and I discussed in our speeches, and the reason we asked for this debate, is that we are seeing other actions in other countries and other jurisdictions. I am wondering if the hon. member could outline what he sees as some of the key learning that we can take forward to make sure we are prepared the next time, because we have heard from scientists and epidemiologists that the crash in biodiversity on this planet is going to lead to more pandemics and more problems like this.

What planning and preparing are we going to have in place for next time?

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would say that I share the member's, and all members', passion, care and concern for our environment, climate change and what that is impacting in terms of biodiversity, so we must continue to act as a country in terms of transitioning to a green economy. In terms of the question and what we need to do, we obviously need to pay attention to all signals in the environment. We need to look to what all our international partners are doing with regard to the pandemic and adopt what is working, and largely we are doing that. We have some of the most stringent restrictions on international travel. We have encouraged Canadians not to travel at this point in time. We have all stated to our constituents that now is not the time to travel internationally, that we must socially distance and heed the advice of our public health officials.

Now, let us get these vaccines. They are arriving. Let us get vaccinated. I encourage all residents and Canadians to do so.

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Madam Speaker, I congratulate the hon. member whom I served with on the finance committee for three years from 2015 to 2017.

Time is of the essence. We are racing against time. The economy of our southern neighbour is opening, as are Australia's, New Zealand's and part of Europe's, and time is of the essence because mental health stress is on the rise. As MPs, we all receive calls from constituents. Their frustration and anxiety is at the highest level.

Only a very small percentage of Canadians are fully vaccinated. The remaining majority of Canadians are not. Can the member outline—

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I know it is getting late into the evening in this very important debate, however, there is a protocol within the House that all members be wearing jackets while speaking. This member does not appear to be wearing a jacket right now, unfortunately.

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Madam Speaker, I can put on a jacket. This is an interruption, more or less. Please excuse me while I put my jacket on, and I will continue.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

We will allow you a few seconds to go put your jacket on.

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Madam Speaker, I am hoping the member who made the point of order will pay more attention to the vaccination of Canadians than to my jacket.

Could the hon. member tell us what the anticipated timeline is for all Canadians to be vaccinated with the two vaccines necessary to make sure they are safe?

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member for Edmonton Manning is a colleague and a friend. It is nice to see him this evening. I wish him and his family well. Please stay safe.

To answer the hon. member's question, vaccines are arriving by the millions. I have a great deal of confidence in our Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Vaccines are arriving. We have great coverage for Canadians. We have the largest portfolio of vaccines. They will be arriving, and all Canadians who wish to receive a vaccine, if I remember correctly, will be eligible to do so by the end of the summer, going into September. I think that is great news for all Canadians.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Madam Speaker, I enjoyed the member's remarks.

Beyond vaccines, how important is it that we take a dual approach, getting the vaccines out there and dealing with health, and putting COVID-19 behind us and being prepared for the future? What do we need to be doing? Is the government going in the right direction?

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, friend and mentor for that question.

Budget 2021 takes us in this direction. The government has put out a budget, and we do have to take a dual track. We have to worry about the health of Canadians, get vaccines into the arms of Canadians, and at the same we have to focus on recovery and growing our economy again. That is what we are doing. That is what has certainly been laid out in budget 2021.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Madam Speaker, even at this late hour it is important to take part in this emergency debate. I really want to thank the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for bringing this to the attention of the Speaker and the Speaker for ultimately granting this emergency debate. It is an important one to have, not just to look back at some of the issues we have had, but how we can correct those issues as well.

Let me begin by providing some advice to the government right off the bat. Roberta Place long-term care facility is 10 minutes from where I am tonight. Many MPs and Canadians came to know about the crisis at Roberta Place. Seventy-one seniors passed away. Almost the entire staff was infected by one variant of this virus, the U.K. variant. After 10 months of the staff working so hard to provide a ring around Roberta Place, it took one person with the U.K. variant to come into Roberta Place and that variant effectively became a firestorm through the building, resulting in many deaths of seniors and leaving a community devastated and reeling.

Therefore, I have some advice for the government tonight, after hearing some of the breaking news going on right now about the new variant, the B.1.617 variant. The B.C. government and health ministry has indicated there are 39 cases of that new variant, which means it is already here. We found out earlier today that one case of that variant was identified in Quebec. My advice to the government right now, and this cannot wait any longer, given the circumstances that we went through, is to shut down flights where those variants have originated.

We hear tonight that France has banned flights from the countries where that variant is coming from. We hear that the United Kingdom has banned flights from those countries as well. It is already here and we need to do everything we can to keep it out for the sake and safety of Canadians. In the spirit of what the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands was proposing tonight with respect to solutions, this is one that the government needs to act on immediately and take the advice from where it is coming, a community that was decimated as a result of what happened at Roberta Place, with just one person bringing that variant in.

The level of anxiety and mental health in the country is palpable. It certainly is palpable within my community of Barrie—Innisfil. Not a day goes by when I do not hear from business owners or from moms who are worried about their children as a result of what has gone on.

If we are going to move forward and help deal with this crisis, there are a couple of things we need to focus on in addition to the very serious issue I brought up right from the start. We need to get down to the grassroots, the base of truth and facts.

People are exhausted. There has been a lot of confusing information coming from all levels of government. The lines of government have been extremely blurred throughout this process. Whether it is municipal, provincial or federal, people are looking to government for factual information. People are becoming confused and that is creating doubt among Canadians as to what the proper course of action.

Therefore, the one thing I would encourage the government to do is to be truthful and be factual with Canadians. It is what they need and it is what they want right now. That means providing information, being open and transparent. There have been several cases over the course of the last several months, throughout the course of this pandemic, where we have had to basically scratch, claw, fight and push and pull for information from the government, whether regarding the contracts for the vaccines or other issues.

I implore the government to be truthful and factual with Canadians when it comes to information as it relates to all aspects of this. The confusion, which is creating the doubt, is creating the exhaustion among Canadians right now.

If we go back to the beginning of this crisis, there were several issues, and we can learn from them. There were medical intelligence briefings talking about what was happening around the world, particularly in China, and the early warning system being shut down. Flights from hot spots were coming into Canada from areas like Spain and Italy, all dealing with massive outbreaks. I recall being at a joint interparliamentary committee meeting and talking about MP flights. There was some concern that if we banned MP flights, maybe we would scare people into trying to understand the situation. A lot of the things that have gone need to be corrected.

To get back to the factual information, there was a lot of confusion in the beginning as to whether we should wear masks or not wear masks and that the risk was low. We heard a lot of that coming from the government as well. We knew back in November that we would have a serious deficiency with vaccines. We were starting to understand at the time that the government had put all of its eggs in the CanSino basket. We were starting to see that the U.K. and the U.S. were getting vaccines at the time. Flights were going into the United States and the U.K. with vaccines and they were being highly publicized, yet Canada did not receive anything until December. That has been a challenge for us, especially with the evolution of the variants coming into Canada.

This virus is not going away. It is going to stay with us and that is adding to the anxiety of Canadians. We need to learn to manage it much better. We need to mitigate the challenges that exist with this, and that includes vaccines. We need to ensure there are enough. Clearly there has not been enough at this point to get us in a better situation. Yes, it is easy to compare to the United Kingdom and the United States. When Canadian baseball fans see Texas Stadium filling up with 40,00 people and we are still in lockdown, that causes Canadians to question where we are with vaccines.

Rapid testing is another issue. This is how we are going to mitigate this problem, but we have not seen rapid testing to the extent and degree that we have seen, for example, in the United Kingdom. I have another phone call tomorrow with a company that is looking to get rapid tests approved by Health Canada. This has been a challenge for many companies in Canada that have provided their products to Health Canada for approval.

Isolating people, those with underlying health conditions and comorbidities, is critical in managing this crisis as well as contact tracing. Other countries have done that significantly well. The government talked about the app, but we do not hear about that anymore.

Those are some of the ideas that the Conservatives have come up with in order to mitigate this. We cannot continue, by default, to lock down the Canadian population. The heightened anxiety, the fear and the mental health crisis happening in the country is really significant. I know all members of Parliament are dealing with it on a day in and day out basis as we deal with our constituents.

Therefore, I am asking for what Canadians are demanding of government, governments at all levels, and that is the truth, honesty and giving them some hope as to when this crisis may end, because right now there is not much hope. We hear on the news about these new variants, vaccine distribution and procurement issues. We hear about all that stuff and it is adding to the anxiety. By being truthful and honest with Canadians and letting them know exactly where we stand, we can provide them with hope.

Finally, we need a plan to reopen the economy soon. We cannot keep burdening businesses and people employed by those businesses, because it is going to add to the anxiety and mental health.

I know this has been said several times, but I want to thank our front-line workers, health care workers, first responders and others for really carrying the yoke on this crisis.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am trying to understand this member's position and how it has changed dramatically. Can he explain to this House why he voted in favour two or three weeks ago to set up a plan to reopen our economy immediately? He is now talking about how we need stricter measures, we need tighter lockdowns and these other things. The Conservatives are so reactive to everything.

Why did he vote in favour and support an opposition motion to establish a plan to reopen the economy, when a couple weeks later he is suddenly so concerned that he is completely backtracking and insists that we do the exact opposite?

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am going to challenge the member on that because he is factually wrong. The vote that was presented to Parliament was for the government to present a plan for reopening the economy. It was not a plan to reopen it immediately. Canadians and businesses in particular, and the people who are employed in those businesses, are looking for that plan.

In terms of shutting things down, I hope he is not confusing my request right off the top given the experience that happened here in Barrie with the U.K. variant. I hope he is not confusing that with shutting everything down. I am talking about doing what the U.K. and France did which is to ensure that there are no further cases of this new variant coming into this country. We already know they are here. There actually is danger involved within our country as a result of that.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Madam Speaker, allow me, as a British Columbian, to really express solidarity with what the people of Ontario are going through. I have heard the interviews with critical care nurses and ICU doctors and it is really devastating to hear the strain they are going through and the incredibly difficult decisions they are having to make.

My colleague knows the situation in Ontario and I know he has talked a lot about the vaccines, but that is going to take some time. I want to know what the federal government can be doing now. If the situation gets significantly worse in the days and weeks ahead in Ontario, does he think there might be room for the federal government to actually start declaring that we do have a public welfare emergency? We could maybe start constructing hospitals and free up emergency money to provide for paid sick leave. Does he believe there might be room for that team Canada approach with a captain at the helm?

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Madam Speaker, I know that the province has already started instituting plans. Locally, there have been additional settings and buildings that have been built, and that is happening right around the province. The province is actually trying to manage as best it can, with additional facilities, to look after the situation.

I know that over the weekend the Prime Minister and some of the ministers held a press conference putting on their capes and coming in on their white horses. The challenge is that it is a vaccine shortage issue. Even the local chief medical officer of health said today that there is a vaccine shortage here in our region. His concern is that there may be a fourth wave coming on top of the third wave we are currently experiencing. The vaccines will certainly help. The province is doing its best to get more vaccines into additional hot spot areas, but we do need vaccines.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, moment by moment since this debate started, we have had confirmation that the B.1.617 double variant from India first started with one case in Quebec now is confirmed to have 39 additional cases in British Columbia. In real time, this debate is dealing with increased threats from the variants.

I will say to him and to all members of this place that we will make more progress if we do not find blame with each other, but recognize everyone needs to work together. Our barriers to working together are baked into things like feeling we must not hurt a province's feeling and must not hurt a premier's feelings.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Madam Speaker, in the spirit of what the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands was intending tonight, I hope I was able to articulate providing solutions together, which is exactly what Canadians expect.

To the issue of what is happening in B.C. with 39 cases and one in Quebec, given our experience in this area, I am trying to provide the government with an opportunity to act and to act quickly, despite the fact those variants are here, to further protect Canadians, which is the intent.

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise tonight to speak to the urgent matter of COVID-19 as we experience a third wave of the pandemic with new variants worsening the crisis.

I stand here tonight with the weight of the frustrations, anxiety, anger, depression, grief and hopelessness my constituents and Canadians across our nation are suffering during this daunting hour in history. It has been 13 months since the pandemic lockdowns began, and hospitalizations and ICU admissions are soaring.

The nature of a crisis is that it takes us by surprise. The initial shock can cause us to panic or become numb, but we must inevitably face the reality of the loss, damage and change and begin coping with a long-term vision of not only survival, but sustainability. While we cannot fully control the unpredictable, life-threatening nature of COVID-19, we can certainly have control over how we respond. Surely, with knowledge, foresight and proper planning, and with the synergy of many strong minds and good hearts coming together, we can limit the damage of the pandemic on our lives and our institutions. If we can navigate the pandemic, united with humility, honesty and introspection, and commit to making things right and doing what is right, we can establish the foundation of a stronger future for Canada.

We are living at a pivotal moment of Canada's history, when patriotism must govern our actions and selfish motives be snuffed out. More than ever, we must set aside all agendas and set the best interests of the people and our future as our priority.

I would like to thank the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for calling us to this debate. In fact, we must move together intelligently and humbly to outwit this microscopic organism. Before we can move together, accountability and integrity must be established, and the government must take note of where it has fallen short with honest self-assessment. It must change its trajectory where there are electorally driven agendas and step up to the call for wise leadership to save our nation, but that is a decision it has to make.

It has been over a year since the pandemic caused lockdowns across our country, and we have now defaulted to a third-wave lockdown. People are traumatized, exhausted and short on hope from this roller coaster ride. There is a rise in domestic violence and opioid overdose, and suicide attempts are spiking. Drastic lockdown measures have pulverized businesses and industries, and stir unrest as civil rights continue to be challenged. Families cannot gather for holidays. Faith communities, which offer solace and comfort, cannot gather. College students are missing out on the joy of campus life experiences. The live performance industry has forfeited sharing its skills and enriching audiences with its talents. Audiovisual technicians I have spoken with say that the skills and techniques they have developed over decades like fine wine are becoming dull because they have no shows to work. The pandemic lockdowns have created serious implications for culture, psychology and human excellence for the sake of saving lives.

The root of the devastation is not the lockdowns themselves, but the lack of foresight and planning on the part of the government, which has prolonged the lockdowns and their severity. The collateral damage from severe lockdowns could have been lessened had the government been more pre-emptive along the way with better procurement of rapid testing and vaccines to protect Canadians and safely work our way to reopening Canada.

During the time I have been serving as a member of the 43rd Parliament, I have come to see how the current government operates. Rather than working collaboratively with the opposition parties, it has been busy proroguing Parliament to shut down investigations into its WE scandal and delaying procurement of PPE, rapid testing and vaccines, while putting together an election budget that does not address the need for adequate health care funding support to the provinces, but gives a tremendous amount of spending with no viable plan for job creation and economic growth. These are things that give us hope.

The member for Cariboo—Prince George introduced a three-digit national suicide prevention hotline, but the government has not moved on it despite the spike in suicide numbers.

South of the border, our neighbours are vaccinated and that is why cases and hospitalizations are dropping. Their businesses are opening and their patios are busy as fans gather to watch in-person sports and games.

If Canadians had been vaccinated in January and February, we could have prevented a third wave, but by the end of February, only 4% of Canadians had received their first shot, and to date only 2% of Canadians are fully vaccinated.

Our current situation was avoidable. Could this third wave have been avoided had the government done things differently? The health minister allowed our pandemic early warning system to be shut down just months before COVID-19 hit. The Prime Minister sent hundreds of thousands of masks, gloves and gowns from the government's own reserves to China, and a month later our own health care professionals were lacking and told to economize on their PPE. The borders were not shut early enough, and the virus spread. The Prime Minister could not decide whether Canadians should wear masks, and the health minister purported that the risk was low.

COVID-19 response benefits rolled out slowly and took months to fix, after Conservatives and other opposition parties raised concerns and offered productive solutions to help Canadians. Now we are behind our allies in securing future COVID-19 vaccines. We should not be turning to plans that were made for poorer countries to access our vaccines. When the House of Commons summons the contracts that were ordered to be released on procurement and it is not done, then accountability is questioned.

Tonight I do not say these things to condemn the government or stir up more scrutiny, because I believe we are in a time when there is a great opportunity to change the trajectory if we can only be honest and humble enough to assess our shortcomings.

If there is anything this season is teaching us, it is to have better care for our fellow humans. With the exposure of injustices and vulnerabilities in our society, from gender-based violence like domestic violence, to racist hate crimes with the recent spike in anti-Asian hate crimes, to sexual misconduct in the military that we are looking into right now, we have an opportunity to drain the swamp. There is no time like now to get to the root of our culture and make things better.

I hope accountability will lead the way, because without it, everything else is merely optics and lip service. Canadians deserve better. Our democratic institutions, which our veterans and fallen heroes have fought for, deserve better. I hope that we can focus more on legislating things that will give Canadians more hope, and that as politicians we will break the curse and the cycle of the long-standing history of “corrupt politician” and actually give thought to caring for the people. I did not struggle through my life to be here to do things for electoral reasons. I came here to serve the people of Canada and my constituents.

That was the heart of many people who came here originally, but somehow politics has led them astray, in the wrong directions for different reasons, and I want to encourage the government and all colleagues across all aisles to let this moment be a turning point for Canada's Parliament, that in this moment of crisis when Canadians need us the most, we will do the right thing, even if it costs us a few inconveniences.

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, what we must also remember in this chamber is truth and honesty, of which there was a lot lacking in that speech. While I am on that, the member referred to the U.K. and said that vaccinations would have prevented all these lockdowns. However, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom actually acknowledged that, when they saw cases increasing in the third wave, it was lockdowns and strict public health measures that allowed them to continue to vaccinate and allowed the vaccinations to do their work.

Weeks ago, members opposite moved and supported motions to open up the economy and ignore public health, just open everything up. In addition, the health critic for the Conservatives wanted us to remove our strict quarantine measures at the border for people entering this country and applauded those who challenge those measures in court.

Would the member please let us know if she still supports removing the border measures and lifting all restrictions despite public health being against it?