Madam Speaker, I apologize.
The lack of transparency from the Liberals has left Canadians confused and anxiously waiting for their turn. In the midst of the third wave, Canadians are struggling to cope with the rise of COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 variants and increasing ICU admissions, never mind the ripple effect of these circumstances, including job losses, reduced hours, travel restrictions, charter infringements, a mental health crisis and an ever-expanding taxpayer-funded deficit. The third wave is a direct result of the Liberal government's abject failure at addressing COVID-19 in general and the vaccine procurement in particular.
Those on the other side of the House love to ask what the Conservatives would have done better. We have been providing them solutions this entire time, and I can say for certain that we would not have partnered on vaccine development with the biggest totalitarian government in the world, which is currently holding our citizens hostage.
The government's first move should have been to ramp up domestic production immediately. However, now all we hear in the news is that shipments have been delayed, shipments have been reduced and there is a small number of doses coming from a partnership. We literally took vaccines away from developing nations. We are that desperate.
I receive literally hundreds of pieces of individual correspondence each week, and I can tell members that constituents in Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon are frustrated. They are tired and are at their wits' end. I never thought that in 2021 I would have so many constituents furious about the ongoing infringement of their personal liberties, which is due to the government's incompetence.
It has been two Easters and two Vaisakhis. My constituents want to go to church. They want to go pray at a gurdwara. They desire fellowship and community.
I am constantly asked questions. “When can my kid play soccer?” “When will band trips get going again?” “Why has my high schooler had to miss out on two years of senior rugby?” I have heard from hunters that they have been banned by the Government of B.C. from going to rural and remote regions in my province, where they are only likely to see bears and deer, because they are unvaccinated.
Enough is enough. Canadians want to know when they are going to get a vaccine in their arm.
Let me say a few words about my riding.
Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon is 22,000 square kilometres of ruggedness. We are surrounded by the Cascade Range and the South Chilcotin Mountains. My constituents are diverse and they are fiercely independent people. They love the outdoors and the wild nature. They live in this area because they love their independence, they love their freedom and they love being connected to the river and the mountains. They are also law-abiding, and they want the very best for their country.
However, their patience is wearing thin. We are not getting straight answers from the government. People have received inconsistent messaging from the outset, and they cannot take much more. It is not acceptable for the government to demand that Canadians continuously give up their charter rights without being more transparent and providing a real plan.
I have some stories from over the last year.
In my riding, when a veteran named Mr. Anderson died, his family was not able to attend his funeral on account of public health restrictions. I attended it as his MP, as a representative of Canada, to honour his life and his service to Canada in the liberation of the Netherlands during World War II. It should not have been that way.
A few weeks ago, a mother who home-schools her kids reached out to me. She has an autistic child. Over the last year, this child has been cut off from family members, community support groups, home-schooling peers and trusted community educators on account of public health restrictions. They cannot get their lives back. That kid cannot get his education back until he is vaccinated.
At the day care my kids go to, many parents are front-line health workers, correctional officers, doctors and nurses. I know for a fact that many of them often have to make decisions about whether they can go to work to support other Canadians or take care of their own kids. Canadians deserve better.
I can go on about border closures. A constituent reached out to me the other day. He is a Canada Border Services Agency officer, and he asked why he has not been vaccinated. Every day he is putting his life on the line to protect our border and serve our country and he cannot get a vaccination. I have heard the same thing from corrections officers. They are frustrated.
I have heard from families about the quarantine hotels. They are rightfully putting up $2,000 and waiting for their tests, only to watch on the news that the program has been less than consistent with some flights from other countries. These constituents say they are following all the rules, but it does not seem like everyone is. They ask what is going on. Why do they continue to sacrifice when what the government is doing has not been consistent?
A sibling of one of my constituents died in Washington state and my constituent was not able to attend the funeral. In the meantime, that person sees Americans in Washington state already getting their second doses. Indeed, on Facebook I saw my young niece, who is her twenties and going to Western Washington University, get the second jab in her arm. Life is good there. We want the same here in Canada and it is not happening soon enough. Canadians deserve the best because we are the best, but we are not getting the best.
My constituents want their lives back. They want to go to church and embrace their friends and neighbours in their communities again. They want their lives to go back to normal. We have demanded so much from Canadians and they are complying because they want the best for their country. However, when they see their government botch the process time and time again, they begin to ask whether they should follow the rules, whether it is really worth it. That does not sit well with them because, frankly, that is not the Canadian way. Canadians are polite. We have a rule-abiding society. Indeed, it is embedded in our Constitution: peace, order and good government.
My constituents want good government and they are not getting it. That is why they are questioning why they have to give up their right to worship in person, or why they cannot at least worship under the same rules that have applied to the pubs and bars throughout most of the pandemic. They are not allowed that in B.C., and it is not fair, frankly.
Enough is enough. Let us get the vaccinations done. Let us get the shots in their arms. Canadians have had enough, and we need to move forward.