Madam Speaker, I want to thank our hon. colleague for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for sharing his time with me to comment on the third report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, as well as the effects of the pandemic on some of our most marginalized countries.
To date, more than 112 million people around the world have been infected by the COVID‑19 virus and 2.5 million people have died. This pandemic rocked our world. As of March 11, 2020, it was designated a global pandemic and things are just now getting back to the new normal, whatever that looks like. I think this report is important to see how Canada can not only do its part helping those here at home, but do its part on the world stage, which is always important.
Out of the report came 10 recommendations. I have been part of committees in the past that have studied important issues such as the suicide epidemic in our first nations, sexual trauma within our military and the impacts of post-traumatic stress disorder on first responders and those who serve our country and communities. Another report we studied was on the impacts of changes to the Fisheries Act from the previous Harper government to the Liberal government in the previous session. These reports are important. We hear from witnesses who give us a different perspective from the ones we 338 members of Parliament, who have been elected to represent the electors in our fine country, bring to the House. It would not be in line with one of my speeches if I did not remind the House that it does not belong to us, to the Prime Minister, to the Speaker or to me: It belongs to the electors. This is the electors' House.
The report that we are tabling today talks about Canada's contributions on the world stage, and the impact of the COVID pandemic worldwide. The 10 recommendations that came out of this were for the government to play a lead role in the global response to COVID‑19 with the aim of:
ensuring a coordinated, timely and needs-based response to the vulnerabilities created and exacerbated by the pandemic in crisis- and conflict-affected areas.
We know that in developed countries such as our own, and to the south of us, the impact has been immeasurable, but for countries deeply affected by conflict and for some of our most marginalized countries that impact has been absolutely devastating. COVID has had an immeasurable impact on them. My colleague talked about the COVAX program that developed countries pay into to support the purchase and supply of vaccines for underdeveloped countries. Sadly, what we saw from the current government was that Canada shamefully had to apply to dip into it. It took vaccines that were destined for underdeveloped countries and administered them here within our own borders. This was because of the government's failure early on to take the pandemic seriously.
On January 27, 2020, I stood in the House and said to the Minister of Transport, as I was the then shadow minister for transportation, that Canada was the gateway to and from Asia and that we were the jumping-off spot for international travel. Many Europeans and people from all around the world enter our country through our ports and airports and then travel domestically.
I challenged the government at that time on what it was going to do to secure our borders. In response I was called a racist, and I was told I was fearmongering. I challenged the health minister the next week about what steps we were going to take at our airports and ports to ensure those frontline airline and aviation personnel, as well as those on our borders, had the PPE they needed to stay safe. Again, I was chastised for fearmongering.
At every step of the way, we have seen that the government has not heeded any of the early warnings. If it had, we would not be at the end of third wave. Hopefully, we will not get into a fourth wave. What stopped the third wave, or put the brakes on the third wave, was the fact that the government had to get into or apply to the COVAX program, an international program that was designed to supply underdeveloped countries with the vaccines necessary to weather the storm.
Our Prime Minister is with other world leaders as we speak, talking about how COVID has impacted the world and how it really changes our perspective. We talk about getting back to normal, but what does that normal look like? Then we talk about the new normal. This report has 10 recommendations that the government could hopefully heed. As I alluded to earlier, as a member of Parliament, I have been part of a number of different studies. Sadly, what I have seen is that the recommendations go unheeded, much as they did back in January 2020, at the very beginning of this pandemic.
If only the government had heeded our recommendations and questions at that time, I believe Canada would be in a far better state than we are today. Perhaps we would not be in a third wave. Perhaps things would be opening up. Perhaps Canadians would be able to see their relatives and loved ones, and hug them and be with them.
We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, which is great. However, this report details some things Canada could to to make sure that, if heaven forbid, another global pandemic were to take place, Canada would be right there, prepared to help not only here at home but also on the world stage. That is rightfully where we should be. That is our position. Canada should always be that beacon of hope. Canada should be there to lend that helping hand.
As I mentioned, there were 10 recommendations. I read out recommendation 1. The second recommendation is:
That, by allocating new funding, the Government of Canada increase its contributions to international humanitarian appeals in line with the growing demands on the humanitarian system, while ensuring that assistance reaches the most vulnerable people based on need, including in relation to food security, child protection, education and health care in emergency settings, psychosocial support, and gender-based violence prevention and response services.
Again, I hope our government heeds these recommendations. Our hon. colleague, in his intervention, mentioned three important recommendations. I want to go to the third one that I think is important:
That Canada lead and coordinate, with like-minded nations, an expansion of a feminist agenda specifically addressing domestic abuse and gender-based violence during COVID lockdowns....
That is a feminist agenda. We know that our government holds that dear to its heart. We know that the incidents of domestic violence, suicidal ideation and anxiety have been felt here at home, which is why we challenged the government to implement 988, a simple three-digit suicide prevention hotline.