Mr. Speaker, the member said that we are dealing with a federal mandate and I appreciate that, but the opening words of the Conservative motion are, “That, given that provinces are lifting COVID-19 restrictions”, and it goes on to use that as the basis of the motion. I know my hon. colleague is from Alberta and we know that Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is removing restrictions very soon, so I want to make a couple of comments and get the member's position.
Dr. Noel Gibney, professor emeritus at the department of critical care medicine at the University of Alberta, said, “What we’ve heard today is wishful thinking and an element of COVID denial where the government is saying, ‘Really, this isn’t a problem anymore,’ while we still have a major Omicron surge causing pressure on our hospital systems”.
Heather Smith, president of the United Nurses of Alberta, said:
I think it is way too premature.... It's not evidence-based and it's irresponsible and reckless.
I'm very concerned that it is not only unsafe but it is asking for more deaths, more ill-health here in the province...
Finally, Dr. Stephanie Smith at the University of Alberta, a hospital physician and infectious disease specialist, said:
...there are many still waiting for their elective surgeries and to have all these restrictions removed with the possibility of having some increased transmission and maybe more hospitalizations, that’s just pushing those surgeries further down the line, which is not what we are trying to achieve.
I have a straightforward question. Does the member support lifting restrictions in Alberta now?