Debates of Feb. 10th, 2022

Opposition Motion—Federal COVID-19 Mandates and Restrictions

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

The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Speaker, we notice that there is a tendency on the Liberal side to want to add fuel to the fire. While we are putting our heads together with all members of the House to come up with a solution, while we are trying to invite all party leaders to work together, the member who just spoke continues to add fuel to the fire, just like his Prime Minister.

Unfortunately, we are far from having a Prime Minister for all Canadians, as he promised. Even members of his own caucus acknowledged that this week.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Madam Speaker, I hope I am not adding fuel to the fire. God forbid. I can let my colleague know right away that we support the motion.

However, the leader of our party asked the Leader of the Opposition a question earlier that she did not answer, and I would like a response. What will the Conservatives do if the protesters do not leave?

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the members of the Bloc Québécois for supporting our motion.

Like us, it seems that the people of Quebec have done their part. They have worked hard, they have made a lot of sacrifices to get to the next stage and learn to live with COVID‑19. The Government of Quebec has done it. It has announced measures, it has announced a plan with specific dates for lifting restrictions—

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

I want an answer to my question.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Speaker, my colleague wants to know what the Conservatives will do. Unfortunately, the person responsible for this situation and this crisis is the Prime Minister. Given that we are in the opposition—

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

The hon. member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I agree with him on some things, but not so much on others.

I think that the Conservatives have hit the nail on the head with this motion in that Quebeckers and Canadians have had enough, particularly with the yo-yoing on some measures. They are frustrated and fed up, and that is understandable.

However, I find the wording of the motion rather ideological and close-minded, and it seems as though the conclusion has been written in advance. Could the motion not have stated that some restrictions might have to remain in place longer than others based on the science and public health recommendations?

We get the impression that the Conservatives want to lift all the restrictions at once when a more nuanced approach is needed.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Speaker, I would invite my colleague to read the motion carefully. It is very clear. We are calling on the government to table a plan for lifting all of the restrictions. We are asking the government to give us exact dates, and to tell us what is going to be done and when it will do away with the vaccine mandates and PCR testing at the border. That is what we are asking for.

Our motion gives the government a lot of flexibility. We have even given the government until February 28 to table a plan that it should have presented many months ago. That is the reality.

I therefore invite the members of the NDP to read the motion carefully and vote in favour of it because it represents what Canadians want from their government and their MPs here in the House.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated our daily lives, both in Canada and around the world, for the past two years. It has overloaded our health care systems, disrupted our economy and transformed the way we communicate and live with one other every day.

As pandemic waves have come and gone, all levels of government have responded with various measures, from federal border measures to municipal, provincial and territorial mask mandates to protect Canadians and the health care workers who have been caring for us for 22 months now.

These measures, based on the latest evidence, have been constantly evolving throughout the pandemic as we learn more and more about COVID-19 and how we can ensure the safety of everyone in the country.

For many of us in Canada, this is the hardest event we have lived through. We are all tired. Health care workers are exhausted. Businesses have struggled and closed down. Our mental health has declined, and there is no doubt that the most vulnerable among us, children and the elderly in particular, have suffered disproportionately. There are real consequences. That is why the decision by provinces and territories to impose restrictions has always been considered carefully and responsibly, based on scientific evidence, and has constantly been re-evaluated.

Today, we are in a very different position than we were in March 2020. We know more about COVID-19, we have safe and effective vaccines, and vaccination rates are high across the country and around the world.

As everyone knows, the vaccines in Canada are now not only effective but widely distributed across the country. They protect us from serious illness and hospitalization caused by the omicron variant. We also have testing and monitoring tools to help us detect infected individuals and monitor the trajectory of the pandemic.

In addition, in recent weeks, new treatments have become available that can help prevent certain patients from becoming seriously ill.

After two years of following individual public health measures such as getting vaccinated, wearing a mask, physical distancing and staying home when sick, everyone knows what to do to protect themselves and those they love. That has been Canadians' contribution, and we have all learned a great deal. Our efforts have paid off.

As we know, the new year ushered in a spike in COVID-19 cases with the omicron outbreak in Canada and around the world. An unprecedented number of Canadians have been infected in recent weeks.

As Dr. Tam stated in her most recent update, although the omicron variant has peaked, it is still widespread throughout the country.

Many hospitals across Canada continue to be under intense strain, even though COVID-19 hospitalizations are slightly and slowly declining in some areas of the country. Looking forward, we need to build on the measures we have used to address the omicron wave to strengthen the approach to managing COVID-19, while ensuring that we are prepared when a challenging new variant emerges like omicron. Fortunately, we now have a number of tools at our disposal that we did not have in March, 2020, to help us with this transition and to do so as safely and responsibly as possible.

Testing is a key part of our efforts to contain the pandemic and is another essential tool in our tool box for mitigating the effects of the pandemic. These tests identify who is infected, which helps us stop the transmission of the virus.

Throughout the pandemic, the Government of Canada has worked closely with its provincial and territorial partners to ensure that all of these tools, including rapid tests, are available and used to manage and mitigate outbreaks, thereby protecting the health and safety of all Canadians.

The federal government started buying rapid tests in October 2020 and supplying them for free to the provinces and territories. So far, we have bought more than 490 million rapid tests, which cost a total of nearly $3.4 billion.

In December alone, the Government of Canada delivered more than 35 million rapid antigen tests to the provinces and territories, and 140 million additional tests arrived in Canada in January.

We have also introduced Bill C-10, an act respecting certain measures related to COVID-19. This legislation would provide Health Canada with the statutory authority to purchase up to an additional $2.5-billion worth of rapid antigen tests to help significantly increase access to rapid testing across the country. This would allow schools to stay open and would protect our children, as well as their parents and grandparents in long-term care. With this funding, the Government of Canada would put in place critical contracts in a highly competitive global market to purchase efficient and sufficient quantities of rapid tests to meet the anticipated demand across the country.

On a positive note, we are also monitoring waste-water, which helps us and others understand how COVID‑19 is spreading in our communities. By sampling and testing a community's sewage, we can determine whether the virus is spreading or diminishing in that community. For example, COVID‑19 can be detected in waste-water before a large outbreak, which alerts public health authorities in advance to the presence of this virus and its variants.

Government of Canada scientists are collaborating on a community waste-water surveillance program that is operating in 65 locations across the country. Samples are sent to the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg to be analyzed, so that any instances of the virus causing COVID‑19 and its variants of concern are detected as quickly as possible.

Waste-water testing is conducted in collaboration with communities and local health authorities to inform public health action and decision-making. Waste-water surveillance alerts public health officials regarding where and how COVID‑19 and new variants of concern may be spreading on a community-wide scale. Waste-water testing provides a real-time COVID‑19 community health picture, especially in situations where clinical testing resources may be limited.

These screening tests and monitoring tools help shape our public health measures, which, at the national level, include border measures.

The Government of Canada continues and will continue to evaluate the latest evidence. It is constantly monitoring the situation to determine how to relax and adjust border measures according to that data.

Like all other elements of the Government of Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, border measures are based on existing data, scientific observations, and the results of our monitoring of the epidemiological situation across the country.

In conclusion, vaccination is the best tool we have to protect us and our loved ones against the serious consequences of COVID-19. Vaccines are safe, effective and free for all Canadians who have stepped up to protect themselves by getting vaccinated.

More than 88% of eligible people in Canada have already received at least one dose of a COVID‑19 vaccine, and at least 83% are now fully vaccinated. More than 50% of eligible people have received an additional booster dose. Also, just over 55% of children aged five to 11 have now received at least one dose.

It is because of all those who have rolled up their sleeves and complied with public health measures that Canada has been able to manage the omicron variant wave and will be able to manage the next waves when they come.

While vaccination continues to be the best protection against severe outcomes, we also know that treatments that can help prevent a severe illness for those infected with COVID‑19 will be important.

For example, just last month Health Canada authorized Pfizer's antiviral treatment called Paxlovid, paving the way for the distribution of this potentially life-saving medication.

This treatment will help adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms at high risk of developing a serious form of the disease.

Now that Paxlovid has been authorized, we are making every effort to supply the provinces and territories as soon as possible. The first shipment of 30,000 treatment courses went out a few weeks ago and was allocated based on the number of inhabitants of each province and territory. These treatment courses are now being administered across the country.

I will point out that each treatment course is designed for one person. More of the one million treatment courses we have procured will arrive this month.

Despite the high vaccination rates and robust and responsible monitoring of new, innovative treatments, the actions of every Canadian still count.

Vaccination, treatments and border measures are just a few layers of protection. Well-fitted masks, physical distancing, proper ventilation, rapid testing and staying home when sick are just as important. It is because of these responsible actions by Canadians and their governments that we are now moving forward on the transition to sustainable and responsible management of COVID-19.

We are at this point because of our collective actions, including the difficult decisions made by all provinces and territories, the federal government, communities, businesses and all Canadians. Most importantly, we have arrived at this point because of the tireless work of health care workers and the support and actions of individual Canadians.

I would like to be clear, however: We are still in the middle of a pandemic. As we have seen in the past two years, COVID-19 can still surprise us. There will be ups and downs, as well as new variants. We need to be prepared and responsible.

In the short term, that means getting our shots, including the booster. Around six million eligible Canadians still have not received their first or second dose of a primary series of vaccine, and many others are eligible for the booster, which considerably reduces the risk of contracting a severe form of COVID-19.

We must continue to increase our individual and collective protection against the variants and against COVID-19. Canada must be prepared to face future waves of infection that might be weaker or more severe than the current outbreak of the omicron variant.

COVID-19 will continue to be a threat to many of our family members, friends and neighbours. We must continue to act responsibly and to co-operate in order to protect the vulnerable, including children under the age of five who cannot receive the vaccine and people who are immunocompromised.

Over the past two years, people have shown their concern for the health of their loved ones and their community, as well as for the health and safety of their businesses and their society. These people know that it was not easy, but together we did what we had to do to protect ourselves during this difficult period.

The provinces and territories are making their own assessments of how and when they will lift their health restrictions. The Government of Canada is there and will continue to be there to support them in the coming weeks and months.

Our approach has been, and will continue to be, based on the best scientific evidence available and the lessons we have learned over the past two years. Everyone in Canada has sacrificed so much to protect each other during this exceptionally difficult time. They should expect nothing less from us than a thoughtful, responsible and evidence-based approach moving forward that continues to protect everyone as we prepare for the next phases of the pandemic, and we will deliver on those expectations.

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

Madam Speaker, as the minister mentioned, Canada now has vaccines, therapeutics and tests. We are beyond the stage we were at in March of 2020, and in fact, we are in year three. The reality is that many restrictions are still in place as a stopgap because the government has failed to use its convening role to address a fundamentally broken health care system in Canada, where a few hundred patients can overwhelm an ICU. As well, the government needs to address the fact that it shuttered the early warning system, which left our borders in a state where it is trying to justify continued restrictions.

This motion asks the government to table a plan. It could address these two issues in it. Will the minister support this motion?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased and proud to receive this question. The member is correct when she speaks about working collaboratively and looking forward. That is why we need to be both collaborative and responsible in our actions.

The member speaks about timing. I am rarely political and I try to resist the temptation from time to time, but I would point out that if there is an issue on which we should be speaking more clearly about timelines, it is about when we are all going to get vaccinated. The member forCalgary Nose Hill said last year that we would have to wait until 2030 before we had enough vaccines to vaccinate all Canadians. We are in 2022. It is time for all members of Parliament to be vaccinated.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the minister for his speech.

I agree that vaccination is our main ally, since there will be other variants, and that will pose a risk. However, the variants are coming from developing countries. We are starting to talk about a fourth dose, which some people in Quebec and Canada have already received, but there are still three billion people around the world who have not had their first. Based on profit and the law of supply and demand, pharmaceutical companies are prioritizing the countries that can pay the most, namely the wealthy countries.

I know that there is COVAX and that Canada has shipped out doses, but it is still a competitive market, meaning that we keep the lion’s share of the doses for us and send out our surplus out of generosity. There is still no strong international strategy for resolving this issue.

My question for the minister is the following: What is Canada’s position on waiving the patents?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot for his question. He represents a lovely riding I know well, since I have friends who live there.

He is right. For us to be done with this pandemic one day—and that is not today—it will have to be over everywhere. That involves vaccinating and protecting everyone in the world. The good news is that the Canadian government was one of the first countries to support and help establish COVAX and it is still today one of its largest contributors, sixth in the world, in terms of getting everyone vaccinated.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Speaker, I was going to ask a different question, but listening to the minister's response to my colleague from the Bloc, I feel compelled to ask more and push him a bit further on global vaccine equity.

We know that Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna, the three major developers of vaccines, make about $65,000 a minute. We also know that they developed those COVID vaccines with $8 billion of public funds. We also know that the Liberal government has not agreed to the TRIPS waiver and has continued to kick that down the road. We are going into our third year of this pandemic, and the Liberal government still will not support something that would allow other countries to create their own vaccines.

Realistically, saying that none of us are done until all of us are done does not work if the Liberals are not prepared to do any of the work. Why will the government not take those very simple steps that would protect people over big pharma?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Madam Speaker, the member is correct. Canada should always and will always need to be open to talking and working with international partners on precisely that topic of TRIPS and the patent-related agenda.

However, in relation to the previous question, I am going to add that Canada committed 200 million doses of vaccines in 2020, and half of those vaccines have already been delivered.

In addition, we committed to $2.5 billion in additional assistance, because it is not only the vaccine product itself that is needed, but also the technology, the infrastructure, the health care resources and the communication campaign where there is vaccine hesitancy. Therefore, it is a combination of being strong on the products, being strong on the international agenda and being strong on the supports that are needed to make sure that everyone in the world gets vaccinated and is protected against this serious disease.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, I wonder if the member could respond to an article in today's Winnipeg Free Press. It is from the public health officer, and it states:

Dr. Jazz Atwal, deputy chief provincial public health officer, said Wednesday restrictions will only be lifted in Manitoba when it is safe to do so.

“A handful of individuals who protest have no bearing on what public health recommends,” Atwal said at the COVID-19 media briefing. “It is as simple as that.”

I wonder if the minister could provide a comment on why it is so important that we listen to health care professionals.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Madam Speaker, there are three things.

The first is that health care workers have been burdened and stressed over the last 22 months. When we discuss these things, we should always have them in mind. We need to look after them because they care for us.

The second thing is that we need to understand that the only sustainable way to end restrictions and lockdowns that are decided upon by provinces and territories is through vaccination.

The third thing, therefore, is again inviting the new Leader of the Opposition to ask all members of her caucus to get vaccinated.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Madam Speaker, first and foremost, I say unequivocally that it is time to end the blockades, especially at our international borders. They are hurting our communities, our farmers and our businesses, and our economy needs to recover. I know that none of the people involved with the blockades wants to hurt their fellow citizens, but it is starting to be that way, and I ask them to remove those blockades.

I would also say unequivocally that it is time to end the mandates and the restrictions. As the minister knows, this has been hard on the mental health of many Canadians. It has divided families and it has discriminated against people's personal health choices, and we know that this is not good for our recovery.

The minister spoke for 20 minutes and never once talked about having a plan to end these very punitive restrictions, as well as the divisive and discriminatory mandates. When will there be a plan?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Madam Speaker, my colleague demonstrated a sense of leadership that the Conservative leader also showed earlier. Asking for the blockades to be taken down is the right thing to do now and was the right thing to do since they started.

The second thing the member mentioned is mental health. About half of Canadians report that their mental health has deteriorated over the last months. He is right that it is a sign of the tension and fatigue that comes with moving through COVID-19.

The third thing I would mention is that as we work together, we need to recognize that no politician is able to declare that COVID-19 will end at a particular point. That is not possible. Science will tell us that. Until science tells us that, we need to keep being responsible and protect ourselves from future waves and variants in the pandemic.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Madam Speaker, I have a question about the minister's recent statements.

Can you add some predictability to your measures? Look around you. Almost all of the provinces are starting to—

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

I would like to remind the hon. member to address her questions and comments to the Chair.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Thank you for your reminder, Madam Speaker.

That is basically what is being called for. Everyone must agree that vaccination is a means to an end and that the measures in place have helped. In fact, the vaccination rate here is pretty high.

When will the federal government be able to relax certain measures, and how predictable will that be? What indicators is it using? I feel like I am hearing—

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

I must give the minister time to answer.

The hon. Minister of Health.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Madam Speaker, one thing is certain, and one is totally uncertain. The uncertainty is what COVID-19 will surprise us with next. COVID-19 has had a huge number of nasty surprises for us in the past 22 months, and there are undoubtedly more to come.

What is certain, on the other hand, is that of all the tools we have, vaccination is the safest and surest way to prepare for future waves and the almost certain prospect of future variants.