Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), the Public Health Agency of Canada, PHAC, is aware of two sexual assault complaints filed by travellers while abiding by the government’s hotel quarantine measures since March 1, 2020. Further information is provided below in the response to part (b).
With regard to part (b), the following two complaints resulted in criminal charges. In February 2021, an individual was charged by local police with sexual assault, break and enter, and harassment at the Sheraton Montreal designated quarantine facility, DQF. The victim was a quarantined traveller.
In May 2021, a hotel employee within the housekeeping department at a Toronto government authorized accommodation, GAA, was arrested and received one charge of sexual assault. The victim was a traveller staying at the hotel. The hotel is no longer using the services of this employee.
With regard to parts (c) and (d), there are no sexual assault, physical assault or harassment complaints filed against quarantine screening and enforcement officers in relation to travellers who have stayed at a DQF or GAA.
With regard to part (e), the government has not made any payments related to legal or settlement fees related to harassment or assaults related to government quarantine measures.
With regard to parts (f) and (g), there have been no complaints filed related to quarantine officers inappropriately demanding cash payments from those under restrictions.
With regard to part (h), notwithstanding the fact that emergency orders issued under section 58 of the Quarantine Act are not subject to the cabinet directive on regulations or the requirement to conduct a gender-based analysis plus, GBA+, analysis, PHAC did conduct a GBA+ analysis to inform the development of border measures, including DQFs, and continued to make necessary adjustments to these programs throughout the pandemic response.
To ensure the health and safety of all personnel and travellers, contracts were established to provide security services 24 hours per day, seven days a week at the DQFs. Security service providers were required to have a reliability security clearance or equivalent. In addition, all personnel were required to complete mandatory specialized training to support the provision of quarantine services. The enhanced training provided them with skills, including how to de-escalate critical situations, improve communication between travellers and hotel personnel, and improve the capacity to respond to the needs of diverse populations.
GBA+ factors were considered during the development of the programs. Unforeseen impacts on diverse and vulnerable groups were continually addressed throughout operations, including by quarantine officers who, as nurses, have professional training and follow duty of care standards when interacting with vulnerable populations under their professional designation.
These considerations were factored into programming, including accommodating different religious dietary needs, e.g., halal and kosher; ensuring that materials were available in a variety of languages; and instructing quarantine officers to consider a broad range of factors, e.g., medical requirements, families travelling together, unaccompanied minors, etc., at the border, as well as the need for alternative quarantine options.