Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with my good friend, the member for Toronto—Danforth. It is an honour for me to join members in the House of Commons virtually today and speak on our government's commitments to support vulnerable Canadians. I want to specifically focus on long-term care.
Let me begin by acknowledging that I am speaking from the traditional lands of many indigenous peoples, most recently the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
The second wave of the pandemic has caused a surge in COVID-19 cases. Today, in Ontario there were a staggering 1,958 positive cases and 49 additional deaths, 29 of them in long-term care homes. While personal sacrifices have been made to help flatten the curve, including cancelling celebrations, postponing special milestones and staying physically distanced from our loved ones, we must continue to do our part to help each other every day.
Every action that reduces the burden on our front-line and essential workers keeps Canadians safe and brings us closer to the end of this difficult chapter. With the arrival of two safe and effective COVID vaccines, we have seen the first signs of light. To date, our government has distributed over 1.1 million vaccines to provinces and territories, with millions more on the way. Securing the world's most diverse vaccine portfolio has ensured that all Canadians who want a vaccine will get one.
I want to take a moment to reflect on the Canadians who are presently fighting this virus. We all know people who have been infected and have done everything in their power to bravely battle COVID-19. I think about my dear friend who is in the hospital right now and his family. Last night, we held a prayer service for his recovery and the recovery of all those struggling with this virus. He is a fighter. I know he will pull through these dark days and come home soon. I want to thank those who are caring for him at the Lakeridge Health in Ajax and all the front-line and essential workers who are, at this moment, away from their families and helping us fight the pandemic, including those at the Tony Stacey Centre for Veterans Care, the Ehatare Retirement and Nursing Home, Altamont Care Community and Extendicare Rougevalley in Scarborough—Rouge Park.
We do not know when this crisis will be behind us, but we know that we will get through it the way Canadians always have: together. While Canada has done relatively well in handling the pandemic, our systemic failure within our long-term care homes is a national shame. I recognize and acknowledge that the long-term care homes are a provincial responsibility. In some respects, it is easy for us to say this and point fingers. Truth be told: no one cares about jurisdiction. Canadians want action and rightfully so. Decades of neglect have eroded the fragile foundations of these facilities. An absence of accountability and apathy toward oversight has shifted the culture from one of long-term care to one of long-term crisis.
The long-term care system was not broken by COVID-19; it was built this way. If we do not act, we will repeatedly fail Canadian after Canadian after Canadian. Since last March, 3,376 people have died in long-term care homes, including 11 staff in Ontario alone. This includes 80 residents and one staff member in my riding of Scarborough—Rouge Park. I suspect there may be more.
During the peak of the first wave, provincial governments requested logistical support from the Canadian Armed Forces. I would like to read some of the haunting findings of the Canadian Armed Forces personnel during their time in our long-term care facilities in Ontario.
Upon arrival at the Altamont care home in Scarborough Rouge Park, Canadian Armed Forces personnel identified that many of the residents had been “bed bound for several weeks”, with no evidence of residents being moved to a wheelchair for parts of the day, repositioned in their beds or washed properly. Most residents were reported as not having three meals a day, with the facility itself described as having insufficient wound care supplies and often no PSWs on site for the evening shift.
Similarly deplorable living conditions were identified by the Canadian Armed Forces members stationed at Orchard Villa, Eatonville Care Centre, Hawthorne Place Care Centre and Holland Christian Homes Grace manor in Ontario.
We know that the crisis in homes is not limited to these five facilities. I would like to thank my fellow colleagues, the member for Pickering—Uxbridge, the member for Etobicoke Centre, the member for Brampton North, as well as the member for Humber River—Black Creek, for their continued advocacy to push the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario to do more to protect the most vulnerable.
COVID may be the primary cause of death, but irregularities in staffing levels, precarious rates of pay for primary care workers, insufficient hours of direct care for residents, the disaggregation of data, poor incident management planning, inconsistent financing and lack of modernization to reflect the changing needs of residents are equally egregious factors that have contributed to this senseless loss of life.
Therefore, how do we move forward? Erecting iron rings or permanently placing military personnel in these facilities is not a long-term solution to the crisis of care. For the short term, we must do everything in our power to protect Canada's most vulnerable. I call upon Premier Ford to call in the military. We are in this together and we have seen the effectiveness of our men and women in uniform at these facilities. We cannot allow the system to continue failing our seniors. We cannot stand by without exhausting all options. What we can do is send in the army, and we need the premier to make this request.
Our government will continue supporting provinces and territories in whatever capacity necessary to ensure that we overcome the crisis of care together. We should be ashamed of ourselves for normalizing substandard living conditions for any Canadian, but especially those incapable of caring for themselves. When we were too young to feed ourselves, it was these women and men who fed us. When we were not able to bathe ourselves, it was these women and men who bathed us. When we were too sick to care for ourselves, it was these men and women who watched over us. These are the men and women who fought for us and our freedom. We cannot repay them for their lifetime of service, but right now, when they need us most, we are failing them. We must do better.
In November, I joined advocates and Canadians for national long-term care standards on Parliament Hill for a special tribute to the thousands who have died due to COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care. Families and friends laid thousands of pairs of shoes on the front lawn to honour the memories of their loved ones. As the shoes stood silently, the air was filled with an unmistakable sense of heartbreak, anger, grief and tremendous loss.
As legislators, it is our job to represent the voices and will of the public. The public has spoken loud and clear. People do not want jurisdictional squabbles to jeopardize the health and safety of their loved ones; they do not want to worry that those who neglect Canadians in need will not be held accountable; and, most importantly, they do not want these shameful standards of care to continue. The public demands action and our government will continue to act.
Our government has invested a $3-billion wage top-up for essential front-line workers to help ensure that workers on the front lines are effectively compensated for their critical role in the fight against COVID-19. Our government's safe restart agreement included a $740-million investment in the provinces and territories for long-term care. By restructuring the investing in Canada infrastructure plan, our government allowed provinces to transfer 10% of their infrastructure investments to COVID-19 support projects, including long-term care projects. Our government's $38.5-million commitment to support the training of up to 4,000 personal support workers will help address some labour shortages in long-term care. In addition, our government's new $1-billion safe long-term care fund will help ensure that Canadians living in care homes will begin to live their lives in dignity.
If we do not significantly reform long-term care in Canada by addressing the systemic failures of these facilities and establishing national standards, we will not cure the crisis within the sector. First and foremost, provinces and territories need to work together with the federal government to establish national standards of care.
There is no acceptable reason why a long-term care resident in British Columbia is held to a different standard than one living in PEI or Ontario. National standards would enshrine the decency our most vulnerable senior population deserves.
Second, to protect—
