Jennifer O'Connell

[Justice, May 31st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, once again, our government has committed to keeping communities safe, respecting victims, protecting the vulnerable and holding offenders to account. This includes continued efforts on our part to support implementation of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights. This will also include the ongoing implementation of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights at the federal, provincial and territorial levels. The eventual review of the act by Parliament will be the appropriate venue to study and determine further improvements.

We will continue to take the steps toward creating a criminal justice system that treats victims and survivors of crime with courtesy, compassion and respect.

[Justice, May 31st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak on the topic of victims' rights, an area of great importance to our government and our commitment to a justice system that keeps communities safe, treats victims with compassion and protects the vulnerable and holds offenders to account.

The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights came into force in 2015 and provided rights for victims of crime in four areas at the federal level, including the right to information, participation, protection and to seek restitution. Implementing the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights has taken many forms and involves all levels of government and agencies that have responsibilities in the criminal justice system.

Over the past six years since the act has come into force, federal, provincial and territorial governments have been moving forward to strengthen its implementation, much of it with federal funding and support through the federal victims strategy.

For example, through the victims fund we have made more than $28 million available to provincial and territorial governments and non-governmental organizations. Some of these initiatives have focused on training and awareness rising about victims rights. Others have increased access for victims of crime to information and services. In addition, programs have been established to help victims and witnesses participate meaningfully in the criminal justice system and have their voices heard.

Last fall, the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime released a special report on progress made to implement the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights. That report concluded that there was more work to do to implement victims' rights, and we are committed to carrying on and strengthening our efforts.

A key recommendation in the federal ombudsman's report is that a parliamentary review be undertaken on the implementation of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights. This would be an important opportunity to look at the implementation of the act, take note of its strengths as well as areas where more attention is needed, and reinforce the victims' rights.

The criminal justice system should reflect the needs of those who come before it. That includes ensuring that victims are treated with dignity, compassion and respect. We will be closely following decisions taken by Parliament on the upcoming parliamentary review of the Victims Bill of Rights, and we look forward to that review beginning when initiated by Parliament.

[Diversity and Inclusion, May 31st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I explained the process, but once again let me clarify this for the member opposite. If he was disappointed years ago when he was going to donate blood, then I suggest he turn around to his colleagues, who sat around the cabinet table for 10 years and did not move this file an inch. Had they done so, we would have been a lot further ahead.

In the five years or so that our government has been in office, we have contributed $5.4 million to take action. Forgive me for not having sympathy for the member opposite's outrage over our action in his attempt to again distract Canadians from the fact that his own party today is talking about not supporting a motion to ban conversion therapy. If anyone in the House should be ashamed, it should be the Conservatives for not getting rid of conversion therapy. We will end the blood ban.

[Diversity and Inclusion, May 31st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I found the member's comments particularly interesting when he asked the government to “stop the attacks”. Perhaps that is because he is quite embarrassed and ashamed of his own members in the previous debate talking about how they will not even support banning conversion therapy. I see why he does not want our side of the House to talk about the Conservatives' record when it comes to the LGBTQ2+ community.

In regard to the Canadian blood ban, the member opposite ought to know the process. He has many members on his side of the House who were actually in government for 10 years, and if they had been able to just simply remove the blood ban, then why did they not do so? It is because there is actually a process in place. That is the process that continues to be followed.

I will point out that there has been progress and action on this file. In fact, when former prime minister Stephen Harper came into office, there was a lifetime blood ban for homosexual men who had had sex with other men. We have actually reduced that to three months. It is still a discriminatory process. One that we have said many times needs to change. However, the process cannot be changed unilaterally.

I will get into some of that process and why it exists. Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec were created in collaboration with provinces and territories to oversee and operate Canada and Quebec's blood systems. They were created at an arm's length from government to avoid political interference in the first place, and thus, cannot be mandated to change their blood donation deferral policies, except in extraordinary situations when safety issues arise. This is the foundation of a well-respected blood system that will continue to serve all Canadians.

It is also important that blood donation policies in Canada be non-discriminatory and scientifically based. That is why the process exists to allow Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec to put forward an application to the Canadian government. We are committed to supporting those changes to the discriminatory deferral practice in question, while leaving the other elements of the well-functioning system intact. The Government of Canada, upon receiving this file in 2015, immediately began the process of supporting the blood operators and moving toward an end to the discriminatory deferral criteria for gay and bisexual men, as well as others impacted by these policies.

Once again, the Conservatives misrepresent this process as a way to, I guess, distract Canadians from their positions on conversion therapy, their recent talks about banning or restricting trans health here, as well as recent comments by Conservative members referring to the LGBTQ2+ community as “unclean”. We want to end this discriminatory practice, and we have put in place the process to allow that to happen and move forward, once and for all.

[Questions on the Order Paper, May 31st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), all federally designated quarantine facilities, DQFs, have strict infection prevention and control measures in place in order to safeguard the health of Canadians. There has not been any transmission of COVID-19 in DQFs in Canada.

The number of individuals who have contracted COVID-19 while staying in a government-approved accommodation, GAA, is not collected as it would be impossible to know whether an individual became infected with COVID-19 at a GAA, rather than during high-risk exposures such as during air travel.

Even with valid negative pre-departure and on-arrival test results, some individuals subsequently test positive during their quarantine period. This is because the amount of virus or viral load of the person being tested affects the test result. A low viral load, which can occur in the very early stage of the disease or during the recovery phase, could give a false negative result. In other words, the virus could be present in the individual but not be detected through testing during some stages of the illness. As such, it is not unexpected that some travellers receive a positive day 8 test result.

Tests at day 1 and 8, previously day 10, are effective in preventing secondary transmissions. In addition, travellers must remain in quarantine for the full 14-day quarantine period. Their quarantine will only end once they have received a negative test result and completed the full 14-day quarantine, and as long as they have not developed any symptoms of COVID-19.

Mandatory quarantine and testing requirements are part of the Government of Canada’s multi-layered strategy to prevent the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in Canada, and will continue to be part of enhanced measures.

With regard to part (b), this information is not collected because it would be impossible to know whether an individual became infected with COVID-19 at a GAA, rather than during high-risk exposures such as during air travel.

Positive results identified as part of the arrival testing program, day 1 and day 8, whether the person is in a GAA, DQF or at home, are collected by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

With regard to part (c), at GAAs and DQFs, rooms are thoroughly cleaned between guests, whether they are positive or negative.

In DQFs, the room is required to be put out of service and rendered unavailable for other guests for a period of 24 hours.

At GAAs, staff are advised to wait 24 hours before entering the room, or if 24 hours is not feasible, then to wait as long as possible. GAAs and DQFs are expected to meet a set of criteria, which include meeting infection prevention and control procedures and following cleaning guidelines. Staff are required to be trained on cleaning and disinfecting as per guidelines and know how to apply these best practices for cleaning public spaces as per instructions.

[Questions on the Order Paper, May 31st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), on September 17, 2020, the Government of Canada launched a request for information, RFI, to seek input from industry about potential options and best practices for the third party provision of lodgings and/or management of services associated with federal quarantine sites. Any further breakdown of costs cannot be released at this time, as the information would hinder the prospective competitive process following the RFI.

Due to current contracting activities, including the potential competitive processes noted above, the exact breakdown of costs cannot be publicly disclosed at this time.

With regard to part (b), between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, the federal government has spent $285 million on enhanced border and travel measures and isolation sites. These measures include the federal designated quarantine sites across Canada; a strengthened national border and travel health program, including enhanced compliance and enforcement; safe voluntary isolation spaces in municipalities; and enhanced surveillance initiatives to reduce COVID-19 importation and transmission at points of entry.

Due to current contracting activities, including potential competitive processes, the exact breakdown of costs cannot be publicly disclosed at this time.

With regard to part (c), due to current contracting activities, including potential competitive processes, the breakdown of (b) by line item cannot be publicly disclosed at this time.

With regard to part (d), the referenced hotel was chosen to be a designated quarantine facility because it met a set of site requirement criteria. Each designated quarantine facility is chosen based on minimum criteria, including proximity to the airport/port of entry and to an acute care hospital, and ability to meet the Public Health Agency of Canada’s requirements to safely lodge travellers while they complete their mandatory quarantine/isolation.

[Points of Order, May 28th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, we are committed to ensuring that individuals who require cannabis for medical purposes have reasonable access to it.

That being said, individuals who are authorized to produce cannabis for their own medical purposes must follow the law and operate within the local authorization as well. It is illegal for these individuals to provide or sell cannabis to anyone else.

We are continuing to move forward on this file. Consultation just ended and we look forward to the results of that to make additional improvements to the cannabis file.

[Points of Order, May 28th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There was a question directed to me and unfortunately the mute button would not come off. It was a technical issue. I was prepared and ready to answer. I can do so now.

[Health, May 28th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, it is unfortunate that the hon. member does not understand how to follow local public health rules, but they are in place to keep Canadians safe and to stop the spread of COVID-19. I recommend that if he continues to get summons, there is a problem with his interpretation of these public health measures.

They are serious. They are put in place to keep Canadians safe, but a person's ability to peacefully protest has not changed. The measures are in place to keep Canadians safe by stopping the spread of COVID-19, and I recommend he take them seriously.

[Health, May 28th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, that could not be further from the truth. Our government has committed to a national pharmacare program with the precise objective of ensuring that Canadians no longer have to choose about putting food on their tables or affording the prescription drugs they need.

I find the Conservatives' questioning on this interesting, and I wonder if they will support a national pharmacare program so that we can ensure all Canadians have access to the critical medicines they need at an affordable price.