Health committee  Minister, can you update this committee on what's being done to remove some barriers to services and offer some accurate reproductive health information for Canadians?

Health  Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives cannot seem to make up their minds about vaccinations. A year ago, they were saying we would never have enough vaccinations to get every Canadian vaccinated, yet lo and behold, we have got many vaccinations in the arms of Canadians. The member for Yorkton—Melville claims the government has some kind of secret agenda after refusing to get vaccinated herself.

Health  Mr. Speaker, as I said, I am not a medical doctor like my colleague opposite, and we have been collaborating on the health committee. However, I do not think that just because Canadians unfortunately die from things like coronary artery disease, strokes and heart attacks means that COVID-19 is less of a priority for this government.

Health  In the meantime, we know that multiple layers of protection, including vaccination, protect against severe health outcomes from COVID-19. Getting as many Canadians as possible vaccinated and boosted and continuing to adhere to individual public health measures is expected to help us get through this phase of uncertainty and support Canada in managing COVID-19.

Government Policies  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her concern for her constituents and her consistent advocacy on this. We have to recognize that in the month of May over 1,700 Canadians died. I am not trying to scare anybody, but we have to recognize that COVID is not over. Canadians are still dying from COVID‑19.

Health  Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, the travel vaccine mandates have been changing over the last seven or eight months. They change regularly. They are constantly reviewed and are all subject to looking at various considerations. I have to say that in the last month alone, 1,700 Canadians died from COVID‑19.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from North Okanagan—Shuswap for raising this question of the luxury tax this evening in adjournment debate. As we all know, taxes help pay for the government programs and services that all Canadians depend upon, and they provide a social safety net on which all Canadians can rely.

Health committee  Chair, and thank you to the officials for all the hard work you've been doing over the past two years. We appreciate that. We have been talking about COVID-19 a lot and the impacts on the broader society, but I am glad that we're focusing in on children, given that children are naturally some of the most vulnerable people in society and don't often get invited to the decision-making table.

Standing Orders and Procedure of the House and Its Committees  Mr. Speaker, I have to say I really appreciate the comments from my friend and colleague from Wellington—Halton Hills today. He is a beacon of experience and knowledge in this place, and I know that, of all members of the House, he is always fighting for a more equal chance for all.

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, I listened very closely to my colleague from Regina—Lewvan talk about how he wanted more time for debate, but he did not really debate. He stood for 10 minutes and told us why he does not like the Liberals. We hear from him often that he does not like the Liberals and his neighbours do not like the Liberals and nobody likes the Liberals, but the fact is there was a democratic election a few months ago and we are on this side and they are on that side and we have a job to do.

Health  Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for giving me the opportunity to highlight a recent study indicating that unfortunately the unvaccinated continue to disproportionately risk the safety of those vaccinated against COVID-19, and highlight the fact that in the last week, almost 12,000 Canadians have receive their first dose, 30,000 Canadians have received their second, 89,000 received their third and over 220,000 have received their fourth dose. This pandemic is not over.

Health  Madam Speaker, it is very troubling to see members on the opposite side deny the existence of a pandemic that is still stealing the lives of so many of our neighbours. Just in the last three weeks, over 1,000 Canadians have died from COVID-19. Masks help and vaccinations help. Time and time again, we are hearing from the Conservatives that they want to get back to normal.

Health  We continue to monitor the emerging evidence around vaccine effectiveness and the spread and impact of COVID-19 in Canada to inform our vaccination strategy. In the mean time, we know that multiple layers of protection, including vaccination, protect against severe health outcomes from COVID-19.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), from March 8 to May 7, 2021, Health Canada consulted Canadians on a draft guidance document on factors the department may consider when using the authorities provided by the cannabis regulations to refuse, renew, amend or revoke a registration for personal and designated production of cannabis for medical purposes.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Madam Speaker, let me start by thanking the member for her deep concern about the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan and for the people who are affected there. We in Canada, as a country, remain deeply concerned about the ongoing crisis. We take this very seriously and remain committed to do all that we can to support the Afghan people.