COVID-19 Emergency Response  Mr. Speaker, here is the situation the Conservatives find themselves in: they say that the Liberals have invested too much in Canadians and been there too much to support workers, been there too much to support seniors and youth and that we have done far too much, in terms of spending on Canadians to get them through the pandemic, but at the same time they say that we should have done more.

COVID-19 Emergency Response  Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning of this pandemic, we faced unprecedented situations of hardship across the country, and this government stepped up with CERB supports for over eight million Canadians; with wage subsidies that made a huge difference to businesses across the country; with direct support for small businesses; with investments in shelters and homeless support programs; and with investments to fight gender-based violence, which is on the rise in this pandemic.

Health  Mr. Speaker, we did make investments around the country while we were signing contracts with international companies to secure vaccines for Canadians, and our plan is working. We will have more than six million vaccines by the end of March. We will get everyone vaccinated by this coming September.

Health  Mr. Speaker, in early December, members of the Conservative Party were saying that billions of people around the world were going to be vaccinated before a single Canadian received the vaccine. That is simply not true. On the contrary, we have seen that Canada was among the first two or three countries in the world to vaccinate its citizens with safe, approved and effective vaccines.

Health  Mr. Speaker, we quickly realized early on in the pandemic that we needed to invest in flexible domestic production and upgrade our facilities. That is exactly what we did. In fact, we had already taken significant steps in that direction before the pandemic. In our first term, we gave Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada the means to invest in life sciences.

Health  Mr. Speaker, as the government, it is our responsibility to listen to the experts, to scientists and to the authorities who issue recommendations about the best investments to make. This is about taxpayers' money, and taxpayers expect us to make the best possible investments. We have plenty of excellent scientists in this country, but it is up to our experts to decide who is likely to deliver vaccines fastest and who will succeed.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, from the beginning of this pandemic we made a simple and straightforward promise to Canadians that we would have their backs regardless of how long it took, regardless of what it took. That is why we delivered the CERB to eight million Canadians, even while Conservative politicians, like the member for Carleton, were saying we were doing too much too fast, we should not be helping workers and we have to help businesses faster than workers.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, among others, the IMF has recognized that Canada's approach to supporting workers, supporting businesses and supporting communities through this pandemic has left us better positioned to come roaring back once this pandemic is over. We had to do the things that were necessary to protect Canadians during this pandemic, and as a government we were there to support those families.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, this crisis demanded targeted, time-limited support to keep people and businesses afloat and that is exactly what this government chose to do. The IMF report indeed found that Canada's strong and decisive actions at the onset of the pandemic “provided crucial support to the economy and the functioning of financial markets, and helped protect lives and livelihoods” and that “Canada’s strong history of prudent policymaking afforded it the policy space to respond forcefully to the crisis and avert much steeper declines in economic activity and employment.”

Health  Mr. Speaker, we have been investing in Canadian industry and Canadian scientists, not just during this pandemic, but for the past five years, because the previous Conservative government seriously under-invested in science. Since we are talking about Université Laval, we gave Dr.

Health  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to correct my hon. colleague and point out that, in February, Dr. Kobinger did in fact receive a $1-million federal grant for his research from the COVID-19 rapid research funding opportunity. We will always invest in promising Canadian solutions that will help combat COVID-19.

Health  Mr. Speaker, I can hear the Bloc Québécois leader's frustration at seeing a federal government investing in Quebeckers and Canadians, being there for people as we have been from the start, being there to support Quebec families, Quebec workers and Quebec scientists and researchers.

Health  Mr. Speaker, since the start of the pandemic, our priority in the House, and in the government's work, has been to help Canadians and pass legislation to support families, seniors and youth. That is what we have been doing in partnership with many members on all sides of the House.

Health  Mr. Speaker, we know well that in a minority Parliament the government does not have the sole power to decide when we go into an election. The opposition members have a role to play not only in providing confidence for the House, but also by being able to function appropriately to deliver the help to Canadians that Canadians so seriously need.

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, over the past number of years we have always been very clear with China when we disagreed on human rights. We have real concerns about the treatment of the Uighurs in Xinjiang and the situation in Hong Kong. We have continued to express our concern and demonstrate our solidarity with the two Michaels and expect them to be returned home from arbitrary detention, while at the same time we continue to work with partners around the world in holding China to account and improving opportunities for our workers and businesses across the country and around the world.