Health  Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, from the very beginning we valued the work of scientific and industry experts who were volunteering their time to ensure sound, evidence-based decisions during the pandemic on the vaccine task force, which has a robust conflict of interest process in place and goes above and beyond the practices of other volunteer external advisory bodies.

Health  Mr. Speaker, from the outset, we have relied on experts who have given us recommendations on investments we could make here in Canada to advance the biopharmaceutical industry. We invested up to $173 million in Medicago in Quebec City and $4 million in Glycovax Pharma in Montreal.

Health  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to report that this week, we will receive more than 400,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and they are arriving in the provinces and territories as we speak. We know there are still minor delays in vaccine delivery, but we have seen that of the 1.2 million vaccines we have delivered, the provinces and territories have managed to get almost 90% into Canadians' arms.

Health  Mr. Speaker, I am quite disappointed by my hon. colleague's suggestion that politics played a part in this. We have been clear from the very beginning that we would listen to the recommendations from experts and scientists about our vaccination plan. We did everything we could to invest in science and in solutions.

Health  Mr. Speaker, I know that, in a previous life, my hon. colleague frequently worked with contracts, so he knows very well that many commercial contracts include confidentiality requirements. We have been transparent with Canadians about the contracts we have signed. We have been transparent about our targets.

Health  Mr. Speaker, yes, that is what we have been doing from the beginning. We are mobilizing all the necessary resources to vaccinate as many Canadians as possible as quickly as possible. That is why I am so relieved to say that we are on track to meet our targets for the end of March, namely six million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Health  Mr. Speaker, unlike the NDP, apparently, we understand Canada's Constitution and respect provincial responsibilities on health care delivery. We have worked hand in hand with the provinces from the very beginning to deliver vaccines for Canadians. We are moving forward on supporting them as they vaccinate and as we brace for the big lift, the moment at which tens of millions of vaccines will be arriving in Canada.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to hear the Leader of the Opposition calling for a national strategy on rapid testing when he does not want us to have a national strategy on keeping elders safe in long-term care homes. However, I will get back to rapid testing. We delivered, this fall, close to 19 million rapid tests to the provinces and territories and are working with them to get them rolled out.

Health  Mr. Speaker, back in November, we announced to Canadians our vaccination plan that would see six million vaccinations in the first quarter, by the end of March, and have everyone vaccinated by September. I can say that, with over 400,000 vaccines from Pfizer arriving this week, we are very well on track to getting those six million vaccinations by the end of March and tens of millions of vaccinations through the spring, with everyone in Canada who wants to get vaccinated getting vaccinated by September.

Health  Mr. Speaker, as I just said, back in November, we announced that we would be receiving at least six million doses of vaccine by the end of March, and that is exactly what is arriving. We will be getting 400,000 doses or more this week and millions more in the weeks to come, putting us on track to not only meet our target by the end of March, but to have tens of millions of vaccinations through the spring.

Health  Mr. Speaker, we were very quick to sign contracts with different vaccine producers. We were one of the first countries to begin delivering the vaccines, and we will be receiving more than 400,000 Pfizer vaccine doses this week. There will be millions of doses in the weeks to come to meet our targets for the end of March and to ensure that all Canadians will be vaccinated by the end of the summer.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of this pandemic, we have made a simple promise to Canadians that we would have their backs as we made it through. That is exactly why our focus has been on seeing Canadians supported so we can do the things that keep us all safe, like staying home and closing down businesses temporarily so we can prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Government Appointments  Mr. Speaker, over the past five years, we have taken extraordinary steps to fight this opioid epidemic across the country. We have worked with provinces and territories. We have worked with municipalities. We have supported front-line workers. We have even done what the Conservatives continue to resist doing, and that is establish safe consumption sites across the country to help people through this opioid epidemic.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, every person deserves a safe work environment. Our government has no tolerance for any form of sexual misconduct. When such allegations are brought to the Minister of National Defence's attention, he has always taken them seriously. He has also always ensured that they are reported to the appropriate authorities to begin relevant investigations that might be warranted, regardless of rank or position.

Health  Mr. Speaker, two companies, Precision Nanosystems and Novavax, are now on track to manufacture vaccines right here in Canada. This is a major step forward to get vaccines made in Canada for Canadians. Pending Health Canada approval, tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses could be made right here at home.