Business of Supply  Madam Chair, many Canadians who want access to a safer supply cannot get it, so that answer falls short. Does the minister have any idea of the cost of substance use issues in Canada, factoring in health, social services, policing, the justice system, lost productivity and other relevant costs?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, I live in Port Alberni, where nobody can even get access to detox. It is three and a half hours for a youth to go to Victoria, and there is often a waiting list. In the second report, the expert task force said that current policies are currently costing Canada huge amounts.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, the stigma is not just in the policy; it is in the amount of money that has been spent on COVID-19 and on the toxic drug supply crisis. When will the government respond to the toxic drug crisis with the urgency with which it responded to COVID-19, and in a way that shows it values the lives of people who use drugs, the people who are dying right now in our country and whose lives can be saved from preventable deaths?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, the government says it is taking action while more people are dying. The deaths are mounting. It is not taking action in the way it needs to, like it did with COVID-19. I will change my line of questioning to the minister. As caregivers for children under five eagerly await a decision from Health Canada on Moderna's application for vaccines for this age group, how quickly will doses be distributed to the provinces upon approval?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, given the ongoing issues with the Phoenix pay system, why did the budget not allocate necessary funding to help deal with the now years-long backlog of pay problems for federal public servants?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, that sounds like a no. This is a group of experts who were convened by Health Canada to make recommendations to the government on federal drug policy. The expert task force had five key messages related to Canada's substance use strategy. One message was, “Bold actions are urgently needed, including...the expansion of safer supply.”

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, have any of those ministers reached out to the minister for procurement?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, they have been requesting leadership. The mandate letter to the minister directs her to “[c]ontinue to procure COVID-19 therapeutics, tests and vaccines, for adults and children, to ensure all Canadians have access to free booster shots and second-generation vaccines as needed”, yet there is no mention of procuring a safer supply to address Canada's other ongoing public health emergency and overdose epidemic.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, here is a quote. It is something the minister wrote in the PSPC 2022-23 departmental plan. It says: Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting the health and safety of Canadians remains a priority for the Government of Canada. PSPC will continue to play a central role in our response by procuring critical supplies, including vaccines, tests and therapeutics.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, is the minister saying she did not procure for any COVID response needs without direction completely from the provinces?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, her colleague, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, told the CBC that safe supply “is going to be the way that we will save the most lives”, yet the minister is not committed to a timeline for expanding access to safe supply, saying that research is needed before it can be scaled up.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, has the minister heard of the expert task force on substance use?

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, there are things I truly appreciated in my colleague's speech and things I do not agree with. One thing he touched on were the wait times at the airports. When we see the wait times at airports or passport services, we know the government has not adequately staffed the resources to respond to the increase in the amount of travel.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, this is a really important issue and we are hearing from many people in my riding. Certainly, we believe that health measures should be informed by health science and not politics. We heard Dr. Tam in March, stating that a full re-evaluation of Canada's pandemic measures would be done and that she would report back to Canadians.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I really appreciate a lot of the comments from my colleague. I too share her frustration. I mean my office right now is getting absolutely inundated by calls from people who are waiting for their passports. As well, the time that they are waiting at airports is completely unacceptable.