Government Operations committee  If you're not able to provide those numbers, which I find somewhat curious—it's quite convenient that you don't have those numbers in front of you—then why was the pandemic missed? If what you're saying is true, if the system was effectively in order, why was it missed?

Government Operations committee  Thank you. Just a few months before COVID-19 hit, the government effectively shut down Canada's pandemic warning system. This is a system, of course, that had established itself during the SARS outbreak in 2003 or just after as a frontline defence against pandemics. It was known for its capabilities and it was praised for them.

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to the various travel restrictions and border measures put into place during the pandemic: (a) what is the government's criteria or exit strategy regarding when each restriction or measure will be eased, including the targeted number of vaccinations, cases or hospitalizations before the government will consider easing each measure; and (b) does the government have any projected timeline for when each criteria in (a) is expected to be met and, if so, what is the timeline?

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to procurement practices applied to contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic: (a) what constitutes a COVID-19-related contract or supplier; (b) what policies or requirements have been paused, removed, suspended, or deferred for contracts related to COVID-19; (c) have integrity checks been downsized or compacted to accommodate tighter supply timelines; and (d) what policies or requirements have been waived for companies bidding on COVID-19-related contracts?

Questions Passed as Orders for Return  With regard to delays in the processing of immigration files submitted through the traditional hard-copy paper method: (a) how many files had their processing delayed as a result of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada employees not having access to paper files while working from home during the pandemic; (b) what is the number of files still (i) not being processed, (ii) delayed as a result of employees working from home, broken down by type of application; (c) what is the current backlog and processing times for applications submitted via (i) paper, (ii) online, broken down by type of application; and (d) what was the backlog and processing times for applications submitted via (i) paper, (ii) online, prior to the pandemic, or as of March 1, 2020?

Government Operations committee  Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My first question goes to Mr. Mills or Mr. Dorion. When the pandemic was declared, the government ordered 40,000 medical ventilators. How was it determined that we needed 40,000? Let me remind you that we are talking about contracts of more than $1 billion.

Government Operations committee  We'll hear from PHAC and PSPC as part of the committee's study on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then discuss committee business afterwards. I'd like to take this opportunity to remind all participants in this meeting that screenshots or taking photos of your screen are not permitted.

Employment  Speaker, thousands of students across Canada are struggling to find summer employment in the middle of a pandemic. Families in my community are trying to make ends meet, and students need jobs to pay for their education. Last year, the Liberal government's brilliant solution to this problem was to try and pay their friends at WE Charity half a billion dollars.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  All he is missing is his biometrics appointment, but the subcontractor in Mexico, VFS Global, is closed until further notice. If we wait until the pandemic is over, we could be waiting a long time. How does the government plan to fix this? I do not want excuses. When can this employer expect this immigrant worker to arrive?

Health  Mr. Speaker, every single Canadian has felt the impact of pandemic restrictions on their mental health. Families are saying goodbye to loved ones on FaceTime. Business owners and gig-economy workers are unsure how they will make ends meet, and we are still seeing rises in the level of domestic violence.

Finance  For two years now, the Liberals have failed to be transparent and accountable. While all of the G7 countries have presented at least one budget since the start of the pandemic, the Prime Minister would rather hide his incompetence than present a recovery plan to Canadians. When will the Minister of Finance present a budget to Canadians?

Anti-Asian Racism  From Atlanta to Vancouver and even Markham, the Asian community, especially the Chinese community, have been victimized. It began as hurtful comments at the beginning of the pandemic and grew into physical violence. The numbers are staggering. Major cities have seen the number of hate crimes grow as much as 700% and most of the targets are women. I encourage everyone to confront racism when he or she sees it.

COVID-19 Pandemic  The Conservatives will secure jobs and secure Canada's future, delivering us a Canada where those who have been struggling the most to get through this pandemic can get back to work. We got Canada through the last recession and with Canada's recovery plan, we will ensure Canadians get through this one too.

Business of Supply  The first part of this motion requires Parliament to recognize three deadly facts for which there can be no debate. The first is that “during the first wave of the pandemic, 82% of COVID deaths in Canada happened in long-term care, which is the highest proportion in the OECD”. The second fact is that “there have been over 12,000 long-term care resident and worker deaths in Canada since the beginning of the pandemic”, and the third is that “residents and workers in for-profit long-term care homes have a higher risk of infection and death than those in non-profit homes”.

Business of Supply  We need to develop immediate and medium-term solutions to address the critical vulnerabilities in the long-term care sector. We need to stabilize the long-term care sector as we continue to navigate the pandemic, but we cannot afford to narrowly focus on the pandemic. We need to work toward a comprehensive plan that will deliver substantial solutions for our seniors in care and those soon to be in care.