Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, every step of the way the measures at the border have been guided through the lens of public health, science and evidence, and we will continue to do that. It is our commitment to Canadians to reduce importations, to test travellers to make sure travellers are protected and the communities they are returning to are protected as well. We will continue to rely on science and evidence. U…
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Mr. Speaker, let me just reiterate what my colleague has pointed out. In fact, 61% of Canadians have received their first dose of a vaccine in the country. In fact, in terms of Manitoba, it received 111,310 vaccine doses last week. In Ontario, by the way, 2.193 million doses were received last week. We have seen immunizers step up in innovative ways in every community across the country to get tho…
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we agree that the blood ban is discriminatory, and that is why we have taken such strong steps to eliminate it. In fact, we brought it down from five years to six months and then to three months. We know that the job is not done. That is why we fund Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec to conduct the rest of their research. I have met with both organizati…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for her very important question. The federal government is investing $50 million in Public Health Agency of Canada programs to promote healthy relationships and prevent family violence. Our government will continue to do everything in its power to prevent intimate partner violence, child maltreatment and elder abuse, and to support survivo…
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Mr. Speaker, scientists and researchers routinely collaborate around the world. In fact, that is what they have done through COVID-19 to develop tests, to develop vaccines and to develop therapeutics. I think the member opposite is confused if he says that no other ally collaborates with other countries across the world. In fact, this is a standard of scientific research. As the member opposite kn…
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Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, these two scientists and researchers are no longer employed with the Public Health Agency of Canada. I cannot comment further. I will quote Dr. Poliquin, who is the head of the National Microbiology Laboratory. He said that there was no connection to the situation with COVID-19. I would encourage the members opposite to stay focused on making sure that we…
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Mr. Speaker, this question gives me an opportunity to thank the incredible hard-working researchers and scientists at the National Microbiology Laboratory who have been there for Canadians from the beginning of the emergence of COVID-19 and before. These scientists, researchers and doctors were some of the first in the world to be able to create a gold-standard PCR test that led to the ability for…
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Mr. Speaker, as I informed the member of Parliament and the House last week, those two researchers are no longer employees of the Public Health Agency of Canada. I cannot comment further.
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Mr. Speaker, first let me talk about the important role the National Microbiology Laboratory plays and continues to play, especially in the context of a global pandemic. I thank the professionals there who are working day and night to help Canadians with the laboratory and research needs we have. I cannot comment on this matter due to privacy obligations. These people are no longer with the Public…
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Mr. Speaker, I think the member opposite knows, first of all, that these particular researchers are no longer with the Public Health Agency of Canada and that I cannot comment due to privacy obligations. The National Microbiology Laboratory plays a critical role in research around the world and here in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, I will repeat that the National Microbiology Laboratory is a Canadian treasure and has been providing incredible research and laboratory support to Canadians and Canadian organizations around the country during the pandemic. I will also remind the member opposite that these individuals are no longer with the Public Health Agency of Canada, and that I cannot comment due to privacy obli…
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Mr. Speaker, I am not really sure where to start with that mixed bag of half-truths and falsehoods, but I will start with this. Here is what we do know: Vaccines save lives and they stop the spread of COVID. They are a critical tool in getting our lives back to normal. I want to thank all of the immunizers across the country who are working so hard to get vaccines into Canadians' arms. In fact, we…
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Mr. Speaker, I will repeat that vaccines save lives and they stop the spread of disease. I think Canadians know that we need to get to the finish line together. Canadians have made extraordinary sacrifices for each other. Now they are stepping up to the plate and getting vaccinated when it is their turn. That is how we will see a light at the end of this tunnel. I am so proud of all the immunizers…
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Mr. Speaker, every step of the way, the Canadian response has been guided by health, evidence and science. This is no different. We know that many provinces are pausing the delivery of AstraZeneca. I will say this. It is important for Canadians to get vaccinated as soon as they are offered a vaccine. This is how we will save lives, stop the spread and get our lives back. I am certain that province…
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Mr. Speaker, we see a pattern from the Conservative Party of politicians wanting to interfere with the work of scientists, regulators and researchers. I will tell my colleagues that every vaccine that is authorized for use in Canada is safe. Canadians are stepping up in unprecedented ways. I myself have been immunized with AstraZeneca. I look forward to getting a second dose as soon as I am eligib…
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Mr. Speaker, first let me say that today is a very important day. We hit 20 million doses delivered to Canadians across the country and we are now administering the most doses daily in the G7. I want to thank all Canadians who are stepping up to accept vaccination. This is an important tool that we have. We can see the finish line and as Canadians get vaccinated, indeed, we see case numbers go dow…
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Mr. Speaker, this is a great day for Canada. We have received 20 million doses in this country as of today and we are seeing Canadians step up in unprecedented ways to get vaccinated. In fact, I will say we are now administering the most doses daily in the G7. What that means is that Canadians are taking their health seriously, they are taking the health of their communities and their loved ones s…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree that workers everywhere need to be protected, especially as they face the front lines with such determination and courage. Protecting the health and safety of Canadians is our top priority. Keeping travellers and staff at designated quarantine facilities safe requires training in infection prevention and control practices. I understand that the employer is having conversations…
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Mr. Speaker, every step of the way we have provided for Canadians, including with the launch of a vaccine injury support program. I would encourage the member opposite, if he does have constituents who are looking for answers about the program, to ensure he communicates with my office and we will make sure that they get the information they need. Also, any claims will be retroactive to the beginni…
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Mr. Speaker, every step of the way we have worked very closely with our United States counterparts to protect the health and safety of Canadians and indeed of our American cousins and neighbours. I want to speak a little about vaccines though. It is a great day. Over 18.4 million vaccines have been shipped to provinces and territories to date. As of May 7, 16 million had been administered across t…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his ongoing and consistent advocacy for people who struggle with mental health issues and for excellent care no matter where people live. Budget 2021 proposes to provide $100 million to support projects for innovative mental health interventions for populations that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, including health care workers, f…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague. The vaccines are an important tool in the fight against COVID-19. In February, we announced $64 million to help Canadians get reliable information about vaccines. All of the vaccines are approved by Health Canada as safe and effective against COVID-19. I encourage all Canadians to get vaccinated because the vaccine protects them and their loved ones.
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Mr. Speaker, I think we have been extremely clear throughout this vaccination process that vaccines do indeed save lives and stop the spread. I want to thank Public Health Ontario for its recent reporting, which demonstrated exactly that. I will continue to say that in this House. Certainly, public health leaders are saying that. We know Canadians are stepping up to the plate. They are getting vac…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be perfectly clear. Vaccines are indeed saving lives and stopping the spread of COVID-19. That is the goal that I think every member in this House would agree is an important one and that we are all striving for. I will repeat this again: It is important that Canadians accept the first vaccine that is offered to them. If Canadians are questioning if vaccination is right for the…
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Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, those kinds of assertions are not what Canadians want to hear. What they want to hear is encouragement to continue on the path we are on because vaccinations are saving lives and stopping the spread. Just recently, Public Health Ontario reported that, out of the 3.5 million Ontarians who have been vaccinated to date, only 0.06% have since become infected, and there we…
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Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to say that over 17.4 million vaccines have been shipped to provinces and territories to date, and as of today, 14.5 million doses have been administered across Canada. We are making tremendous progress, and it is really in partnership with all the provinces and territories, which are administering vaccines to people who are vulnerable to COVID, and in partn…
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Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member that we have some of the strongest international travel measures in the world. In fact, all travellers who are travelling for non-essential reasons must submit to a pre-departure test, a post-arrival test, three days in a GAA after travelling by air, 14-day quarantine for all and a day eight test. We will work with our provincial and municipal partners to ens…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, again, my heart goes out to the member opposite, and I thank her for this emergency debate. I did speak to the mayor of Wood Buffalo last week as well, and we spoke about the intersection of small communities, work camps and indigenous communities. I am from Northern Ontario, and although it is a different industry, it has very similar dynamics. We talked about the role of vaccination…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his observation that this really is an all-hands-on-deck event for the world, for Canada, and indeed for government departments. I have never worked so closely with my provincial counterparts as I have through the pandemic. We have each others' cell phone numbers. We are able to contact each other directly, sometimes to share ideas or talk about emerging issues.…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the acknowledgement that this is, indeed, a global pandemic and we need to take care of each other at a global level, as well as a community level. The Minister of International Trade and I did exchange some texts when that happened, and my understanding is that Canada is moving forward to support that. I think the question would be better posed to her for the s…
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Mr. Speaker, no one is arguing that we need to continually invest and reinvest in our health care systems. In fact, that was the intent behind the tremendous amount of money we have spent throughout the pandemic, no questions asked, with $19 billion being transferred to provinces and territories, so they could augment their health care systems. The Prime Minister has been very clear that we will c…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, while the U.K. has been pursuing vaccination, it has also had extremely stringent public health measures, far more stringent than Alberta and many provinces in Canada. In fact, it had a very severe wave just prior to Christmas and was significantly impacted, so that country has been under significant public health restrictions as it vaccinates. I am extremely encouraged …
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Madam Speaker, first of all, my heart goes out to my colleague. I listened to her speech, and I can hear the fear and worry in her voice for her community, her province and the people there. I share her worry and concern. We are at a critical point in the fight against COVID-19, and the third wave is sweeping across many parts of the country. As my colleague pointed out, hospitalizations and ICU a…
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Mr. Speaker, our government has been very clear. All vaccines approved for use in Canada are safe and effective, both for stopping the spread of COVID and for saving lives. It is very unfortunate to hear the member opposite try to incite fear in Canadians. I would encourage Canadians who have questions about vaccinations to speak to their health care professionals, to speak to the pharmacists, to …
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Mr. Speaker, first, I will reiterate for Canadians that all vaccines that are approved for use in Canada are safe and effective. In fact, I was so excited to receive my first dose of AstraZeneca just over a week ago. I certainly encourage my friends, my family and all the people in my community to accept the first vaccination that is offered. We know that vaccines save lives, and they also contrib…
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Mr. Speaker, I know the member opposite has a hard time understanding this, but this is a brand new pandemic, a brand new virus, and certainly the science continues to evolve and provide us advice and evidence on how best to protect Canadians. It is important that Canadians accept the first vaccination that is offered to them. All vaccines that are in use in Canada are approved as safe and effecti…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree that dental care needs to be equitably accessible to Canadians across the country. I look forward to talking to provinces and territories about how we collaboratively strengthen our health care system. As the member opposite knows, I encourage HESA, if it finds it a topic of interest, to study the issue of dental care and how Canadians could access better dental care all acros…
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Mr. Speaker, it is somewhat disconcerting to see the member opposite trying to instill a fear of our health care institutions, which of course guide patients toward the best medication for them. These vaccines are being delivered by health care professionals who know how to screen, ask the correct questions and determine which vaccine is indeed the best for that particular patient. For the member …
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank NACI for its ongoing work in helping provinces and territories determine how to deliver the vaccines that are approved for use in Canada. As the member opposite might realize from listening to witness testimonies at the health committee, Health Canada is responsible for approving vaccines for use in Canada and has given specific use requirements. NA…
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Mr. Speaker, I will decline to comment on the specifics of the individual situation since I would like to understand more about his concerns. However, there is no federal statute that compels people to get vaccinated. Different workplaces and different settings will require vaccination for a variety of illnesses. For example, many school boards require common childhood immunizations prior to a chi…
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that we have stopped at nothing to enforce quarantine, including working with our provincial and municipal partners, and we will continue to do that. The reason the member has the data that he has is because we are indeed requiring travellers to submit to pre-departure tests, tests on arrival, sequence tests if they are positive, tests they get on day eight; …
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Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. The Government of Canada has been an exceptionally strong partner for the provinces and territories when it comes to vaccination. Not only have we procured a diverse portfolio, but we have also paid for them entirely, alleviating the provinces and territories from the burden of vaccinating. We have also supported them with logistics and with additional support, should…
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Mr. Speaker, we have a great vaccination story to tell. We are second in the G20 for administration of vaccines for the first dose, and many Canadians will be receiving their second dose over the months to come. May is going to be a bumper crop, and the provinces and territories are getting ready now to administer the most vaccines that we have to date. I am very much looking forward to their work…
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Mr. Speaker, yet again we see the opposition casting aspersions without any evidence. I will say this. We have some of the strongest border measures in the world, including the requirement for a predeparture test, a postarrival test and, yes, a day eight test to ensure that people are not sick later on in their quarantine. We will continue to add services and providers in this space to make sure t…
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Mr. Speaker, yet again we see members of the opposition torquing the truth for their own benefit. In fact, none of the cases that came used Switch Health. It is not the provider that provides the day three testing. In fact, it provides the day 10 testing. Indeed, we are working Switch Health, and we have added additional providers to make sure people can get the day 10 test back on time. I would l…
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Mr. Speaker, it is important that when we talk about the border we stick to the facts. The member opposite knows that in fact we have some of the strictest measures in the world. The reason he has that data is that we do test, trace and isolate travellers through a variety of different measures and they are stringent. In fact, hundreds of tickets have been issued to travellers for failing to follo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, indeed it is nice to see you. I wish I were there in person with everyone. I give notice that with respect to consideration of Government Business No. 5, at the next sitting of the House a minister of the Crown shall move pursuant to Standing Order 57 that debate be not further adjourned.
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Mr. Speaker, every step of the way we have indeed been there for Quebec, as for all provinces and territories. Whether it was the $19-billion safe restart fund and additional money for mental health and addictions support, or whether it was purchasing all of the PPE, all of the therapeutics, all of the testing and indeed all of the vaccines, we have been there for Quebec and for Quebeckers, and we…
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Mr. Speaker, every step of the way we have been there for Canadians, leading with science, evidence and with the advice of our chief public health officers and officials. While we are talking about rapid tests, let us just talk about the rapid tests we have sent. We have sent over 25.4 million rapid tests to provinces and territories, over 4.7 to Quebec alone, and we did not stop there. We have al…
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Mr. Speaker, first, let me say how excited I am that the constituents of the member opposite have access to vaccinations and, indeed, with such a strong friend and partner in the United States. This is how we get things done as the world. It is something that I think Conservatives fail to recognize. We work together with traditional partners and with non-traditional partners. When countries like C…
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