44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 10, 2022 10:00AM
- Feb/10/22 2:22:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Prime Minister. He is talking about vaccinations. We all support vaccines and, as he has said, 90% of Canadians have been vaccinated. Is he suggesting that unless 100% of Canadians are vaccinated, he is not even going to consider opening up and lifting restrictions? Is that what he is trying to tell us? Ninety per cent is good for us and, I would say, for other countries in the world that have less vaccine uptake.
Is he saying he is not going to do anything until 100% of Canadians are vaccinated? Really?
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- Feb/10/22 2:22:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, not only are Canadians tired of this pandemic and of the challenges we are facing, but they are also, of course, tired of the restrictions, tired of the rules and tired of the lockdowns. That is understandable, but do members know what helps to lift restrictions? Do they know what helps to move beyond lockdowns? It is vaccinations. When Canadians get vaccinated, including with our vaccine mandates that ensure federal public service workers and anyone getting on planes or trains is vaccinated, it helps us move forward, keep Canadians safe and, most importantly, keep our frontline health workers, who have been heroes during this pandemic, from being overwhelmed.
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- Feb/10/22 2:23:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I did not hear the Prime Minister answer the question.
As he said, Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. Almost 90% of Canadians have been vaccinated. Is he waiting until 100% of Canadians are vaccinated to start thinking about presenting a plan to reopen our economy and putting an end to vaccine mandates?
The question is clear: Is the Prime Minister's objective to have 100% of Canadians vaccinated to start giving people hope, yes or no?
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- Feb/10/22 2:24:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party of Canada has spent the last two weeks endorsing and enabling these blockades set up across the country. The leader of the Conservative Party and her team have been their biggest champions, even promoting their fundraising.
These actions have dire consequences for jobs, trade, obstructions in our communities and families. I hope that the Conservative Party will maintain its current position and continue to call for an end to these blockades.
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- Feb/10/22 2:24:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I hope that the Prime Minister will not hide again, like he has done for the past two weeks, and that he will be there to talk, to listen, and to bring these protests to an end.
We want the protests to end. We want them to end, but we also want the Prime Minister to commit to presenting Canadians with a plan. We want this Prime Minister to do what all other levels of government here in Canada have already done: present Canadians with a reopening plan.
Why is he stubbornly refusing to listen to Canadians, to present a plan and to offer them some hope?
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- Feb/10/22 2:25:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to hear the honourable member condemn these blockades and call for an end to them today in the House.
I hope that he will be able to persuade his Conservative Party colleagues to stop supporting and encouraging these blockades and protesters who are hurting businesses, jobs, supply chains and Canadians in communities across the country.
It is time for these blockades to end, and the Conservative Party needs to send a strong and crystal clear message about this.
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- Feb/10/22 2:26:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us elevate the debate a little bit.
I asked the Prime Minister for a meeting. The leader of the official opposition asked for a meeting with all the party leaders. There may be extremely troubling developments in Ottawa and elsewhere in Canada right now, and they may have a significant impact in terms of the economy, public health and, increasingly, public safety.
Will the Prime Minister invite the party leaders to an emergency meeting?
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- Feb/10/22 2:26:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning of this crisis around blockades, I have been in close contact with our partners at other levels of government, and I have been talking to other parliamentarians. I would be very happy to do a briefing with the Bloc leader to update him on the situation people here in Ottawa and elsewhere in the country are dealing with.
We will continue to focus on ending the blockades and on the work we need to do to protect our economy and support our communities across the country.
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- Feb/10/22 2:27:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am calling for a briefing that would bring together the leader of the official opposition, the leader of the third opposition party, myself and the Prime Minister.
Emergency call services in Ottawa are being jammed. Traffic around the Ottawa airport is being obstructed. A movement is taking root, and it is going to be extremely difficult to pull it out. A friend of my father's used to say that I was not crazy enough to start a fire and not clever enough to put it out.
Does the Prime Minister want to put this fire out?
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- Feb/10/22 2:28:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this government is working with our partners every day to reduce the impact these blockades are having on the economy.
We are working with the Ottawa police and the Ontario government. I spoke at length last night with Premier Ford. We will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure that Canadians across this country are not inconvenienced or affected by these illegal blockades.
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- Feb/10/22 2:28:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are in the second week of the siege in Ottawa. We have borders that are shut down across the country, including Coutts and the Ambassador Bridge. This is hurting workers, truckers, small businesses and families.
We have a Prime Minister who is more focused on debating whose jurisdiction it is. Clearly, making sure our borders are open is a responsibility of the federal government.
Will the Prime Minister stop hiding behind jurisdiction and fix this mess?
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- Feb/10/22 2:29:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning, we have been there to support all levels of government in the work they needed to do—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Feb/10/22 2:29:31 p.m.
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I would like the Prime Minister to start over. Members were applauding so much for his answer that they could not hear it.
The right. hon. Prime Minister has the floor.
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- Feb/10/22 2:29:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning of this crisis around blockades in Ottawa and elsewhere, we have been working closely with partners on the ground. We have been furnishing resources, we have been furnishing RCMP officers and we have been furnishing tactical supports as we move forward through this.
We understand how important it is to put an end to these barricades. We understand how important it is for people to be able to get their lives back and to be able to get their livelihoods back. That is why we are calling upon the Conservative Party, which has for the past two weeks been enabling, supporting and cheering on these blockades, to stay consistent in saying that the blockades have to end and that we have to get our lives back, all of us as Canadians.
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- Feb/10/22 2:30:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is second week Ottawa has been under siege and now the borders are paralyzed because of the convoy protest.
Instead of solving the problems that are hitting families, workers and truckers hard, the Prime Minister wants to have a debate over jurisdictions. There is no debate to be had. That is clear. It is the federal government's job to ensure that our border crossings are working properly.
Will the Prime Minister stop debating jurisdictions and solve the problem?
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- Feb/10/22 2:31:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of this crisis, we have been working hand in hand with the various authorities, providing them the necessary resources, whether that means RCMP officers, resources, or technical support.
We will continue to respect the jurisdictions, but we will be there every step of the way to do what it takes to end these blockades.
Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about the Conservative Party, which for the past two weeks has been cheering on the blockades, encouraging these protesters and even promoting their fundraising.
The reality is that it is time for this to end, because it is hurting Canadians.
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- Feb/10/22 2:31:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the current Liberal government continues to use vaccines as a political weapon rather than a tool. Unlike other governments, the Liberals cannot seem to figure out how to move forward. We do not need more job vacancies or supply chain issues. Canada and Canadians need to get back to normal.
Instead of creating new vaccine mandates for federally regulated workplaces, will this minister listen to the science and his MPs, and move toward lifting these mandates?
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- Feb/10/22 2:32:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to answer this question about vaccination. The Prime Minister mentioned just a moment ago that 80% of Canadians of all ages had received their full doses. Every day, about 10,000 more Canadians are getting their first vaccine, and 55% have received a booster dose. Every day, 180,000 people in Canada receive a booster dose. We have approximately 50% of children between five and 11 being vaccinated. About 6,000 of them every day receive their first dose.
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- Feb/10/22 2:33:06 p.m.
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Before we go to the next question, I just want to remind all the members that if they are not speaking and they are in their seats, to please wear their masks. It is the rule of the House. For those who cannot hear me, do I have to say it again? There we go. I think we have their attention. Good.
The hon. member for Calgary Midnapore.
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- Feb/10/22 2:33:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, 98% of federal employees have received at least one dose of the vaccine. They are not the enemy. Even Canada's public health authorities have said that it is time to re-evaluate existing measures and not blindly keep current restrictions.
Does the minister agree with Dr. Tam's recommendation or does he prefer to ignore the science?
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