44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 14, 2022 11:00AM
Madam Speaker, I confirm unequivocally that a report will be provided every six months on the important elements that the member just mentioned, and rightly so, namely, the dollar amounts, the number of tests and their use in the following months.
As he pointed out, this will be a way of ensuring that there is significant and necessary accountability on the part of the Canadian government on this issue.
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Madam Speaker, I wonder if the Minister of Health could provide those following the debate with an explanation of what the federal government's role is, with respect to rapid tests. I think it is an excellent example of a team Canada approach where provinces, territories and communities are working with Ottawa to ensure that rapid testing is done.
Could the minister just go over the process of why the federal government is the governing body that is actually buying and procuring these rapid tests?
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Madam Speaker, I will say three things, briefly.
First, about the investments that we have made, $8 out of every $10 of the total economic support that has gone to businesses and workers over the past 22 months has been provided by the federal government's leadership.
Second, an additional $63 billion has been invested in protecting the health and safety of Canadians. That is in addition to other investments, such as the Canada health transfers that have obviously continued and even increased during COVID-19.
Third, the federal government's leadership is key when it comes to providing rapid tests, PPE, vaccines and therapeutics, such as the Paxlovid antiviral treatment that we now have in Canada. We are among the first countries in the world to have that. As a federation, we have an advantage, but also a responsibility when it comes to the leadership of the federal government. I am glad that all members of the house, certainly on this side, agree with the importance of that leadership.
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Madam Speaker, the hon. health minister suggests that rapid tests have been important to his government. Two summers ago my colleagues and I in the Ontario Conservative caucus tested a rapid test that was widely available in the U.S. and Europe, but had not received approval by Health Canada after months of delays. We were condemned by the Prime Minister and state media. The article is there. Instead of picking up the pace on approvals, Health Canada tried to threaten me and punish the rapid test manufacturer.
If rapid tests are so important to the Liberal government, why has there been a constant pattern of delay and intimidation from it, instead of actually working to get more tests into the hands of Canadians?
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Madam Speaker, the member for York—Simcoe is asking why they are important to the federal government. Let me give two examples.
The first is from the regulatory side, which the member mentioned. Health Canada has approved dozens of rapid tests. These are not only antigen tests, but molecular tests. It has approved all sorts of other tests over the past months and years. Canadians expect Health Canada to do its job, which is to protect the health and safety of Canadians, by approving as many rapid tests as it can, but also by making sure that these tests are efficient and safe.
The second reason I can give to demonstrate the importance of rapid tests is as I mentioned. Before December, 2021, on average, provinces and territories were requesting about seven million rapid tests per month. We moved from seven million to 35 million in December, 2021, and then to 140 million rapid tests in January, multiplying by 20 the number of rapid tests available to provinces and territories, despite the fact that every other country on earth was fighting for these rapid tests.
We are doing the right thing, and we are doing it in exceedingly challenging global supply chain circumstances.
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Qujannamiik uqaqtittiji.
On January 6, the Government of Nunavut announced it would limit testing to preserve tests only for health care workers. By January 12, the federal government announced that 140,000 tests would be sent to Nunavut. Nunavut's population is more than double that.
Can the minister confirm more than 155,000 tests will be sent to Nunavut so that any resident requiring the test will be able to take it?
Qujannamiik.
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Madam Speaker, I have a great relationship with Minister Main: my colleague, the minister of health in Nunavut. We have been working together really well, and I want to commend him and his government on their leadership and what they have done over the past few weeks and months. It has been critical for us to do that together, because the people in Nunavut are facing challenges that southerners are not always able to fully appreciate. I want to congratulate them for their collaboration and I would be glad to provide, through my team, more details on the exact numbers and circumstances in which rapid tests have been provided to the Government of Nunavut.
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Madam Speaker, it is great to see that we are using chambers of commerce as a delivery tool to get to the small businesses in our communities, so that they can continue to operate safely with their employees having access to rapid tests. The Guelph Chamber of Commerce has been able to distribute tens of thousands of tests in my community. It is a neighbour of ours, and on Wednesdays we see people picking up rapid test kits so their employees can be safe.
Could the hon. member talk about the use of chambers of commerce in our communities to help keep employees safe?
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Madam Speaker, I not only very much like the member for Guelph on a personal level, but also very much value his role and leadership in his community and for his riding as an outstanding member of Parliament.
He mentioned a couple of things that he does with his community in part through working with businesses, small businesses in particular, and through chambers of commerce. Chambers of commerce have been allies, but also leaders in their own communities, helping to deliver rapid tests more efficiently and more quickly because of their role and leadership through businesses that do not always have the time or ability to look for rapid tests.
Small businesses and business leaders have been challenged in the past 22 months. Because of the leadership and partnership on the part of chambers of commerce, we have been able to indirectly support small businesses and protect not only them, but the workers who are essential to their activities.
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Madam Speaker, here we are again having debate shut down by the government, shamefully, and Canadians do not really trust the minister or the government.
We found out last week that, shamefully, the Liberals have been intentionally using a dangerous, divisive and deceptive narrative to infringe on Canadians' charter rights for partisan reasons. They justified their hate and demonization by inferring that unvaccinated Canadians were dangerous, racist, misogynist and spread COVID, while vaccinated Canadians were safe. The Prime Minister even said they were safe to sit beside.
Will the minister, on the record, condemn the Prime Minister's inciteful, hateful speech? I want to know from him, on the record, on what date he and the government became aware that vaccinated people could spread COVID as well as unvaccinated people. What date?
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Madam Speaker, vaccination is not a punishment. Vaccination is protection. The enemy is not vaccination. The enemy is the virus. When we hear members of the opposite side talk about vaccination as the enemy, I am a bit disturbed by it.
There is a tool we need to use that we were given by science and scientists about a year and a few months ago. If there is a tool we should all be grateful to be using, it is vaccination. Imagine if we did not have vaccines in Canada in February, 2020, with omicron. Let us imagine that. Scientists have given us that gift, and I am troubled hearing views of the Conservative caucus pretending that vaccination does not work and that we should not be using it.
Let us imagine what the situation would be now if we did not have vaccination.
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Madam Speaker, we agree that more rapid tests are needed.
However, Quebec's health care systems and hospitals were already in trouble because of the federal health transfer formula, which does not even cover the increase in health care system costs. As we know, Quebec and all the provinces are calling for health transfers to increase to 35%.
Can my colleague talk to us about this without distracting us with all kinds of other things? What is going to happen with the recurring transfers?
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from La Pointe‑de‑l'Île for the opportunity to speak to this. We must use every tool at our disposal, including PPE, vaccination, antivirals and rapid tests.
Furthermore, the government has supported the provinces and territories by providing $63 billion since March 2022 specifically to keep people healthy and safe, as well as investing over $280 billion in direct support to businesses and workers. That is an example of how the government has already supported and will continue to support the provinces and territories.
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Madam Speaker, one of the real concerns we have had throughout the pandemic is the huge economic crisis. We saw seniors who applied for CERB, but then suffered clawbacks from the government.
Can we get a confirmation that the government is going to work with New Democrats to speed up payments so that seniors are not losing their homes and their savings, that the government's mistake will be ended immediately, and that we will see funding to the seniors who need it?
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Madam Speaker, I would invite my colleague to continue working with my own colleagues, the Minister of Seniors and the Minister of Finance, on this very important other bill that is before the House. On the commitment for this particular bill, I am very happy to repeat that we are going to report to the House every six months on the use, cost and number of rapid tests that will have been delivered and that will have a beneficial impact for all Canadians in the weeks and months to come.
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Madam Speaker, while we can understand the urgency of this legislation in some capacity, the Senate does not sit until next Monday. The fact that the government is trying to rush through this piece of legislation without allowing due process and due time for consideration of amendments is a slap in the face of democracy. We really need to have that opportunity, so I implore the government to consider delaying this so we can have the opportunity to have all due consideration of this.
I ask the minister this. Why the rush?
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Madam Speaker, approximately 130 people die of COVID-19 every day, so that is one example of the sense of urgency. Provinces and territories are requesting the help of the federal government in providing greater numbers of rapid tests, in addition to the substantial numbers I mentioned earlier.
Obviously the Senate is going to do its own job, and we value and appreciate what they will do at the appropriate time. We are in the House of Commons. We need to do our job, and that is why most of today will be focused on the use and usefulness of rapid tests.
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- Feb/14/22 11:33:39 a.m.
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It is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith the question necessary to dispose of the motion now before the House. The question is on the motion.
If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division or that the motion be adopted on division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
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- Feb/14/22 11:34:14 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we request a recorded vote.
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- Feb/14/22 11:34:19 a.m.
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