44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 9, 2022 02:00PM
- Feb/9/22 2:26:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we intend to follow the science and are working closely with Dr. Tam and other public health officials to ensure that we get through this pandemic as best we possibly can, and that has been through vaccinations.
The fact that nine out of 10 Canadians have gotten vaccinated is one of the reasons why we are able to get through this. It is why we have been able to prevent our health systems from being completely overrun. Vaccinations are the one thing through this, and that is why we are continuing to encourage Canadians to get vaccinated. Why, unfortunately, the Conservatives are against vaccination is, quite frankly, beyond me.
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- Feb/9/22 2:27:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada and Canadians have made it through this pandemic better than many other places because Canadians stepped up. They were there for each other, and their government had their backs.
We worked closely with provincial and territorial leaders. Every step of the way, we kept focusing on vaccinations, on public health supports and on business supports, which has allowed us through. Canadians are continuing to get vaccinated. Sixty thousand Canadians got vaccinated with their first dose just last week. We are continuing to make sure Canadians get vaccinated, because this is how we get through this pandemic.
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- Feb/9/22 2:28:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us talk about last year's election. It was an opportunity for Canadians to weigh in on the path forward for our country, and on how to continue to fight this pandemic. What we saw, unfortunately, from the Conservative Party of Canada was a refusal to step up on vaccination and a refusal to follow science. As they were talking about how we get through this pandemic, they could not ensure that their own MPs got vaccinated.
Canadians spoke loudly and clearly in the last election, and said that science and vaccination were the way through. They gave us in this House a mandate to move forward on that, and we did.
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- Feb/9/22 2:30:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while Canadians have made it through this pandemic, what this government has provided is responsible leadership that has put the health and safety of Canadians first and foremost. That is exactly what we did. That is exactly what we talked about in the last election campaign. That is exactly what we are going to continue to do in following the science.
The member opposite talks about Canadians' suffering. Supply chains are disrupted and Canadians are in their homes worried of walking their streets because the Conservatives continue to support blockades that are hurting businesses across the country.
Will the Conservative leader stand up and condemn those blockades?
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- Feb/9/22 2:31:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, in the last election, we were there to unify Canadians around vaccine mandates. Canadians voted for a government that would put science first. They rejected the Conservative Party, which would not even confirm whether its own members were vaccinated.
Now we are going through another difficult situation, with blockades at our borders and in the city of Ottawa. The Conservative Party will not even condemn these blockades and the impact they are having on Canadians across the country, who are losing their jobs and struggling to put food on the table.
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- Feb/9/22 2:33:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I absolutely acknowledge that.
Our government has acknowledged for more than a week now that this siege is unacceptable. It is having an impact on small businesses, manufacturers, and supply chains.
We must do everything we can together, at every level of government, to end these blockades at the border and in Ottawa.
It would be extremely helpful if the Conservative Party told its supporters to stop blocking our economy and go home.
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- Feb/9/22 2:34:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the provincial and municipal governments were able to manage the protests that occurred in Quebec City a few days ago very well. Nevertheless, we were there if more help was needed. They managed the situation well, as did other cities.
There are certain challenges in Ottawa, and we are here to support the local authorities, to work with the province and to ensure that law and order are restored.
However, it is important that the Conservative Party of Canada call for an end to the blockades and stop encouraging its supporters to continue blocking Canada and the economy.
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- Feb/9/22 2:35:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are working very hard with partners at different levels of government to make sure that the flow of funds through criminal activities is interdicted. We are going to continue to do that while, all at the same time, ensuring that there is a right of free and open legal protests. That is extremely important in this country.
I will highlight, however, the irony the member opposite brought up, which is indeed a harsh one: While this convoy originally was all about truckers protesting, now it is truckers being protested and being prevented from doing their jobs of putting food on our tables and supporting our manufacturers.
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- Feb/9/22 2:37:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have worked with our partners, including international partners, to track the funds that are being sent to organizations, businesses and criminal activities here in Canada, and that work will continue.
However, it is interesting to note that the blockades and convoy that were originally supposed to be by truckers are now preventing other truckers from doing their jobs. These truckers are unable to deliver purchases to Canadians or deliver merchandise and products to our manufacturers. Truckers are now the victims of these—
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- Feb/9/22 2:38:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in that election, Canada had an extremely important conversation about how to move forward through this pandemic. Partially because of the clear answers—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Feb/9/22 2:39:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the last election, Canadians were presented with a very clear choice of moving forward with strong vaccination policies that would ensure Canadians were safe, or the Conservative proposal to not really step up on vaccinations, not even ensure that all Conservative members were vaccinated as MPs and not give the kind of leadership on science they wanted.
Canadians made a very clear choice to vote for parties that supported vaccine mandates, and that is exactly what has gotten us through the pandemic to this point, with lower death rates than other countries around the world have had, despite all the tragedies we have faced.
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- Feb/9/22 2:40:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again we see the Conservatives are willing to twist the facts to their own partisan ends. The reality is that vaccine mandates, and the fact that Canadians stepped up to get vaccinated to almost 90%, ensured that this pandemic did not hit as hard here in Canada as elsewhere around the world.
We stayed focused on following the science and promoting public health rules, and Canadians stepped up in their communities, stepped up for their frontline health workers and stepped up for each other. Canada has never been as strong and together as we are now.
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- Feb/9/22 2:41:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, ever since the beginning of the pandemic, Canadians have all wanted to know when it would be over and when we could go back to the way things were before.
Every step of the way, we have had to adjust measures, develop proposals and introduce programs to help Canadians in a timely manner. The drop in omicron cases means that we will be able to make some changes. Things have already begun to change across the country, but we are going to follow the science, the evidence, as we have done from the start, to keep Canadians safe.
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- Feb/9/22 2:42:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have put Canadians' health and safety front and centre every step of the way.
That is exactly what we did by following the science, but here is the truth: The Conservative Party is still playing partisan games by supporting the blockades and their supporters, who are blocking our supply chains and the City of Ottawa.
They are refusing to condemn these illegal demonstrations. They support them. They bring the demonstrators coffee. When will they start showing responsible leadership?
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- Feb/9/22 2:44:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, policy in this country is set by a government that listens to science, that follows data and that does not listen to people blockading our streets and blockading our borders. That is not the way to make public policy in this country. It is not the way to bring Canadians together.
We are going to stay focused on keeping people alive, safe, healthy and indeed prosperous. The fact that the Conservative Party continues to refuse to condemn the blockades that are hurting our supply chains, driving up prices and limiting our manufactures from being able to bring their parts across the country is a shame on them.
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- Feb/9/22 2:45:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite talks about stifling industries. The reality is the support of the Conservative Party of Canada for people barricading our streets and our border crossings is harming businesses. It is harming Canadians who are putting food on the table. It is driving up prices. It is causing uncertainty, instability and frustration for people who have suffered too much because of the pandemic over the past two years. It is time for the Conservative Party to show responsible leadership and condemn these blockades, and for all of us to move forward together.
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- Feb/9/22 2:47:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of this pandemic, we have been there to increase health transfers and health investments, and that is on top of the $43 billion we transfer to the provinces and territories every year for their health care systems.
Throughout this pandemic, we have invested an additional $63 billion to support our health care system.
Yes, we will continue to increase funding, in the medium and long term, to ensure that Canadians are safe. The federal government will be there for them, just as it has been for the past two years.
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- Feb/9/22 2:48:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what more I can say. The member across the way cannot seem to take yes for an answer.
Yes, we will be there to continue increasing health transfers because, yes, we were there with an additional $63 billion from the federal government for our health care systems.
We will continue to be there. We know how much we need to work together to provide better health care systems to Canadians. The federal government will be there for our health care systems, just as it was there with $8 out of every $10 spent during the pandemic.
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- Feb/9/22 2:49:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we cannot end a pandemic with blockades. We cannot end a pandemic by decreeing it. We cannot even end it with legislation. We need to end it with science. We need to end it with public health measures. We need to end—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Feb/9/22 2:50:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we cannot stop a pandemic with blockades. We cannot end a pandemic by decree. We cannot end a pandemic with legislation.
We need to end a pandemic by relying on science, by following public health measures and with vaccinations. That is exactly what we have focused on through these past two years, and even while Canadians are tired and impatient for it to end, we are going to continue to be there for them, to support them through it and to make sure we do everything necessary to end this pandemic.
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