44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 10, 2022 10:00AM
- Feb/10/22 1:44:30 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my colleague and friend, the hon. member for Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill.
I wish to start off in today's discussion with a very simple statement. I want to start by thanking Canadians. I wish to thank Canadians because we have asked much from Canadians for the last two years, and Canadians have been resilient. They responded.
What have we asked from Canadians for the last two years? We have asked Canadians to wear a mask. We have asked them to socially distance. We have asked them to reinforce their hygiene standards and wash their hands more frequently. We have asked them to refrain from being with family on the holiest of holy days, whatever their religion, and not to be with family members. We have asked them to remain, as our family has done, among one or two families. We have asked businesses owned by Canadians to stay shut down. Obviously, our government stepped up and had their backs, whether it was workers, seniors or entrepreneurs, and helped them during this time.
Why have we asked this of Canadians? We asked it because we are in a pandemic. Canadians provided us the time to receive the vaccines, which we received. They provided us the time to protect our health care system, because we needed to do so, and I wish to thank Canadians for their resiliency, because that is what this debate is about. That is why we were elected to serve as 338 parliamentarians. It was not to be in the weeds, but to look at the big picture.
We are making much progress. Ninety per cent of the residents of York Region are vaccinated. The number of boosters being given continues to rise. Our hospitalizations are down. Surgeries, many of which had been cancelled, are being rescheduled. A new normal is returning, but it is due in part to the sacrifices of Canadians, to Canadians' following not the government's advice but the advice of our public health officials. We cannot lose sight of that fact.
Many lives have been delayed. Many lives have been disrupted. Many Canadians have passed away from this pandemic. We cannot lose sight of the big picture. We are going the right way. We are making progress as a country, not individually but together.
As a parliamentarian, I believe in doing what is right and communicating to my constituents the public health advisories on what we should do to protect our families and loved ones so we can get to a better day. It is coming, absolutely. We are seeing changes on restrictions, especially at the provincial level, and that is the right thing to do. Ninety per cent of Canadians are vaccinated with their double dose. That is wonderful. We should be proud. We should be proud that we are protecting our health care system. We should thank the frontline workers for what they have sacrificed for the last two years. That is what we should be doing.
We should continue, yes, to re-evaluate the science. We cannot put an arbitrary date on when we can lift this or lift that. That does not work. We have seen that. We have seen it in province after province. If they lifted prematurely, their hospital system became overwhelmed, their ICU capacity became overwhelmed, their supply chain became disrupted and they were back at square one. Let us go 10 steps forward at a time and maybe one step back, instead of four steps forward and 20 steps back. That is what our government is doing. We are there to assist Canadians and we will continue to do so.
As I stated at the beginning before going to my formal remarks, I want to thank Canadians today. I wish to thank them for doing the right thing, for getting us through this pandemic as we continue to go forward. Yes, I believe the light is at the end of the tunnel. I completely have confidence in that. Why? It is because of vaccines, because of the science of vaccines, because we have done the right thing and because Canadians have been resilient.
I understand that the official opposition has come on side now, although kind of late, to say that the blockades should stop. We should not be interrupting the lives of auto workers, farmers or our agri-food business. Many of the opposition members represent rural ridings that have a lot of farmers. I do not think it is very impressive that we are blocking borders so that we cannot ship our farm products to the United States. I do not think it is very impressive that auto workers are being forced to stay home because of blockades, which up until three days ago the Conservative Party was in favour of. That is not reasonable leadership; I would call it otherwise. We need to do what is right for Canadians day in and day out. We are in a pandemic, a once-in-a-hundred-years event. It requires maturity and it requires leadership.
It has been more than two years since our border measures were put in place to help keep Canadians safe and protected. As the most serious public health crisis in the last century unfolded, the Government of Canada acted quickly to put in place emergency border measures to reduce the risk of the importation and transmission of COVID-19 and new variants into Canada through international travel. The border measures that have been implemented are informed by data and available scientific evidence, not just by pulling dates out of thin air. They also come from monitoring the epidemiological situation in Canada and in other countries. Measures are adjusted as required to respond to the evidence while continuing to protect the health of everyone in Canada.
Starting in January 2020, enhanced screening measures were put in place for passengers who were arriving from areas where the COVID-19 virus was rampant. As the virus spread to other countries and became more of a danger, these screening measures were further enhanced with additional questions and referrals of incoming passengers to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Eventually stronger measures had to be put in place to protect our country and its citizens, such as the ban on the entry of foreign nationals into Canada. Canada was not alone in closing its borders for discretionary travel at that time. Many other countries also put in place severe restrictions on travel, including other G7 countries and our neighbour to the south, our largest trading partner.
As the pandemic wore on, the Government of Canada never lost its focus on the health and safety of all Canadians. Decisions around protocols and measures were taken to reduce the effects of COVID-19 on our citizens and on our economy so that our Canadian economy could quickly recover, and it was great to see that our output is larger than it was prepandemic. It is great to see that employment levels are above where they were prepandemic. Why? It is because we did what was right for Canadians. We had their backs, we put in place proper measures that we all know about and we invested in Canadians. It was the right thing to do.
In June 2021, the government announced the first phase of its approach to easing border measures for travellers entering Canada, and the Government of Canada continues to make cautious adjustments to its border approach by using the latest scientific evidence and data. These changes are possible thanks to our vaccine adoption rate and our adherence to existing public health measures. The overwhelming majority of Canadians adhered to protocols and measures and got vaccinated not only once but twice, and for many there was even a third booster. They have shown courage, resilience and compassion, and, yes, they have sacrificed. I thank them, as their actions have been crucial in giving us, the Government of Canada, the leeway to reduce and even remove some of the measures that were put in place at the beginning.
Earlier measures have been adjusted. In August and September 2021, the government continued to reopen Canada's borders, allowing fully vaccinated leisure travellers from the U.S. to enter Canada starting on August 9, followed by fully vaccinated travellers on non-essential trips from all other countries on September 7. The government also eliminated the requirement to stay in government-authorized accommodation upon arrival.
As I quickly conclude my remarks, I want all parliamentarians to take a step back and look at the big picture of where we are and where we have been and see that we are is in a much better place. There is work to be done and progress to continue to be made, but we must follow the science.
I do ask, and I have asked this on national television, that the blockade stop and that the protesters outside, with the utmost respect to those individuals protesting, go home and allow the citizens of Ottawa to regain their normal lives.
1521 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/10/22 1:55:22 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Canada has been at the table in providing funds, resources and vaccines as part of the facility to developing countries. Obviously, we will work in unison, as we always do, with the WTO and all our trading partners. That is who we are as a people and who we are as a country.
55 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/10/22 1:56:41 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the restrictions in place preventing that business from operating are actually provincial restrictions as they deal with capacity, whether it is going to a basketball game or seeing a concert. With regard to my hon. colleague's question, I would refer him to the Province of British Columbia, but at the same time, I would encourage all his residents and all Canadians to get vaccinated so we can again go to a concert or a basketball game with full capacity.
82 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/10/22 1:58:10 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, of course, we continue to re-evaluate the scientific evidence as it comes in, working with our public health partners, and we continue to make adjustments. That is what governing is about. That is what making decisions and showing leadership is about. That is what we have done for the last two years and that is what we will continue to do.
64 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/10/22 1:59:25 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, very simply, Canadians want leadership, not flip-flopping. That is the first point I will make. On procuring vaccines, we have delivered. On rapid tests, we have delivered. On personal protective equipment, we have delivered for Canadians. We have assisted Canadian businesses and workers through the pandemic. We will continue to be there. We will get through this pandemic and we will get through this stronger than ever.
70 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
