44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 10, 2022 10:00AM
- Feb/10/22 4:46:25 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Lethbridge.
Once again, Canada's Conservatives are called out to speak on behalf of all Canadians. A continued and profound lack of leadership has allowed us to get and remain in this quagmire pitting east versus west, rural versus urban, vaccinated versus unvaccinated and Canadian versus Canadian.
As many of us in the House have attempted previously, I will once again attempt to turn down the temperature using measured arguments and examples to help the Liberal government make informed decisions. It is unbelievable that just yesterday members of the House from across the aisle chose to mislead Canadians. I cannot count the number of times that the leadership of the Conservative Party has reiterated the fact that Conservatives support vaccination.
Often, when we move toward a more perfect union, there are those with differing opinions. To me, this is indicative of what we all see as Canadians. We can have different opinions, yet somehow those things which unite us in the greatness of Canada are much stronger bonds than those forces which strive, perhaps, to tear us apart.
While l was a practising physician, if a patient came into my office and they had significant issues or hesitancy around perhaps vaccines or treatments, my job was to build trust and a relationship, and then encourage those people to develop a behaviour that would be different and that, perhaps most importantly, benefited them. When we do that in a very kind, caring, compassionate and hand-holding manner, in a way that shows those folks that we respect them and that we are content experts, we know that the likelihood of change goes up significantly.
Does this mean that those people should be stigmatized, vilified, marginalized, mocked, called names, excluded from society and have their ability to support their families removed? I really think not. As a friend of mine once said, this is akin to a schoolyard bully not only winning the fight, but also taking our lunch money and our lunch box. It is shameful. Is this really the type of Canada that we want to be?
This week, I had the opportunity to speak to Trevor. He is a middle-aged man. He went away from his hometown to university. He filled his dream of becoming a math teacher. He then had the opportunity to move back to his hometown. He worked hard, and indeed he became a very well-respected math teacher and coach of the varsity soccer team.
Unfortunately for Trevor in our society, he has decided not to be immunized. Why is this unfortunate? We all know exactly what happened. Trevor lost his job. He can no longer coach the soccer team. He can no longer take either of his children to their leisure activities such as the 4-H club or to their soccer games.
This is the important part that Canadians need to remember. Trevor is not a villain. Trevor is not uncaring. He is not disrespectful, and he is not against those who have been immunized. Who is Trevor? Trevor is our next door neighbour. Trevor is our cousin. Trevor is our brother. He is the guy who shovelled our driveway. He has coached our kids in soccer. He used to teach our children math. Now because of mandates supported by the federal government, he is unemployed. He is no longer a productive member of society, and his physical health, mental health and relationships have suffered beyond anyone's imagination.
I want to also tell the story of Douglas. Admittedly his story is similar to Trevor's, but perhaps slightly different. Douglas has had COVID twice. Thankfully, he has recovered, and because of somewhat unusual circumstances, he agreed to be part of an antibodies study for those who have been infected with COVID.
Therefore, Douglas knows he has antibodies against COVID-19. Perhaps many out there will be quick to remark that antibodies do not tell the whole story with respect to our immunity against COVID. We can talk about that all day if we choose to.
However, this gentleman has agreed to become part of our greater scientific understanding of the most damaging worldwide pandemic in over 100 years. Now why would Douglas agree to do such a thing?
Oddly enough, Douglas is a Ph.D. level scientist in organic chemistry. He knows science. He believes in science. He studied science. Members can guess what happened. I know this may come as a terrible shock, but once again, we have another Canadian who was a productive member of society, but who is now not, because he too has lost his job. He worked from home by himself. This is the unfair and divisive mandates we see here today.
It would be very easy at this time to launch into a tirade about the Prime Minister's lack of leadership, his inability to deviate from an ill-advised course, or to talk about his continued inability to show any compassion for someone who might disagree with his overly embellished view of the world. However, I took enough of the House's time during the emergency debate on Tuesday evening to lecture more on the topic of leadership, such as what we have already heard about a great leader like, perhaps, Colin Powell.
During a time of crisis, nations need leadership, and the Liberal government has not stepped up. It has failed Canadians. Indeed, from the most recent misery index, Canadians have become even more miserable, year upon year, under the failed leadership of the Prime Minister. I think that is enough said.
It is important, also, that Canadians reflect upon the negative impact mandates are likely to have upon children and adolescents. I have had the opportunity to speak to representatives from the Canadian pediatric society, who are arguably experts. The deep concern they have for the ongoing emotional trauma placed upon Canada's children and adolescents is beyond belief.
As the world has never seen this type of mandate and loss of hope, the effects on multiple generations could be catastrophic. Most distressing is that we do not know what the future holds for these traumatized young people. What happens to a developing brain when it is continually presented with mixed messaging, an uncertain future, despair, isolation from their friends, lack of physical activity, inability to see facial expressions, a lack of physical touch and a population-wide division based on a failure of leadership?
How do these young people get help, and what do they need? How can a health system or a mental health system, which is already improperly funded and staffed with professionals who are tired and burned out, come to the aid of these children and adolescents? What are we to do for them in the future? As a physician, father, grandfather, politician and concerned Canadian, this question keeps me up at night.
There are those out there who wish to continue to dodge the blame and muddy the waters of federal versus provincial mandates. Certainly, the Prime Minister would rather have Canadians put the blame on their premiers. This is not leadership. I think many Canadians in this time of crisis would echo those words used by former president Truman: “The buck stops here.”
As I begin to close my remarks, I think it is important for all Canadians to reflect upon this pandemic as an unprecedented crisis affecting the entire world. It has been a situation that has led scientists and physicians and, indeed, everyday Canadians, to look at scientific studies and statistics. This pandemic and the accompanying data and statistics have changed, and it is important that good public policy changes with the science. I implore the Liberal government to revisit their policy and understand the plight of everyday Canadians.
Finally, Canadians need to have a plan to end the COVID-19 federal mandates. Once again I will be clear, we need to talk about science, not political science, and we need to hear from medical doctors, not the spin doctors.
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- Feb/10/22 4:57:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. parliamentary secretary has missed part of the point. The biggest point here is that Canadians expect leadership. Canadians, during a time of crisis, need to be given hope, to be given some certainty for their future, to be given some direction.
Let us think back about the other times of crisis that we have had in this great nation. We have been led by leaders. What do we have now? We have a Prime Minister who continues to use disparaging language, who wants to divide Canadians. He wants to call them names. He likes to mock them. He likes to point a finger at them. I do not know what other mean things he would like to do to them, but he continues to do them. He has dug his heels in all the way up to his neck and he refuses to change course, despite the negative consequences for all Canadians,
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- Feb/10/22 4:58:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the important thing that we are asking of the government is to have a plan. It continues to refuse. All it wants to do is to continue this idea that this pandemic is going to continue incessantly. That is what leads Canadians to have no hope going forward.
Regardless of whether people are vaccinated or unvaccinated, old or young, everybody wants to hear what the government has for a plan. Whether Conservative, Liberal or NDP, they still want to hear from Canada's Prime Minister. They do not want to hear from the Prime Minister for just the Liberal people or just the people who are vaccinated or who believe what he has to say; they want to hear from Canada's Prime Minister.
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- Feb/10/22 5:00:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps the more important answer is to know why the Liberal government stole from the COVAX program. Why did it take vaccines that were already there and waiting for the developing nations that need them so dearly? Why did it take them from that program? Why have the Liberals only funded half of the doses that they said they were going to send to the COVAX program?
Again, it is due to failed leadership. That is why.
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