Hon. Denise Batters: Senator Gold, a month ago, I asked you when your government would lift the federal vaccine mandates. The only change that has been made is testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers returning to Canada. All the provinces have dropped or have plans to drop their mandates. This federal Trudeau government still doesn’t even have a plan or, seemingly, a clue.

With Canada’s vaccination rate as high as it is, over 80%, the time for freedom is now. When will the federal government drop the vaccine mandates and give Canadians their freedom back?

Senator Batters: Senator Gold, the Trudeau government’s rules haven’t kept pace with the evolving nature of the virus, particularly its Omicron variant. Even Canada’s federal health agencies haven’t endorsed blanket vaccine mandates as necessary, and Dr. Theresa Tam has said she thinks they should be reviewed. Doctors who testified before the House of Commons committee yesterday said that this government’s universal mandates were coercive, of limited benefit and have driven up vaccine hesitancy. The doctors know the science, Senator Gold, and they are saying the mandates are not necessary, yet the Trudeau government still refuses to drop the mandates.

Senator Gold, if science isn’t the basis for deciding when to lift the federal vaccine mandates, what is? Political science or political theatre?