QUESTION PERIOD — Health
COVID-19 Pandemic--Commission of Inquiry
December 7, 2022
My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate, and it concerns the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senator Gold, yesterday the Auditor General released two important reports on the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, one on vaccine procurement and the other on COVID-19 benefits. These are two important snapshots of the government response that are part of a much larger picture.
Throughout the pandemic, I often heard that, through no fault of anybody’s, the government’s response to the pandemic was like building an airplane in mid-flight. There are lessons to be learned here that we cannot forget. We need a blueprint for the next big pandemic or whatever the next big thing is.
As we’ve been reminded through the daily work of Justice Rouleau, a commission of inquiry is incredibly effective at working through events in a transparent and systematic way.
Does the government intend to establish a commission of inquiry into the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and if so, when can we expect this to occur?
Thank you very much for your question.
The government knows that it is very important for us to take stock of the lessons that we learned during this pandemic and prepare for future health emergencies and, indeed, any kind of emergency.
I’m advised that some on this work is, in fact, already under way, colleagues, through internal reviews by the Public Health Agency of Canada in addition to external, independent reviews by the Global Public Health Intelligence Network and by the Auditor General.
Now, the government knows, as well, that more can be done, and that is why I’m advised that the government will, in fact, have a COVID-19 response review in a format yet to be determined that will be announced when the details are finalized. In the meantime, I’m assured that the government will keep working with provinces and territories to improve our healthcare system to keep Canadians safe.
Thank you.
I’m hopeful that these processes and the number of examples that you’ve described this afternoon do keep us on that path to transparency and a picture that is as clear, open and honest as possible. Thank you.
