QUESTION PERIOD — Health
COVID-19 Pandemic--Rapid Testing
December 15, 2021
Honourable senators, my question is for Senator Gold. The federal government has distributed millions of rapid tests across Canada and has recently announced that more will be coming. This is good. Rapid tests are a useful tool that Canadians can self-apply to help decrease the spread of COVID. This is especially important with the rise of this most transmissible variant.
In Nova Scotia, thanks to the great work of our public health leaders and our rapid test guru, Dr. Lisa Barrett, over 2 million tests in a population of 1 million people have been distributed. They are free and provided in community settings, as well as workplaces, schools, shelters and outbreak areas. Over 3,400 volunteers have helped put them together, including our very own Senator Colin Deacon.
Will the Government of Canada continue to make sure, as long as they are needed, that there is a rapid test supply being procured to keep provinces and territories adequately resourced and that locations, such as Nova Scotia, that have demonstrated successful deployment and outbreak containment through asymptomatic testing will continue to receive them?
Thank you for your question. Following the economic statement, the government is committing $1.7 billion to continue supporting provinces and territories in securing rapid testing supplies that they need to keep our citizens safe and healthy.
I’ve also been advised that the government has already authorized 24 of these tests, and we can expect more to be authorized as the technology develops. I have been further advised that the government has ordered over 35 million tests for all provinces and territories. I’m also told that the government has deployed a large number of tests to provinces and territories and has shared guidance as to how they can be used effectively. This will increase our ability to detect, track and address outbreaks of COVID-19 variants in Canada.
Senator Gold, sadly, the widespread availability of free rapid tests has been uneven across the country. Does the federal government have any thoughts about how to nudge those jurisdictions that have fallen behind in making these tests widely available?
Thank you for your question. Indeed, each province is sovereign within its jurisdiction as to how it will deploy the tests provided and supported by the Canadian government. The Government of Canada is in regular contact with the Minister of Health and with his provincial counterparts, and I am confident that this issue is a regular part of the agenda for these meetings.
