QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Health
Testing for COVID-19
February 9, 2022
Minister, your Bill C-10 is requesting $2.5 billion for expenses for COVID tests. The bill consists of six lines. That’s it, six lines to justify $2.5 billion. Effectively, you’re asking Parliament to sign a blank cheque for $2.5 billion without providing any of the usual information on how the money will be spent.
When you were the Treasury Board minister, your bills always provided substantial financial information on how the money will be spent. Why doesn’t this bill include the usual appendices and other information detailing how the $2.5 billion will be spent?
Thank you, Senator Marshall.
Two things. First, I believe we all understand and certainly we all have heard of the use and usefulness of rapid tests for COVID-19. As I mentioned earlier, those rapid tests were rarely and unequally used by provinces and territories prior to the end of 2021. That’s why we were so happy and collaborative in providing hundreds of millions of rapid tests in quite a short amount of time. We know they were being used and appreciated by many Canadians.
This being said, as you have noted, we note there will be a greater demand for such rapid tests. I will be glad to ask my office to get back to you and provide examples and ways for which these rapid tests will be of continuing use and usefulness for Canadians across the country.
