QUESTION PERIOD — Health
COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
December 10, 2020
Leader, I’d like to return to an issue I briefly raised last week during Question Period. The timeline for the distribution of vaccinations provided under the government’s COVID-19 immunization plan, which was finally released on Wednesday, notes that priority populations will receive vaccinations beginning this month, and general immunizations will begin in April and go to the end of next year.
Yesterday, I was pleased to hear the Province of B.C. announce that firefighters are included in the schedule of first responders. I understand that each province will have its own approach, as they should, but instead of a piecemeal approach for including firefighters in this schedule of first responders — and I don’t know about incidents or situations you’ve witnessed, but I’ve always seen the firefighters be the first to arrive and they do the opposite of what humans normally do; they go into the burning buildings, go into danger. They are first responders. Knowing that there’s a piecemeal approach and some were included and some were excluded the last time, for this round, would the health minister perhaps convene a meeting with the ministers of health and talk about first responders, specifically firefighters, so they’re not excluded from some and included in others?
Thank you for your question. As you know, the health ministers are meeting today. Although I’m sure they’re talking about many issues and they’re all important, as we all know, the number one issue that they’re talking about is the money that the provinces wish to receive from the federal government. I will certainly make inquiries about where this fits into the ongoing federal-provincial discussions about standards generally. I will refrain from making my usual statement about federal and provincial jurisdiction, and certainly take it up with the minister at the first opportunity.