QUESTION PERIOD — Health
COVID-19 Pandemic--Mask Wearing
June 23, 2020
My question is for the Government Representative. This past weekend, I was dismayed to see very few shoppers wearing masks at a mall that had just reopened in Montreal.
Since people don’t seem to be getting into the habit of wearing masks, more and more experts and doctors are recommending that masks be made mandatory on all public transit across the country, as well as in stores.
Shouldn’t Patty Hajdu, the Minister of Health, or Dr. Tam, the Chief Public Health Officer, send a message by recommending that masks be made mandatory, even if that decision is ultimately up to the provinces?
Thank you for asking that important question. You raised one of the issues at play, which is that, ultimately, the power to regulate businesses and daily life is a provincial responsibility.
The Minister of Health and Dr. Tam have strongly recommended wearing a mask. However, for obvious reasons, it would be a little tricky for the federal government to recommend that the provincial governments do this, that or the other, not only because the impact of the pandemic is being experienced very differently from one province to another, but also because within each province, including our own, that experience varies from region to region as well.
I’m sorry, Senator Miville-Dechêne, but the time for Question Period has now expired.
