QUESTION PERIOD — Health
COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
March 15, 2021
Honourable senators, my question again is for the government leader. The United States has fully vaccinated over 37 million of its citizens against COVID-19. Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance on how fully vaccinated Americans can safely visit each other and unvaccinated people in private settings. There was updated guidance also issued on how nursing homes in the U.S. can safely expand visits from loved ones. We are nowhere near anything like this in Canada, leader. Canadians have received no public health guidance from the federal government on how they can expect their lives to change when they are fully vaccinated, whenever that may be.
Leader, when will we see the Trudeau government’s plan for reopening our economy and allowing families and friends to safely meet with each other again?
The Government of Canada works tirelessly with provincial and territorial governments to coordinate, and to plan together, the implementation of the vaccine program and the follow-up recommendations that the federal government may make for consideration by the provinces. But the decision as to when businesses will open, who can visit whom and under what circumstances remains exclusively a provincial one, which explains why the rules in this country are different in my province of Quebec than they are in yours, senator, and across the country. That is a feature of our federalism. That’s one of our strengths because it allows us to learn one from each other.
The U.S., of course, has many more states than we have provinces and they seem to be able to do this. The United Kingdom has delivered one of the fastest COVID-19 vaccination programs in the world, leader. Last month, the U.K. government laid out a step-by-step plan for the gradual reopening of their economy.
Again, last week the United States set out their reopening plan as well, with all adults to be eligible for the vaccine by May 1. Canadians are looking for similar leadership, leader, in our own country. When will we get it? Or will the provinces and territories be left to figure things out in their own respective jurisdictions?
Sorry, Senator Gold, but the time for Question Period has expired. Perhaps you could respond to Senator Plett by delayed answer.
