Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, issued the following statement:
 
“Last spring, when it was clear that vaccines would be the key tool to turn the page in the crisis, Justin Trudeau dropped the ball completely.
 
“He turned to China, of all countries, to partner with on the making of a vaccine. It was the worst in a series of bad decisions and it is why we are lagging the developed world today.
 
“We’re still scrambling to catch up. It’s a national disgrace, especially in a country as strong and prosperous as Canada.
 
“It all belongs to the past. What matters is the future. What matters is that this never, ever happens again.
 
“Last month, Canada marked a National Day of Observance for those lost to this pandemic, but to truly honour their memory, we must pledge to learn from the mistakes made and improve our resilience and readiness as a country.
 
“Our attention should be on getting the country back on its feet.
 
“But when the pandemic is over, we need answers, we need to know what worked and what didn’t. We need complete transparency and accountability.
 
“A Conservative government will call a public inquiry to examine every aspect of the government’s pandemic response. We also call on the government to appoint a special monitor from the Office of the Auditor General to track the pandemic response in real time to ensure that valuable ‘lessons learned’ are captured for future emergency readiness.
 
“The inquiry will ensure that all lessons learned from the crisis are publicly aired and learnings can immediately be adopted. Canada must be better prepared for future threats. We cannot afford to once again fail to keep Canadians safe.
 
“To secure the future, we must learn from the past.”

Ottawa, ON – Pat Kelly, Conservative Shadow Minister for Small Business and Western Economic Development, and Philip Lawrence, Shadow Minister for National Revenue, released the following statement regarding the passage of the Conservative motion to support small and medium sized businesses:
 
“Today, with the passage of our motion in the House of Commons, Conservatives have secured more help for small and medium sized businesses harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of our efforts, the Trudeau Liberals must pause their punishing audits on small and medium sized businesses until June 2021 and provide additional flexibility in the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, and other programs to support entrepreneurs and workers.
 
“This builds on our Conservative track record of standing up for small and medium sized businesses and making the government’s emergency programs better for Canadians. This includes increasing the wage subsidy from 10 to 75 per cent, advocating for changes to the Liberals’ failed rent subsidy program, and now, postponing the Liberal audits on small and medium sized businesses.
 
“It’s shameful that the Trudeau Liberals failed to support this motion and voted for punitive audits on small and medium sized businesses during the second wave of the pandemic. These community businesses are fighting to keep their doors open, and Justin Trudeau wants to make it harder by sending the tax collector after them. While Justin Trudeau and the Liberals think small businesses are tax cheats – Conservatives know they are the backbone of our economy.
 
“Conservatives understand that there is no Canadian economy without our small and medium sized businesses. It’s as simple as that. Under the leadership of Erin O’Toole, we will continue to stand up for workers and entrepreneurs across Canada and ensure they get the support they need to weather this pandemic.”

Ottawa, ON – The Honourable Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and of the Official Opposition, today issued the following statement on the Conservative Opposition Day motion regarding the release of pandemic documents:

“It’s been seven months since the start of the pandemic. And what was the Liberal response? Masks, gloves and gowns from the government’s own reserves sent to China, while health care professionals and first responders here at home were being asked to ration.
 
“And now, we are falling behind our allies in securing future COVID-19 vaccines and in approving rapid tests.  
 
“The Liberal’s response to COVID-19 needs to be reviewed. Canadians deserve a government that will have their backs. A government that will develop our local medical equipment production chain without the worry of Liberal insiders getting rich off taxpayers.
 
“The Liberals have repeatedly attempted to shut down studies of the pandemic response. My colleagues in the Health Committee have been facing obstruction, delays, and manipulation in the midst of a pandemic.
 
“To all Canadians waiting for ventilators to arrive, to all Canadians hoping we’ll get rapid testing, and to all Canadians having lost a loved one to the virus, you deserve answers.
 
“This motion will instruct the Standing Committee on Health to undertake a study focused on:

• Rapid and at home testing approvals and procurement processes to reduce our waiting lines,
• Vaccine development and protocol for its distribution,
• A review of federal public health guidelines and data being used to inform government decisions,
• A review of long-term care facility COVID-19 protocols under federal jurisdiction,
• The availability of PPE in Canada and a review of Canada’s emergency PPE stockpile from 2015 to today.
• The impact of this government’s use of WHO advice to delay closing borders and delay recommending the wearing of masks
• And, importantly, the reasons why and the eventual impact of closing Canada’s early warning system, the GPHIN.

“In bringing this motion forward, we want to offer the government a chance to work with us, better its approach, and act with transparency.
 
“Canadians deserve a government that learns lessons from mistakes and successes so we can prepare better for the future. That is what this motion will accomplish.”
 
The Conservative Opposition Day motion can be found here.