OTTAWA, ON – The Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner, Shadow Minister for Health, issued the following statement calling on the Trudeau Liberals to be transparent with Canadians about their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic:

 

“At a time when it is very clear that the Liberals were unprepared for the second wave of the pandemic, and Canadians are worried about their loved ones, their jobs and their futures, they deserve clear answers from their government.

 

“On Friday, Conservatives put forward a motion at the Health Committee calling on the Trudeau government to release documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic, so that Canadians could get answers.  Instead of agreeing that Canadians deserve to know how their government is managing a health crisis, the Liberals shut down the meeting entirely.

 

“Instead of telling Canadians the truth about the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trudeau Liberals keep trying to stop Canadians from getting answers.  In a shocking email today, Liberal MP Marcus Powlowski sent instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office to his fellow committee members, telling Liberals to move the committee meeting behind closed doors, and to block committee members from getting key documents that show why the early pandemic warning system was shut down, where we are at on PPE procurement, and why Canadians still do not have access to rapid testing.

 

“The Trudeau Liberals keep dragging their feet and shutting down meetings of the Ethics and Finance committees because they claim they just want to focus on the pandemic. But clearly that isn’t true, or they would agree to release the pandemic documents. 

 

“Given Justin Trudeau’s many pandemic failures, Canadians deserve to know what evidence the Liberal government has relied on to make decisions, and to see a concrete plan to protect their health and our economy going forward. Another economic shutdown is not the solution. We need access to rapid and at-home testing.  Canadians cannot afford to miss work to wait days for a test and a week or more for their results.

 

“Conservatives will stop at nothing to get the truth for Canadians.  We are prepared to hold marathon meetings of the Health Committee this week if that’s what it takes.”