It’s time for Canadians to find out how well the federal government handled COVID-19 with a public inquiry into Canada’s pandemic response, says the NDP.
Davies said it was clear at the onset of the pandemic that Canada was not well-equipped to handle the strain caused by COVID-19. He said a public inquiry can answer questions about everything from the early detection of the virus to personal protective equipment shortages and domestic vaccine production capabilities.
Since then, public health restrictions have ebbed and flowed with pandemic waves, and have included vaccine mandates for public servants, workers in federally regulated industries and travellers, border closures and mandatory COVID-19 tests for travellers. In a news conference on Monday, Davies said everyone who had a role in decision-making should be heard from.NDP and Conservative MPs recently asked the country’s chief public health officer about a possible review of the government’s handling of the pandemic, at a meeting of the House of Commons health committee.
“The inputs from a variety of experts on what went well, as well as what could be improved, are important to set us up well for our response going into the future, given that pandemics will occur again.”