The views on that vary among major political parties vying for votes during a fourth wave of a deadly pandemic that has yet to be quelled.
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That leaves voters having to carefully judge the plans those parties are putting forward to protect Canadians, as experts say there will certainly be more pandemics to come.
“To borrow a line from Battlestar Galactica, this has happened before and will happen again,” said Dr. Raymond Tellier, an infectious diseases expert and medical microbiologist at McGill University in Montreal, referring to the fact the world will continue to see new pandemics emerge.
There will be more pandemics
COVID-19 has shown Canadians the devastation pandemics can cause — to people, families, society and the economy — as well as the considerable challenges of bringing them under control.
Mask-wearing shoppers walk through Toronto’s Sherway Gardens mall in June, more than a year after the pandemic was declared. (Alex Filipe/Reuters)
“What this particular pandemic has raised Canadians’ awareness to is the fact that public health crises like this can happen,” said Dr. Jane Philpott, a physician and former federal health minister, who is not involved in party politics at this time.
“And lots of experts have predicted that the gap between this one and the next one will be shorter … so, we need to be prepared.”
How Canada will move forward in future will depend, in part, on politics.
Domestic production for vaccines
The political parties are in agreement that Canada needs to be able to source domestically produced vaccines, rather than rely on external providers, as it did with COVID-19.
The Liberals said their government “has done whatever it takes to keep Canadians safe,” including implementing a vaccine-procurement strategy they credit with helping the country achieve a comparatively high rate of vaccination.
But the party said that “the pandemic laid bare that a decades-long decline in our domestic biomanufacturing capacity needed to be reversed.”
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau speaks with a supporter in his Montreal riding of Papineau on Aug. 15. (Christinne Muschi/Reuters)
The Liberals haven’t released their campaign platform yet but say “pandemic preparedness featured prominently” in the last federal budget. The Conservatives and the New Democrats, meanwhile, have laid out their views on the issue in their own platforms.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole greets neighbourhood children as he campaigns in Ottawa on Aug. 19. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)
The Tories say they’d “ramp up” capacity to research and produce needed vaccines and medicines in Canada, “putting in place a sector strategy to grow the sector in a well-thought-out way rather than just handing out money.”
Additionally, the Conservatives want to “use procurements by government and those receiving government funding” to boost domestic production of personal protective equipment (PPE). They would also reinstate a tariff on imported PPE products.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh watches an N95 mask being tested at the Novo Textiles factory in Coquitlam, B.C., on Aug. 17. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)
The New Democrats agree Canada must produce vaccines, but they would “establish a Crown corporation charged with domestic vaccine production” to do so. The NDP also pledges to ensure “Canada maintains an adequate and responsibly managed” PPE stockpile “with an emphasis on supporting domestic production.”
The Liberals say the pandemic “made clear” that more domestic PPE production is needed, which is why their government made investments to have N95 respirator masks produced here.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet steps off his bus as he arrives at a campaign event in Gatineau, Que., on Aug. 19. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
The Bloc Québécois also pointed to the lack of vaccine production in Canada as being a problem. In an email sent to CBC News ahead of the launch of its platform on Sunday, the party said it will be presenting solutions for rebuilding Quebec’s pharmaceutical industry.
The Green Party said in an emailed statement that it would ensure Canada has a “robust capacity for pharmaceutical manufacturing” and a sufficient PPE stockpile, while working to lessen the country’s overall dependence on global supply chains for essential goods and services.
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul canvasses a neighbourhood on Aug. 15 after launching her election campaign in the riding of Toronto Centre. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)
The Greens would also invest in Canada’s health and long-term care systems, with an eye to improving the social safety net.
“If we are to be better prepared the next time a crisis strikes, we cannot let this chance slip through our fingers,” the party said.
The Conservatives also want to improve the sharing of “public health intelligence” both within the government and with provincial and territorial counterparts.
A sign points people toward a vaccination site in Montreal. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)
The New Democrats say they would “provide stable, long-term funding for the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) so they can protect public health and be ready with surge capacity in the event of a crisis.”
The Conservative platform makes no mention of adjusting PHAC funding, but a party spokesperson told CBC News there are no plans to decrease it.
The Liberals said their government, in response to COVID-19, provided funds to PHAC that allowed it “to welcome more than 1,000 new employees and bolster its capacity in a number of critical areas.”
Room for improvement
Those outside the political system are also paying attention to the challenges Canada is facing — including those who have seen the public health system up close.
Philpott, the former Liberal health minister, said she sees a “long list” of things Canada needs to deal with before it confronts a future pandemic.
For her, improving public health capacity is the top priority.
“We have an enormous amount of work to do to improve the governance of public health, the funding for public health, the co-ordination across the federal landscape and the provinces and their internal regions,” Philpott said.
Health-care workers suit up with personal protective equipment before entering the room of a COVID-19 patient at Toronto’s Humber River Hospital in April. (Cole Burston/AFP/Getty Images)
Ujjal Dosanjh, who served as Canada’s health minister from 2004-06 under then-prime minister Paul Martin, believes a national inquiry — after the pandemic is over — is needed to examine the country’s response to COVID-19 and what we can learn from it.
“We should all follow the science,” said Dosanjh, who is not involved with any party activities during the current election.
Keeping scientists supplied
Science will remain key for future pandemics — in understanding them, responding to them and halting them.
That means that in addition to vaccines and PPE, scientists will need the proper supplies to do their work.
Specimens await COVID-19 testing at a lab in Surrey, B.C., last year. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)
McGill’s Tellier said something happened during the COVID-19 pandemic that he’d never seen before.
“We had a shortage of supplies to run tests,” he said.
That was because of the global scramble to source them, which has led Tellier to conclude there should be a stockpile of needed reagents and supplies for laboratories.
Voters and public health
Kathy Brock, a professor at Queen’s University’s School of Policy Studies in Kingston, Ont., said Canadians “tend to focus on the bread-and-butter issues” during elections.
The current pandemic crosses into this context because of the havoc it wreaks on people’s lives and their ability to support themselves and their families.
A man walks two dogs past Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Aug. 15, the day the federal election was called. (Lars Hagberg/Reuters)
“Canadians want to know that the government is going to protect Canadians,” she said.
Brock said it’s important for voters to consider “what the parties are promising and whether or not their strategies are really realistic” on these issues.
Philpott said public health issues tend to recede from the spotlight over time, and that needs to change.
“Public health is one of those things that kind of fades into the background of people’s priorities when they feel like they’re beyond the danger zone,” she said.
“I think it’s incumbent upon all of us — and certainly upon all of our leaders — to keep public health in the top priorities.”
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.
Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.
A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”
Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.
“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.
In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”
“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”
Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.
Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.
Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.
“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.
“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.
“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.
“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”
NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”
“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.
Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.
She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.
Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.
Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.
The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.
Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.
“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.
“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”
The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.
In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.
“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”
In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.
“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”
Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.
Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.
“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”
In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.
In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.
“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”
Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.
“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”
The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.
“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.
“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
