Canadian Politics Canada
Liberal MP Joël Lightbound’s full remarks: ‘It's time to choose positive, not coercive methods’
Here is a full transcript of the Quebec MP's remarks after he broke ranks with the Liberal party
Author of the article:National Post Staff
Publishing date:
Feb 08, 2022 • 6 days ago • 9 minute read
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Now looking beyond the demonstrations, I’ve heard from hundreds of constituents and citizens who took the time to reach out to me these past weeks, folks who have nothing to do with these demonstrations, who are for the most part vaccinated, who have done everything as they should these last few years. People who have shared with me legitimate concerns about where we are heading collectively.
I think we must hear these concerns, and I think we must respond to them.
I’ve heard from parents worried to see their kids sink into depression and slowly lose their joy of living. I’ve heard from pediatricians in tears telling me about their young patients’ despair, anxiety, isolation, as well as the stunning increase in school dropouts they are observing. I’ve heard from artists are on the brink of mental and financial collapse after two years, barely enough work to get by. I’ve heard from social workers answering suicide hotlines who are overwhelmed by the number of calls they’re receiving. I’ve heard from entrepreneurs and restaurant owners who are contemplating losing but they’ve spent their whole lives building — that’s when it hasn’t happened already.
I’ve heard from fellow Quebecers who are rightfully appalled that in our province 2022 we’re locking up triple vaxxed seniors for days on end. I’ve heard from fellow Quebecers appalled that in Quebec, January 2022, we have locked up kids aged six to 10 years old for up to 10 days in windowless rooms. Kids who tested negative who had no symptoms, who had been in contact with someone, though, who had the virus.
So let me repeat in Quebec in 2022 we locked up kids aged six to 10 for up to 10 days in windowless rooms.
Let that sink in. This was a public-health measure that had been drafted, approved and applied. I’ve heard from people worried that we seem collectively to have forgotten the population’s health is kind of like a pie, and Omicron is but a slice of that pie. Economic health, social health, mental health must be accounted for.
I’ve heard from people worried that those making the decisions seem at times to have been blind to the fact that we’re not all equal for lockdowns that not everyone can earn a living on a Macbook at the cottage. I’ve heard people worried that a few might have lost sight of the quiet and discreet suffering of the many.
I’ve heard people in great pain to see some of their friends whom they love and respect but who’ve decided, for whatever reason, we might very well disagree with, who’ve decided not to get vaccinated and as a consequence, are jobless, selling what they have and moving to the United States, away from their communities, away from their friends and from their families.
I’ve heard from teachers worried to see kids reenacting in the schoolyard the kind of discrimination and segregation we see in our society between vaccinated and unvaccinated. I’ve heard from people worried to see those they care about fighting each other on this issue, tearing some families and some friends apart.
I’ve heard from a lot of people wondering why just a year ago, we were all united, in this together. And now that we have one of the most vaccinated population in the world, we’ve never been so divided. Now these people are increasingly confused, when on the other hand, they hear experts like Dr. Karl Weiss, a renowned Quebec epidemiologist, say last week and I quote “that COVID-19 is here to stay that those at risk will have to be monitored closely when symptoms appear; that we will have to protect our health-care systems; but then we will also have to live with the virus like we do with influenza; that we can’t go back to lockdowns and restrictions not supported by science.”
They’re confused when they hear Dr. (Theresa) Tam (Canada’s chief public health officer) state last week that all existing public-health policies, including vaccine passports, need to be re examined, and that we need to have longer-term sustained approaches and capacity building so we’re not in crisis mode all the time as we fight this virus.
They’re confused when they see the undeniable trend around the world whereby, for instance, the World Health Organization recently recommended dropping or alleviating many border measures, including vaccine requirements, as they’ve proven to be ineffective in fighting the propagation of the Omicron variant. That’s the World Health Organization.
They’re confused when they see countries around the world like Ireland, Sweden, Norway, (inaudible), the Czech Republic, Brazil, Denmark, Spain and the U.K., who have either dropped almost all restrictions or fast moving in that direction. All countries, I note, with lower vaccination rates than us.
Now while folks are hearing and seeing all of this, they’re left rightfully wondering, ‘where the hell are we heading here in Canada?’
I think there lies the frustration. They feel there is no appetite from our government to adapt so as to reflect the changing data and the changing reality of the pandemic of the world. They’re worried that measures which ought to be exceptional and limited in time are being normalized with no end in sight, like vaccine passports, mandates and requirements for travellers.
They’re worried because they feel it is becoming harder and harder to know where public health stops and where politics begins.
Now, I firmly believe governments would do well not to dismiss these legitimate concerns, not to demonize those who voice them.
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https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/joel-lightbound-full-transcript
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Public Health Agency of Canada
Remarks from the Minister of Health on COVID-19, Feb 11, 2022
From: Public Health Agency of Canada
Speech
February 11, 2022 | Ottawa, ON | Public Health Agency of Canada
First, I would like to address some of the events that have marked the news this week.
A few days ago, my colleague Joël Lighbound held a press conference in this very room.
I have a lot of friendship, esteem and affection for Joël.
We regularly discuss many issues, including the management of the pandemic.
In a democracy, it is healthy for everyone to be able to express their opinions.
Debate and discussion should be encouraged.
We all know people are eager to be done with the pandemic.
We're all eager to be done with it.
Like Joël, I hear it at home, in Québec City and here, in Ottawa.
We also know that in order to get out of the pandemic phase of COVID, we must continue to work together, in a spirit of benevolence, by joining our forces against the virus.
This is true for vaccination and it is true for adherence to all the public health measures that are still in place.
For two years now, our government’s actions in the fight against COVID-19 have been based on prudence and science.
As we all know, science is continuously evolving and as we have done since the beginning of this pandemic, we will continue to base our decisions on the best available scientific information.
Now let’s be clear: the public health measures currently in place were always meant to be temporary.
Some will be with us for a long time, others will be lifted as soon as the epidemiological situation and science allow it.
That said, it is important to keep in mind that these measures are intended to limit the harm caused by the virus.
All measures are subject to constant re-evaluation and we will continue to adjust them according to science and the evolution of the epidemiological situation.
With the worst of Omicron now behind us, our government is actively reviewing the measures in place at our borders and we should be able to communicate changes on this very soon.
We would all like to know for sure what the next few weeks and months have in store for us, but after two years of this pandemic, we know that this virus will always find a way to surprise us.
We know that the question is not whether there will be other waves or other variants, but rather: when?
We all agree that we have to learn to live with the virus, but concretely, what does it mean to live with the virus?
Let me humbly suggest an answer to this question.
Firstly, I would say that living with the virus means that people have to stop dying from it in such large numbers.
Living with the virus means that the virus and our healthcare system must be able to coexist without the latter being paralyzed.
Without cancer patients being told that their surgeries will have to wait because our hospitals and our healthcare workers are overwhelmed by COVID.
Living with the virus means that we must – individually and collectively – maximize the use of the tools at our disposal to limit its transmission and limit the severity of infections.
Once transmission is under control and the severity of infections is limited, our healthcare system will be able to breathe again and most public health measures can be relaxed.
We are not there yet, but that day is fast approaching.
We must not give up now.
There is hope.
Living with the virus also means that we must be lucid and recognize that it is not only possible, but very likely that the coming months will hold other unpleasant surprises.
Living with the virus means that we must remember that we are not powerless in this situation.
We have power, we can help ourselves, and we must help ourselves.
We have the power to make it so that the public health restrictions are less severe and disrupt our social life and our economy as little as possible.
Our main tool for that remains – still and always: vaccination.
Even if we know that vaccination only partially prevents transmission of the Omicron variant, the science is unequivocal: vaccination DOES prevents severe complications.
If we can prevent severe complications, our hospitals and healthcare workers will not be overwhelmed.
If our hospitals and healthcare workers are not overwhelmed, then in turn, public health restrictions will be less severe.
It is obvious, but it is important to remember it: we have – individually and collectively – the power to change things.
Living with COVID means that we exercise this power.
That’s the only way to reduce the impact of the virus on our daily lives.
Now that the worst of Omicron is behind us, living with the virus means that we should not wait for the next variant or the next wave to restart our vaccination campaigns.
We must continue to administer as many doses as possible, including the first, second and booster doses, so that when the next wave or next variant comes, we are better prepared and more resilient.
50% of eligible Canadians have received their booster dose.
We must continue.
Together, we can do this.
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-hea...nister-of-health-on-covid-19-feb-11-2022.html
