Can you comment on what it is like to implement policy at such a rapid pace?
What direction have you received from the government, and what direction would have been more helpful? I'm thinking of, for example, the December 31 announcement of the government that it was going to be implementing the PCR testing within seven days, and then, of course, following this, the fear and alarm within the airline sector and airport authorities that the three-day quarantine was going to be implemented. It was described as “immediately”, but then essentially ended up being more than three weeks later. I was told by industry sources that it would take two weeks, but it actually ended up taking closer to three.
Can you describe what it has been like to respond to such a quick turnaround with what seems to be no notice and very little direction, and what could have helped in terms of being able to implement it with more precision and more clarity?
Like my colleague, Mr. Shipley, mentioned, I was also on the technical briefing on Friday, and it was concerning because there seemed to be so little information prior to the orders-in-council being released. What was also alarming was that the majority of questions were from members of the governing party. It is astounding to me that there wasn't even an internal caucus briefing, that they would have to come on this call with their own questions.
Then, as I also saw throughout the pandemic and my time as shadow minister for families, children and social development, at HUMA, where we looked at CERB, where it sort of seemed to delineate and delineate into more specific permutations of programs, we saw the same thing. It sort of started off with broad questions like “What about students?” and “What about workers?” and ended up being “A senior from wherever with their cat, how are they going to get back?”
If you can perhaps provide us with some information as to what it has been like to turn around these policies with such incredible expectations for the safety of Canadians so quickly.... What direction do you think you could have received from the government to perhaps make it easier to adapt and to implement?
This is for anyone. Thank you.