Contrary to what three important witnesses, including former Minister of Health Danielle McCann, said under oath, CHSLDs only appeared on the government’s radar on March 11, 2020.
This was argued Monday, at the coroner’s inquest Géhane Kamel, the former manager responsible for civil security at the Ministry of Health, Martin Simard.
He contradicted on all lines the testimony of Ms. McCann, her former deputy minister Yvan Gendron and the former national director of public health Horacio Arruda.
All three had affirmed to the investigation that Quebec had had a particular concern for CHSLDs from January 2020. A letter of January 28 to the civil security coordinators was proof of this, according to them.
Rather, this letter was a “general scope” request to the network to prepare. “At that time, there were no indicators to ask […] to look in one direction,” said Mr. Simard.
Was the risk for the CHSLDs reflected in the overall risk? asked prosecutor Julie Roberge.
“No, there was no question at that time of a clientele that was particularly vulnerable,” replied Mr. Simard.
“It was not a named issue. […] It is March 11 that we can consider […] that we were talking about an issue expressed by someone in authority or by a public health respondent, ”he added.
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