Another drama hovers above the disastrous tragedy that played out in the CHSLDs of Quebec during the first waves of the pandemic, with a death toll of more than 5,000. It is about the fog that surrounds the management of the crisis in its most acute moments, where the field cried out for help, but in vain. To uncover the truth, a public inquiry commission is needed.
Even if its deployment is imposing and entails a lot of effort and colossal resources, the mission of a commission of inquiry, under the law, is literally to shed light on what has not been revealed or understood. . The government can decide to set up such a commission on any important matter “relating to public health and the well-being of the population”. There is no doubt that the carnage in our CHSLDs — one of the worst results in the world — immediately qualifies for such an independent examination.
The revelations of the last few days, fueled by the essential work of several journalists, only highlight the contradictions and omissions of certain key witnesses who came to tell their story before coroner Géhane Kamel. There are flaws in the chronology of events, and we feel the need to ensure that all important documents have been exposed. Eyes are turned among others to the Ministers of Health (then) Danielle McCann and Elders (in office) Marguerite Blais: did they really learn the extent of the drama unfolding at the CHSLD Herron by reading the report of the Gazette on April 10, 2020, or had they had access to crucial information before? Different versions of what they said are circulating. Mmy Blais and McCann confirmed on Friday that they would not seek reappointment in October. These future withdrawals from political life, however, leave the mystery unsolved.
In a shocking book just published, 5060. The carnage of COVID-19 in our CHSLDsthree investigative journalists from The Press attempt to understand how and when decision-makers grasped the magnitude of the tragedy unfolding on the ground. By digging up the facts, Katia Gagnon, Gabrielle Duchaine and Ariane Lacoursière lead a moving investigation, interspersed with testimonies from families, staff, managers and members of the political cell. It’s breathtaking. People died dehydrated, hungry, neglected, alone. This essential reading, combined with the revelations of the last week, convinces that a commission of inquiry is essential. Official bodies have already investigated in their own way, but their mandates did not have the scope of that, vast and complete, that a commission of inquiry would have.
The government’s first instinct is of course to reject this idea, because if by chance it had the elevation and the courage to adhere to it — what we all hope for — it is towards him that the spotlight would be turned. HIS chain of command, HIS crisis management, HIS shortcomings and procrastination. It is true that the exercise is not without consequences, but we believe that it is now essential and that the seriousness of the latest developments justifies its urgent holding. Coroner Géhane Kamel, who is due to make her own conclusions this summer, has already indicated that she is struggling to see clearly in the contradictory versions submitted to her, in particular by the political actors summoned to her hearings.
In his defense, the government of François Legault had to deal with the unprecedented nature of a pandemic and learn to manage while deciding. This coefficient of difficulty must be taken into consideration, because such a context obviously cannot command a perfect roadmap. Also to his defence, François Legault’s government did not invent the lack of agility of the mammoth health network nor the dehumanization of the care provided to seniors, repeatedly decried in numerous reports by the Québec Ombudsman, the Auditor General of Quebec or the Human Rights Commission, and this, for several years.
The operations already carried out in recent months by the Ombudsperson, the Health and Welfare Commissioner, and the Canadian Armed Forces have made it possible to understand some of the factors that contributed to the tragedy in the CHSLDs: the fact of having offloaded from hospitals to CHSLDs to prepare for the worst; lack of staff, protective equipment, infection control training; a ban on returning sick seniors to hospitals; confusion between living and care environments.
However, how has such a disconnection between politics and the field been maintained for so long? While it was the Wild West in the CHSLDs, the political crisis unit received reassuring results? Have cries of alarm been lost along the way? This is the necessary piece of truth to which Quebec society must have access. A commission of inquiry is needed.