Almost all of the Tories were back on the benches of the House of Commons for the start of Parliament on Monday, even though one of their colleagues was infected with COVID-19 soon after their most recent meeting and an unknown number. of them would still not be doubly vaccinated.
“Everything is fine, like everyone else, we followed the rules of public health. Along with his Conservative colleagues, Quebec MP Alain Rayes rushed into the West Block of Ottawa’s Parliament on Monday at noon, for the first day of sitting since the September 20 election.
To pressing questions from journalists on this first day when the vaccine passport is required to enter the Commons, the deputy Pierre Paul-Hus simply brandished his smartphone. There was displayed his QR code, now famous symbol of complete vaccination.
During the weekend, the entire Quebec Conservative caucus had to take a COVID-19 screening test after one of their colleague, Beauce MP Richard Lehoux, although doubly vaccinated, received a positive test. to infection on Saturday. The day before, Mr. Lehoux attended meetings of the Conservative caucus, which includes an unknown number of unvaccinated members.
The Conservative Party of Canada says it has followed all the rules set out by Ottawa Public Health for prolonged contact within two meters of an infected person. However, according to these rules, unvaccinated people must isolate themselves immediately until time to undergo a screening test, at least seven days after contact with the infected person.
Challenged exceptions
Citing the confidentiality of personal information, the conservatives still refuse to specify how many, among their 119 elected officials, were not adequately inoculated. In an interview with Radio-Canada on Sunday, Chief Erin O’Toole promised that all his deputies would be able to sit in the Commons, where the sergeant-at-arms is now responsible for verifying vaccination certificates. All unvaccinated preservatives would benefit from a medical exemption, according to the chief.
This claim seemed very shady to the Liberal Party, said Government House Leader Mark Holland. “It is impossible that there is [autant] medical exceptions. It is not logical ”, he blurted out in front of the journalists. He later admitted that he had no idea how many Conservative MPs wanted to take advantage of such an exception to vaccination.
He cites the estimate from public health officials in Ontario that a fraction of just one to five in 100,000 people suffer from one of the few medical conditions that justify exempting them from the COVID-19 vaccine. Mr. Holland wants the House administration to be able to verify that, for anyone who alleges medical reasons for not being vaccinated, the “exemption really exists”. Safety at work in parliament is at stake, he said.
In an email, the Bloc Québécois said Monday “ [voir] it is a good thing that the medical exemptions granted to certain members of the Conservative caucus be cross-checked, under certain conditions set by the Board of Internal Economy. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh also said he had “doubts” about the Conservatives’ explanations.
The Bloc and the NDP are made up of elected representatives who are fully vaccinated. Until recently, a member of the Liberal caucus claimed to benefit from a medical exception to vaccination. Since “the situation has changed”, according to the liberal leader on Monday, all of his party’s elected officials are now fully vaccinated.
Justified absences
In addition to MP Richard Lehoux, still in isolation, three other elected Conservatives were missing on Monday, when the election of a Speaker of the House required their presence in person. According to the party, none of these absences has any connection with COVID-19 or the obligation of vaccination.
British Columbia MP Mark Strahl has remained in his flood-affected riding, and Alberta MP Arnold Viersen has indicated he is traveling to Ottawa to be present to sit on Tuesday. Finally, Saskatchewan MP Robert Kitchen did not respond to emails from the To have to to justify his absence, but the trained chiropractor has already publicly encouraged vaccination.