Evidence of the Special Committee on the COVID
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
43rd PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic EVIDENCE NUMBER 004 Wednesday, May 6, 2020 Chair: The Honourable Anthony Rota 1 Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic Wednesday, May 6, 2020 ● (1205) den and they carried it without complaint until the job was done [Translation] and they could come home and resume their lives, those who were able to come home. The Chair (Hon. Anthony Rota (Nipissing—Timiskaming, Lib.)): I call the meeting to order. In so doing they laid the foundation not only for seven decades [English] of postwar peace and prosperity but also for a new generation of Welcome to the fourth meeting of the House of Commons Spe‐ immigrants from across the European continent and, in time, from cial Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic. around the world, who built new lives in Canada, and who built Canada itself. [Translation] At the outset, I wanted to say a few words to once again thank all [Translation] of the staff of the House Administration who have been working so hard to set up the virtual and in‑person meetings of the committee and to all members for their patience and co‑operation. For them, our country represented peace and a refuge from crisis and turmoil. Then, as now, Canada held the promise of a better, Yesterday's virtual meeting saw fewer technical issues arise than more peaceful and more prosperous future. What better and more during our first meeting, and I am convinced that, as we all become enduring example is there of Canada's importance in the world? familiar with this new technology, the proceedings will continue to go smoothly. The tens of thousands of patriotic men and women who enlisted [English] to serve their country during the darkest days of war in the ear‐ ly 1940s could not have known that, in the end, the allies would be Pursuant to the order of reference of Monday, April 20, the com‐ victorious. mittee is meeting today for the purpose of considering ministerial announcements, allowing members to present petitions, questioning ministers of the Crown, including the Prime Minister, in respect to [English] the COVID-19 pandemic, and a take-note debate considering a mo‐ tion that the committee take note of the ongoing COVID-19 pan‐ They could not have known that on a sunny day in May long demic. years later, Canadian soldiers would be greeted as heroes by throngs of overjoyed men, women and children in the streets of Today's proceedings will be televised in the same way as is typi‐ Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the Hague. They knew only that they cal of the House. had a moral obligation to serve, one shared by the six brave Cana‐ We'll now proceed to ministerial announcements. A minister of dians who tragically lost their lives a week ago while serving in the Crown may make a short statement, and a member of each of Operation Reassurance. the recognized parties as well as a member of the Green Party may then comment briefly on the response. Mr. Chair, as we mark the liberation of the Netherlands and Vic‐ We'll go to Ms. Freeland. tory in Europe Day, we honour all these great Canadians. We hon‐ our their toughness, their moral fibre and their resolve, which Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minis‐ changed the course of history. We honour their sacrifice. ter of Intergovernmental Affairs): Mr. Chair, between the out‐ break of war in September 1939 and the allied victory in Europe on May 8, 1945, more than one million Canadians served in our coun‐ [Translation] try's armed forces. More than 43,000 lives were lost. In the libera‐ tion of the Netherlands, which we also commemorate this week, For the Canadians who went to the front lines and served in the 7,600 Canadians perished over the course of a brutal nine-month Second World War not only defeated the forces of fascism, authori‐ campaign. The scale of their generation's sacrifice can be difficult tarianism and oppression. They built a better world. They built to comprehend, for this was a time when Canada's population was transatlantic alliances that protect us to this day and formed bonds only 12 million—think about that—yet they shouldered their bur‐ that enhance our prosperity. 2 COVI-04 May 6, 2020 When Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands addressed lives. The silence was replaced by cheers and tears as citizens took this House in 2018, he spoke of the enduring friendship between to the streets to celebrate the German surrender and the beginning our two countries, a friendship forged during the war through the of an era of peace. extraordinary actions of ordinary Canadians. Our soldiers liberated the cities from Nazi occupation and, to this day, the children who hailed them in the streets remember them still. Seventy‑five years Today we remember the courage of the more than one million later, they continue to tend to the graves of our fallen soldiers. brave Canadians and Newfoundlanders who left their homes, their Their children and grandchildren lay flowers at the feet of monu‐ families and their friends to fight for freedom during the Second ments dedicated to the memory of our Canadian heroes. World War. Their service and sacrifice along with that of our allies allowed us to defeat the tyranny of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, ● (1210) but it came at a great cost. By the end of the war, more than 45,000 [English] Canadians and Newfoundlanders had made the ultimate sacrifice and 55,000 were injured. All carried scars, whether visible or invis‐ It has been 75 years since our parents, our grandparents and our ible, that would last a lifetime. great-grandparents, the greatest generation, stepped up to do their part to build a more prosperous, secure and free world. As our Min‐ ister of Veterans Affairs put it, many sacrificed their future to liber‐ While it is said that the First World War made us a nation, it was ate people who had suffered for years under brutal occupation. the Second World War that solidified Canada as a key player on the They left behind family, friends, children, parents and communities, world stage. Despite our relatively small population, Canadian sol‐ people who loved them. My grandfather, Wilbur Freeland, and his diers, sailors and aviators punched above their weight including at two brothers, Carleton and Warren, were among those volunteers. Dieppe, in Ortona, on Juno Beach and in the liberation of the Carleton and Wilbur came home. Warren did not. Netherlands. In early 1945, the First Canadian Army helped free Dutch cities and towns from their Nazi occupiers. After five years Today, as our country faces a new battle against a pandemic that of German occupation, the Dutch welcomed Canadians into their knows no borders, I cannot think of a better example to follow, and homes and formed lasting friendships. I cannot think of a better reason to serve. For the last surviving members of the greatest generation, our el‐ Today, Canada is home to many proud Dutch Canadians. In my ders are now the generation most in need of our protection from the riding of Barrie—Innisfil, Tollendale Village just around the corner COVID-19 pandemic. They look to us to do what is right, responsi‐ from where I live is home to many Canadians of Dutch descent ble and just, however hard that might be. They look to us to forgo, who lived though this period of darkness in their homeland. When I for now, the comforts and pleasures of gatherings and ordinary so‐ visit Tollendale, I hear the stories of what they went through under cial interaction. They look to us to follow the advice of public German occupation. I also hear about the undying gratitude they health professionals to wash our hands, to avoid non-essential trav‐ have for Canada and for the brave soldiers who came to free them. el and to stay home as much as possible for as long as necessary. It would not surprise me at all if Canadian flags are draped over the I actually think it is very simple. We owe it to the generation of balconies of Tollendale Village today to signify that deep and pro‐ Canadians who won that great victory in Europe, and who built the found level of gratitude. peace that followed, to do whatever is in our power to keep them safe. We owe it to generations to come, our own children and However, the deep bond forged between our two countries goes grandchildren, to bequeath to them a country that is more prosper‐ beyond the battlefield. During the conflict, members of the Dutch ous, more free and more secure than the one we ourselves inherited. royal family found sanctuary in Canada. In recognition of our friendship, the Dutch sent thousands of tulip bulbs to Canada after They did their part. Now we must do ours. the war, which became an annual tradition and the inspiration for [Translation] Ottawa's Tulip Festival, which we celebrate each May. Thank you, Mr. Chair. [English] Like so many other celebrations, this year's Tulip Festival and the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the The Chair: We'll go now to Mr. Brassard. Netherlands and Victory in Europe Day will be much different. [Translation] Mr. John Brassard (Barrie—Innisfil, CPC): Thank you, ● (1215) Mr. Chair. [Translation] On behalf of the Official Opposition, I have the pleasure of join‐ ing my hon.