Government caucus members on the House of Commons transport committee yesterday blocked disclosure of scientific data justifying on-and-off COVID-19 travel restrictions. “It’s not filibustering, it’s making a point,” said Liberal MP Vance Badawey (Niagara Centre, Ont.)..According to Blacklock's Reporter, opposition MPs expressed support for a New Democrat motion for “a copy of all relevant documents containing public health advice and scientific modeling received by the Minister of Transport” on regulations like quarantining, masking, random testing and a mandatory vaccination rule for air travelers that expires Monday..“All of a sudden there was a decision to suspend the mandates without really an explanation of what changed,” said New Democrat MP Taylor Bachrach (Skeena-Bulkley Valley, B.C.), sponsor of the motion..“The way it’s supposed to work is the public health officials provide the advice to the government and then the government takes action,” said Bachrach. “What we’re interested in is when did the public health officials first start advising the government these specific measures were no longer effective and could safely be suspended?”.The Public Health Agency of Canada has never endorsed vaccine mandates. The Agency last January 21 called immunization “a voluntary choice.”.Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman (Thornhill, Ont.) yesterday protested “the government’s inability to take any responsibility for what is happening in our airports,” adding: “The government continues to say what they have been saying all along: ‘Something, something, we rely on the experts.’”.“We have asked consistently for the public health advice that has led to the decisions on airport testing, of mandates, and time and time again we get the same answer,” said MP Lantsman..“I can name fifteen occasions where the Minister or the parliamentary secretary or members of the government have said, ‘We are following the experts’ advice.’”.Liberal MPs would not allow the motion to come to a vote. “I’ve seen in the Province of Alberta when many decisions were made over COVID, all the challenges we faced over the last number of years, that did not follow public health advice,” said Liberal MP George Chahal (Calgary Skyview). “I would point him right to his own prime minister,” replied Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux (Edmonton Riverbend)..Liberal MP Churence Rogers (Bonavista-Burin, Nfld. & Labrador) said the motion requesting medical data was a breach of cabinet confidentiality. “For us to try to pass a motion that requests ‘all relevant documents,’ I think that’s a bit of a stretch,” said Rogers. “It sets a precedent is what it does. It sets a precedent which is not good.”.“Every government, regardless of political stripe, needs to protect certain kinds of information for reasons of confidentiality, which I think most members understand, and to protect legally, commercially sensitive information that could cause harm were it to be made public,” said Rogers.
