“Please send help!”.That was the message from Canadian nursing home operators to the feds at the start of the pandemic, according to internal e-mails..Blacklock’s Reporter said Minister of Seniors Deb Schulte was “upset” cabinet had no help to offer as the Prime Minister’s Office referred calls to the provinces..“They need to talk to the provinces who are responsible for distributing within their system of which long-term care homes and seniors’ care is part of,” Matt Stickney, the prime minister’s director of operations, wrote in an April 17, 2020 staff e-mail..“Agree,” replied Rick Theis, the director of policy..Records show from the outbreak of COVID-19 on March 11, 2020 nursing home operators pleaded with the Department of Public Works to ship masks. One executive with a 12,000-bed network of nursing homes said the company faced an immediate shortage by March 20..“They are running out of masks,” wrote a Public Works aide..“She would like to know if there is a list she has to be on, or how can she be provided with masks?”.“Not sure,” replied a coworker..“Should I redirect them to their province or the Department of Health? We are in the business of purchasing on behalf of the government. I’m not sure where seniors’ homes get their health supplies. Let me know!”.Schulte’s office on April 20 was petitioned by Ontario’s largest nursing home operator for masks..“They will soon be making a request to the federal government to bring in the army,” wrote Anne Dawson, chief of staff to the minister..Internal e-mails indicate Schulte and Liberal MP Kirsty Duncan (Etobicoke North, Ont.), the deputy House leader, repeatedly questioned the Prime Minister’s Office over mask shortages..“For everyone’s awareness, she and Kirsty are upset that they don’t have more concrete information to provide care homes on how to access personal protective equipment,” read an April 17, 2020 e-mail..Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later told reporters it was “vital that front line workers have access to personal protective equipment.”.The largest number of COVID-19 victims in Canada were patients over 85 in long-term care homes..“We made a commitment to protect Canadians,” Trudeau said October 16..“Every government has a responsibility to protect Canadians.”.The Department of Health acknowledged it failed to stockpile pandemic supplies..Health Minister Patricia Hajdu earlier blamed provinces for shortages..“The federal government isn’t really in the business of providing personal protective equipment for provinces and territories,” Hajdu said June 26, 2020..“The Public Health Agency of Canada is a very small agency.”.The Agency had a $675 million annual budget at the time.
