OTTAWA, ONTARIO, September 19, 2020 – The Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner, Shadow Minister for Health, and Pierre Paul-Hus, Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement, issued the following statement regarding the Trudeau government’s continued delay in approving new COVID-19 testing options in Canada:

“Scientists around the world have always said that easily accessible testing is the key to combating the spread of COVID-19 while helping people live normal lives. Conservatives have been calling for rapid and easily accessible tests since March. However, Justin Trudeau and his Health Minister have repeatedly failed to fight for access to these vital tools for Canadians.

“Justin Trudeau’s Health Minister said today that there are no antigen at-home tests in the Canadian review process. This is ridiculous. She should be out actively looking for these types of technologies and proactively getting them into the review process. At a time when every country in the world is proactively trying to acquire and develop these technologies to protect their people, Justin Trudeau’s cabinet is content to say “we’re letting them come to us”.

“Also, our allies are winning in this race for supplies. Months ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved similar tests that Justin Trudeau only now is getting around to looking at, after weeks of intense political pressure and parts of the country once again on lockdown.

“Today, we still have no clarity on when these types of tests will be widely available to Canadians. We have no delivery or distribution date, even though the tests are in use in other parts of the world. The same rapid point-of-care test that Health Canada is now looking at has been being used by our G7 allies for months. And yet, it still is not approved in Canada. Why has it taken our country so long to get this done? How many schools have had to close because we didn’t have this capability? How many hours were lost as working parents had to stand in line for a test?

“The Trudeau government’s complete inaction on testing is unacceptable. We know that testing is a key tool to get our country back to work and fight this pandemic. As Canadians face more lockdowns, Canada’s Conservatives will continue to stand up for Canadians and continue to force the Trudeau Liberals to act. We are getting results, as we saw today. There is much more to be done and we will deliver.”
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For more information:

Office of Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner, P.C., M.P.
Calgary Nose Hill
Michelle.Rempel.A1@parl.gc.ca
613-219-3452

Joel Bernard
Parliamentary Assistant Ottawa
Pierre.paul-hus.a1@parl.gc.ca
Cell: 613-222-5613