The most crucial issue heading into the first week of Parliament is the slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.
That’s the feeling of Kenora MP Eric Melillo as a new sitting begins Monday.
Melillo says there seems to be no urgency among Liberals and no government plan to ensure we are going to secure these doses in a timely manner.
“People have been urgent to sort of get back to normal or get back to a near normal and get our economy open again, some of our businesses operating again. Without vaccines and without a plan to distribute them across the country we’re really not going to get there”.
Melillo says reports of the first major shipment of vaccines arriving in late spring or early fall is unacceptable considering many other countries are well ahead of that pace.
Pfizer has also notified the government that Canada won’t be receiving any vaccines this week and next weeks shipment will be curtailed.
Melillo says the rollout has been too slow and the distribution to provinces clearly hasn’t been effective.
He adds the Conservatives really want and need the government to succeed on this for the health of Canadians and getting our economy back on track.
He stresses they will be using Parliament studies, parliamentary debates and every tool available to make sure they get as much information for Canadians as possible and hold the government accountable.
Melillo notes party leader Erin O’Toole talked to the CEO of Pfizer last week to get an update on the rollout and to express his frustration with the delay.
The Kenora MP will not be in Ottawa for the first couple of weeks of Parliament but will be participating in debate and meetings virtually.
Here is the weekly report from Kenora MP Eric Melillo:
Parliament is back in session on January 25th, and I’m looking forward to joining my Conservative colleagues as we fight for a real recovery for Canada.
That means helping Canadians in all sectors and industries get back to work safely.
It means fighting for fairness for small businesses and all those who have been left behind by the Liberal government.
It also means ensuring that all Canadians have access to the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.
But unfortunately, the Liberal government has botched the procurement process, and provinces are running out of doses. As of mid-January, less than 2% of Canada’s population had received the shot.
I wish I could say things are looking up, but they’re not. This week, Canada will be receiving zero doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Last week, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole had a phone call with the president of Pfizer to discuss getting more vaccines for Canadians. He’s rooting for the government to succeed – the stakes are too high if they don’t.
I’ve been in consistent contact with medical professionals in the Kenora riding, and they’re deeply concerned by the possibility that we won’t get vaccines soon enough to prevent our fragile local healthcare system from being overrun.
There is no getting around this: Canada needs vaccines if we want to get back to normal life and recover our economy. We need the government to succeed on this – and we will hold their feet to the fire until they deliver.
My constituency staff in my offices in Kenora and Dryden are also working hard to serve constituents and help people navigate government programs.
If there is anything my office can assist you with, or if you would like to arrange a meeting, please call me at 807-223-2182 (Dryden) or 807-468-2170 (Kenora), or contact me by email ateric.melillo@parl.gc.ca.
I hope you are all staying safe.
Sincerely,
Eric Melillo
Member of Parliament
