Hansard: February 23, 2022

COVID-19 response

Mr. Roman Baber: Speaker, I first saw the charter, a few months after we immigrated to Canada, on a wall, hanging by the elevator in the North York Central Library. I loved it from day one, which is why I’m blessed to guest-lecture on it and defend it in this House.

Canada’s charter is magnificent—because it doesn’t just enshrine our rights subject to reasonable limits. The charter is all-Canadian because it protects Canada’s pluralism, Canada’s diversity and Canada’s freedom of choice.

That’s why I and many Canadians condemn the blatant assault on our charter by Justin Trudeau’s declaration of emergency. One may disagree with the protesters’ opinions, but the charter says they have the right to assemble. The alleged infractions may be dealt with by municipal, traffic or criminal laws.

Canadians are frightened that they may be doxxed or financially ruined. Canada is the talk of the world. Our country is not recognizable. The declaration of the emergency is not rooted in fact, since the situation is resolved. It’s not supported in law, since there is no danger to lives and safety, since it could be resolved by the province and may be dealt with by other laws of Canada. This is about Justin Trudeau’s ego in politics, because the science does not support him on the mandates. And no one even talks about the virus anymore.

This is all a distraction: a distraction from the failure of lockdowns, passports and mandates; a distraction from the mental health pandemic; a distraction from the last two years at the expense of our democracy. It must be condemned, and it must be opposed.

Note: Trudeau revoked the Emergencies Act the same day thankfully.

Roman Baber challenged the government and the government confirmed their goal of putting vaccines into peoples’ arms:

COVID-19 immunization

Mr. Roman Baber: My question to the Premier: On February 1, the Premier was asked if he supports the mandate on truckers. The Premier said he was in favour of vaccination. That’s what the Minister of Labour told me every time I asked him if he believed it was right to make workers choose between their own health and their ability to put food on the table.

But on February 15, we got a whole new Premier. He said it doesn’t matter if you have one shot or 10 shots, you can still catch COVID. The Premier said that these are hard-working people who don’t believe in it, that it’s their choice and it’s about democracy, freedom and liberties. Now the Premier sounds exactly like the member from York Centre—as if we had amnesia for two years.

My question to the Premier is, what is his position today? Is it the Premier who believes in vaccination when asked about the mandates? Or is it the new Premier who believes it’s a choice and it’s about freedom; and if so, will he help me pass my jobs and jabs bill through third reading on March 3?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. Government House leader to respond.

Hon. Paul Calandra: Look, I’m very happy that we are seeing, really, a progression away from the COVID restrictions that were so important at the onset of the pandemic. The member will know, of course—because he was in the caucus at the time and voted in favour of a number of the measures that were brought in—that we inherited a health care system that was severely, severely understaffed. We inherited a health care system where 800 people in ICU could bring this province to a standstill, and we said no more. That is why the Minister of Health has made such enormous investments in health care.

We’re coming out of that now, Mr. Speaker. The important thing is now that we are coming out of that, we are loosening restrictions and we’re seeing the economy begin to grow again so that we can be in the same position we were before the pandemic, leading the country in terms of job creation and being a jurisdiction where people want to invest in.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Mr. Roman Baber: The Premier says he stands for rights of workers, but he had no courage, no sense of moral obligation to defend workers when their employers said, “Inject yourself or lose your job.” The Premier presided over the greatest labour injustice in recent history as tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of working Ontarians were terminated, suspended, or resigned or retired because of ideology, not science.

Now the chief medical officer told all of us that passports no longer make sense because two doses offer limited protection against infection. That means you can no longer say that someone’s risk of transmission is lower because their risk of infection is lower. The same applies to mandates. No one is putting anyone at risk. It is the most disgusting allegation of the 21st century. Shame on everyone here who perpetuated that lie.

Does the Premier stand by—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member will withdraw his unparliamentary comment.

Mr. Roman Baber: Withdraw.

Will the Premier stand by allowing businesses to impose mandates or will he protect all workers next Thursday and help pass my jobs and jabs bill—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member will take his seat.

And to reply, government House leader.

Hon. Paul Calandra: I don’t know which member for York Centre we have. Is this the member for York Centre who, month after month after month, stood on this side of the House and voted in favour of every single measure that he now, today, says he didn’t support at the time? There was a different reason for him, right?

Mr. Roman Baber: There were no vaccines when I was sitting there.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for York Centre will come to order, please.

The government House leader to reply.

Hon. Paul Calandra: So I just don’t know which member for York Centre we have in front of us today, Mr. Speaker.

But I do know this: Because of the measures that this government put in place, we are coming out of the pandemic. We are leading the nation in terms of getting vaccines into people’s arms, which is leading us to opening the economy quicker, which is seeing a rebound in the economy every single day. The Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade is fielding calls from people around the globe who want to invest in the province of Ontario. That is the future of the province of Ontario. There are great things ahead for us. This is the jurisdiction where people want to live, work, invest and raise a family. It is because of the hard work of this government, in spite of that member.

Comment: We will see how things go with raising families in this destructive cultural and political climate where the elderly have been isolated from their families. No concern either as to the adverse reactions many people are experiencing.