Today: December 9, 2021

Today: December 9, 2021

By Andrew Thomson | UPDATED 4:50pmET

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) could not properly track travellers and continues to fall short in ensuring compliance with mandatory orders, according to auditor general Karen Hogan, who also concluded that federal inspections did little ensure the pandemic safety of seasonal foreign workers in Canada’s agricultural sector.

READ THE REPORTS

WATCH AUDITOR GENERAL KAREN HOGAN ON PRIMETIME POLITICS WITH PETER VAN DUSEN:

The Border

PHAC did not know the compliance status of 66% of incoming travellers last spring. Electronic information tracking via the ArriveCAN app has reduced that number. But as of June 2021 the percentage of untracked travellers remained at 37%.

Hogan’s office also concluded that PHAC was unable to fully execute two border measures introduced earlier this year:

1) Some 30% of COVID-19 test results could not be properly matched to incoming travellers between February and June 2021 due to “errors or inconsistencies” of information collection. Only about 40% of those travellers with missing or unmatched results were contacted to extend their quarantine period.

2) Because PHAC did not establish an automated system to track compliance among air passengers ordered to quarantine at government-authorized hotels, the agency could “verify hotel stays for only 25%” of travellers between February and June 2021.

Also: “although the agency referred more travellers to law enforcement for in-person follow-up, it did not know the outcome for 59% of priority referrals … the agency continued to lack complete information about how many travellers ultimately complied with the border measures and whether its enforcement approach was working to limit the spread of the virus and its variants.”

Temporary Foreign Workers and COVID-19

Inspectors visiting farms and food production facilities provided little evidence to show employer compliance with COVID-19 requirements to protect the health of seasonal workers, according to another report.

Nearly nine in 10 inspections examined in 2021 were deemed “problematic” – this after the Office of the Auditor General raised concerns with federal officials.

The report claims: “the urgency of the new (COVID-19) requirements and the effects on workers’ health was not well understood.” As well, inspectors’ “workloads and capacity were poorly understood,” they lacked support, and their interviews with workers were of poor quality.

That meant little to no information was collected on basic living conditions even though employers were found compliant with pandemic regulations, the report states.

WATCH AUDITOR GENERAL KAREN HOGAN'S NEWS CONFERENCE:

Also: the “quality and rigour” of inspections worsened and a large backlog developed even after Hogan’s office flagged the issues to Employment and Social Development Canada.

Meanwhile, the desire for a quick rollout of pandemic support for small business through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund led to an uneven approval process across Canada and some ineligible applicants receiving money.

Hogan’s office also concluded that emergency food security programs helped reduce the effects of COVID-19 on Canada’s food system. But as with business support, the administration was uneven across the country. And Canada remains without a national crisis plan to protect food supply.

WATCH THE RESPONSE FROM FEDERAL MINISTERS:


IN THE HOUSE

Conservatives have this opposition day motion on the order paper:

That, given that, (i) the government has failed to increase the housing supply in Canada, (ii) the government's $400 billion of new spending has produced a surge of inflationary pressure that has driven home prices more than 30% above pre-pandemic levels, the House call on the government to:

(a) review and consolidate all federal real estate and properties in Canada in order to make at least 15% available for residential development;

(b) ban foreign investors from purchasing Canadian real estate; and

(c) commit to never introducing a capital gains tax on the sale of primary residences.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole discussed the motion this morning but also faced several calls for a clear position on Quebec's Bill 21 and the removal of a Grade 3 teacher for wearing a hijab:

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland goes before the Standing Committee on Finance, where she will face questions on Bill C-2 and the government's pandemic response.

Bill C-2 would:

  • Extend the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit and the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit until May 7 and increase the maximum duration of both by two weeks.
  • Extend the Canada Recovery Hiring Program through May 7.
  • Establish the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit to provide a weekly $300 income support to eligible workers affected by a local lockdown between Oct. 24 and May 7.
  • Establish the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program with a subsidy rate of up to 75 per cent; eligible businesses include hotels, restaurants, bars, museums, tour companies, gyms, casinos, and wedding venues.
  • Establish the Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program that targets “other businesses that have faced deep losses, with a subsidy rate of up to 50 per cent.”
  • Establish the Local Lockdown Program for businesses that face temporary closure.

Also today: NDP MPs Niki Ashton and Lori Idlout discuss their call for the federal government to address the housing crisis in Indigenous communities.

And federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien discusses his final annual report before leaving the role: