Canada Parliament Votes In Favor Of Probing Trudeau Government's COVID-19 Response

TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th October, 2020) Canada's House of Commons voted in favor of a Conservative Party motion to launch a probe into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau government's handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Conservative Party motion brought forward by Shadow Minister of Health Michelle Rempel Garner passed in a 176-152 vote on Monday evening. The vote saw the opposition Bloc Quebecois, New Democrat and Green Parties side with the Conservative Party motion.

The vote directs the Standing Committee on Health to request and obtain documents from the Federal government concerning its response to the outbreak.

The opposition has blasted the Trudeau government for a number of shortcomings, including the disbandment of the country's early pandemic warning system, the shortage of personal protective equipment in federal stockpiles and the lack of public access to rapid testing. There are also questions about a near $180-million government contract to produce ventilators involving a company owned by a former Liberal member of parliament.

The government has responded saying that a probe would compromise its ability to protect Canadians amid the pandemic. During a press conference on Monday, Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand said that the disclosures proposed by the opposition would "threaten" the procurement of vaccines, protective equipment and rapid test kits.