In the News

CBC Radio's The House: Shots in the dark

François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry, joins The House to talk about Canada's push to acquire and produce vaccines, before a panel of three opposition MPs — Conservative Stephanie Kusie, New Democrat Don Davies and the Green Party's Jenica Atwin — make their case for changing the country's COVID-19 strategy.

Disturbing report shows need to invest in Public Health Agency of Canada

So far, there have been a few news media stories on the report and, in the House, the NDP's Don Davies put one question about it to Health Minister Patty Hajdu. But this document deserves more attention.

Not enough scientific and specialized staff

At the outset, the review states bluntly that PHAC has lacked "the breadth and depth of human resources required to support an emergency response of this never-seen-before magnitude, complexity and duration."

The report identifies what it calls "skills capacity gaps across the agency." Of greatest concern is the lack of medical expertise at PHAC.

Power Play: MPs on vaccine contracts

MPs Eric Duncan and Don Davies react to COVID-19 vaccine shipment delays and are calling on the federal government to show the contracts.

Federal NDP slams government for delay in vaccination

FEDERAL NDP Health Critic Don Davies on Tuesday said in a statement that Canadians are extremely disappointed to learn that shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to Canada have been suspended entirely for next week and demanded transparency from the government.

He said: “This will further delay vaccination for Canada’s highest risk populations at a time when COVID-19 cases are surging across the country, and federal modelling warns of worse days to come."

What We’re Watching: MPs may be in limbo, but it’s the hot seat for Trudeau

For his part, New Democrat Health critic Don Davies accused the Liberals of deliberately keeping Canadians — and the House of Commons — in the dark about their back-room wheeling and dealing with drug companies.

“For months, the Trudeau Liberals have been secretive about the terms of the deals they’ve signed with big drug manufacturers,” Davies said in a statement. “They are also displaying a pattern of contradictions that are becoming unacceptably common.”

Internal audit lays bare problems at Public Health Agency of Canada

NDP health critic Don Davies called the internal audit report a “scathing assessment” of the agency’s problems. “One can understand a deficiency here and there, but this is a pretty comprehensive indictment of an agency that was very, very poorly prepared and, frankly, in some cases, dangerously so,” he said.

Mr. Davies said the concerns about the quality of information provided to Dr. Tam are troubling. “When one of our chief scientists is getting inaccurate information, it’s hard to see how policy can be based on science,” he said.

In Blow to Trudeau, Queen's Representative in Canada Quits After Harassment Allegations

Trudeau is an avowed feminist, and Liberal officials said at the time that the appointment would advance the cause of women. Potential candidates for the job are supposed to be vetted by a special committee, a step Trudeau chose to ignore.

"The colossal failure of Ms. Payette's term falls squarely on his shoulders," said Don Davies, a legislator for the opposition New Democrats.

2,000 more Canadians could die from COVID-19 in the next 10 days: PHAC

Calling the new modelling "alarming," NDP health critic Don Davies called for stronger federal measures to reduce the spread of the virus.

"The numbers released today paint a very sobering picture," he said. "COVID-19 is claiming the lives of 145 Canadians every single day and the situation is getting worse. Clearly, what we've been doing isn't working. PHAC's forecast shows that a stronger response is necessary to slow the alarming spread of COVID-19."

MP Don Davies goes live with Facebook baking session of his signature banana bread

NDP MP Don Davies hosted a live cooking session on Facebook over the holiday season, talking about a wide-ranging set of policy topics while walking viewers through a baking session of his signature holiday dish: banana bread.

In previous years, Mr. Davies, who represents Vancouver Kingsway, B.C., has held a holiday open house in his constituency office. Since COVID-19 restricted such gatherings this year, he decided to share his banana bread recipe online, one which he has jokingly told constituents in the past is a secret.

Feds should detail vaccination plan for Indigenous communities: NDP

The federal government should come up with a plan to roll COVID-19 vaccines out in Indigenous communities immediately, NDP health critic Don Davies says.

Speaking to a virtual news conference Monday, Davies said the federal government has deferred to the provinces to determine who will be vaccinated first but Indigenous health falls squarely in federal jurisdiction.

"This is a federal responsibility," he said.