Tam’s decisions must be scrutinized: Scheer

Conservative Leader Andrew

Scheer refused Thursday to express confidence in Canada’s chief public health officer, arguing the need to question her decisions around the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the reasons Parliament must resume.

The four main parties in the House of Commons are locked in negotiations to determine if and how Parliament resumes on Monday, the deadline set for it to reconvene following its adjournment in midMarch.

If the four don’t all notify the Speaker that it should remain adjourned, it’s back to business as usual for the country’s MPs and senators despite physical distancing protocols and bans on non-essential travel in place across the country.

Scheer insisted his party does not want to flout those requirements. Two previous emergency sittings of the House of Commons are proof that inperson “accountability sessions” are possible with a reduced quorum, he said.

They’re also essential, he said, so the minority Liberal government can be grilled regularly on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That extends to decisions recommended by Theresa Tam, the chief public health officer.

“We do have important questions as to why certain directives were issued by the public health agency, and ultimately ministers are responsible for that,” Scheer said in response to the second of multiple questions about his confidence in Tam, which he declined to answer directly.

“Ministers are accountable for the decisions they make based on whichever advice they take.”

Tam has become a target of some conservatives in recent days as U.S. President Donald Trump has ratcheted up his rhetoric against the World Health Organization, accusing it of colluding with China and covering up the true potential damage of the novel coronavirus.

Tam and senior Liberal cabinet ministers repeatedly referenced WHO guidelines and information in the early days of the pandemic, as the UN agency began to increasingly raise concerns about the possible spread of the novel coronavirus and its impact.

Decisions made earlier this year to not initially restrict travel into Canada were linked to advice from the WHO that those measures were ineffective, as was early guidance on how and when masks should be worn.

Those decisions have changed over time and Canadians need to understand why and to what extent the government relies on the WHO, Scheer said.

“This government needs to be held accountable for its dependence on the WHO at this time,” he said.