TORONTO, Ont. - The leader of the opposition at Queen’s Park is demanding answers on the provincial government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to avoid similar mistakes in a future health emergency.
“There’s no doubt we need to take a serious look at how this was handled,” said NDP leader Andrea Horwath during a media conference from Queen’s Park on Wednesday.
Horwath is calling for full, independent judicial inquiry into the province’s handling of the pandemic to be launched in September.
“We need to find out what went right, basically thanks to those frontline essential workers, thanks to our public health units, and we need to know what went wrong and the impact of years of Liberal and Conservative cuts to our health care system that left us really unprepared for this pandemic,” she said.
“What was the impact of Doug Ford not listening to the experts or not following the advice of the experts because he didn’t want to spend the money?”
According to Horwath, the key issues the inquiry would examine include the province’s pandemic readiness and a failure to learn lessons from SARS, the impact of health care cuts prior to the pandemic, and the provincial government’s response speed.
It should also look at those most impacted by the pandemic, including the protection of seniors in long-term care, supports for local businesses and workers, and preparing schools.
Horwath was also critical of the use of the colour-coded COVID-19 response framework, as well as mixed messaging and poor communication on the part of the province, inequities experienced by people living in hotspot areas, and the vaccine rollout.
“There has been a lot of damage done here,” Horwath said. “We will not survive another pandemic with a government doesn’t want to spend the money and doesn’t want to listen to the experts. That is why we are calling for a judicial inquiry. It’s what will give people the answers we need but also the confidence in the recommendations and the findings.”
Public inquiries have been launched in other jurisdictions on the handling of the pandemic, including the U.K.
Horwath said there’s no doubt that issues need to be examined at the federal level, but there are many answers needed in Ontario as well.
“The idea of a judicial inquiry is one that opens up the process to hear the voices of people who are impacted,” she said.
“It has the opportunity to ensure documents are provided to compel witnesses. And it is something that is completely independent and it can be trusted by Ontarians to go into every necessary nook and cranny to provide analysis and recommendations and advice in terms of the future. That is what Ontarians deserve.”
There is no timeline set on the inquiry as Horwath said that could provide the provincial government an opportunity to stonewall until the very last minute and prevent the inquiry from doing the necessary work.
“I would certainly hope that the premier finally starts doing the right thing here in Ontario,” Horwath said. “Stop hiding, stop avoiding accountability.”
