While parliament is not ready to resume regular meetings until the end of the month, opposition parties are willing to dive into the federal government’s current COVID-19 response efforts and the use of Canadian cell data to inform public health measures. They are insisting on recalling the committees as soon as possible. ,
The Conservatives’ call for an emergency meeting of the House of Commons Health Committee has been met with support from both the Bloc Québécois and the NDP, with lawmakers from all three opposition parties teaming up to write a letter to the chairman of that committee, Liberal MP Sean Casey. has created. ,
MPs are making requests to Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, as well as a slate of senior health and procurement officials who appear to be discussing where things go like shortages, quarantine length guidance, availability of boosters, rapid testing and COVID-19. to provide support to the provinces facing -19 therapeutics, as well as access to N95 masks and potentially specific vaccines.
The House of Commons is not scheduled to resume until 31 January, however, if at least four members of the committee of at least two different political parties call for an emergency meeting, one may be called. .
LetterSigned by the committee’s four Conservative MPs as well as Bloc Québécois MP Luc Thériault and NDP MP Don Davies—requests that the meeting be held before the end of the week, and be at least three hours long.
Additionally, the Conservatives and the Block Québécois have co-signed a request that the House Access to Information, Privacy to convene an emergency meeting to look into the use of anonymized mobility data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) during COVID End Ethics Committee has been requested. -19 pandemic.
The letter, sent to committee chairman and Conservative MP Pat Kelly, did not specify the timing or parameters of who would be called to testify as part of the study.
As reported by The Canadian Press, PHAC said its analysis of mobile location data is used to inform policy-making decisions and public health messaging and the effectiveness of sanctions.
Cell phone mobility data has been used by various levels of government during the pandemic for similar purposes. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Google said it would share the location data of Canadian users with governments through regular movement reports.
Speaking on why federal Conservatives are now calling for an in-depth look at the practice, Conservative MP and committee member John Brassard told reporters Monday that he thinks Canadian elected officials are expected to ensure ensure that such programs are subject to “proper oversight”.
“It is vital that we do not allow the COVID response to create a permanent backslide of the rights and freedoms of the Canadian people, including their fundamental rights,” Brassard said. he recently wrote to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Asking Daniel Therien to investigate whether the agency’s use of this data is a breach of privacy.
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