S-209 – Pandemic Day Act – would make March 11, the day that the WHO declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic, as Pandemic Observance Day.
Progress
S-209 passed through the Senate without change.
There was some debate around S-209’s Second Reading in the House and it passed with 207 in favour and 114 against.
| Party | For | Against | Paired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | 151 | 0 | 2 |
| Conservative | 0 | 114 | 1 |
| Bloc Quebecois | 29 | 0 | 1 |
| NDP | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| Green Party | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Independent | 2 | 0 | 0 |
The Liberals, the Bloc, and the NDP feel it’s important to give people a chance to acknowledge the deaths and other suffering people went through during the pandemic, the healthcare workers that were at the frontlines during it, and to make sure we remember the lessons taught by it. They all have slightly different emphasis on which of these points they feel should be the focus, but they still agree on all of these reasons.
The Conservatives don’t think we need a day to remember the pandemic. They argue everyone who lived through it won’t forget it, and that everyone already remembers the pandemic of 1918 so people will continue to remember this one. They also say that the people who lost family members and went through other types of suffering during the pandemic don’t want a day to remember it. Instead they want to see action on what we’ve learned from it.
S-209 is now before the Standing Committee on Health and when it comes back will be up for its Third Reading.
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