In a vote mostly along party lines, the Liberals and the NDP defeated a motion on Feb. 14 brought forward by the Conservatives to table a plan to lift all COVID-19 mandates within its purview by the end of the month.
The motion was defeated 185 to 151, with Liberal MP Joël Lightbound the only one breaking from his party and siding with the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois.
Yves Robillard, the other Liberal MP who said last week he agreed with Lightbound regarding ending mandates, voted against the motion.
Before the vote in the House of Commons, Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen asked the government to support the motion.
“This should be a time of optimism and joy for Canadians, not division and fear. Can Canadians count on the prime minister to do the right thing and today stand up with us, support our motion and give Canadians the hope that they deserve so much?” Bergen said.
Trudeau was not in attendance, and ministers speaking for the government avoided addressing the motion and instead accused the Conservatives of being responsible for the ongoing protests against COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.
“It does not really matter whether certain members of the opposition had been merely irresponsible or recklessly complicit. What this country is facing is a largely foreign-funded, targeted, and coordinated attack on critical infrastructure and our democratic institutions,” said Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair.
The motion, tabled by Bergen on Feb. 10, asked that the federal government announce a plan to lift all federal mandates and restrictions by the end of February.
“Countries like Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Israel, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Denmark are all removing restrictions and mandates, despite having lower vaccination rates than Canada,” Bergen said in a statement.
“Just this week, we’ve seen two Liberal MPs saying what Conservatives have been saying for a year: the Prime Minister needs to depoliticize the pandemic and follow the science. They also stated that Justin Trudeau decided to use the pandemic to wedge, divide, and stigmatize Canadians,” she said, referring to Lightbound and Robillard dissenting from the government’s position.
Bergen said pandemic policy shouldn’t be politicized and that those with genuine concerns shouldn’t be demonized.
