After over 8,500 deaths, half a million COVID-19 infections, the near-collapse of hospitals, and the total failure of our long-term care system, the NDP is calling for a full inquiry into the Ford government’s pandemic response.
Ontarians deserve answers, accountability, and action to ensure this never happens again.
The inquiry would be empowered to identify and address issues like:
- Pandemic readiness, including impacts of Ford’s pre-pandemic cuts and failure to learn lessons from SARS
- Speed of response, including how quickly the province moved out funding and supplies like PPE to protect people and stop the spread
- The protection of seniors in long-term care
- Supports for local businesses and workers
- Making schools safe, and education during the pandemic
- Failure to disclose and follow expert recommendations and the introduction of the disastrous colour-coded restrictions system
- The impact of mixed messaging, poor communications, and contradictory directives
- Failure to protect vulnerable people or address disproportionate suffering of people living in hotspots, essential workers, and those people more likely to contract and die from COVID-19
- The vaccine rollout