On October 21st , the MP for Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Peter Schiefke, held a one-hour Q&A session live on Facebook. The topics were the pandemic, public transportation and job loss.
A citizen had concerns about the federal government plan in the event that a vaccine was available. The lady wondered how the government was going to carry out its vaccination campaign and if there would be enough doses for everyone.
Mr. Schiefke wanted to reassure the population on the subject. Since the start of the pandemic, the federal government has signed several agreements with pharmaceutical companies for potential doses of vaccines. Agreements have been signed with companies such as Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson and Nova Max. The total potential dose is over 88 million. This will leave room for the government to maneuver the distribution.
As for the plan, the MP said vulnerable people, healthcare workers and the elderly will likely be the first to be vaccinated. However, having no program in place, he refers to the old vaccination campaigns. When the national vaccination program for Covid-19 is in place, Mr. Schiefke assures that he will share it with the population quickly and clearly.
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Public transport
Public transport was an item discussed during the Q&A session. A citizen wondered what the federal government was going to do to improve transportation in the region. Peter Schiefke took the time to explain that the government, since 2015, has had an infrastructure fund. The MP for Vaudreuil-Soulanges used money from this fund for projects such as the renovation of the Vaudreuil-Dorion train station. This project is a partnership between the federal government, the provincial government and the city of Vaudreuil-Dorion.
Other projects are halted at the moment, such as the refurbishment of the L’Île-Perrot and Pincourt stations. In the more distant future, the MP would like to see the REM in Vaudreuil-Dorion after the reconstruction of the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge.
Job Loss
A resident of the area had a question about the programs the government had for people who are still unemployed because of the pandemic. Mr. Schiefke explained that this summer during the isolation, the government put in place programs more accessible for the reality that we know.
The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) is a program that offers $ 500 per week for up to two weeks. It is for people who are forced to self-isolate following a Covid-19 result or after contracting it.
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) provides $ 500 per week for 8 weeks for people who have lost their jobs following a pandemic shutdown.
The MP was proud to present this to the people and he emphasized on the efforts of his government to get everyone out of this crisis.
The member wants to repeat the experience soon to seek the views of the people.
