Federal NDP granted emergency debate over Alberta’s COVID-19 situation

May 5, 2021 | 9:31 AM

The NDP MP for Edmonton-Strathcona has been granted an emergency debate she requested on the COVID-19 crisis in Alberta.

Heather McPherson sent a letter to the Speaker of the House Tuesday, requesting an emergency debate be held to address the situation and come up with some federal aid for the province.

“Alberta is facing a public health emergency unparalleled in Canada,” says McPherson in a release.

“Alberta should not be left to deal with this crisis on our own and it’s not just Albertan lives at stake. Every Canadian is threatened by the public health crisis in Alberta.”

Data from Centre for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University shows Alberta has the highest COVID-19 infection rate in Canada at 45,445 cases per 1-million people. The second highest rate is Quebec’s 41,659 per million, followed by Saskatchewan (35,766) and Ontario (33,307).

Alberta’s rate of infection is also above Canada’s rate (32,912 per million) and the world’s rate (19,853).

“It is critical that Parliamentarians debate the federal role in combatting COVID-19 in Alberta and whether the federal government should do more to help Albertans manage this public health emergency,” adds McPherson.

“We need to do everything in our power to protect people in Alberta and across Canada from COVID-19.”

by Liam Verster