Conservatives call for investigation into suspension of COVID briefings – CBC

Health agency, not Trudeau, should be source for pandemic health briefings, say Conservatives

Aug 26, 2021

The Conservative Party of Canada is calling on the head of Canada’s public service to investigate the decision by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) not to hold briefings to update Canadians on the COVID-19 pandemic during the election.

In a letter signed by Conservative candidate Michael Barrett, who served as the party’s ethics critic in the last Parliament, the party alleges the decision not to hold any briefings since the election was announced violates the “caretaker convention” of Canadian government — which dictates that public servants should simply be caretakers during a federal election, continue as usual and not make any decisions that could influence the campaign.

“Political interference directing the PHAC to change its manner of health briefings, to take into account the fact of the 44th general election, requires an immediate investigation,” Barrett wrote to Janice Charette, interim clerk of the Privy Council.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid-public-service-health-1.6155025