COVID-19 is the biggest issue that North Island – Powell River MP Rachel Blaney is seeing in her offices.
In a teleconference from Ottawa on March 17, Blaney said her offices are working with multiple people from outside the country, to educate and update them on options and, in some cases, trying to support them returning quickly rather than later.
“Our office is definitely picking up with those kinds of cases right now,” said Blaney.
She said her office is also encouraging people to follow what is being advised by public health officials.
“We have definitely seen some misinformation coming out, with people worried about what size of groups they can be with, and what are the symptoms of COVID-19, so we are hoping people will go to their public health websites and look it up there and not get pulled in,” said Blaney. “It’s a scary time for everybody because there are some unknowns.”
Blaney said she is working closely with all federal parties in parliament, which has been shut down until April 20. She said some members of parliament will be called back to make some decisions around things that need to change and happen for Canadians.
“Hopefully we’ll see a continued amount of support for people to access employment insurance (EI),” said Blaney. “What the NDP is calling for is that there be more direct assistance for working class families that don’t have access to EI, whether they be contract workers, or people working in different fields of work, or small businesses. We need to make sure there are goals for them to move forward. We don’t want to see the economy hit too hard and see people suffering to pay their bills.
“We are hearing very clearly that staying at home if you don’t feel well, avoiding situations where there are a lot of people in one space, is really important. We want to make sure EI is accessible for all Canadians, not some Canadians. We are working really hard on that.”
Blaney said her party is also asking that supplies and supports are delivered to indigenous communities.
“We have some remote communities across Canada and we want to make sure the supports and supplies they require are delivered and given in a timely manner,” she said.
Blaney said her offices will not be accepting any walk-ins. Staff will be available to answer phones and emails. As the situation moves forward, her office will be providing regular updates to let people know what is happening, and if there are any significant changes in Ottawa.
“I have to say, as we go through this crisis, that all parties and the governing party understand what’s most important is clarity of information for all Canadians and a collaborative attitude as we deal with these trying times,” said Blaney. “Things are changing quickly, we are trying to respond to those changes, and as we do so, we want to do this as collaboratively as possible.”
