April 30, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EDMONTON, AB – Matt Jeneroux, Shadow Minister for Health and the Member of Parliament for Edmonton Riverbend, issues the following statement about a motion passed at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health to summon Dr. Bruce Aylward from the World Health Organization (WHO) to appear before the committee:

“Today, I successfully moved a motion summoning Dr. Bruce Aylward of the WHO to testify before the Health Committee.

“After Dr. Aylward cancelled a previously planned appearance to testify before the committee on April 14, members unanimously passed a motion inviting Dr. Aylward to appear before the Health Committee by May 1. We have now been informed by WHO’s legal counsel that Dr. Aylward would not be appearing but that we could instead send written questions to the organization

“The Government of Canada has followed the WHO’s guidelines, using all their recommendations to help develop policies to address the pandemic here in Canada. As the committee tasked with studying the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that Canadians have the opportunity to hear from a WHO representative.

“A representative from the WHO needs to appear before the House of Commons Health Committee to answer Canadians’ questions. As a Canadian himself, Dr. Aylward must be accountable to his fellow citizens and answer questions about the WHO’s handling of the pandemic.”

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