Military mission to COVID-hit long term care homes cost taxpayers about $53 million

Sending in Canadian soldiers to backstop long-term care homes overrun by the novelcoronavirus in Ontario and Quebec cost the federal government approximately$53 million, according to figures obtained by CBC News from the Department of National Defence (DND).

Senior military officers told a House of Commons committee today that a number of lessons were learned from the deployment at 54 long-term care homes in both provinces lessonsthat will comein handy should further missions be necessary during the second wave.

Members of the defence committee asked for the estimate of cost of that operation.Maj.-Gen. Trevor Cadieu promised to provide MPswith a written response.

CBC News already hadasked for and received a breakdown of those expensesprior to the committee meeting, however.

The figures for the long-term care deployment were rolled into a recent request for supplementary funding put before Parliament by DND.

Watch:Military mission in care homes cost $53M:

Military mission in care homes cost $53M

4 years ago

Duration 2:34

The military mission to long-term care homes hit by COVID-19 in Ontario and Quebec cost the federal government approximately $53 million, according to figures obtained by CBC News from the Department of National Defence. Senior military officers told a House of Commons committee on Monday that a number of lessons were learned from the deployment, lessons that will come in handy should further missions be necessary during the second wave.

The military's overall pandemic response (known as Operation Laser)has incurred$463 million in expenses including $207.8 million spent tomobilizethousands of regular and reserve forces and on theintervention in long-term carehomes.

The figuresare current as of the end of August.

Lessons learned

New Democrat defence critic Randal Garrison said that, as a Canadian,he was "embarrassed"by the fact thatthe situation in long-term care homes was dire enough torequiremilitary action.

He and other committee members repeatedly thanked military representativesfor stabilizing the situation in those long-term carecentres andfor documenting the horrific conditions faced by manyresidents and staff during the pandemic crisis.

Thosereports ledthe Liberal government to call fornational standards for long-term care homes.

Fifty-fivemembers of the military contracted COVID-19 while serving in those centres, said the military's surgeon-general, Maj.-Gen. Marc Bilodeau.All of the soldiers recovered and none required hospitalization, he added.

"We are trying to learn some lessons from this experience to enhance our reaction to any next crisis," Bilodeausaidin Frenchin response to a question from a committee member.

The military understands more now about the virus and how it is spreads than it did in the spring, he added.

Cadieu said the experience of serving in long-term care facilities during a pandemic gave soldiers newtraining in things like the use of personal protective equipment skills that will help the Armed Forces deal with the next such crisis.

"Those troops will be going in having benefits from some of the tough lessons learned by their teammates," he said.

Separately, the military is helping the Public Health Agency of Canada to finalize its vaccine distribution plan.

No decision has been made yet on whether there will be a role for the Armed Forces in transporting, storingor delivering vaccines, Cadieu told the committee.

"Specifically, the Canadian Armed Forces is assisting with the development of a logistics support plan for the rollout of the vaccine," he said. "We're helping establish a national operations centre that will oversee distribution of the vaccine."

The country's top military commander has yet to givethe government specific advice on how the Armed Forces couldhelp get vaccine dosesto all parts of the country, Cadieu added.

Watch:Procurement minister Anita Anand says the government is bosting refrigeration capacity to store 33.5 million vaccine doses:

Minister of procurement says the government is boosting refrigeration capacity for vaccines

4 years ago

Duration 1:16

Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand says the government is putting in place contracts to boost refrigeration capacity to store 33.5 million vaccine doses.