Whereas:
- As children interact with each other after COVID restrictions were lifted, children's hospitals and emergency rooms across the country are facing significant surges in visits due to pediatric respiratory viruses;
- The federal government failed to anticipate a related foreseeable surge in demand for certain pediatric medication, including acetaminophen and ibuprofen products, and there is now a shortage affecting countless families across Canada;
- Reports indicate that some Canadian parents are even crossing the border to find fever and pain medications for their children in the United States, where there is no shortage;
- The federal government should be doing all that it can to ensure the healthcare system is equipped to manage a surge in pediatric viruses; and
- Parents should not have to worry about whether their children will have access to basic medications and whether hospitals will be able to help their kids when they are sick.
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:1. Immediately get pediatric medication to every child that needs it;2. Take action to address the root causes of pediatric drug shortages; and3. Support the provinces in addressing emergency surge capacity at children's hospitals across the country.