A sweeping COVID-19 inquiry is 'inevitable,' one expert says. 2 years on, is now the time?

Dr. David Walker knows sweeping inquiries into what went wrong in Ontario and Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic are "inevitable."

He believes now may be time to start that work, as Omicron recedes, restrictions lift and the pandemic hit the two-year mark on March 11, as declared by the World Health Organization.

"You don't want to put it off forever," said Walker, a professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., who chaired Ontario's expert panel on SARS and Infectious Disease Control.

"Despite its tragedies, a pandemic like this does give us a look at the structure of how we provide this public service that is health-care delivery and reminds us ... there are substantial gaps, and holes and weaknesses."

Walker outlined many of those in his panel's final report on SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) that was released in 2004 and outlined a health-care system "crying out for change."

Recommendations in these reports are non-binding. Some were acted on, like structural changes to public health. He said others, such as addressing hospital surge capacity, were ignored and have gone on to cause severe strain during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walker expects this will come up again in any wider inquiries into COVID-19. He anticipates there will be multiple ones.

In Ontario during SARS, there was Walker's expert panel and an Independent SARS Commission, led by Justice Archie Campbell. Federally, there was a review by the National Advisory Committee on SARS and Public Health.

All put out reports with similar findings, but had differing timelines, scopes and levels of power. His advice is to focus on what we've learned.

"It is far more helpful to identify lessons learned about best practice and structural opportunities than it is to start pointing fingers."

Ontario has already had a commission on COVID-19 that was launched by the province.

The Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission found the province had no plan to address the pandemic or protect residents in long-term care. The investigation, which submitted its scathing final report last April, was limited in time and scope, solely focusing on one of the hardest-hit areas.

Ontario's New Democrats, Liberals and Greens are in favour of a wider inquiry for the province, with the NDP and the Liberals specifically mentioning a public inquiry. These can take longer and give the power to summons more people.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath actually tabled a motion at Queen's Park last year, calling for a public inquiry into COVID-19. It was dissolved when the Ontario Legislature dissolved and hasn't been retabled.