Evidence of meeting #1 for COVID-19 Pandemic in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was point.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Navdeep Bains Liberal Mississauga—Malton, ON
—and that's going to help many Canadians in the future.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
That wasn't a response to my question. I asked how many masks were being produced in Canada versus what the total demand was. What's the delta in terms of numbers, in terms of what we're being required to import that might be potentially defective, both today and then projected under the terms of provincial reopening efforts?
Liberal
Navdeep Bains Liberal Mississauga—Malton, ON
With respect to the demand, that demand is going to continue to increase. That number is going to continue to go up. We're leaving no stone unturned. We are mobilizing a strong industrial base to build up a domestic capacity. Of course, it's in the millions. The company that I would like to highlight is Medicom, for example, in Montreal. They are building up local capacity that will provide us with 44 million—
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
How many masks are they producing today on a daily basis?
Liberal
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
It's my time, so how many masks are they producing on a daily basis?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Rota
I just want to remind the honourable member that the questions come through the chair. This is what we are trying to avoid, a back and forth.
We still have about 30 seconds. I'll let the honourable minister continue.
Liberal
Navdeep Bains Liberal Mississauga—Malton, ON
As I have indicated with Medicom, for example, this is a company that we have engaged. It's a Canadian company that is building up Canadian production capability. They are looking to produce 40-plus million masks on an annual basis for the next 10 years. This is a significant commitment, and it is going to be complemented by other made-in-Canada solutions as well.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Rota
I just want to remind the honourable members that I do have the ability to mute individual members. I don't want to go there, so I'll just leave it at that.
The honourable member for West Nova.
Conservative
Chris d'Entremont Conservative West Nova, NS
Mr. Chair, I would like to take this first opportunity to offer my sincere condolences to the families that have lost loved ones during the Nova Scotia murders. I would also like to thank my colleagues for their words of comfort during this difficult time.
I want to thank all the parliamentarians for their support.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Rota
We seem to be having some feedback. I'm not sure what the issue is. Let me just check with our technical people, and we'll pause for a second.
I'll let you continue, and we'll see how it works.
Conservative
Chris d'Entremont Conservative West Nova, NS
I had a French line in here. I just want to make sure I get through that, and then I'll switch to English.
I want to thank all the parliamentarians for their support during this difficult time for Canadians.
My first question is for the Minister of Finance, even though it's fisheries-related.
In many instances in the lobster industry, and I suppose in many other fisheries, buyers and processors will settle in various different ways with the fishermen. Simply, some buy the product by weight, some provide wage and wage benefits, and some use a combination of both. The last two methods do not effectively—
Conservative
Chris d'Entremont Conservative West Nova, NS
I'll switch to the English channel and I'll stay there instead of on the floor channel.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Rota
I will interrupt for a second.
I believe Monsieur Rayes is frozen. This is one of our technological challenges.
We'll let you continue, and hopefully he can reconnect.
Mr. d'Entremont.
Conservative
Chris d'Entremont Conservative West Nova, NS
The last two methods do not effectively represent the true wages of the business. In one case that I am aware of, the T4 summary, box 14, shows about $2.6 million in total employment, but the actual wages to people working directly for the company are only about $242,000.
How can these companies qualify for the CEBA and the wage subsidy?
Liberal
Bernadette Jordan Liberal South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
Mr. Chair, we recognize that, within the fishing sector, there are definitely some challenges with regard to how businesses are structured. We're looking at all those measures that have been put in place and how we can best address the concerns we're hearing from the industry. We know that there have been some shortfalls with regard to harvesters and processors in being able to access the wage subsidy, as well as some of the people who are trying to access the CERB.
Those are all measures that we're working on right now to try to make sure that we address these concerns as quickly as we possibly can.
Conservative
Chris d'Entremont Conservative West Nova, NS
Fishers are asking, of course, “What about us?” Many of their markets are closed, or at least purchasing minimal amounts of seafood. Some seasons have been postponed. Blaine Higgs, the Premier of New Brunswick, is now calling for the cancellation of the lobster fishery in New Brunswick.
When will the government come up with a rescue plan for the fishing industry, which has been severely affected since the beginning of this crisis? Processors were promised $62.5 million, but nothing yet for fishers.
Liberal
Bernadette Jordan Liberal South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
Mr. Chair, we know that the fish and seafood sector has been extremely impacted since the very start of COVID-19. It was one of the first sectors to feel the impacts, because of the decline in the export market.
We're making investments for processors to make sure that they can retool their facilities and provide the health and safety measures and protocols that have been put in place, and also to make sure they can build capacity through freezer and storage space. These are all things that we heard from processors were extremely important to them.
We also know that harvesters who are being impacted need supports. We are now looking at sector-specific areas, so that we can make sure that we address those issues. We have already made sure that seasonal workers are eligible for the CERB, as well as made sure that people who have run out of fishers' EI are also eligible.
We will continue to work with our harvesters, industry partners and organizations right across the fishing and seafood sector to make sure we get those measures in place as quickly as possible. We know that this is a very difficult time in this industry. I am working extremely hard and actively around the clock to try to make sure that we address these concerns as soon as we can.
Conservative
Chris d'Entremont Conservative West Nova, NS
Beyond the troubled fishery and agriculture sector, West Nova also has a vibrant tourist industry, but most of it revolves around the international ferry that connects us to the state of Maine.
Border restrictions will be going on for some time in the future. How does the government see the border with our neighbours to the south opening up again?
Liberal
Bill Blair Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
I think it's a very important question, and we're monitoring it very carefully. I can tell you that the circumstances currently in the United States and Canada do not indicate to us that it's the appropriate time to consider opening those borders. We have achieved a very significant level of success in reducing non-essential travel back and forth, and for ferry traffic that has meant a 100% reduction.
We'll continue to monitor the situation, and when we believe it is safe to do so, there can be a discussion about easing those restrictions, but at the present time I am firmly of the opinion that they need to remain in place to protect the health and safety of Canadians.
Green
Jenica Atwin Green Fredericton, NB
Mr. Chair, I'm going to reiterate some of the questions asked by my colleagues in the Bloc. This is a very important issue, and I really want clarity around this answer. The amount reported of $11.4 billion—