COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on May 20th, 2020

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chair, what we're looking for here is a balance between the opposition's ability to ask questions, which is fundamental to our democracy, and respecting Canada's public health guidelines.

We're currently operating both virtually and in person. Together, we're exploring the possibility of a hybrid method that would allow some MPs to be on site regularly while others would attend virtually.

I'm wondering if my colleague agrees—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We'll now go to Mr. Barrett for about 45 seconds.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm glad that the government House leader mentioned that it's part of our democracy that the opposition be able to ask questions. Part of that is that the government is then obligated to answer them, and if this is the substitute for the House of Commons, the government should be answering our questions. My question for the government earlier was with respect to the mansion that was being built for the Prime Minister while his other mansion was being renovated.

Why can't he stay home? Why was it being covered up? How much is it going to cost?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chair, once again, this is a roundabout way of going back to what was said earlier. I'm going to have to raise my point of order.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the debates we're having right now about the pandemic. I hope my colleague will take seriously the debates that are taking place here and the fact that we're having the equivalent of seven 45-minute question periods every week to answer questions from the opposition.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We are continuing with Mr. Berthold.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Chair, the very problem is that the government is picking and choosing the questions it wants to answer.

The new Auditor General confirmed yesterday that her office would probably not be able to complete its audit of the federal infrastructure plan by the deadline requested by the majority of members of the House.

The government has delivered virtually nothing on its infrastructure plan since 2015, except talk and fancy graphics. It's not just me saying that. In an article by The Canadian Press, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities was quoted as saying that she was trying to be smarter and more efficient with existing programs.

Will the government pledge here and now to give the Office of the Auditor General the figures it needs?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Mr. Chair, I'd like to thank the member for this opportunity to congratulate the new Auditor General and let her know that she can count on our full support. We know that the work she'll be doing is incredibly important for government and parliamentary institutions alike and will provide Canadians with greater transparency and openness, two fundamental principles that must be upheld in Canada. We look forward to working with her.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Chair, everyone knows history repeats itself.

Unfortunately, during a time of economic growth, the Liberals couldn't fulfill their commitment, and the infrastructure money never made it out of Ottawa.

With the global economy ailing, no one trusts the Liberals to revive the economy now that the going is tough, since they couldn't do it when the going was good.

When will the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities unveil her recovery plan and give the green light so infrastructure projects can gear up in Canada?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

Mr. Chair, unfortunately, I disagree with the member. The Minister of Infrastructure and Communities is working on how infrastructure projects can help get the economy moving again and put people to work in the short term. In the long term, we will address the challenges that COVID-19 brought to the fore and we will help rebuild Canada.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Chair, the infrastructure minister said that the federal government would contribute up to 80% of the funding for infrastructure projects.

Will that be the case for all infrastructure projects sitting on her desk?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

Mr. Chair, the minister is engaged in extensive consultations with the provinces and municipalities, as well as experts at home and abroad.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Chair, starting when will projects be eligible for federal funding?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

Mr. Chair, as everyone knows, the economy has not been hit this hard since the 1930s—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Mr. Berthold, you may go ahead.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Chair, will all the proposals submitted to Ottawa so far also be funded at 80%? After all, they have been the victims of the Liberal government's delay in approving projects for far too long.

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

Mr. Chair, when Canada builds, Canada grows.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Chair, in response to a question from the member for Lévis—Lotbinière, the minister said that all regions in Canada would be connected to high-speed Internet.

I got a message from Valérie Beaudoin, a resident of Kinnear's Mills. She wanted to know what the government was doing for municipalities with poor Internet service. She pointed out that Kinnear's Mills is a small municipality and that she has five teenagers and two children in elementary school all studying at home. She said online services were unreliable or simply didn't work at all.

When will the last household finally be connected to the Internet?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Chair, we have put forward investments, along with a carefully thought-out plan developed in partnership with municipalities, to connect Canadians to the high-speed Internet that they so deserve and that we're all going to need to recover from COVID-19. We're going to do so as soon as possible.

Through you, Mr. Chair, let me put it out to all partners: We're willing to work with every willing partner to get this done.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Chair, as soon as possible is too late for students who have to do their schooling online.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities tweeted this out:

Canada's cities and communities are facing a financial crisis and are out of acceptable options. This is no time to cut back frontline services. And shelving infrastructure projects threatens the economic recovery everyone's counting on.

Is the Prime Minister, who knows full well municipalities can't run deficits, pulling a fast one on taxpayers? They are the ones who will be on the hook when municipalities can't pay all of their bills at the end of the year.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Chair, I'd like to thank the member for his question.

I completely agree that municipalities are still vital, especially now as we get Canada's economy going again. They are also vital when it comes to public transit.

I think every member of the House understands the conditions municipalities have to work within, and all of us should understand that municipalities are under provincial jurisdiction. The federal government is willing to work with municipalities and provinces.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Pursuant to an order made April 20, the committee shall now consider a motion that the committee take note of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic for not more than two hours and 10 minutes. Each recognized party shall be allotted 30 minutes for debate, which may be shared among members of the party, and members who do not belong to a recognized party shall be allotted a total of 10 minutes for debate.

The honourable Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance.

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'll be sharing my time with the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and the Minister of Indigenous Services.

As we are all well aware, the COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis of historic proportions.

Public health and safety, along with safeguarding the economy and protecting jobs for Canadian workers, remain this government's top priorities. We are listening to Canadians and working tirelessly to find solutions that will keep them safe and slow the spread of COVID-19.

Since this crisis began, I have participated in digital town halls across the country to hear the concerns and ideas of Canadians and to help answer their questions. Our government has been listening and taking action to support them. Over the past two and a half months, the government has taken strong actions through the economic response plan to help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on Canadians.

Our government has committed more than $150 billion in widespread and direct support. We have one of the most comprehensive plans in the G7. I would like to highlight for Canadians some of the key actions that the government has made recently to make the economic response plan more far-reaching and effective so that it can more specifically meet the needs of Canadian workers and businesses.

The Canada emergency wage subsidy helps businesses keep employees on the payroll, and it encourages employers to rehire workers previously laid off. It also better positions businesses to bounce back following the crisis. It provides a 75% wage subsidy, up to a $847 per week, for employers of all sizes and across all sectors who suffered a major drop in gross revenues. To date, this program has supported over two million Canadian workers, and businesses continue to sign up every day.

Just last week, the Prime Minister announced that our government will extend the Canada emergency wage subsidy by an additional 12 weeks to August 29, 2020. Extending the program will give workers greater confidence that they will continue to get the support that they need during these difficult times.

Here are some employers who are now eligible: indigenous government-owned corporations that carry on businesses as well as partnerships whose members are indigenous governments and eligible employers; registered journalism organizations; and private schools and colleges including institutions that offer specialized services such as arts schools, driving schools, language schools and flight schools.

As well, the Canada emergency response benefit remains a key plank of our government's effort to directly support Canadians who have lost their jobs, are sick, are quarantined or are taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19.

Just as important, it also includes working parents who must stay home without pay to care for children who are sick or at home because of school and day care closures. This benefit has supported approximately eight million Canadians, because in these extraordinary times no Canadian should have to worry about paying their bills or rent, or about putting food on the table.

Additionally, workers who are still employed but are not receiving income because of disruptions to their work situation related to COVID-19 would also qualify for the CERB. The CERB is available to Canadian workers affected by the current situation, whether or not they're eligible for employment insurance.

The latest figures reveal that nearly 8 million Canadians have applied for the Canada emergency response benefit, or CERB, with approximately $35.9 billion in payments going to Canadians who need it most.

All over the country, parents are wondering whether they can still afford to feed their families, as they try to educate and raise their children in creative ways. Since its launch in 2016, the Canada child benefit, or CCB, has bolstered family incomes and allowed us to assist those who need it most. The CCB is a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age. Under the CCB, low- and middle-income families are receiving higher payments than they did under the previous child benefit system.

As part of its COVID economic response plan, our government took decisive action to ensure that families receive an additional $300 per child through the CCB in May to help them deal with the added pressure of COVID-19. Eligible families are automatically receiving this one-time increase as part of their scheduled CCB payment this week. Those who already receive the CCB do not need to reapply for this one-time income. This measure will deliver almost $2 billion in extra support across the country. It will help families with the high costs of taking care of their kids during this challenging period.

Many of our seniors are also facing difficulties. They built this country, and now they need our help. No one, especially the elderly, should have to choose between putting food on the table, paying for prescriptions or saving money for expenses that are coming.

Since the pandemic began, the Government of Canada has taken steps to help seniors. More than 4 million seniors received a one-time payment through the GST credit in April, totalling $1.3 billion. That means that, on average, single seniors received an additional $375 and senior couples received an additional $510.

The government also reduced the required minimum withdrawals from registered retirement income funds, or RRIFs, by 25% for 2020.

Last week, we took further steps to give Canadian seniors greater financial security during this time of crisis. We announced a one-time tax-free payment of $300 for seniors eligible for old age security, with an additional $200 for seniors eligible for the guaranteed income supplement. This measure will deliver a total of $500 to individuals who are eligible, helping them to cover increased costs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We're also expanding the new horizons for seniors program with an additional investment of $20 million to support organizations that offer community-based projects that reduce isolation, improve the quality of life of seniors and help them maintain a social support network.

We are also extending the GIS and allowance payments if seniors' 2019 income information has not been assessed. This will ensure that the most vulnerable seniors continue to receive their benefits when they need them the most.

The pandemic has placed particular demands on low-income workers in certain sectors, including those on the front line in hospitals and nursing homes, those ensuring the integrity of the food supply or those providing essential retail services to Canadians.

The government intends to provide up to $3 billion to support low-income essential workers across the country. Each province or territory will determine which workers will be eligible for the support.

Together, we will get through this. When this crisis is behind us, we will be in a better position to rebound together and to keep building a stronger country where everyone can succeed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages has the floor.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Chair, Canadians are living with the impact of the COVID-19 crisis every single day. It has upended the everyday lives of Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Each of us has witnessed the impact in our own corner of the country. It's a public health crisis, but it's also an economic crisis.

Our cities, including Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, but also our regions from Bathurst to Tofino, including the great north, are affected by what's going on.

The government has three priorities. The first is to protect Canadians' health and safety, with the ever-constant goal of flattening the curve involving the public health risk. The second is to expand the social safety net. That will allow us to flatten another curve, the curve of inequality.

We decided to extend massively the social safety net, and we decided to adopt a people first approach. We created the CERB, which is a $2,000 amount per month. We also increased the Canada child benefit. We came up with some new GST payments to people all across the country, and later on, we came up with increased support for students and seniors.

The third and final priority is the economic response. That means flattening the curve of economic risk.

As economic development minister, supported by six incredible parliamentary secretaries, I can tell you that we've covered a lot of ground, in the virtual sense, of course. We've taken part in meetings on Zoom and Webex, as well as webinars with entrepreneurs and chambers of commerce representatives.

We've talked to thousands of entrepreneurs around the country, in cities, regions and even the wonderful part of the country so dear to you, Mr. Chair, northern Ontario. We've heard people's anxieties, and we understand their stress. Before I got involved in politics, I was an entrepreneur, so I understand the stress and worries of entrepreneurs struggling to cope in this unprecedented crisis. In response to the high level of anxiety around the country, we took action and put forward solutions.

Let's look at how our government has responded. I think that, in the beginning, we thought the economic impact was essentially a shift in need. We thought business revenues might drop for a month or two before going back up. That's why we put greater emphasis on liquidity supports. We engaged the banking system, the Bank of Canada and Export Development Canada. Once my fellow members and I had the opportunity to talk to people on the ground and hear from entrepreneurs, we knew we had to do even more and address costs. We had to take more of a subsidy-based approach.

As we were taking stock of what was going on, what entrepreneurs and their different chambers of commerce were telling us, we decided to look much more into the costs of businesses and their burn rate. That's why we decided to go ahead with a first-ever wage subsidy that increased from 10% at the beginning of the crisis to 75% now. We came up also with the CEBA loan, a $40,000 loan that includes a $10,000 forgivable subsidy. Also, as fixed costs were still an issue, we came up with rent relief.

Although we came up with these important and never-before measures, businesses were still falling through the cracks. That's why it became clear that we had to go forward with a new fund. This is the regional relief fund. This fund is administered through ACOA in Atlantic Canada, DEC in Quebec, FedDev and FedNor in Ontario, Western Economic Diversification in western Canada and CanNor in the three territories.

Nearly $1 billion will be awarded through our different regional development agencies to make sure that businesses that do not have access to the wage subsidy or the CEBA loan, the $40,000 loan, will finally have access to new measures.

Our regional development agencies are well tooled to know what is important in northern Ontario, in Atlantic Canada and in Quebec. They know that businesses have been hard hit in western Canada, and they're well tuned to be the convenor of many other federal government programs and also those of the government of proximity that is the closest to the ground, while we're still the federal government, sometimes hundreds or thousands of kilometres away from people and businesses.

That's why we established a significant $1 billion fund, the regional relief and recovery fund, or RRRF.

The RRRF is a way to make sure that no entrepreneurs or employees fall through the cracks. I said earlier that we've extended the social safety net. We wanted to tighten up the system so that, ultimately, we would have an even stronger social safety net. The good news yesterday was that we expanded the $40,000 loan. There are now new criteria that enable sole proprietors or people who pay themselves dividends to access funding.

However, there are still businesses and entrepreneurs that don't qualify for the loan and that can now apply under the regional relief and recovery fund. The fund will be administered by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, or ACOA, in Atlantic Canada; Canada Economic Development, or CED, in Quebec; the federal economic development initiative for northern Ontario, or FedNor, and the federal economic development initiative for southern Ontario, or FedDev Ontario; Western Economic Diversification Canada, or WD, in western Canada; and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, or CanNor, in the three territories.

The fund consists of $675 million to support the economic development agencies and $287 million to support the community futures development corporations, or CFDCs, and our various community development organizations across the country. The goal of the program is to provide access to funding, including loans or subsidies, to fill the gaps or to support our strategic businesses.

We know that industries have been hit hard, particularly seasonal industries, such as tourism. As the minister who's also responsible for tourism, I can tell you that the sector needs help right now. That's why we're here for the sector and why we've set up this program.

Some industries have been more impacted than others. We know that, for example, seasonal industries are more impacted, and we know also that the tourism sector has been hard hit. Many of our colleagues in the House have mentioned this issue. What we're saying to tourism operators and tourism leaders is, come and see your regional development agency. Let's sit down, let's have a conversation, and let's find solutions.

All these measures are being taken for people. We are doing that for people to make sure that businesses can survive this economic crisis, that we can keep jobs and that people receive paycheques through their employers. What we're saying to Canadians right now is that we're working for you, with you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We'll now go to the Minister of Indigenous Services.