COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on May 20th, 2020

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

Mr. Chair, we recognize that there's an enormous demand for personal protective equipment. That is why we mobilized industry in Canada. We had a call to action where over 6,000 companies stepped up with different solutions. Right now 700 different businesses are scaling and retooling to provide the appropriate personal protective equipment.

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Chair, this country has recently been faced with floods, fires, ice storms and now a pandemic. Increasingly, our highly trained military is being called to get involved in domestic emergencies rather than in the traditional operations they were trained for. Canada has the best military in the world.

Will the government, as a suggestion, consider the establishment of a separate specialized force, under Public Safety, that is designed to respond to domestic national emergencies?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Chair, I'm very proud to advise this House that the men and women in uniform in the Canadian Armed Forces have been answering the call. With regard to all of the provincial requests for assistance that we have received, the Canadian Armed Forces have responded to these requests and have provided that assistance. There are over 1,400 members now deployed, for example, in Quebec, helping in long-term care facilities, and 450 Canadian Armed Forces members in Ontario, helping in those facilities. They have been responding to those floods and fires.

We're grateful for their service, and we'll continue to be there for Canadians when they ask for our help.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The next question goes to Mr. Barrett.

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

Mr. Chair, this week the government was expected to release seven items pertaining to the massacre in Nova Scotia, including four search warrants, two production orders and a closed warrant. That did not happen. Instead, we received a single highly redacted document.

A crisis is not an excuse to hide information from Canadians. In fact, it's more important now than ever for the government to be open and transparent. Why are the Liberals using this pandemic to withhold information about this tragic crime?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Chair, the member's assertion is completely incorrect. In fact, our government does not in any way interfere with ongoing criminal investigations conducted by the RCMP. They are engaged in a very robust and vigorous investigation. We know that the people of Nova Scotia and Canadians want answers to the questions about what happened in this terrible and tragic event. The RCMP will continue their investigation.

We're working very closely with the Province of Nova Scotia to make sure that Canadians get the answers they need.

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

Mr. Chair, the families of the victims, Nova Scotians and all Canadians deserve answers as to how and why this incident occurred in the way that it did. When will all of this information finally be made transparent and public?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Chair, I am absolutely confident that at the conclusion of the RCMP investigation, when the investigation is complete and the facts are known, the information will be made available to Nova Scotians and to Canadians. We're working very closely with the Nova Scotia government. I'm in constant contact with the attorney general, as recently as yesterday, to ensure that the information is available when it's—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We'll go back to Mr. Barrett.

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

Mr. Chair, Prime Minister Trudeau is having a waterfront mansion built at Harrington Lake at taxpayers' expense while the existing mansion is renovated. Can't he just stay at home during the renovations? How much are Canadian taxpayers on the hook for?

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

Mr. Chair, I have difficulty understanding what that has to do with the subject we are debating, that is, the pandemic issue.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

That is a good point.

Before I start the clock again and go back to Mr. Barrett, I want to reply to that question.

We've been sitting here for the last number of sessions, and occasionally I've seen people go off into different tangents. I want to remind honourable members that this committee has to do with things relating to COVID-19. Questions have been asked that have been off topic and answers have been given to some of those questions.

I want to caution both sides on this. If you hear something that isn't quite COVID-related, please let us know and don't answer. If you ask a question that isn't on COVID-19, please realize it before we have to reprimand you. That way we can keep this flowing well.

Mr. Barrett, a question.

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

Mr. Chair, I object to you referring to my question as a tangent. It is pertinent to all Canadians. I do believe this is a point of personal privilege and it should not be deducted from my time, because Canadians want answers to more than just the questions from the journalists selected by the PMO when the Prime Minister pops out of the cottage every morning.

The Hollywood Squares version of the House of Commons is not what Canadians expect. They want oversight. They want accountability. They elected parliamentarians. They elected an official opposition to hold the government to account, and that's why we're here today.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to remind the honourable members that although we're not in a parliamentary session, we do have a certain amount of respect, so when referring to people, please do it respectfully. We are in a committee that is limited, and it can be enforced that we only deal with items dealing with COVID-19. I just want to remind everyone that this is a committee. This is not a session of Parliament.

Mr. Barrett, I'll let you continue. You have two minutes and 37 seconds left.

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

Mr. Chair, my question for Prime Minister Trudeau is why, during COVID-19, like all times under his government, the Liberals only tell the truth when they get caught. Why did they try to hide the cost of this mansion from Canadians?

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Again, I want to remind honourable members that you cannot do indirectly what you can't do directly. Accusing someone of something is not parliamentary language, even if it is a committee.

Do we have a point of order?

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

I would simply like to emphasize that we must stay within the scope of committee business.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Mr. Barrett, please.

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

Mr. Chair, I fail to understand what your intervention was there on behalf of the government, because my questions are pertinent. These are questions that Canadians have. The government is not tabling a fiscal update. It is not giving us a budget. During COVID-19, Canadians expect us to get answers from the government about what it spends money on.

My questions are pertinent. They are on topic. The government's not being interested in answering them is typical 365 days a year, not just during this pandemic. I fail to understand how it's not relevant for me to ask about the money the government is spending when it fails to update this House and this committee in an appropriate way.

Mr. Chair, I'm certainly at a loss on how you expect us to hold the government to account and how you expect committee members to question the government when we have to filter through a narrow channel that is approved again by the PMO. This is very disappointing. I can tell you that many Canadians would be disappointed that our questions for the government have to be approved by you, so if in future I ought to submit them in advance—

[An hon. member]

For shame.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

For shame is right.

Ms. Dancho, please.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Chair, after two months of the Conservatives advocating for small businesses that were being left behind by this government, yesterday we finally received word from the Liberals that the Canada emergency business loan would be expanded to include employers that pay their employees with contracts and dividends. Hallelujah for small businesses, Mr. Chair.

Despite the praise from the Ottawa press gallery, many businesses are still being left behind, like my constituent Svetlana, who owns a hair salon that has been shut down for months. She needs the commercial rent assistance, but her landlord refuses to sign up for the program. Will the government expand and streamline the commercial rent assistance, or will it continue to ignore business owners like Svetlana?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Chair, yesterday was a great day, and we continue to expand the CEBA program to support businesses across the country. We have been listening to businesses as to how we can support them, and we will continue to find ways to support all Canadians, workers and businesses.

This is a very difficult time, and our government has put forth many programs in a very short period. We will continue to work on these programs and focus on Canadians.

[The Acting Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The honourable member for Kildonan—St. Paul.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

That's not so much an answer, Madam Chair, as it is self-praise, but let's try again.

James is a restaurant owner in my riding who has had sales decline by 65%, just short of the 70% threshold needed to receive the commercial rent assistance. A 65% decline is devastating to him and his employees, but it's not devastating enough for the Liberals to throw him a bone and help him with his rent. Why does the Liberal government continue to pick favourites and exclude thousands and thousands of businesses across Canada with arbitrary red tape?