COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on May 21st, 2020

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Given the literal failure of the government, the fatal failure of the government, to provide timely, sound advice to Canadians on COVID-19, would it be fair to say that Canadians should think twice before blindly placing their trust in this government when it comes to measures that take away their civil liberties, safety and livelihoods?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Chair, it's an interesting line of questioning that the member is pursuing. In fact, what's kept Canadians safe is Canadians listening to the advice of public health officials across the country, who have been advising them every step of the way on how to protect themselves and their families.

I want to thank Canadians for the extreme work they've been doing to prevent overwhelming our health care system, which we've seen in so many other jurisdictions—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We go back to Ms. Rempel Garner.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Does the minister support an unimpeded, full, independent, global investigation into the origins of the coronavirus?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

As the Prime Minister and I and many others from this government have stated, there is an imperative that we have a review not only of the international response to the outbreak of COVID-19 but also our own country's response. It will be a very important way for future generations to learn how to combat global disease.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Is the minister—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Over to you, Mr. Martel, for the next question.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Good afternoon.

Mr. Chair, many Canadian citizens who had been abroad were repatriated because of COVID-19. However, some are still stuck there. That is the situation for a citizen of Chicoutimi, Mr. Andre Gauthier, who is currently being held in a prison in Dubai for a crime that he has clearly not committed. There is no reason for this matter to drag on. At the moment, the virus is spreading quickly in the prison where he is being detained, which is dangerous to his health and safety. The Canadian government is his only hope.

I would like to know when the Minister of Foreign Affairs is going to demand the repatriation of our Canadian citizen.

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

I would like to thank my colleague very much for his question.

When I was Minister of Foreign affairs, I worked closely with the Gauthier family. Mr. Martel is right to say that this matter is of considerable concern to our government, and to all Canadians, particularly in Mr. Gauthier's region. We are going to continue to work with the family and our foreign partners to help Mr. Gauthier.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Chair, some startup companies that are only beginning to grow are not eligible for government assistance. As we know, startup companies do not have comparable figures that would enable them to determine whether they have lost 30% of their revenue, for example, compared to the previous year. These startup companies have made investments and signed contracts with other employers. However, banks are twitchy at the moment and hesitant to lend them money.

What is the government going to do to help these startups?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Chair, many companies are experiencing problems. That is why, whenever we have to deal with a challenge, we look into improvements and changes that might be made to our programs. In such changeable circumstances, it is very important to do so.

If the member has a specific example he would like to mention, he could tell me about it, and then we might be able to look into it further.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Chair, some entrepreneurs do not have a business checking account; they only have a personal checking account. That's why they do not have access to the Canada emergency business account, even though they meet all the other criteria. Before considering any expansion of this program, it's important to make sure that all of our family businesses have access to it.

If entrepreneurs were to open a business account now and their personal checking account did not show any payment defaults, would the government be open to the idea of making them eligible to apply?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

As the Prime Minister has said personally, we are working very hard on a solution for the companies and entrepreneurs with personal accounts. We're going to ensure that we support these very hard-working businesses and entrepreneurs in our country.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Chair, the economic recovery plan will be key for Canada. The government is well aware of the fact that there are ways other than increasing taxes to pay down the debt. Private sector natural resource projects in Canada represent over $200 billion. There is a major project called GNL Québec in my own riding.

When is the government planning to restart and speed up the environmental assessment process, specifically to create wealth in the country?

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

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my colleague for his question.

We are very familiar with this project and are working on several issues, including this one, in close collaboration with Quebec. I, like the member, believe that natural resource projects are important for Canada's economy and that they will also be important for helping our economy recover.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We will now go to Ms. Kusie.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, Joe Biden's position on Keystone today became a lot clearer this morning when it was reported that a former adviser to the Prime Minister, Jen O'Malley Dillon, is now consulting for this presidential candidate. We know that the Prime Minister allowed a former U.S. president to intervene in the last election, testing his own foreign interference legislation, and Canadians continue to wait for him and his government to take a tougher stand on China.

When will the Prime Minister stand up for Canada and our interests as we rebuild? Or will he continue to covertly use the influence of foreign entities to destroy us and our economy?

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

Mr. Chair, I must say that I disagree in the strongest possible terms that our government would ever encourage foreign influence in Canadian democracy, and I have to say that I believe all members of this House have the same view.

Our democracy is precious. Our sovereignty is precious. I think all of us as members of this House are sworn to defend it, and our government certainly has always done that and will continue to do so.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Chair, I am very concerned for the economic future of Canada. I see the United States going ahead with their economic prosperity network. I have yet to see anything from our government regarding new supply chains.

Mr. Chair, The Pipeline reports that 61 environmentalists now fill senior positions in this Prime Minister's administration. While all perspectives are needed, he continues to ignore the reason for and the necessity of including industry and economy.

When will the Prime Minister work towards achieving a balance in the administration, or will he continue to allow his own ideology to hurt the economy and eliminate industry at a time when we so desperately need it to rebuild Canada?

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

Mr. Chair, if the member opposite is suggesting that people who believe we need to protect our environment and people who believe we need to fight climate change work in our government, then the member is absolutely right, and I believe that all Canadians understand that we need to fight climate change and we need to support the environment.

Canada, as a proud natural resource producing country, needs to continue the work that is led by many brilliant people in the energy sector to produce our natural resources in a sustainable way to protect our environment. That is something we're doing, and it is something we'll continue to do.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We'll now go back to Ms. Kusie.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Deputy Prime Minister says that, but this federal Liberal government has shown again and again that they don't care for the Canadian energy sector or jobs in western Canada. They introduced anti-energy legislation through Bill C-69 and Bill C-48, as all Canadians know, which have devastated the industry. In fact, these two bills alone forced over $200 billion of investment to leave Canada.

To add to Alberta's economic problems, we've also had an international oil price war and the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a huge drop in the demand for oil. Economies across the country are starting to open up again, but the reality for many Albertans in my riding is that they don't have a job to go back to.

When will the government start supporting Canadian energy workers and remove the regulatory roadblocks that they keep putting up?

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

Mr. Chair, our government absolutely understands the need to support workers across our fantastic country, very much including energy workers, and we understand that energy workers are facing a double burden. They are facing the challenges posed by the coronavirus, and they are facing the challenges posed by a historically low price for oil.

That is why our government has stepped up to help them. We have stepped up to help them with the $1.7 billion to clean up orphaned wells, an effort that will put people back to work while supporting our environment. The LEEFF program, which is now open for applications, is going to support large employers across the country, very much including in our energy sector.

I'd like to congratulate the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and B.C. for working with the federal government to agree on methane emissions. This is very good news for the environment. It's very good news for our energy sector. We are making progress together.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The next question goes to Mr. Richards.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Over a month ago, the Prime Minister came out of his cottage and told Canadians that there would be a program announced specific to tourism and hospitality.

Can the minister for tourism tell us when that program will be announced?