Evidence of meeting #2 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 chair.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Mr. Chair, what is the non-medical use that the government is considering for these substandard masks?
Liberal
Anita Anand Liberal Oakville, ON
Mr. Chair, a majority of the masks that were defective were defective in terms of their straps, and it's being determined whether those straps can be replaced and then repurposed.
Conservative
Eric Melillo Conservative Kenora, ON
Mr. Chair, through you to the Minister of Small Business, I would like to note that many small businesses in the Kenora riding are in the tourism industry. This is normally a huge sector for our economy, especially in the coming summer months. Due to border closures and due to interprovincial travel recommendations, this sector will be hit very hard. Places like Temple Bay Lodge and Lac Seul's Golden Eagle Resort in my riding are going to be struggling.
Can the minister tell the House if the government is planning any support for the tourism industry?
Liberal
Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON
Mr. Chair, I want to thank the honourable member for that really important question. Those are certainly places where so many people have spent time enjoying those particular sites, which are extraordinary.
For those businesses in the tourism sector and in all sectors, we're helping them with the main measures. Whether it is to help keep their employees on staff or whether it is to help them with cash flow or to help them keep their expenses low, that is how we're helping them and we'll continue to do that.
Conservative
Eric Melillo Conservative Kenora, ON
Mr. Chair, many businesses, particularly seasonal operations, rely on programs like the Canada summer jobs, which they may face difficulty accessing if they are not able to open on time. Similarly the emergency wage subsidy disqualifies many seasonal businesses from being able to access it.
Will the time frames of these programs be extended to accommodate struggling seasonal businesses?
Liberal
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
Mr. Chair, I can confirm that, from the perspective of Canada summer jobs, the time frame has actually been extended to February 2021 for the reasons put forth by the member exactly.
Conservative
Eric Melillo Conservative Kenora, ON
I've heard from many business owners as well who are not eligible for some of the loans and programs, whether due to a financial threshold or being a new start-up or maybe that they can't demonstrate past revenue.
Will there be any flexibility for these start-ups and for some of these smaller companies that don't meet the current criteria?
Liberal
Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON
Mr. Chair, we have indeed put out support for those very companies that would need some additional support. Whether it's through the industrial research assistance program or the regional development agencies or through Futurpreneur for young entrepreneurs, in addition to the many measures we have put out, the idea here is to have comprehensive support to help all of our businesses, many of our businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the country.
Conservative
Eric Melillo Conservative Kenora, ON
Mr. Chair, many businesses in my riding are also facing challenges with Internet access. A lack of reliable Internet has proven to be a barrier and this has been exacerbated due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Can the government tell us what steps it will take in order to rectify this and ensure that reliable Internet is available in all parts of Canada?
Mona Fortier LiberalMinister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance
Mr. Chair, I thank the honourable member for his question on the issue of rural broadband in his region. We know that even before the COVID-19 crisis began, the government recognised that fast, reliable and affordable high-speed Internet is a necessity, not a luxury, for all Canadians, including those living in rural and remote communities.
Since 2015 we've helped connect more than 400,000 households to high-speed Internet, and we are going to continue to invest.
Conservative
Eric Melillo Conservative Kenora, ON
Mr. Chair, communities in northern Ontario have limited health care capacity, and they'd be devastated by a broad-spread outbreak of COVID-19. That is why I've joined local mayors, indigenous leaders as well as our provincial colleagues in calling for cottagers to stay home instead of coming to their secondary residences in my riding.
Nonetheless, as I've already mentioned, our economy is very dependent on this tourism. Is there going to be a plan from this government, coming out of this crisis, to continue to promote Canadian tourism and ensure that the sector will thrive going forward?
Steven Guilbeault LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Chair, we know that the tourism industry is hard hit by COVID-19, and we are working tirelessly to mitigate the impacts on the Canadian economy. Strong measures have been put in place, as one of my colleagues indicated earlier, for example, the Canada emergency response benefit or the Canada emergency wage subsidy.
We're also investing $675 million in six of our regional agencies as well as $287 million in the CFDC-CAE network to support small businesses in rural communities, particularly in the sector of tourism.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Rota
We will now take a brief pause so that the console operators can switch.
The exchange has taken place, so let us move on.
Ms. Larouche, you have the floor now.
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
As the Bloc Québécois critic for seniors and the status of women, I would like to speak again today about the precarious financial situation of seniors.
In a brief submitted by FADOQ in 2019 to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, entitled "Challenges Facing Senior Women in Canada", FADOQ discussed the contemporary issues specific to senior women in Canada. Many of them outlive their life partners, have to live with little, have to be family caregivers in an aging population, and more. The current crisis is certainly not helping their situation, and nothing has yet been proposed to help them get through this crisis.
We have been asking the government for several months now to increase the old age pension by $110 per month, to improve the guaranteed income supplement, accessible to all starting at age 65, to suspend the requirement to withdraw a portion of their pension plan investments, to designate private pension plans as preferred creditors and to lower drug prices.
It's not a luxury for these senior women, but a necessity. Doesn't the government agree?
It's high time we took action for our seniors.
Liberal
Mona Fortier Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
After a lifetime of hard work, Canadians deserve peace of mind in retirement. We are ensuring that Canada pension plan and old age security payments continue and that new applications are processed as quickly as possible.
We have introduced new measures during this crisis, including offering an additional GST/HST credit of $400 per adult, on average, and $600 per couple. We are also reducing the minimum withdrawals from registered retirement income funds by 25%, and allowing people to defer paying tax until August 31.
We will continue to explore other ways to support Canada's seniors and retirees.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The extra GST credit payment, the 25% reduction and all that is good, but it's not enough.
On another note, the government is helping the community sector in times of crisis, because it helps to lighten its burden, but then it creates needs that will have to be met by the provinces and Quebec. These various groups come under the health and social services ministries in the provinces and Quebec. They are affected by the crisis and need stable, recurring support. They can't afford to beg every year. The needs are great, and some programs are coming to an end.
Will the government finally commit to the governments of Quebec and the provinces to make community funding stable and predictable, in particular by increasing the Canada social transfer, or CST, by 6%?
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Mr. Chair, I share the member's passion for the work that charity groups and not-for-profit organizations do across this country. That's why we've set up a $350-million emergency community support fund that will support charities and not-for-profit organizations in their important work. We also made sure that they are eligible for the 75% wage subsidy.
We've also contributed directly through things like Kids Help Phone and United Way. These are really important organizations that, as the member points out, are the fabric of our community. We are grateful to partner with them during this difficult time.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
The crisis fund and the wage subsidy are good, but I'm also talking about the post-crisis period. Seniors are also the most affected by the virus. That can be seen everywhere. Public health officials in the provinces are working miracles, given the situation. Health care is already underfunded, in part because the federal government isn't giving back to the provinces enough of the taxes our constituents pay.
Does the government intend to make a commitment, as the Bloc Québécois and the premiers of all provinces and Quebec asked for last December, to increase and index health transfers?