COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on June 15th, 2020

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Chair, the results are in, and businesses aren't happy with the so-called support programs from these Liberals. In fact, the oil and gas industry has been shut out of many of these economic programs.

When is the government going to recognize that their business support plans have been an absolute failure with only a fraction of the billions promised being accessible to businesses?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Chair, our government has taken swift and immediate action to support our sector throughout this challenging time. We had the BCAP, which is critically important to providing liquidity to support the SMEs that make up 85% of the jobs in our sector.

It has taken an enormous team effort. People are working around the clock to get money where it needs to be. We are helping hard-working Canadians, small businesses and large businesses right across the country, but in particular in our energy sector.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Chair, I'm pleased to see the Minister of Natural Resources online.

He tweeted recently to praise the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line and the North West Redwater Partnership refinery in my riding. Can the minister tell us what, if any, support they have given to the innovative carbon capture and sequestration technology in this country?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Mr. Chair, we see carbon capture and sequestration as an integral part of lowering emissions, making emissions more competitive and making our oil and gas industry more competitive.

We're seeing where the investment dollars are going. They are going to jurisdictions that are committed to lowering emissions. Obviously, this government is committing to net zero.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

I note that the minister couldn't name a single example of government support for carbon capture, utilization and sequestration technology.

We have spent a lot of time talking about the COVID-19 pandemic, but Canadians are living with another horrific reality, that being the intensifying opioid overdose epidemic. Reports indicate that in the past four years, 14,000 Canadians have died, and the numbers during COVID-19 have been skyrocketing, with British Columbia seeing a 39% increase this year alone. I know this because I've lost a family member to a fentanyl overdose.

When is the government going to take this scourge seriously and take action to save the lives of Canadians?

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

Mr. Chair, I share the member's deep sadness about the number of lives we've lost to opioid overdose.

Our government has been steadily making it easier for people who live with substance use to access medications to treat substance use, such as prescription Suboxone and methadone. We have made it easier to rapidly establish safe injection sites in communities and have supported community-based projects that work with people who are using substances.

We need to understand that this is a complex issue, and we need to support people to get the help they need.

[The Acting Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Thérèse-De Blainville.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Madam Chair, I will come back to the bill introduced last week. As parliamentarians, we felt like we were watching a very bad play, as I imagine the public did. I say that it was theatre, even though it shouldn't be in this place. The government decided to stage a play and act alone and, unfortunately, there were several acts missing.

A very important part of this bill was about supporting people with disabilities in this time of crisis. However, the government did not see fit to negotiate with the opposition parties, even though it is in a minority position. Despite this arrogance, the Bloc Québécois proposed solutions. One of the things we proposed was to split the bill so that we could give this support to people with disabilities, but the Conservatives did not want to do that. We came back and asked for time to negotiate and give support to people with disabilities, but the government defeated the motion.

We asked that the House be recalled today so that we could pass this part of the bill concerning support for people with disabilities, but we are still in the dark.

Why are we abandoning people with disabilities?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Families]

I thank the hon. member for her question.

We know this pandemic has deeply affected the lives and health of all Canadians and has disproportionately affected Canadians with disabilities in particular.

From the very beginning, we've taken a disability-inclusive approach to our emergency response to ensure that Canadians with disabilities get the support they need. That is why we announced a one-time payment of $600 for persons with disabilities to address these expenses. This will go a long way toward helping Canadians with disabilities.

We encourage and urge all parties in the opposition to support this measure. We're confident that this measure, along with other investments, will benefit Canadians with disabilities, and we hope to get the support of the other parties very soon.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Madam Chair, I remind you that this measure wasn't passed because we weren't allowed to do so.

A measure to help people with disabilities has been put in an omnibus bill. We've tried here, in the House, to provide the means to give that support, so I ask again, can the government be counted on to give a response to people with disabilities?

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

Madam Chair, it was absolutely not an omnibus bill. It contained assistance for the disabled, of course, but it also contained assistance for our seasonal workers, as well as a number of other measures that the Bloc Québécois opposed. They refused to debate and, when the question of splitting the bill came up, the Conservatives refused to do that. That is why there is no bill at the moment, and that is very unfortunate.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

It was a Bloc Québécois proposal to split the bill. The government had not thought of it, but they found that it was a good idea.

Let me return to the attack. This bill proposed changes to the wage subsidy program, it was supposed to make the CERB more flexible, it proposed fines for fraudsters and, since there was a little section about a benefit for the disabled, the government took it for granted that we would support it without any negotiations with the parties.

However, we set one very important condition: that the Liberal Party must get its hands out of taxpayers' pockets in terms of the wage subsidy.

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

Madam Chair, as we listen to the Bloc Québécois members, we might think that they invented peanut butter and apple pie.

This bill contained a number of measures that all Quebeckers and all Canadians needed, but the Bloc Québécois refused to debate it.

No, we did not follow the Bloc Québécois' example in splitting the bill; we had thought of it a long time previously. We have not been able to do that because of the Conservatives. Because of them, we cannot help those living with disabilities.

[The Acting Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Ms. Chabot, you have 45 seconds left.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

We asked on a number of occasions for the House to be able to sit starting today to pass the part of the bill dealing with those with disabilities.

What is the status of that, Madam Chair? We have not heard about it since.

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

Madam Chair, my colleague knows very well that things are not as simple as that. There are procedural mechanisms unique to the House.

I hope that, one day, we will be able to pass this bill and be able to provide assistance for those living with disabilities. I hope that the Conservatives will change their minds and give us their support.

[The Acting Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

We will go now to the honourable member for Don Valley East, Ms. Ratansi.

[Yasmin Ratansi, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll be sharing my time with the member for Surrey Centre.

Since 2015 our government has been focused on ensuring its policies mitigate the effects of climate change. Several measures have been implemented for phasing out coal, making polluters pay, providing climate incentives, investing in green technologies and much more, which all together have created a climate plan that is doing more to cut pollution than any other in Canada's history.

In my riding of Don Valley East, many innovative businesses have benefited from these investments and initiatives. One area of particular interest is our government's work to protect 25% of Canada's land and 25% of its oceans by 2025. Our natural environment is something that Canadians and my constituents care about deeply.

Could the minister update this House on the new conservation projects announced on June 5, World Environment Day, and on how our government is protecting our environment?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Madam Chair, protecting nature is an important part of how we will address climate change and the very real challenges it presents. That's why on June 5, World Environment Day, our government announced over 60 conservation projects under development across Canada.

These projects are funded through the Canada Nature Fund's target 1 challenge initiative. They'll conserve Canadian nature and biodiversity and protect species at risk, enhance ecological integrity and connectivity, and enhance the size of Canada's vast network of protected areas. Nearly half of these projects are indigenous-led, with the aim of creating indigenous-protected conserved areas.

Madam Chair, projects like these move us closer to our goal of protecting 25% of Canada's lands and oceans by 2025. By working together in partnership with the provinces, territories, municipalities, indigenous peoples and Canadians, together we can protect our natural environment for generations to come.

[The Acting Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Ms. Ratansi, since you have 25 seconds left, we will go to the honourable member for Surrey Centre.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Madam Chair, there are many small and medium-sized businesses in my riding of Surrey Centre. Many have been impacted by COVID-19. They saw a decrease in business or needed to close their doors completely in order to adhere to public safety measures to manage the spread of COVID-19. These measures helped keep our most vulnerable citizens safe and ensured that our hospital and health care providers did not become overwhelmed with a sharp spike in cases.

Thanks to our government's COVID-19 emergency response, many of these businesses have been able to keep their employees and access important liquidity through the Canada emergency business account, which provides loans to small businesses and non-profits, and the Canada emergency wage subsidy, which is helping businesses to keep and rehire their employees while their revenues are down by providing up to 75% of wages for up to 24 weeks.

As we begin to reopen the economy and Canadians across the country return to the job market, those benefits will be even more important to help businesses and industries rehire their staff and make important adjustments to align with public health guidelines to gradually increase their operations. Can the minister please update the committee on how many Canadian businesses have taken advantage of CEBA and CEWS since applications for each have been opened?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Madam Chair, I want to begin by thanking the member for Surrey Centre for all the work he does to support his constituents and small businesses.

Canadians across the country need to know our government has been working tirelessly and will continue to work tirelessly on their behalf. This is why we put in place the important programs to help them get through this crisis during this difficult time, programs such as the wage subsidy program. We know that in so many businesses the employees are often like extended family members. The wage subsidy has helped these businesses keep their employees on the payroll and are now helping in their rehiring as they slowly and safely restart. There are 348,000 businesses being helped with the wage subsidy program, and this means that 2.6 million workers are being helped.

Businesses are also being helped through the interest-free $40,000 loan they can access through CEBA to help stay afloat and pay their expenses during this crisis. I'm pleased to inform this House that to date more than 669,000—

[The Acting Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

We will go to the honourable member for St. John's East.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll be splitting my time with my colleague, the member for London—Fanshawe.

Madam Chair, with so many recent reports and videos of police using force, sometimes deadly force, and violence against indigenous and black people in Canada, I've called for the public safety committee to reconvene. If the members agree, will the minister come to the committee and provide concrete answers as to how the government intends to address racism inherent in Canada's law enforcement, and in particular the RCMP?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I thank my colleague for the question. It's perhaps the most important one facing Canada today.

Madam Chair, indigenous people, black Canadians and other racialized people are far too often experiencing systemic racism and disparate outcomes within the entire criminal justice system. In order to respond appropriately, I think it's necessary to begin by acknowledging the lived experience of people who've known bias and discrimination at the hands of the police and our courts and within our prisons. We remain committed to working with all racialized people and all of the members of this House to ensure that we work toward social justice for all Canadians, and I look forward to discussing the member's motion further with him.