COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on June 18th, 2020

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Canadians value our commitment to preserving freedom and democracy. We've been known for punching above our weight, but under this government the number of Canadian peacekeepers has fallen to its lowest level in 60 years. Canada is among the lowest NATO defence contributors, and our allies have threatened to stop sharing critical intelligence since this Prime Minister has failed to ban Huawei.

Did our allies vote against us for the UN Security Council seat because they have no confidence that this Prime Minister will be a trusted ally and security partner?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Chair, as I reiterated yesterday, Canada has continued to lead with its values. We have been continuously a constructive partner on the world stage and will continue to do that. With regard to peacekeeping, we were very proud to participate in the mission in Mali, as well as lead on the Elsie initiative. We have been a tremendous partner when it comes to women, peace and security, and we will continue to lean in, to engage and to work constructively for peace and security around the world.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Chair, Canadians are proud to be a nation that defends human rights. However, to win the UN security seat, the Prime Minister compromised Canadian values and failed to condemn anti-gay laws in Senegal and Uganda or to challenge authoritarian regimes for their blatant disregard for the rule of law.

Actions speak louder than words. Did the world vote against Canada because they couldn't trust the Prime Minister to stand and defend Canadian principles?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Chair, Canada has always stood for human rights, and we have continuously stood up for LGBTQ2+ rights and women's rights on the world stage. It's a bit rich coming from the official opposition, who can't even stand for LGBTQ or women's rights here at home, let alone abroad. This government does. We have put our money where our mouth is, and we are supporting local organizations fighting for these rights everywhere around the world.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Chair, the Conservative Party is not afraid to stand for LGBTQ rights, and we stand proudly in defence of them.

Canada is a trading nation, and relationships matter. Countries trade with people they trust and respect, but the Prime Minister embarrassed Canada when he snubbed our Asia-Pacific partners by failing to show up at a critical trade negotiation meeting. He embarrassed Canada with a failed trip to India. Did the world vote against us because they didn't have the confidence that the Prime Minister would act with the decorum and diplomacy that a UN Security Council seat requires?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have to say that, as someone who has been engaged in representing Canada over the past six months as the Minister of International Development, I have had wonderful conversations with partners on every single continent who truly value what Canada brings to the table. I would also say that Canada is the only G7 nation to have free trade agreements with all the other G7 partners. This Prime Minister has brought in CETA, CPTPP and a renegotiated NAFTA. That is important for Canadians, and we are leading on the world stage when it comes—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We'll now go back to Ms. Alleslev.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Chair, the loss of the UN Security Council seat is a sad day for Canada. Canadians must be clear-eyed about how the world actually views us.

If Canada is to be a reliable and dependable partner, the world must know what we stand for. By abandoning our allies and cozying up to dictators, the Prime Minister has eroded Canada's reputation and jeopardized our future security and prosperity. If Canada is back, then can the Prime Minister explain to Canadians why we are so alone on the world stage?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have to respectfully disagree with my colleague. Canada has played a constructive and engaged role on the world stage. It has been a privilege to engage with counterparts around the world who truly recognize Canada's leadership.

We have stood for our values. We have stood for human rights. We have stood for women's rights. We have stood for a free, open and transparent trading system. We promote democracy. We promote LGBTQ rights. We fight for climate change, and we will continue to do that, Mr. Chair. We look forward to continuing to play a constructive and engaged—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Ms. Alleslev, we have about 20 seconds left.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

If Canada were playing a leadership role, the world would have wanted us in a leadership position on the UN Security Council. Instead, the Prime Minister has abandoned Canada's long-held principled foreign policy. Again, if Canada is standing up on the world stage, why did the world say, “No, thanks”?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Chair, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives. In the 10 years of their governance, they disengaged from the world stage. They stood back from Africa. They stood back when it came to women's rights. They stood back when it came to fighting climate change.

We have done the exact—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Mr. Rayes, you have the floor.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Chair, Canada experienced a major failure at the UN yesterday by not winning a seat on the Security Council.

After five years, the Prime Minister, who made a promise, used all his resources and put his reputation on the line, failed to win the seat. Even worse, we've lost face in the eyes of the world. This is all the result of the Prime Minister's escapades around the world. We need only think of his trip to India to see that the Prime Minister's main concern is his image.

My question for the Prime Minister is simple. What was the cost of this campaign to try to win a seat at the United Nations, which has set us back in the eyes of the world?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Chair, as the Prime Minister has stated clearly on many occasions, the UN Security Council seat was not an end in itself; it was a means to an end.

Canada will continue to engage on the values that we care about. We will continue to lean in and to step forward when it comes to promoting women's rights. We will continue to step forward and to lean in when it comes to promoting all genders and all sexualities. We will continue to lean in on the fight against climate change.

These are important endeavours. These are important pillars of our foreign policy that we will continue to pursue and would have pursued whether or not we were seeking a seat on the UN Security Council.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

I'll repeat my question for the minister. I hope that she'll provide a shorter answer.

What was the cost of this campaign, which has set us back in the eyes of the public as a result of the failure of the Prime Minister, who wants to promote his image instead of Canadian values?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Chair, Canada has continued to engage in diplomacy throughout. Our government has been strong on the world stage. We have made important investments in supporting a woman's right to choose, unlike the previous government. We have made important investments in climate financing, something the previous government decided to pull back on and pull out of.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

As usual, we won't get an answer. This seems to be the custom with these Liberals. We'll move on to another subject.

Let's talk about the CERB and its impact, while the economy is recovering and the lockdown is being lifted everywhere. We learned today that the very popular Cosmos restaurant in the Quebec City area will be closing its doors.

The owner says that the factor that influenced his decision to close the Cosmos on Grande Allée is the difficulty in finding staff. He thinks that the CERB is really competition. He says that few employees showed interest in returning to work when he put out feelers.

When will this government change the CERB to enable people to return to the labour market?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

I'm very pleased to be asked this question, since this is happening in my constituency.

I know that, in my constituency and across Canada, millions of Canadians are still having a hard time dealing with the crisis. We want a safe recovery that will allow for a gradual return to work. We also want a recovery that will ensure that everyone can make ends meet.

This is the case in Quebec City and across the country.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

I hope that Minister Duclos will visit the owner and explain this. Right now, businesses and stores are closing their doors because the government is implementing measures that hamper economic recovery.

A movie theatre owner, who was quite happy to receive the government's permission to reopen, told us that 35 of his 40 employees are refusing to return to work for the reopening because they have access to the CERB and they don't want to work.

The minister even sent a directive to public servants telling them that, if employees don't want to return to work voluntarily, even though the health conditions are fine and everything is safe, they have the right to stay home and they'll be sent a cheque for $2,000 a month.

Why isn't the CERB suited to the economic recovery?

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

Once again, I appreciate this question, which gives me the opportunity to say three things.

First, in my colleague's constituency, between 15,000 and 20,000 people have received the Canada emergency response benefit in recent weeks. Without that benefit, many families in his constituency would have been unable to put food on the table.

Second, an attestation will be issued soon that clearly states that people are expected to accept a job when it's reasonable to do so.

Third, for the economic recovery to take place, everyone must have the opportunity—

[The Acting Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The honourable member for Carleton.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

There won't be a budget, there won't be an update, but there will be a snapshot. I think that the French word is “égoportrait.” There will be a snapshot of our financial system.

Will the Liberal snapshot show that our debt for this fiscal year is now $1 trillion?

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

Madam Chair, since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the government's top priority has been to protect the health and safety of Canadians.

As a result of our strong fiscal position, particularly the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, the government was able to quickly address the situation by providing over $150 billion in direct support to individuals, workers and businesses that need help getting through these difficult times.

That's why, on July 8, the—

[The Acting Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The honourable member for Carleton.