COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on May 6th, 2020

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

Madam Chair, the energy sector is an essential part of the Canadian economy, contributing hundreds of thousands of well-paid jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenue. That is why our government strongly supports the sector, and it's one reason why we were very proud to announce more than $1.7 billion in support to clean up orphaned wells. That support is going to put thousands of workers in Alberta and Saskatchewan back to work, and that is a good thing.

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

Madam Chair, that's a drop in the bucket compared with what's needed, but we do have some great news: Alberta's oil can now be used in east coast refineries.

However, there's a catch: They need to transport the oil 15,000 kilometres through the Panama Canal to get it there. There has to be a better way—perhaps, dare I say, a pipeline that only goes 4,000 kilometres.

When will the government wake up to common sense and support an east-west pipeline in Canada?

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

Madam Chair, I do agree with the member opposite that it is a very good thing that east coast refineries are working on refining Canadian oil. That is good news for our whole country.

When it comes to pipelines, I'd like to remind the member opposite that our government does believe in them. That's why we bought one.

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

Madam Chair, I think TransCanada, the proponent of the energy east pipeline, might like to disagree with that, but my next question will be about social workers.

In my constituency they are sounding the alarm. With many of my rural constituents lacking access to high-speed Internet, many of the resources that assist with mental health challenges during this difficult time are out of reach for rural Canadians.

What actions will the government take to ensure that rural Canadians can access the mental health supports that they critically need during this time?

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

Since it is Mental Health Week, I think it is very appropriate to be talking about mental health. We know that living with COVID-19 is exacerbating people's struggles with mental health and struggles with substance use, but it is also creating new anxieties and worries for Canadians. That's why we launched the Wellness Together portal. As the member mentioned, there are many resources available digitally through that portal, but there are also resources to reach out to counsellors by telephone. I'll make sure that the member has the resources so that he can share them with his constituents.

[The Acting Chair (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

We have time for a very short question, Mr. Lloyd.

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

Madam Chair, I have checked those resources and I'm disappointed to see that on Crisis Services Canada, the website that the government uses for suicide prevention, a number of the features are actually down. That's not acceptable. I've heard from social workers that liquor store sales have quadrupled and pharmacies are prescribing more antidepressants than ever.

Does the government have a strategy to address this growing mental wellness problem that we are facing? If not, why not?

[The Acting Chair (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The Minister of Health has 10 seconds.

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

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I'm really glad to be talking about the mental health of Canadians and the struggles that Canadians have faced, both before COVID-19 and as actually exacerbated by the condition of living with a pandemic. We have invested millions and millions of dollars in mental health resources, including renegotiating health transfers with provinces and territories to ensure that Canadians have access to mental health resources no matter where they live. There is far more to do, as we can see, given the nature of this pandemic.

[The Acting Chair (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

We will give the floor to Ms. Shin.

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Service Canada is on the front line of delivering benefits to Canadians who need them desperately during these times. However, many Canadians are struggling to connect to Service Canada to get information or provide information. We've also heard that some individuals were told that if they had received assistance from an MP's office, then they were no longer eligible for help from Service Canada.

Can the minister please assure us that this is not the case?

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

Thank you for the question, which gives me the wonderful opportunity to first thank the public servants who are going through difficult times as well, personally and professionally. They are working very hard to deliver the emergency benefits and programs that we have designed in very little time. Much of the credit for that help to Canadians goes to them.

Second, on Service Canada, we are mindful also of the difficulties Canadians are facing. Some Canadians are used to going in person to the Service Canada site. That's not possible in many cases, but it is in some cases. They can use the phone to have a personal appointment designed to their own circumstances if they face difficulties using either the phone or the Internet.

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

That still doesn't answer my question. If they seek help from an MP's office, are they eligible or not? Could you answer that question, please?

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

I'm sorry for having forgotten this other piece of the broad question. It's very useful to remind everyone that members of Parliament have an important job to do, and Service Canada is always going to be there to support their jobs.

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

With respect to Service Canada employees, recognizing that there is so much to do, do all Service Canada employees have access to the necessary equipment and network access to work remotely?

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

This is another important opportunity, for which I'm grateful, to tell all Canadians that we owe a big debt of gratitude to public servants, who work in very difficult circumstances. They face challenges in doing their usual work when they do this work at a distance. They are mindful of the restrictions that may exist from time to time in their ability to use particular channels to transfer information, but in all cases they are supported by their departmental officials so that Canadians can receive the benefits they deserve.

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

What percentage of Service Canada employees are working on a full-time basis?

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

I can assure the member that all public servants, and that includes Service Canada workers, are giving, as they should, all that they can to serve Canadians in this very difficult period of time. We are immensely grateful to them, because we are asking them to do things in a manner that is different from what they would usually do but is still in the same spirit of serving Canadians at all possible times.

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Has the government considered setting up local Service Canada numbers so that Canadians can call a local number instead of being directed to the central 1-800 number?

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

Perhaps I might invite the member, if she has any particular circumstances or any particular way in mind that we could help her as an MP to do her job, to connect to my colleague Mr. Hussen, who is responsible for Service Canada, so that we can improve even further the quality of services that Canadians receive from Service Canada.

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

I appreciate the offer and I look forward to an opportunity to have that conversation if the member would make that possible.

Have you considered implementing a callback system so that Canadians aren't on hold for hours and to ensure that those who are not called back that day can be called back the next day, so they don't have to start all over?

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

Madam Chair, the services that Canadians expect and need vary in all sorts of different ways. It depends on both the types of benefits and services they are seeking and the types of agencies that they are connected to.

Again, I would invite the member to let us know, me or perhaps even more importantly my colleague Minister Hussen, whatever manner by which Canadians could be better served by Service Canada and other officials.

[The Acting Chair (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

We'll go to the honourable member for Vancouver Granville.

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Independent, Vancouver Granville, BC]

Madam Chair, I want to acknowledge that the government has introduced many programs from which we and all Canadians are benefiting. Thank you for that and thank you to the hard-working public servants who implement those programs.

As we've heard here today, seniors are falling through the cracks. I get an inordinate number of calls in my office in terms of seniors and their inability to qualify for individual programs. Can the government tell us what specifically they're doing for seniors in need, and can seniors expect a similar program as was introduced by the government in other areas?

[Deb Schulte, Liberal, King—Vaughan, ON]

Madam Chair, I thank the member very much for the opportunity to again address what the government has done on behalf of seniors. I want to assure the member that the benefits seniors are enrolling in, such as old age security and the guaranteed income supplement, are programs that have been continuing and we have been expediting all those new members. There are no benefits that seniors normally apply for that haven't been continued in this pandemic.

I also have discussed before the financial measures that we've brought into place and also some social services measures, but I wanted to take this opportunity, because it is mental health week, to make sure I acknowledge that we've launched a new portal, Wellness Together Canada, which connects Canadians to peer support workers, social workers and other professionals, making it easier to find credible mental help. That's an important aspect as seniors are very much more isolated during this pandemic.