COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on May 7th, 2020

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Chair, from the very beginning, our priority through this pandemic and this crisis has been to support workers across the country. We have sent billions of dollars to workers right across the country, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C., and Newfoundland and Labrador in the energy sector for them to be able to support their families through this difficult time.

We are also working on sectoral supports right across the country. Those will be announced in due course. Our focus from the get-go has been—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We'll move to Ms. Falk.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Chair, another group that has been ignored by the Liberals is our farmers. The announcements to date fall well short of what is needed to maintain a steady supply of affordable and healthy food. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture has asked the government for a $2.6-billion emergency fund. Instead of responding to specific COVID-19 challenges, our farmers are facing the Liberals' reannounced $125 million that was already budgeted in the AgriRecovery program.

Will the Prime Minister finally step up and take our food supply chain seriously, or is agriculture just an afterthought for him?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

On the contrary, Mr. Chair, we take agriculture and our agricultural sector extremely seriously, which is why we announced hundreds of millions of dollars a couple of days ago to respond to pressing needs. We will continue to make investments to ensure both the safety of workers in our agricultural sector and the safety of our communities, as well as the continued flow of high-quality Canadian food onto our tables right across the country.

Supporting the people who produce our food is a priority for this government and will continue to be.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Well, Mr. Chair, recycled program announcements do not respond to the immediate needs facing our farmers. This is absolutely unacceptable.

Our farmers are faced with rising operational costs, a disrupted service industry, labour shortages and a reduced capacity at processing plants. The government has a responsibility to take domestic food security seriously. When will the Prime Minister deliver adequate support to address the critical changes facing our ag industry?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Chair, I would suggest respectfully that the honourable member take a look once again at the announcement we made, which actually highlights significant new investments to support our agricultural industry.

I certainly agree that there is more to do. Every step of the way in this unprecedented situation, we've been moving forward on doing more, on adjusting and on investing more. We need to support our agricultural sector and the people who work so hard to put food on Canadians' tables right across the country and we will continue to.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Chair, Canadians expect to find healthy and affordable food at their grocery stores, but if the government does not take action now, that's not a given.

Our farmers are trying to keep Canadians fed while keeping their heads above water. The Liberal government's own failed federal carbon tax is weighing them down. It is an enormous hit to their bottom line, and the recent carbon tax hike is taking even more money out of the pockets of farmers at a time when they can afford it the least.

Will the Prime Minister exempt all farm operations from the carbon tax and reimburse the money that they have already taken from them?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Chair, it's a shame to hear the member opposite accidentally—unintentionally, I'm certain—mislead the House and Canadians. The price on pollution actually puts more money into Canadians' pockets, and that includes farm families.

People who pay the cost of the price on pollution on average receive more money back. This is the way of creating a better future for our kids and grandkids, which I know people in communities right across the country, including our farm communities, want to see happen. We are moving forward in a responsible way to put a price on pollution and put more money in average Canadians' pockets.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We now continue with Mrs. Gill.

Mrs. Gill, you have the floor.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

As you know, all sectors of the economy are fragile at the moment, specifically the fisheries. I am thinking about the lobster fishery in the Magdalen Islands, the crab fishery on the Côte-Nord or those fishing for herring in the south of the Gaspé.

Because imports have ceased, because the domestic market is weak and in decline because of the interruption of the tourism and restaurant industries, the fishing industry and its fishers must be supported.

I would like to know what the government has done to support our fishers since the crisis began.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Our fishers do exceptional work that is extremely important in feeding Canadians and in contributing to our economic success through their exports around the world. This crisis has struck them very hard. That is why we have established measures in the tens of millions of dollars to support our processors.

We have also announced help for the fishers. We know that these are difficult and unprecedented times, and we are going to—

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

My thanks to the Prime Minister.

I am actually talking about help for the fishers. I know about the processing industry and the $62.5 million to be used essentially for freezing products, but I am talking about the fishers themselves.

Given the economic situation, most of our fishers are getting ready to leave. First, there are health risks. We know very well that it is impossible for them to observe all the social distancing measures. They have to incur additional expenses in order to conduct their normal fishing activities. In addition, they feel that they will be losing money, because of the drop in the price of their resource.

They are just as essential as farmers, but they are going to have to work at a loss and they are not going to have workers to assist them. Workers in the seasonal industry do not know what tomorrow will bring. They do not even know whether they will be able to put food on the table next year.

Are you going to do anything else, in addition to the assistance of $62.5 million? Time is of the essence. Our fishers have lacked certainty for weeks and they are very concerned.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Yes, indeed, we are going to do other things. Other investments will be made in various sectors in order to support Canadians.

We recognize the challenges that fishers must face in terms of social distancing and of work that is often seasonal. We are going to continue working with the industry, with the fishers, and with the coastal communities in order to ensure that people have confidence in their abilities and in their future.

In times of crisis, it is important for the government to be there to support people, and that is exactly what we are going to continue to do. This is an unprecedented crisis, but we can see once more that Canadians are there for each other. Our government will continue to be there for the fishers and the fishing industry.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

I would have preferred us to be there from the start. Clearly, this is a difficult crisis. But, given the cyclical nature of the industry, some sectors have had to postpone for several weeks the preparations they need for fishing activities.

The current program could be modified in a number of ways, to accommodate the cycle, the dates, and the size of the companies. They would really like to take advantage of the $40,000 loan, but they cannot because of their payroll. Given the dates, they are also ineligible for the 75% salary subsidy.

I can already suggest a number of solutions to the government and to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, that would bring help to those businesses very quickly. The fishers carry on, because it is a duty for them, because they want to help us and to be part of the effort at this time of crisis. At the same time, they have no guarantee that they will be supported.

I would really like to hear a guarantee that they will be supported, that they will be able to put food on the table this year, and that they will be able to support the communities that often depend on the fishing industry, a major industry in those communities.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Minister Jordan has been working with the fishers, the fishing industry and the communities affected by the crisis since the crisis began. We are assessing a number of solutions. We have proposed various solutions to support the communities, the workers and the families. This is an unprecedented situation.

From the outset, our priority has been to support the millions of Canadians from coast to coast who have lost their jobs. We have been able to do so, but we are going to continue to work for those who must now face difficulties. We are going to be there for each other. That is what people are expecting from our government and from other Canadians.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Before we move to the next question, I would like to remind members of the committee to speak slowly, and to address their remarks to the chair and not directly to each other.

Thank you very much.

We will now go to Mr. Bachrach.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, municipalities across Canada are facing a financial crisis. They've seen revenues plummet, and at the same time the cost of delivering municipal services has risen. As the Prime Minister knows, municipalities are unable to run deficits and so they are facing the reality of cutbacks and serious cuts to the services that Canadians depend on.

We know that municipalities are vital during this time to provide services to Canadians. They're going to be even more important during the recovery, especially when it comes to delivering on the infrastructure programs before us. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities and mayors across Canada have called for emergency financial relief for the municipal sector.

My question for the Prime Minister is, when can they expect federal financial support to arrive?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Chair, no government in Canada's history has done more to work with our municipalities, with our cities, with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to respond to the challenges they're facing and to partner with them. Things from infrastructure to investments have made a huge difference right across the country in the quality of life of Canadians in towns, large and small, from coast to coast to coast.

As I'm sure the member well knows, our Constitution requires that most of the funding for municipalities flow through the provinces. We are working with the provinces, as we continue to work with the cities, to ensure that we're able to support this order of government that delivers the vast majority of services to Canadians with very little financial means. We know how difficult it is for our cities. We will continue—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We'll go back to Mr. Bachrach.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, it would seem that the federal government has the fiscal capacity and the responsibility to help municipalities weather this crisis. Transit systems have been hit particularly hard and have seen the bulk of the layoffs in the municipal sector. These transit services carry essential workers to work, whether they are health care workers, grocery store workers, janitors or others. The risk is that we will see higher fares to deal with this financial crisis. We will see service cutbacks precisely at a time when we want to be expanding transit and improving transit in our communities.

Does the Prime Minister acknowledge that the federal government needs to step in to safeguard and protect Canada's transit services?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Chair, this federal government recognizes how important it is to support all Canadians, which is why we put forward unprecedented measures to help millions upon millions of Canadians with the CERB and with the wage subsidy.

We will continue to work with the provinces, which have jurisdiction over the municipalities. I'll be having a conversation with all other first ministers tonight to talk about a broad range of issues. I can highlight that the issue of transit funding has come up.

We have continued to engage with them, but again, it is important to respect the Constitution and understand that funding for municipalities and cities does go through the provinces. The federal government is happy to be there to support, but it must be—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We will go to Mr. Bachrach again.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, I am wondering how the Prime Minister could explain to a bus driver in Vancouver who has been laid off that as a public sector worker, she can't access the federal wage subsidy, while an equivalent worker in the airline industry gets to keep her job with the federal help of that program.

Could the Prime Minister explain how that is fair?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Chair, I'm happy to explain to the member and to all Canadians that our Constitution creates federal areas of jurisdiction and provincial areas of jurisdiction. The airline industry, like banking, like telecommunications, is a federal area of jurisdiction that we have been able to move forward on.

More than that, we brought the Canada emergency response benefit and the wage subsidy to all industries across this country, because we knew that as the federal government, it was something that we needed to step up on—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We will go back to Mr. Bachrach.