COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on May 7th, 2020

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

Madam Chair, I do want to thank the hon. member for her question. It's an important one. We are obviously deeply saddened by the outbreaks that have been going on in long-term care facilities and those who have lost their lives.

We do recognize that the administration of long-term care and palliative care is the responsibility of provinces and territories; however, we have been taking a team Canada approach, and as you already know, we've been doing tremendous work with them to try to ensure that those who live in those facilities can be well cared for and safe. We are doing that with guidelines—

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

Ms. Atwin has the floor.

[Jenica Atwin, Green, Fredericton, NB]

Madam Chair, from May 4 to May 10, we are observing Mental Health Week. We know that our essential workers right now are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety, on top of putting their own physical safety and health on the line. Most of these workers work in precarious jobs with no access to paid sick leave or vacation, and without any benefits to access mental health services.

Apart from the very welcome investments in online resources, can the minister explain how the government will support these workers now and once the crisis is behind us?

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

Madam Chair, thank you very much to the member for the question. I'm so glad that she's raising the issue of mental health and in particular how poor mental health is oftentimes connected to our socio-economic status. I appreciate the nuance in that question.

She's right. We do have new resources that are available to all Canadians free of charge through the Wellness Together portal, but there is more to do. I think the announcement of top-up wages, for example, which the Prime Minister spoke about today, is another example of how we're taking the health and wellness of all low-income Canadians very seriously.

We know that mental health is not divorced from socio-economic status, and I look forward to working with her more on other measures that we can take together.

[Jenica Atwin, Green, Fredericton, NB]

Madam Chair, we're all very aware of the importance of temporary foreign workers and their role in ensuring our food sovereignty across this country. The pandemic has highlighted how we depend on their work. How are we protecting them?

Madam Chair, will the government take action to strengthen legislation and ensure Canadians have access to the food they need while the workers who help bring it to our tables have safe working conditions, regardless of where they are working in this country?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

We are very concerned, as are countries around the world, that we support and create the environment for the health and safety of our temporary foreign workers and we value their contribution to our food supply chain here in Canada.

We have issued guidelines to employers and are working very closely with local public health authorities in the provinces and territories to make sure workers are protected, that physical distancing and other recommendations are adhered to and that there are severe consequences if employers don't take care of their workers.

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

We are now going to Mr. MacGregor.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

My first question is this: Will the Liberal government prevent federal bailout funds from going to companies that use tax havens and avoid paying their fair share here in Canada, yes or no?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

We are working to make sure that anyone who tries to circumvent the rules faces serious consequences.

We are asking businesses to designate a representative to attest their claims. Any employer receiving the subsidy who is deemed ineligible will have to repay the full amount. Anyone who abuses the program could face fines of up to 225% of the subsidy amount as well as five years in prison.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Madam Chair, I didn't really hear a “yes” to that question, so I'll repeat it. Does the government really think it's appropriate for tax-avoiding corporations to receive funding provided for by taxpayers?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

We will keep going after companies that engage in tax evasion.

I want to be clear. We will target those who are responsible, not innocent workers. An employee is an employee, regardless of who they work for.

The wage subsidy program does not hand a blank cheque over to employers. It is meant to help Canadians pay their bills, keep their jobs and get through the crisis.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Madam Chair, the agriculture funding announced by the government earlier this week amounts to less than 10% of what the Canadian Federation of Agriculture estimates will be required to help farmers weather this crisis. Why has the Minister of Agriculture shortchanged our farmers?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Madam Chair, this is one more step.

This was one more step. We have already committed significant support to our farmers through different programs, and we will do more.

I have to remind my colleague that we have put in $5 billion through FCC, $50 million for the temporary foreign workers, two times $50 million for pork and beef producers this week, and $77 million for food processing. This is only the beginning, and we should not forget that the business risk management programs are still there to offer support.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Yes, Madam Chair, but we're nearly two months into this pandemic and this announcement only came this week.

Farmers need certainty. When can farmers expect further updates on funding, and how much will the government be providing?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Madam Chair, we are working closely with the farmers and their representatives to identify where the gaps are, but once again, we have made improvements to the AgriStability program. They can get, depending on the province, either 50% or 75% in advance payments, and they can also, right now, access their AgriInvest program. There is more than $2 billion ready to access today, if they have—

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

Mr. MacGregor.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Madam Chair, federal disability recipients and seniors on fixed incomes have been hardest hit by cost of living increases from COVID-19. If we acknowledge that $2,000 per month is the minimum needed to get through this time, why are they being asked to survive on far less? When can they expect assistance, and how much will they receive?

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

Madam Chair, I want to make sure people realize that we have provided some assistance through the GST supplementary benefit. We are also providing support to those who are still working, and we have done that by allowing them to access the CERB. There is more work to be done, so you'll be hearing more in the near future.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Madam Chair, as I think we've heard through today's question period, there are countless example of this government designing programs to exclude many small businesses that desperately need help. Whether it's the payroll requirements or other eligibility, we still, to this day, almost two months into the pandemic, have too many small businesses falling through the cracks.

Madam Chair, why has the government taken this approach and when can we finally expect fixes to the whole system?

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

Madam Chair, right from the get-go, we have been committed to making sure that Canadians are helped through this crisis, and that small businesses get the support that they need, so that we are saving businesses and jobs in this country. That is what we have done with many of our programs. You're seeing that we are also listening, so that we can modify them as we need.

I want to assure the member that the work is not done. We continue to do this.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Thank you.

It is now over to Mr. Perron.

Mr. Perron, you may go ahead.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My question will come as no surprise, since it has to do with agriculture. I hear the questions my fellow members are asking, and to be frank, I don't find the answers satisfactory. It is well and good to talk about existing programs, but they aren't working, so enough with that refrain. That's what people are telling us. It's not just members of the opposition saying it.

This morning, both farmers and processors came together for a press conference at the Union des producteurs agricoles's head office in Longueuil. Six stakeholders from different sectors sounded the alarm.

Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food therefore tell us when she will announce significant supports for the industry?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

We have already announced significant amounts of support, and more is on the way.

I'd like to correct my fellow member. It's not that the programs aren't working; it's that they aren't generous enough in farmers' eyes. That's why I'm working with my provincial counterparts to make improvements to programming, including AgriStability.

Here's an example. After using the online AgriStability benefit estimator, a pork producer found out that he would get $11 per head, as they say in the industry. Pork producers are calling for $20 per head, so it's a good start, even though it's not enough and it isn't what they are asking for. We want to keep working together, but farmers have to access the money available to them through AgriStability.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Now it's my turn to correct the minister. Even before the crisis, we were hearing from people in the industry that the programs were neither suitable nor sufficient. We are in a crisis, and this is an exceptional situation. In the case of mad cow disease, farmers received direct assistance. That's the kind of assistance we are calling for. We don't want to hear about growing levels of debt. Of course, this is a first step, but farms are already deep in debt.

A few days ago, the government announced $50 million in funding for pork producers, even though they are asking for $20 per hog for 27 million hogs. The government's support covers just 2.5 million hogs. When I call the measure insufficient, I mean it is grossly insufficient. It's high time the government put forth more support. It has to stop saying that it's working hard and examining the situation. The government has to listen to the people in the industry. Again, this morning, they had some interesting proposals.

When is the government going to announce a whole lot more in funding support? What's been announced so far is only 10% of what farmers are asking for.

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

We are going step by step. The programs are already in place. We are trying to make them better, and we are committed to doing that. These programs are cost-shared with the provinces.

However, I would point out to the member that, when it comes to AgriRecovery, we made an exception to the rule. We are moving forward in every province to help pork and beef producers. That's two funding envelopes of $50 million each to help cover the additional costs from the decrease in plant processing capacity. That's new money that was not yet available, money we introduced this week. As the Prime Minister said, we are going to do more, and we are moving forward step by step.