COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on May 12th, 2020

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

Of course, the issues of the future are very important. That means not just climate change, but also other challenges that we saw during the coronavirus crisis, challenges we need to take into account. Now, I think Canadians want us to take the time to focus on what is currently going on.

We have put rules in place to protect Canadians. We really need to think about this. We need a plan. Of course, we need to think about the future, but I want Canadians—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Mr. Simard has the floor.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to tell you that, of all industries, the one best positioned to make the energy transition is probably the forestry industry. Unfortunately, in Canada—a petro state—there always seem to be two sets of rules when it comes to helping key industries, including providing liquidity support.

Yesterday's announcement suggests that the $500 million being provided by EDC is for a single project: Coastal GasLink. In 2017, under the softwood lumber action plan, EDC's entire budget for the forestry industry was exactly $500 million. Now, EDC is shelling out $500 million for just one project, Coastal GasLink, even though the whole of the forestry industry also received $500 million when it needed EDC's support under a 2017 action plan to deal with tariffs.

The industry accounts for 58,000 jobs in Quebec and $6 billion of Quebec's GDP. As I see it, there is a fundamental inequity.

My question is for the natural resources minister.

Does he think this situation is fair? Will he commit to providing the forestry industry with the same amount of liquidity being made available to the fossil fuel sector?

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

Mr. Chair, since 2017, our government has invested billions of dollars.

I'll answer the question in English.

Sorry.

We launched our softwood lumber action plan to support workers in communities. We introduced funding through the strategic innovation fund specifically for forestry. Building on our work today, we have included traditional investments to make sure this sector innovates, diversifies and grows.

Over these past two and a half months, I have spent an inordinate amount of time with CEOs, with heads of the forestry sectors from coast to coast to coast. A few days ago, I convened a meeting of CEOs from all parts of this country, from Quebec to British Columbia, to talk to them about solutions, about answers.

The liquidity measures that were announced yesterday will help some of them. We will continue to work closely with industry to make sure we are there for them and that we stand by them through the COVID crisis, so we make sure that—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The next question will go to Mr. Dalton.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm hearing from small business owners like Joel, who runs a fitness club here in Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, and is very concerned that their landlords refuse to participate in the rent assistance program. These businesses have seen revenue drops between 50% and 100% and are asking for just 25% off their rent.

When will the government help small businesses whose landlords refuse to be team players during this pandemic?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, first of all, we share the member's concern that small businesses be supported. That's why we've moved forward with a number of measures that are designed to be of assistance.

With respect to rent support, we are encouraging landlords to support this measure. Obviously, rent and landlord-tenant relations are under provincial jurisdiction. At every opportunity I talk to the provincial finance ministers to encourage them to get engaged there.

We will continue to support small businesses. We believe this program has significant merit. It allows for small businesses to significantly reduce their rent and for landlords to be protected with up to 75% of the rent. We think it is an excellent program. It will require the provinces to step forward and enforce it.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Chair, here in B.C., businesses are preparing for phased reopening. A number of my constituents, including Kathy, who owns a beauty salon, are concerned about meeting the PPE requirements.

What is the federal government doing to ensure businesses in my riding can get access to the PPE they need to keep their employees and customers safe when they reopen?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Chair, as a federal government, we are aggressively buying life-saving equipment and supplies. Our first priority is to provide PPE to our front-line health care workers. However, we are actively involved in trying to ascertain how the federal government can work with the provinces and territories to provide essential services and other businesses with PPE.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Chair, Craig and Matt are co-owners of Wanstalls, a firearms retail outlet in downtown Maple Ridge that employs eight people and serves thousands of law-abiding firearm owners in my riding, people who are now made to feel like criminals by the Liberal government. Further, they are now stuck with tens of thousands of dollars of inventory that they can no longer sell.

What are they supposed to do to keep open in this already tumultuous COVID environment?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

It's important to understand that none of the restrictions that we have put in place, the new prohibitions, in any way impact weapons that are used for the lawful purposes in Canada of hunting and sport shooting, so those weapons remain available to Canadians engaged in those lawful activities.

We have prohibited weapons that were not intended for the legal purposes of hunting and sport shooting and for which firearms are available to Canadians. What we prohibited were weapons designed for another purpose, an unacceptable purpose.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Chair, according to the CERB website, if a recipient earns over $1,000 in a reporting period, their entire $2,000 benefit must be repaid. I have constituents who are working part time and casually. They're worried that if they take an extra shift, they will lose their CERB, but if they refuse a shift, they will also lose their CERB. It's a classic Liberal catch-22.

A worker may unknowingly make over the $1,000 by a couple of dollars. Does the government intend to make them repay all their CERB if they barely go over the threshold?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Mr. Chair, that is why we're working with individual eligible CERB recipients to make sure they are not put in positions of undue hardship. At the beginning, the registration restricted it to basically not working, and then we relaxed the condition to earning up to $1,000.

I can assure the member that we will work with individuals. Service Canada is reaching out to people so that nobody is in the difficult position he is talking about.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

There's a point of order.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

There were some technical issues earlier during my fellow member Mario Simard's turn. Normally, each person gets five minutes. According to our calculations, he had about 45 seconds left.

This is a serious point of order. We shouldn't get the short end of the stick because we speak French in the House.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

All right. We'll check what happened, but I had stopped the clock.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I assure you he lost some time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The minister had to repeat his answer. We'll check and make sure it doesn't happen again. The good thing is that this is all being filmed, so we can watch the video back to see what happened.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Chair, because the ministers chose to answer in French owing to a technical issue, their answers were unduly drawn out, which cost my fellow member speaking time. I think he should be given a chance to ask one last question, to be fair. Otherwise, French speakers are going to be at a major disadvantage.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

As I said, I'll check what happened and we'll have a solution for next time.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We have another point of order.

Mr. Guilbeault now has the floor.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

I hope the member isn't suggesting that, because some members of the House are making an effort to speak French, they are unduly dragging out the time, as he seems to have said. Good for them, I say, for trying to speak a language they aren't necessarily comfortable in for the benefit of other members.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I think a debate is brewing, but I'm sure that's not what people want, so I don't want an argument to break out over the fact that different languages are being spoken.

We'll look into what happened and fix the problem so it doesn't happen again.

We will go back to Mr. Dalton. You have about 30 seconds for a question.

Thank you.

Mr. Chair, many farmers in my riding and elsewhere are afraid they won't have enough workers this summer and fall.

What is the government going to do to make sure those receiving the CERB and CESB have the right information and know about the job opportunities in the agri-food sector in our communities?