COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on May 13th, 2020

[Jag Sahota, Conservative, Calgary Skyview, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Victims of human trafficking continue to suffer during this crisis. Many are facing worse conditions and additional barriers to escaping human trafficking than before the pandemic. The government has been completely silent on this issue, and now funding to fight human trafficking is being taken away from front-line organizations. Why would the government choose to do this at this vulnerable time?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Chair, human trafficking is, as we all know, one of the most heinous crimes imaginable. Our government is working to eliminate all instances of it. To combat human trafficking, we've launched a comprehensive national strategy that brings together federal efforts under one strategic framework. We have backed that new move with $75 million in additional investments, and the new strategy now strengthens Canada's ability to fight this abhorrent attack on human rights and human dignity.

[Jag Sahota, Conservative, Calgary Skyview, AB]

Mr. Chair, this simply isn't good enough. The government is letting down our most vulnerable Canadians. We know that human trafficking hasn't stopped during this pandemic, and these front-line organizations have received the message that supporting them in fighting these heinous crimes is not a priority.

What is the minister going to do to rectify this situation?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

As I said, we have developed a national strategy to combat human trafficking. We've made $75 million in additional investments, and this new strategy takes a whole-of-government approach. It empowers victims and survivors to regain their self-confidence and control over their lives, and it will prevent more of these crimes from taking place. It provides better protection and support for those most vulnerable to human trafficking, and it will ensure that police and prosecutors have the resources to prosecute these traffickers for their heinous crimes.

Mr. Chair, we'll continue to work collaboratively with victims groups and to provide the supports that are required.

[Jag Sahota, Conservative, Calgary Skyview, AB]

Mr. Chair, more vulnerable Canadians continue to be let down. There are effective medications that have been developed for those living with cystic fibrosis, yet this medication is not available here. We know that the pharmaceutical company has not been able to apply to market this drug in Canada because of the changes to the PMPRB, which have been heavily criticized by stakeholders and patients.

Will the minister delay the July 1 implementation date and review the regulations so that drugs like Trikafta are made available in Canada?

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

Mr. Chair, there are two separate issues in that question, so I will talk about the PMPRB.

As a government, we are committed, as you know, to increasing affordability of and accessibility to Canadian medications, to medications across Canada, and the PMPRB regulatory amendments will help Canadians to be able to afford their prescriptions.

Canada will continue to be an important market for new medicines. In fact, many countries with much lower prices for medicine gain access to new medicines in the same time frame as Canada, or even faster.

[Jag Sahota, Conservative, Calgary Skyview, AB]

Mr. Chair, for those living with a rare disease, every single day can be a struggle. We know the importance of lowering drug costs, but not at the cost of life-saving drugs not being available here in Canada. Waiting years for the government to reduce regulations is not an option. We also know that the nature of the disease makes those people more susceptible to contracting COVID-19, and they are at a higher risk of its being lethal.

Why is this government continuing to let those with CF struggle and suffer needlessly?

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

I believe the member opposite is talking about the drug Trikafta, and many cystic fibrosis patient groups have been advocating having access to it in Canada. In fact, the manufacturer of Trikafta has not submitted an application to market this product in Canada.

However, that said, we do have a special access program for drugs that are not marketed in Canada. As of May 6, Health Canada approved 95 applications for 98 patients to access Trikafta through the special access program. I would encourage all patients with cystic fibrosis to speak to their doctor to ensure that they too can apply through the special access program.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

You have time for one short question of 45 seconds.

[Jag Sahota, Conservative, Calgary Skyview, AB]

We know the importance of lowering drug costs. As you know, 4,300 people suffer from this rare genetic disease. Most of them are children and young adults. One young woman from Calgary is a CF champion, fighting for her passion to be a famous opera singer. She's very talented. Her reality of living with CF has meant that she has had many visits to the hospital and had many health crises that have made singing impossible for a time.

CF patients are waiting for this drug, which was fast-tracked in other countries. Now it seems that the changes to the PMPRB will cause further delays or complications. Will the minister delay the implementation and review the PMPRB?

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Honourable Minister, please provide a short response.

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

I will just repeat that the manufacturer has not applied to sell this drug in Canada.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Now we will go to Mr. Lobb of Huron—Bruce.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Thank you very much.

On July 25, 2019, after the federal-provincial-territorial agriculture meeting, the agriculture minister promised big changes in 2020 for programs like AgriStability and AgriRecovery.

Besides a pilot program in a couple of provinces and an application deadline, is there anything else you would like to report?

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

Yes, Mr. Chair. Since the July meeting in Quebec City with the provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture, we've been working to improve the AgriStability program. This issue remains a priority, and it's included in my mandate letter. However, at this time, we're responding to emergencies that go beyond what the various risk management programs can provide to our producers.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

You can appreciate, Minister, the issue we're dealing with here. The United States Department of Agriculture has allocated $19 billion to farmers, $16 billion of that in direct support. The program that was offered last week, $252 million, was a mere fraction of what the United States is getting. If the minister is telling farmers to bank on the existing business risk management program, it's not going to work.

Countless numbers of pork farmers, just in my riding alone, have one thousand, two thousand, three thousand head of hogs ready to be shipped within the near future. They will lose $70 a head. AgriStability isn't going to cut it. We need an immediate program to help out these hard-working pork farmers.

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

I fully understand my colleague's comments. That's why we announced specific programs for the meat sector: $77.5 million for processors, $50 million for beef producers and $50 million for pork producers.

We've also increased, improved and facilitated access to AgriStability. One pork producer tried the calculator and told me that he could quickly receive $11 per head of hog. Alberta's agriculture minister even publicly stated that some producers could obtain the desired amount of $20 per head using the AgriStability program.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Mr. Chair, you can see the problem right there with the math. The minister just said that one of her pork producers is going to get $11. They are losing $70. There's a $59-per-head gap, times likely several thousand head of hogs in their barns.

Let's go to another trying issue with agriculture. It's the carbon tax. I know that the government has their position on the carbon tax, and I know that I'm not going to change it, but I want to give the members of Parliament across the way, the government, an idea of what a pork farmer might go through.

A pork farmer sent me their bill for February 26 to March 24. Their natural gas bill was about $2,400. In there was close to $500 in federal carbon tax. Farmers manage their woodlots ethically. They have environmental farm plans. They have nutrient management plans. They get no credit for any of the carbon sequestration and ethical environmental management on their farm, yet every month they are asked to pay a carbon tax. It just doesn't seem fair.

I want the minister's opinion on that.

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

As you know, our pollution pricing policy is designed to build a clean economy. We've introduced exemptions for agriculture. On one hand, emissions from animal and vegetable production are not subject to carbon pricing, and on the other hand, farm fuels and other fuels delivered to off-farm points-of-sale are exempt. We've also provided partial reimbursements for propane and natural gas used in commercial greenhouses.

We have already done a lot. We encourage producers to take advantage of the business risk management programs, and we are ready to do more. We've already shown that, and we will continue to do so.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

There is time for one short question and response. Go ahead, Mr. Lobb.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Mr. Chair, I know the Minister of Agriculture has toured my riding. She knows very well what the lay of the land is here.

What about pork farmers? What about chicken farmers? What about hens? What about drying in the fall? All those farmers pay a carbon tax, and there is no program for them. They pay and they pay and they pay, and what makes it worse is that they are given no credit for the environmental work they do on their farms.

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

It's true that our producers work incredibly hard to protect the environment and ensure the well-being of their animals. That's important, to be sure, but I'd like to put the impact of pollution pricing into perspective.

To put these estimates into context, AAFC used data from agricultural tax data programs to show the impact on a per-farm basis as a percentage of total operating costs. The estimates ranged from $210 to $819 per farm and 0.05% to 0.42% of total farm operating expenses.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

We now move on to Mr. Lehoux.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Being from a rural area, myself, I can assure you that people who live in rural communities are resourceful and resilient. Instead of staying cooped up in their homes, they are doing their best to retool and save the companies they work for. One of the only options they have is to work from home. Unfortunately, though, they don't have access to the tools they need. Cellular and Internet networks are inadequate, even non-existent in some cases.

I want to know, not whether the government is going to help these Canadians join the 21st century, but when.

Can you give us any assurances and, above all, a timetable for a real plan?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

I agree with the member. The situation is very serious. High-speed Internet is not a luxury; it's a necessity. That's why we launched the connect to innovate program.

My fellow minister Ms. Monsef will be introducing the next strategy to improve the situation in all regions, especially rural areas. Finding a solution is absolutely imperative.