Finance Committee on July 30th, 2020

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Yes, but this is different. This is announcing a billion-dollar program without knowing how it's going to be administered. How can Canadians have any faith that you are respecting their taxpayer dollars when the Prime Minister announces a program but has no idea how it will be administered?

Anyway, you know—

[Katie Telford]

Would you like me to answer that?

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Sure, go ahead.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Please do, Ms. Telford. The floor is yours.

[Katie Telford]

I think Canadians can have faith in how this government is delivering because of the supports they're feeling, the fact that this government is being responsive—

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

No, not for students.

[Katie Telford]

—and the fact that when the CERB and the wage subsidy weren't as simple and generous as maybe they needed to be—

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Students have been let down.

[Katie Telford]

—we made sure to make those adjustments.

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

You really let them down.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Mr. Morantz—

[Katie Telford]

We did this for students as well. There was a $9-billion package announced for students, the large majority of which still—

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

It was done without your knowing how it was going to be administered.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Go ahead, Mr. Fraser.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Chair, as you've made very clear on a number of occasions that the rules for this committee are the same rules that the COVID committee has been using, in that the questioner and answerer have equal time, without interruption. I would ask that my hon. colleague show a modicum of respect to our witness and give her the time to answer the question, because, quite frankly, as a parliamentarian who is trying to pay attention to what's going on, I cannot hear the answer that is coming out. I would ask that you enforce the rules that you made clear were in application at the beginning of this meeting.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Thank you, Mr. Fraser.

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

I will, Mr. Chair, and I apologize, but I ask that you not take my time away for that interruption.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

We won't take the time away from you, Mr. Morantz, but I will give Ms. Telford time to respond.

Go ahead, Ms. Telford.

[Katie Telford]

One adjustment that has happened during COVID, which we haven't seen by any governments in the past, has been hugely beneficial to the relationship between a government and Canadians. It is how transparent and forthcoming the government has been in saying what might be coming, what it's looking at, how it's going to adjust and when things are not exactly right.

I believe there are many reasons, especially in the programs that got out the door so quickly thanks to the very hard work of the public service in the early weeks of the COVID shutdown.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

We will go back to Mr. Morantz, and this will be the last question.

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

I still have not heard an answer to the question about how the Prime Minister announced this program without having any idea how it was going to be administered.

That wasn't an answer, quite frankly, Mr. Chair, and maybe they don't have one, because they knew otherwise.

[Katie Telford]

I'm happy to try again.

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

It seems to stretch credulity that the Prime Minister did not know, when he announced it, how it was being administered. Did he know or not?

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Ms. Telford, you have about 30 seconds to answer.