Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I'll continue with my thoughts about my colleague Mr. Turnbull's amendment.
Technical difficulty end of the pandemic and when Canadians would be ready to enter the economic restart phase, we wanted to do something to ensure that all Canadians would actually be ready.
On the prorogation issue, it's clear that the government really wanted to assess the situation and also make sure that we could consult people. I know that the Minister of Finance, Ms. Freeland, as well as Minister Fortier and the caucus in general, did indeed consult people to make sure that everyone could understand the government's priorities.
The Speech from the Throne clearly describes avenues that could boost the economic recovery and where the federal government sees an opportunity to help industries prosper. Here again, my understanding is that if Minister Freeland were to give evidence before the committee, she could explain the ideas put forward in the throne speech.
As we do battle on behalf of all Canadians and defend everyone's capacity to succeed, we also need to focus on the future and on a better way to build our programs. It's what the throne speech describes as the third of the government's foundations in its approach.
We find the following in the throne speech:
Around the world, advanced economies are realizing that things should not go back to business as usual. COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerabilities in our societies.
The Government will create a resiliency agenda for the middle class and people working hard to join it.
This will include addressing the gaps in our social systems, investing in health care, and creating jobs.
I think that all members here today also want to invest in health care and creating jobs.
It will also include fighting climate change, and maintaining a commitment to fiscal sustainability and economic growth as the foundation of a strong and vibrant society.
I'd like to take a few moments to say that we've finally been able to bridge the gaps and identify those in our systems. We want to ensure that our existing programs are strengthened, because we want to support the most vulnerable people in our communities.
My colleague, Stéphane Lauzon, often talks about seniors. One of the greatest tragedies of this pandemic is the lives lost in long-term care homes. Seniors deserve to be respected, safe and live in dignity.
I know that in my region—the small province of New Brunswick—there may not have been the major outbreaks that occurred in other regions, but some care homes were affected. It's truly heartbreaking. We want to make sure that we can protect our seniors.
One of my nephews is in the Canadian Armed Forces. Many of his colleagues were sent to care for our seniors. These people, who went to war in Afghanistan, were genuinely traumatized by what they saw in the care homes. When my brawny nephew spoke to me about it, he had tears in his eyes. These were truly difficult situations. The report written by the armed forces clearly describes the situation our seniors are facing. It's important for us to be there for them.
Although long-term care is a provincial and territorial jurisdiction, the federal government will do everything it can to support seniors, working alongside the provinces and territories.
Once again, I want to point out that it's wrong to believe that the federal government has all the answers. We need to work closely with the provinces and territories so that national standards can be complied with. To accomplish this, the provinces need to be at the table with us, because we all have a role to play in protecting the help health and safety of seniors.
The government will work with Parliament on Criminal Code amendments to explicitly penalize those who neglect seniors under their care, putting them in danger.
Prior to being elected as a politician, I was a social worker with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for several years.
I must say that it was always very difficult to investigate instances of violence against seniors. We often had to investigate members of the immediate family when most of the time, the abusers were the caregivers. Generally speaking, seniors did not even want to talk about what had happened to them, because they were afraid and felt intimidated. It's essential for us to do everything in our power to protect these people, who are often very vulnerable.
The government will also work with the provinces and territories to set new, national standards for long-term care so that seniors get the best support possible.
Once again, we are definitely not saying that Ottawa has all the answers. I'm sure, however, that the application of consistent standards in all the provinces and territories is the least we can do to ensure that seniors receive proper care. I'm pleased that our government is working towards this.
If Minister Freeland were to come and give evidence before the committee, she could speak to us about it. It's not only a matter of developing standards, but also explaining the possible investments, and the thinking that went into the new throne speech. She could also any answer any additional questions my colleagues might have.
We also need to take further action to help people stay at home longer. Of course, not all seniors live in long-term care homes, but it's obvious that they experienced truly difficult circumstances throughout the pandemic, particularly in terms of isolation.
I'll give you an example of one measure that was introduced in New Brunswick. In 2018, we set up a pilot project called the "Healthy Seniors Pilot Project". It required an investment of $75 million.
We funded several programs that would enable seniors to continue to live at home for as long as possible. They often did not want to move into long-term care homes, but they did need additional assistance.
One of the programs that we funded was called "Nursing Homes Without Walls". Seniors often needed help to take their medicine, do their grocery shopping and other similar tasks. This kind of program contributed enormously to improving the lives of our seniors, even during the pandemic.
I think that we're capable of continuing to support our seniors in difficult times.
The federal government will also look into measures for personal support workers, who provide an essential service by helping the most vulnerable people in our communities. Canada must better value their work and their contributions to our society.
To be perfectly clear, 90 to 95% of them are women. These women work in care homes, grocery stores, and provide homecare and other services.
We need to help protect these workers so that they receive equitable pay. The whole issue of pay equity has to be addressed. Clearly, responsibility for this is not wholly the federal government's, but it needs to work with the provinces and territories.
Once again, I believe that Ms. Freeland might be helpful by explaining to us the plan that was developed for further discussion of these issues.
COVID-19 has also disproportionately affected Canadians with disabilities, and highlighted long-standing challenges for members of this community. The government will bring forward a disability inclusion plan, which will have a new Canadian disability benefit modelled on the guaranteed income supplement for seniors, a robust employment strategy for Canadians with disabilities, and a better process to determine eligibility for government disability programs and benefits.
Ms. Freeland would probably be able to give us more information about these funding programs and explain the process that led to their being announced in the throne speech.
Over the past six months, it has become clearer than ever that Canadians need a resilient health care system. All my colleagues are requesting additional funding for services, and thus far, I feel confident in saying that the government has contributed greatly to helping Canadians during this pandemic.
The federal government invested in vaccines and paid for all of the required equipment. Under the Safe Restart Agreement, considerable investment went to the provinces and territories, much of which was invested in health systems.
The government will make sure that everyone, including people in rural and remote regions, has access to a family doctor or a primary care team. COVID-19 has also shown that our system needs to be more flexible and capable of reaching out to people at home. The government will continue to increase its capacity to provide virtual health care.
Many of my colleagues probably live in large regions. In the province of New Brunswick, there are many rural regions. It's often difficult to get to doctor's appointments. And the issue of virtual care has come to the fore during the pandemic. Many professionals would also like these services to continue. This requires investment. I presume that the Deputy Prime Minister could also talk to us about this if she were to testify before the committee.
The government will also continue to address the opioid epidemic tearing through communities, which is an ongoing and worsening public health crisis. We are experiencing a global health crisis because of COVID-19, but we mustn't forget that there are other crises in Canada. The opioid crisis is clearly a tragedy. Every day, Canadians are dying. We still have a great deal of work to do. While we need to address the pandemic, we mustn't forget the opioid crisis and the climate crisis.
So there needs to be ongoing investment in this area, particularly under the Canadian drugs and substances strategy. We've made serious investments thus far, and need to continue. The Deputy Prime Minister could speak to us about investments and priorities with respect to the opioid crisis. It's something I feel strongly about.
Of course, the 2020 Speech from the Throne is not the same as the 2019 speech, but there are similarities between the two because in 2019, there were emergencies that are still ongoing today. Moreover, the issue of priorities came up because of the pandemic.
When I was minister of health, I had the opportunity to meet many health workers and people who were using substances. They told us that prevention and treatment were required. They were very happy that the Liberal government had reintroduced the idea of harm reduction. The Conservative government didn't want to touch the subject, although it was a priority for us.
We need to meet people on their own ground and make sure they have the required tools. Health workers were very pleased with our work, of course, but much remains to be done.
I'll stop there for the time being on this subject. I'll return to it if I have any further comments to make.