Human Resources Committee on June 6th, 2018

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Welcome, everybody. Pursuant to an order of reference on Thursday, February 1, 2018, the committee is resuming clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-62, an act to amend the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act and other acts.

Madam Sansoucy.

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

It's a bit unusual for me to step in like this at the end of process, but my colleague Karine Trudel had to go back to her riding.

However, she has introduced three amendments that really are essentially the same. I assure you I won't make the same arguments three times. I'll state them once, and you can consider them valid for all three amendments. You need only copy and paste them in your mind.

The amendment proposed by my colleague was requested during testimony by Ursula Hendel, president of the Association of Justice Counsel, and Chris Aylward, national president of the Canadian Public Service Alliance.

The purpose of the amendment is to ensure that the bill is constitutional. In a judgment rendered in 2015, the Supreme Court held that Saskatchewan's essential services legislation was unconstitutional. As provisions of that act contains wording similar to that of clause 9 of Bill C-62, the amendment concerns pages 35 and 36 on page 5.

The purpose of the provision is to ensure that non-union personnel are not disadvantaged during a strike or subjected to pressures to which they would normally be exposed during a work stoppage.

These lines appear word for word in the Saskatchewan act. Their wording was cited by the court, which held that, if qualified personnel are available to deliver requisite services, it should not matter that they are non-union personnel. Consequently, the provision works at cross purposes to ensuring uninterrupted delivery of essential services during a work stoppage.

In conclusion, I would say these amendments address the concern that Bill C-62 does not sufficiently reflect the Supreme Court judgment rendered in 2015. The bill should therefore be amended.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thank you.

Is there any further discussion on the amendment that's been proposed by Madam Sansoucy?

I see no further discussion. Okay. We have a choice. We could get started now or we could suspend until the minister arrives. Do we have a decision?

We're going to wait until after the minister arrives and do clause-by-clause after.

Madam Sansoucy, do you have any further comments before we suspend?

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

No.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

We're going to suspend. The minister is scheduled to arrive at one o'clock. If he arrives at 12:55, we're going to get started right away.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Welcome back, everybody.

Pursuant to Standing Order 81(4), this committee will consider the main estimates 2018-2019: vote 1 under Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, vote 1 under Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, and votes 1 and 5 under Department of Employment and Social Development, referred to the committee on Monday, April 16, 2018.

We are very pleased to be joined once again by the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, as well as the department officials.

We're going to get right into it for the first six minutes.

Monsieur Blaney, please.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

As vice-chair, I want to join with our chair in welcoming you, minister. We are pleased to welcome you to the committee as part of our analysis and approval of certain budgetary appropriations.

Without further ado, I will proceed with my questions.

On September 6, 2016, you made a commitment on Radio-Canada public television to resolve a situation that had dragged on for decades and involved thousands of workers suffering from serious diseases. Those workers are currently entitled to 15 weeks of benefits payable in the event of serious illness. During the election campaign, the government and you personally made a commitment to resolve that situation. I'm thinking, for example, of Marie-Hélène Dubé, whom you met a few weeks ago and told that you were working on the matter.

Are you now undertaking to meet the commitment that the government and you yourself made to resolve this situation more than two years ago? If so, when will you do it?

I know you are doing a lot of good things, but I would like to hear your response on the specific issue of the 15 weeks of payable benefits. When will you respectfully treat employment insurance claimants who are suffering from a serious illness?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would be remiss not to say how happy I am to see you again. Unfortunately, we have been separated from one another in recent weeks as a result of the intense work we have had to do in the House of Commons and the efforts you have been making for many months to address issues that are important for our government and for everyone around this table.

As you said so well, Mr. Blaney, my colleague and member for the riding adjacent to my own, I am still fortunate to be surrounded by very hard-working senior officials.

I will begin by answering your question by providing a general employment insurance framework. It is a framework that, at the same time, indicates the extent to which—

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Pardon me, minister. As we were interrupted the last time, I would ask you please to answer my question. You made a commitment on public television to do something. Is the promise of 15 weeks an empty one, or are you actually going to resolve this matter? If so, when? Can you answer that question? If not, I have other questions for you. We've already heard your presentation. I would like an answer to my question, please, minister.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

I was about to discuss two promises that we have made. The first was made in 2015. We said we would not only repair some of the damage done by Mr. Harper's Conservative government—

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Minister, if you don't want to answer the question, I'll ask you others. In that case, I will understand that you have refused to answer the question.

Do you undertake to extend the 15 weeks of employment insurance for persons suffering from a serious illness? If you want to evade the question, that's fine, but I have other important questions for you. I don't want to hear any hollow words or pat phrases. I would appreciate it if you would stick to the subject, sir.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

I'm prepared to answer the question, which is very important. Canadians and the members of this committee must clearly understand how we have worked over the past two years and what we intend to do for the rest of our mandate.

Out of respect for all the Canadians listening to us and for the work of this committee, I have an obligation to discuss the framework within which—

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Thank you, minister. I see you don't want to answer the question. Now I'll ask you another one.

We're here to approve budgetary appropriations. The Canada Summer Jobs program is discussed on page 56 of budget 2018. Do you think it's normal that 20 members of your party allocated funding to entities that support terrorist organizations that make homophobic remarks and support anti-semitism?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Not only should you insist that the many young people in our ridings receive the financial support we have allocated to them and that they take advantage of the opportunity we afford them to work and acquire invaluable skills, you also have an obligation to do so.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Absolutely, minister.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

As you've probably noted as well—and if you haven't, I'm going to inform you about it—starting in 2016, we doubled the number of jobs available to young Canadians to assist them at a time in their lives when they are a little more financially strapped and to give them the opportunity to develop their skills. In this way, they will become workers who can contribute to our economic growth and social development.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

I'm very familiar with the Canada Summer Jobs program, minister. However, 20 Liberal members have provided funding to organizations that have made homophobic remarks.

Were those remarks made consciously? Were the members aware they were funding organizations that support terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, or was this a form of rank incompetence?

You have also put a certification process in place specifically to ensure compliance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. How is it that 20 Liberal MPs have funded organizations associated with terrorist groups that make absolutely unthinkable comments in 2018?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

These are in fact job opportunities that are both significant and increasingly available in our society as a result of the considerable support the Canadian government has provided in the past two years.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Minister, since I have only 10 seconds left, I would ask you to—

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

If you would like more specific details, you will have to speak respectfully to my colleague Patricia Hajdu.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Canadians are entitled to know whether the appropriations we approve today will be indirectly allocated to terrorist entities.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Mr. Chair—

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Gentlemen, I'm afraid that's time.

Mr. Long.

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Duclos, for coming in today.

I'm going to be sharing my time with MP Ruimy.

Mr. Minister, I am, as I know you are, very proud of the historic investments that our government has made in affordable housing. After a decade in which the Harper Conservatives really did nothing to address the housing crisis, and off-loaded responsibility to the provinces and municipalities, it's refreshing to see our federal government taking a leadership role in the national housing strategy.

A few weeks ago you announced the creation of a $13-billion co-investment fund with the provinces and territories. This is great news for my riding of Saint John—Rothesay. As you announced, this fund will be delivered in tandem with the recently created $3.75-billion rental construction financing initiative, and the $208.3-million affordable housing innovation fund. Combined, these three initiatives represent an investment of over $17.15 billion in the construction of new affordable housing units.

Can you break down for this committee how the $17-billion investment will ensure that more Canadians in my riding of Saint John—Rothesay will have a place to call home?

Thank you, Minister.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

You know, Wayne, how proud and how pleased I was of your very early engagement on this file, when both of us started our new careers as MPs. It made a big difference. You'll remember I went to visit your riding. You introduced me to all the wonderful community organizations that make such a big difference in the lives of people in your community and in your riding.

Not being partisan, I want to commend you and encourage you to continue that hard work.

You mentioned affordable and safe housing, and an affordable and safe home is key for Canadians to live well. It's also key for communities to be inclusive, where everyone has the opportunity to participate in the growth of the economy, and where everyone has the ability to benefit from that growth in our economy.

To be homeless is probably the greatest source of human deprivation that we can imagine in Canada, and you have said very clearly that we've never had a national housing strategy. That's another example of non-partisanship. For the last 25 years individual Canadians and organizations have been asking the federal government for a national housing strategy. It's going to decrease by more than half a million the number of Canadian families living in homes that are either unaffordable or unsafe.