Human Resources Committee on Nov. 4th, 2020

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Thank you, Minister.

My third question relates to the rural and remote homelessness stream under the Reaching Home homelessness strategy. Your officials told me in my recent briefing, which I welcomed, that there was $11 million allocated for rural and remote communities and $55 million over the next five years.

I represent a riding where there is a lot of rural poverty. Do you think this number is sufficient to address rural homelessness and rural poverty? What more can your government do to ensure that people in remote communities get the same types of services that people in urban areas get?

Thank you.

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

I think you can see by the top-up we made to the regular Reaching Home dollars. The $157.5 million that I referenced earlier were additional dollars to the base amount. The same goes for the $236.7 million. Topping up Reaching Home, and also making it more flexible and increasing the number of communities and providers that we provide financial investments to, is an indication of our understanding of the need to deal with homelessness wherever it is in Canada.

Let me just say one more thing. The rapid housing initiative is also open to any community organization, entity, or municipality to apply to house homeless individuals permanently.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

I appreciate that answer.

I will say, though, that in some of these unincorporated areas, such as Boston Bar in the Fraser Canyon, there is literally nobody there except for me to help them with these applications.

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

I understand.

The rapid housing initiative is flexible enough to allow places like that to use an intermediary to get the money, such as the province or a non-profit organization. They don't have to do the work. They can use an intermediary to do that.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

I would say that's easier said than done.

Thank you for your answers.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Mr. Long, you have five minutes.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good evening, colleagues.

Minister, it is certainly good to see you again. I want to thank you on behalf of my riding of Saint John—Rothesay and all Canadians for the work that you've done and the leadership you've shown, especially during this pandemic, where we have faced historic challenges.

Minister, my riding is Saint John—Rothesay. Since I was first elected as a member of Parliament, I've often heard from working parents across the riding about the need for affordable and accessible child care in our community and across the country. Over the past five years, I have also often heard about it from witnesses testifying before this committee. That's why I was pleased to be able to join you earlier today to announce a nearly $10-million federal investment to help improve access to high-quality child care and early learning services in New Brunswick.

It's also why I was thrilled to see our government commit to ensuring that all Canadian parents have access to affordable, high-quality child care through the creation of a Canada-wide early learning and child care system in the Speech from the Throne. My office has been fielding a lot of questions from excited parents, as well as child care providers in my riding, like Heather Hamilton and Erin Schryer, who are eager to learn more about what this commitment will mean for them and their child care.

Can you tell us what the next steps will be when it comes to implementing this historic commitment?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Thank you very much.

I want to thank the honourable member for bringing up a really important issue that has become even more acute during the COVID-19 pandemic. As our economy recovers and as parents go back to work, they are telling us that child care is not a luxury; it is a necessity for them. Access to not only affordable child care, but high-quality child care is of utmost importance. That is why you saw our government respond during the Speech from the Throne, stating very clearly and unequivocally that we will do everything we can to put together a national system of early learning and child care that is accessible, affordable and has high-quality child care.

To do that, we would need to work very closely with provinces and territories, as this is an area of provincial jurisdiction. We need to work with them and build on their investments, as well as our investments over the last number of years in early learning and child care. It includes listening to the stakeholders. It includes finding success stories and trying to replicate them across the country, making the economic case—not just the social case—for investments in early learning and child care. We are committed to making this happen and to learn from others, including the Province of Quebec and our international partners who have done this and who have seen tremendous economic benefits as a result of these investments.

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

On that subject, Minister, we know there isn't equitable access for many people, especially in indigenous communities. We know how important it is to have culturally relevant care for indigenous children, but now more than ever those providers are facing incredible challenges.

You recently announced support for these providers. Could you share additional details with the committee?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Absolutely. We wanted to make sure that as a government we're paying attention to the safe restart of the indigenous early learning and child care centres. That is why I was pleased to join the Prime Minister as well as Minister Miller to announce a $120-million investment in indigenous early learning and child care as part of the safe restart of indigenous early learning and child care centres.

This builds on our previous investments that are ongoing as part of the $1.7-billion investment to set up an indigenous early learning and child care framework and the agreements that we have signed with first nations, Inuit and Métis.

The $120 million is related to COVID-19; it is to enable them to retool and readjust their operations, as well as their infrastructure, to meet the new health requirements as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Minister and Mr. Long.

It's your turn, Ms. Chabot. You have two and a half minutes.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

I am going to ask my question about Service Canada again.

The first time, you said that 287 of 317 Service Canada centres were now open.

When the offices closed during the first wave, it was difficult, almost devastating, for people who needed access to those services. It is very disappointing that all the centres and outreach sites have not yet reopened.

Have you made sure staff and funding are available to keep Service Canada centres and outreach sites open in the event that the situation gets worse?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, I will defer to Ms. Lori MacDonald for this question.

[Lori MacDonald]

To reframe the answer I gave previously, we do have 285 offices open, out of 317. We have the funding and the staff available to do so. What's holding up the opening of the final offices is finalizing contracts for cleaning, for installation of plexiglass and for commissionaires from a security perspective. All of those are under way right now as we finalize the opening of those centres. We have the funding for this year as well as next year. We anticipate having all of this completed by early January.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Ms. Chabot, you have 20 seconds, just enough time for a quick question and short answer.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Do you have enough funding to reopen all the centres and outreach sites?

[Lori MacDonald]

Yes, we have the funds to open up all the offices.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Ms. Chabot.

Thank you, Ms. MacDonald.

Next, we have Ms. Kwan, for two and a half minutes.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I'm going to turn my question to Mr. Siddall. I'm sure he understands what I'm talking about when I say that the section 95 housing co-op operating agreements that expired prior to April 1, 2016 are not getting their rental assistance. Is he aware of any plans to ensure that low-income members get the resources they need?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, I can answer that, because this came up earlier.

On co-ops, those agreements lapsed under the previous government and we did transfer money. We transferred funds to provinces and territories to fund the former agreement.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Sorry, Mr. Siddall, could you answer my question too, please?

[Evan Siddall]

I think the minister has answered it.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Sorry, are you telling me that those co-ops whose operating agreements expired prior to April 2016 are getting rental assistance?

[Evan Siddall]

I think through various programs they are. If your question is with respect to continuation of operating agreements, no, those have expired. We don't have any evidence that people have lost housing as a result of that, however.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Well, I have a number of co-ops that are actually on the cusp of losing their housing right now. I'd be happy to bring those to the officials' attention and to the minister's attention, because at this moment, they are actually going to be displaced in the middle of a pandemic.