Industry Committee on April 23rd, 2020

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Thank you.

I also would like to get consensus from the committee that it's my understanding the House of Commons will be having a virtual sitting next Tuesday, which is when this committee is supposed to sit.

I would like to get confirmation from you, Madam Chair, that you will find an alternate time that does not negate our meetings next week and that we will still have two meetings.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sherry Romanado]

We are currently scheduled to have two meetings next week, both Tuesday and Thursday. I have not heard otherwise.

I will advise the committee if there is a change, absolutely.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

The question that I asked was not that. It was, should the House of Commons proceedings bump this meeting, will you do everything in your power to ensure that we have two meetings next week, regardless of if another time needs to be found?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sherry Romanado]

Again, rest assured that I'm working, in the event that this normal meeting slot is moved, to make sure that we have meetings next week.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

That's a yes. We will have two meetings next week, regardless of whether the House of Commons sits.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sherry Romanado]

Madam Rempel Garner, I will do everything I can to make sure that we have those two meetings. Everything depends on the resources available to us, but rest assured that I will do everything in my power to make sure that we have those two meetings.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

I appreciate that, but I'd like to have a yes or no answer to this question because the whole debate that we had last week in the House of Commons was whether or not the scrutiny of Parliament could happen via a virtual setting. To hear from you, “everything in my power” and “depending on resources” is not acceptable. Canadians are looking to us right now to ensure that we have these sessions.

All I want is a simple yes. If the House of Commons bumps this committee—because in a regular sitting of Parliament, committees happen at the same time as the House of Commons sits—you will ensure, even if it's not at the same time, even if it's later in the evening, even if it's early in the morning, that we will have two meetings next week.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sherry Romanado]

Madam Rempel Garner, I don't control the resources that are available at the House, but you have my commitment that in the event that this meeting is not able to happen between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. next week because of the virtual sitting of Parliament, I will do everything I can to find an alternative time so that we can have these meetings.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

I guess that's the best the opposition is going to get: a maybe.

I have a question for the minister.

Has your government begun any kind of formally structured, federal government-led, national economic relaunch strategy that includes a safe and staged lifting of mass isolation measures?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Thank you very much, Madam Rempel Garner, for that question.

The work that we are engaged in and have been engaged in is ensuring that we are providing measures, economic measures, to help Canadian small businesses and entrepreneurs through this very difficult time so that we can flatten the curve as a country.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

My question was not that. It was, do you have a formal plan to lift mass isolation measures safely and in a staged approach so that we can restart the economy, and if not, why?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

You've heard from the Prime Minister that he and the Deputy Prime Minister are working closely with colleagues at the provincial and the territorial level. The work that I am seized with and that we are focused on is making sure that business owners across the country are getting the support that they need, whether it is helping them keep their staff, whether it is getting cash—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Yes, but the best way for the businesses to get support is to get back to work and reopen. When can the Canadian economy expect to reopen safely, and when will you table a plan or tell Canadians what your plan is for that timeline?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

The work that we're doing right now, and it's a team Canada approach, is to flatten the curve so that Canadians are safe and they are healthy. The extraordinary measures that we're asking Canadians to take to flatten this curve—I would agree and I would hope everyone would agree—are job one, which is why we have the measures that we have right now to make sure that—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Why isn't it binary? Why can't we do both? We need to start talking about doing both because our economy is suffering.

When are you going to table a plan to safely reopen the economy while stopping the spread of COVID? When can we expect that?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

We're going to keep working for Canadian businesses, just as we have been doing during this time. We're listening to business owners. The measures that you see, the economic measures, are in response to what they need to manage through this difficult period. We're also listening to those business owners about what it is they are going to need so that we put them all on a good footing.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Here's what I'm hearing: We need a plan to reopen the economy.

When are you guys going to at least give some timeline or indication that you have a plan to do both: flatten the curve and reopen the economy? These businesses need to reopen. They don't need handouts for 18 months. They need a plan to get back to work. When will that plan be forthcoming?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

The measures that we have put in place are to help businesses manage through this time and to get them on a good footing, so that when it is safe to do so, when it is safe to restart the economy, we are working together—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

When will it be safe? What are you doing to make it safe? What about testing? What is that time period?

If I'm a small business owner right now, I need to know this to make plans on whether I'm going to close up shop permanently or keep trying to stay alive. That's your job. You have to start telling people when you are going to reopen the economy.

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

We're working very intently with business owners, who are telling us that they need to be able to access some cash flow so that they can manage through this period. They're telling us that—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Yes, cash flow from doing their work, from actually doing business, like selling things and being open. You have to understand that businesses don't just want handouts from the government. They want a plan to know when they can get back to work.

When is that plan forthcoming? When are you guys going to start talking about timelines and staging and testing?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

In talking to thousands upon thousands of businesses, including the over 1,000 businesses that my department talks to every day, the questions I've heard very often from businesses, as recently as yesterday and today, are about how they can get access to support to keep their teams together during this period so they can be on that road to recovery when it's safe to do so. We're absolutely working hard—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

So you don't have any timeline. I'll phrase it differently. Do you have any timeline to reopen the economy? Is there any chat about a timeline or a staged approach or anything, any sort of timeline whatsoever, coming up in your cabinet discussions or in your department? Do you have any glimmer of hope for people in terms of a plan?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

The glimmer of hope for Canadian businesses is just how incredibly resourceful they are.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

I mean on a timeline.