Debates of Dec. 9th, 2019

Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20

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

Mr. Chair, I will first commend the member for Surrey—Newton for having worked so hard for his community to benefit from the first-ever strategy that Canada has ever had on housing. It makes a big and very important impact in his riding. I would encourage all members of the House to follow his model and work closely with the government in investing not only in housing but, most importantly, in making sure that every Canadian has the ability to live safely and affordably.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, I will be using my 15 minutes to pose a series of questions to the ministerial team.

First, I would like to recognize the presence of public servants for what I would describe as an unusual exercise. To my knowledge, this is the first time that all of the votes are being debated before a single House committee.

I will begin with the Office of Infrastructure of Canada. As we see in the document, there is no supplementary funding to vote on.

Why is that? It is because the money that we voted in previous budgets is not going out. It is not being spent.

In that regard, I would like to ask the government to make a commitment. One way to accelerate infrastructure spending would be send an unconditional, automatic transfer to Quebec, similar to the model used for the gas tax transfer before new conditions came into effect on January 1, 2019.

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his question, and I congratulate him on getting re-elected.

As everyone knows, the provinces receive infrastructure allocations in accordance with population-based formulas. The provinces decide how they want to spend those allocations, be it on public transit, green infrastructure or social infrastructure. The federal government expects the provinces to tell us how they want to spend the money. They are the ones that speak with the municipalities and decide what the priorities will be. They then tell us where they want to spend the money. We cannot give them any money until we know why the money is needed and what infrastructure projects it will be used for.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, on the contrary, I believe the money could be transferred as a lump sum. It would be up to Quebec to work with the municipalities to decide which infrastructure projects to launch and when, just like with the gas tax, which works well. Actually, during the 2015 campaign, the Liberal Party promised to transfer those amounts as a lump sum.

Now I would like to turn to infrastructure for first nations. Funds are not flowing there either. How can the government expedite the process and show greater respect for first nations governance?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the member's question. It is a good one.

We believe it is very important that all of Canada's first nations have safe, healthy infrastructure. The Minister of Indigenous Services' priority is to keep the promises set out in our platform by implementing a strategy by 2030 to build all the necessary infrastructure. Before going forward, there will be conversations with first nations about their needs, of course.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, I thank the minister for her answer, and I commend her for giving her answer in French.

Let us hope that the funds voted are indeed spent on first nations and that their governance is properly respected.

I will now move on to a question about the Canada Revenue Agency's budget. The document shows that its budget has not increased over the past two years. However, during the last parliamentary session, the Minister of Revenue kept telling us over and over again in the House that the CRA had invested $1 billion to combat tax evasion and that the net was tightening.

Where is the $1 billion that we kept hearing about?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Chair, I thank my hon. colleague. I am very happy to see him back in the House.

He is quite right to emphasize the importance of the CRA having the resources it needs to combat fraud and cheating, so that the Canadian tax system can recover the money from where it is hidden and so that Canadians may have confidence in the federal government's ability to do this very important fiscal work.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, the importance of this work is not in dispute, but when it comes to the $1 billion, to use the words of the Minister of Revenue, the net is still open.

The issue of tax havens, the fight against tax evasion and the illegal use of tax havens is very important. We see that some progress has been made on this issue.

The other problem tied to the use of tax havens is legal use. For example, the big Bay Street banks save billions every year through this loophole.

Is the government open to making this immoral practice illegal?

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

Mr. Chair, to go back to what I was saying earlier, the CRA has the means to do so. It has an additional $1 billion to do this work.

Not to engage in partisanship, but I should also note that during our last term, the CRA carried out twice as many foreign investigations as the previous government did in 10 years. Twice as many investigations in four years is rather significant. The CRA will continue to do this very important work to boost both integrity and trust in the system.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, the billion dollars would then be an expenditure, but I cannot find it in the votes.

With respect to tax evasion, tax avoidance and tax havens, there are the web giants, which are often referred to as the GAFAM. The government is committed to collecting taxes. Today, during question period, the Minister of Canadian Heritage spoke about next year. I would like the government to confirm that it will move forward and that these monies will be reserved for culture and the media, including 40% for French-language media and culture.

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

Mr. Chair, this is actually a threat that web giants pose not only to our economy and small businesses, but also to the cultural sector, which is so important to Canadians and to Quebeckers in particular.

The objectives were clearly laid out during the election campaign and we are sticking to them. We will start by celebrating Christmas and the New Year, but when we resume sitting in early 2020, the government will work on finding the right way to ensure that everyone pays their fair share to fund our culture and other activities that are important to Canadians.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, that is very good news.

I have a question about the government's intentions. Sometimes, the federal government implements a program that encroaches on provincial jurisdictions. One such example is the pharmacare plan, when Quebec already has its own program.

Is the government open to allowing provinces, or at least Quebec, to opt out with full compensation if a similar program already exists?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Toronto—St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Chair, that is a good question. Once again, Quebec has led the way with respect to critical drugs for pharmacare, and it is very important to have meetings and discussions with the Government of Quebec. We want to ensure that all Quebeckers have the same level of subsidies for their medications as that provided under the federal program. That is fundamental.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, I humbly suggest again to the government that when it implement programs that encroach on provincial jurisdictions, it should allow Quebec to opt out with automatic full compensation. This will certainly make it easier for us to work together in the House.

Now, I want to talk more specifically about funding for health care. Over the years, Quebeckers have prioritized access to quality health care. This has been the priority since the 1990s, when the federal government cut health transfers to the provinces, because these services are under-funded.

I would like to ask the government whether it plans to increase health transfers, and also transfers for education and social services. The Council of the Federation has asked for an annual escalator of 5.2% to close the gap and account for costs that are increasing faster than the cost of living.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Toronto—St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Chair, this year, we are providing over $40 billion to the provinces and territories to fund our system, which is over $6 billion more than what the Harper Conservatives invested in their last year in government.

What is more, we will make an $11-billion investment in mental health care and home care.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, we have already heard that answer several times, even though the House has just begun sitting. We will therefore continue to ask the government for an increase in health care funding. When they tell us the numbers, the absolute value amounts, it seems like a lot, but a great deal of funding is needed. Almost half of the Quebec government's budget goes to health. The provinces are asking for an increase of 5.2%.

Help for seniors is one area where our electoral commitments overlap. Our seniors have felt abandoned over the past few years. Support from the government has failed to keep pace with the rise in the cost of living. Think of the cost of housing in seniors' residences. The government promised to increase old age security payments.

I humbly ask him why not as of age 65?

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

Mr. Chair, the member is absolutely right: our seniors took care of younger generations and shaped this nation as we know it, so we must take care of them. By investing in seniors, we are investing in everyone's well-being, in the well-being of their children and grandchildren.

I would just like to take a moment to go over what we have done in recent years. We brought the federal pension eligibility age back down to 65. If we had not done that, 100,000 seniors would be living in poverty. We also increased the guaranteed income supplement by nearly $1,000, which is helping 900,000 seniors.

We also invested in the Canada Pension Plan and the Quebec Pension Plan, which will put a significant dent in seniors' post-retirement vulnerability. We also invested $55 billion over 10 years in housing. Lastly, we invested $11 billion in health care, along with the $6 billion promised during the campaign. We have done a lot.

I see that my time is up, but I would be happy to answer more questions about this.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, I cannot ask all the questions I would have liked to ask the government, but the Bloc Québécois will have another chance. For now, I would like to ask a few quick questions regarding agriculture.

I would like to hear the government confirm that our dairy farmers will in fact receive compensation for the breaches in supply management, as the Liberals have often announced. I cannot find the exact line where it is indicated in the supplementary estimates. I would like someone to show me where to find the amount announced or the vote under which it is listed.

Lastly, I would also like to be assured that egg and poultry producers will also be compensated, and I would like an idea as to when that will happen.

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

Mr. Chair, the good news is that payments to farmers are already under way. Some farmers have already received theirs.

Recognizing their essential work is crucial, not only in macroeconomic terms, but also at the local level. Many of our rural communities need farmers to continue to survive and thrive. The good news is that these investments for our farmers are under way.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, I misunderstood. I thought my time had expired.

If the officials could tell me which line of the document indicates where the money came from or what mechanism was used to get the funds to compensate the farmers, that would be much appreciated.

My last question has to do with immigration. The budget for the Immigration and Refugee Board has nearly doubled over the past two years, but wait times are not going down.

What is behind this inefficiency?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

Mr. Chair, the budgets have indeed increased, and we are able to more quickly process claims filed by immigrants and asylum seekers.

Our goal is to be able to process 50,000 cases a year at the Immigration and Refugee Board. That requires a lot of resources. We are putting them in place to ensure that we can act more quickly, since the number of asylum seekers and immigrants keeps increasing in Canada.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Chair, it is always a great honour to rise in this place. I am very honoured to have the opportunity to talk with my friend, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. I will keep my remarks fairly short so we can make the most of this.

The Prime Minister said his most important relationship is with first nations people. When I talk to first nations families, they tell me their most important relationship is with their children. Tonight we are talking about the policies of the government that have systemically discriminated without caution, and been found to be reckless discrimination against children who have died.

These have consequences. I think of Azraya Ackabee-Kokopenace, from Grassy Narrows; Amy Owen, Chantell Fox, Jolynn Winter, Jenera Roundsky and Kanina Sue Turtle from Wapekeka; Tammy Keeash, who was found in a brutal condition in the McIntyre River; and Courtney Scott from Fort Albany First Nation, who died a horrific death.

When I read the latest ruling against the government, they said no amount of compensation could ever recover what these children have lost. This case of racial discrimination is one of the worst and it warrants maximum awards.

I have named a few of the children that I am aware of and whose families I have spoken to. APTN says that while the government was fighting the Human Rights Tribunal, 103 children died in care in Ontario.

Could the minister tell us how many children died in care across this country while her government fought the Human Rights Tribunal?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Chair, I thank the member for his ongoing advocacy.

Any child who dies in care is one child too many. This has been a national tragedy and is a key part of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. It is a key part of how failed government policies for generations have resulted in this terrible tragedy.

Our government has decided, with the families, to do everything we can to not separate families and not have children in care. Bill C-92 will mean that communities will have the resources necessary to keep those families together, to get that child to the healthy auntie or healthy grandparents and to bring their children home.

The children in care who are in unsafe circumstances in the cities of this country are leading to this tragedy. I also want to assure the member that we have to compensate the people who were harmed by this failed policy.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Chair, the question is this: How many children died while the government fought the Human Rights Tribunal?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Toronto—St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Chair, the member opposite knows very well that the numbers we have on so many issues, including missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, are not good numbers. Whatever number he would give me, it is probably way higher, and it has to stop.