Debates of Oct. 19th, 2020

Post-Secondary Education

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are hoping their scandal will go away quickly. Instead, it is the help they promised for students that has disappeared. They promised close to a billion dollars to help students pay for their tuition fees, rent and groceries, but after seven months of broken promises and scandal, students have gotten nothing. The Liberals have denied Canadians access to the truth, and they are denying students access to post-secondary education.

Do students also need to hire a family member of the Prime Minister to get the help they need from the government?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth]

Mr. Speaker, our government will continue to be here for students, and that is why we have a full voice at the cabinet table. Since the pandemic hit, over 700,000 students have been supported through the Canada emergency student benefit. We doubled the amount of Canada student grants for full- and part-time students, and we instituted a six-month moratorium on Canada student loans, which includes the payment as well as interest. There is a new investment of $186 million in the student work placement program to help more post-secondary students across the government get paid work experience related to their field of study. We have increased funding for first nations, Inuit and Métis students for post-secondary funding. Our government will—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Louis has the floor.

The Environment

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Speech from the Throne reiterated the government's commitment to creating a Canada water agency to help protect our most precious resource. Last week I had the opportunity to be a panellist on a webinar designed to gather input from the water stakeholder community for the design of the agency. We know the agency will be a work in progress informed by the ongoing advice of water experts and other stakeholders.

Can the Minister of Environment inform the House of the steps he is currently undertaking to lay the foundation for the Canada water agency?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, with 20% of the world's fresh water, including two million lakes and rivers, Canada has a great responsibility to manage its water sustainably and ensure that it will be available for generations to come. The Canada water agency can play a key role in keeping our water safe, clean and resilient to the impacts of climate change.

It is critical that a Canada water agency is developed in close collaboration with the provinces, territories, indigenous peoples, stakeholder organizations and the public. Together, these consultations will help us define the role and the mandate of the Canada water agency, and I look forward to sharing our next steps on this important initiative in the near future.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know why the Liberals chose to shut down Canada's early pandemic warning system and what impact it had on the spread of COVID-19 in Canada. I would like to know why rapid testing for COVID will not be widely available in Canada until well into next year.

We have been trying to get secret documents related to these issues for 10 days now, and the government has blocked us at every turn. At a time when Canadians are suffering the effects of the Liberals' failure to prepare for the second wave, why are the Liberals more interested in covering their rears than in protecting Canadians?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to let the member opposite know that any time she wants to receive a briefing from the department on where we are with COVID-19, and learn a little more about Canada's response and the support we have been providing to provinces and territories as we work through this together, I can make that happen for her.

Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, we have worked with scientists and our public health officers to make sure that Canada is well situated to respond to COVID-19. I want to thank all of the hard-working scientists, researchers and, of course, our chief public health officer for the excellent advice and guidance they have provided to us.

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

Mr. Speaker, that was a patronizing answer.

I have had that briefing, and it was less than illuminating. I have been standing here for days asking the minister questions and there are no answers. I am convinced she does not know. I am doing my job. I am trying to get these documents and bring them to light so the public has answers. What do the Liberals do? They block us at every turn.

We need this information so we can find out how to move forward, keep things open and keep Canadians safe. When is the government going to get out of our way and let us get these documents?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I will reiterate that every step of the way we have worked with partners at all levels. We have worked with municipalities, provinces, territories and, in fact, private sector partners, to make sure that Canada is well poised to deal with the second wave and whatever else COVID-19 throws at us.

I reiterate to the member opposite that, if she wants to learn a little bit more about the COVID-19 response, she take us up on the offer of those briefings.

Foreign Affairs

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 12 young activists from Hong Kong were arrested while trying to leave Hong Kong and are now in prison in communist China. These young people are fighting bravely for democracy and trying to find ways to escape human rights abuses in China. Furthermore, the Chinese ambassador to Canada had the nerve to directly threaten the security of Canadians in Hong Kong.

When will the minister release a clear plan to help Hong Kong's pro-democracy refugees and the 300,000 Canadians living in Hong Kong?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, Canada stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Hong Kong. As we have repeatedly said, we are gravely concerned about China's passage of the national security law.

We have an asylum system that is the envy of th world. We will continue to defend those who are seeking safe haven in Canada by offering them the opportunity to make that case in Canada. We will continue to examine all options to stand with the people of Hong Kong.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that the government has discovered that its appeasement to the People's Republic of China is deeply unpopular with Canadians, so now it is trying to sound tougher while changing absolutely nothing.

This minister has real power. It is not about how he feels; it is about what he will do. The government could implement a real lifeboat scheme. It could hold diplomats accountable for foreign interference. It could impose Magnitsky sanctions on those who were involved in gross violations of human rights in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and elsewhere.

Verbal machismo will not fool Canadians, and it will not help people in Hong Kong. Words are not enough. When will the minister act?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, this government has already taken action by suspending our extradition treaty with Hong Kong, by imposing other sanctions and by continuing to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Hong Kong, which includes standing up for Canadians who are there.

We will continue to defend human rights around the world. We have an asylum system that ensures that those who are seeking safe refuge in Canada are able to exercise that right in Canada. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Hong Kong.

Air Transportation

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, seven months after closing the borders, Ottawa has just realized that passengers who bought plane tickets want refunds. The Bloc Québécois has been talking about this for seven months, and the message is finally starting to get through. Airlines need to pay, not taxpayers. We have heard that the government might be offering financial assistance to Air Canada and WestJet.

Will the government demand that airlines refund passengers before it offers the airlines anything? No refund, no money.

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my colleague and all Canadians that we are working diligently on matters relating to the airline industry, which has been hit hard by the pandemic.

At the same time, I can assure the member that our priority is to ensure that Canadians have access to safe, efficient and affordable air transportation.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is preparing to help Air Canada and WestJet, but Canada's entire airline industry is struggling. Will it help Air Transat, which is on the brink of bankruptcy? How will it help regional airlines? Any financial assistance from Ottawa to the airline industry must benefit the entire industry and not just Air Canada.

Will the minister provide support for everyone, or is he sacrificing competition and buying shares in Air Canada's eventual monopoly?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my colleague: When I say that we are examining the airline industry, I mean the industry as a whole. This includes all major and minor airlines, large and small airports, and the service provided by Nav Canada, which is responsible for air traffic control. We are examining the industry as a whole, because the entire industry needs good solutions.

Indigenous Affairs

[Gary Vidal, Conservative, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, housing and health infrastructure on reserves across Canada leaves many first nations vulnerable to contracting and spreading COVID-19. The government likes to promote the fact that it has GeneXpert machines available, but it fails to mention that a shortage of cartridges means that only the most urgent cases can be tested in the communities. Other swabs are sent away, and it take days for the results to be returned.

Why did the government not act quickly to procure enough test cartridges to ensure that first nations, and indeed all Canadians, had access to these rapid tests?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I have worked very closely with my counterpart, the Minister of Indigenous Services, and his expert medical adviser, Dr. Thomas Wong, who has been very focused on making sure indigenous communities have what they need to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Very early on, as the member opposite noted, we ensured that indigenous communities had GeneXpert machines so they could do a number of tests locally. We worked with them to make sure they had the supports necessary to put into place, through the spirit of self-determination, the kinds of measures that would protect their citizens.

We will continue to work with indigenous communities, because their leadership shows it is working.

Official Languages

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have been waiting for the modernization of the Official Languages Act for over two years. For over two years, the government has been talking about studies, consultations and reports.

The organizations have done their homework and so has the Commissioner of Official Languages. In his 2018-19 report, he made 18 recommendations. How many of those recommendations were implemented? None.

Why is the minister refusing to give a timeline for the modernization of the Official Languages Act?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that our two official languages are extremely important for our government. That is why we took action. We protected and created Ontario's first French-language university. We helped create a historic action plan. What is more, we recently changed the census questions so that we can better protect our rights holders and access to education in the minority language.

We have taken action at every level. We are committed to modernizing the Official Languages Act. That is exactly why, in the throne speech, we said that we are going to strengthen the act, and that is what we are going to do.

Small Business

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Mr. Speaker, many small business owners and Canadian farmers are still having difficulty accessing the Canada emergency business account. The government finally committed to fixing these shortfalls on August 31, after many months of opposition members asking for these changes. However, as of this morning, the CEBA website still states, “Businesses which choose to do their banking through a personal bank account are not eligible to apply for a CEBA loan.”

After receiving no justification for being declined and then waiting on the so-called CEBA hotline for six to eight hours, business owners and farmers want answers. When will the government implement these promised changes?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, nothing is more important to us than helping small businesses and farming businesses get through this very difficult time of COVID-19. I just learned that the hotline response time is within 48 hours, and many businesses are getting their answers right away, in under 48 hours but absolutely no more than 48 hours. We want to make sure the CEBA loan is getting out to all the businesses that need it.

[Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Liberal, Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this being Small Business Week, I would like to talk about how important small businesses are to our country. They are the mainstay of the Canadian economy, employing millions of Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

COVID-19 is making things very difficult for most Canadian businesses, and our government knows that. From the beginning, we have created programs to help employers and small businesses.

Can the minister tell the House how we are going to once again help Canadian businesses during the second wave of the pandemic?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Small Business Week, I would like to thank the member for supporting SMEs in Saint-Laurent.

We are supporting our SMEs by extending the emergency wage subsidy that is helping SMEs with their fixed costs, as well as our new Canada emergency commercial rent assistance program, and we are expanding the emergency business account to help more businesses with an additional $20,000.