Debates of Oct. 19th, 2020

Indigenous Affairs

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me begin by reiterating that our government absolutely condemns the recent acts of violence and criminality that have been taking place in Nova Scotia.

The RCMP have continued to increase their presence with each passing day. They are investigating and laying charges for the unacceptable assault on Chief Sack, and for the damages and the arson that have taken place.

We did respond to a request for assistance from the Province of Nova Scotia. We are working very closely with the provincial authorities there, on the ground, to ensure that all acts of violence will be thoroughly investigated, that perpetrators will be held to account, and that peace will be maintained.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, right, so it did finally act by responding to that request, even after he first said the government could not possibly do anything about it and actually respond.

More than 200 people overwhelmed police last Tuesday. Vehicles and boats were lit on fire as early as the week before. The situation did not suddenly spiral out of control. It has been going on for more than a month.

Colin Sproul of the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association said that this Liberal government is “hiding under a desk.”

The reality is the public safety minister dithered while livelihoods and decades of relationship-building went up in flames. Here are more words tonight. The potential debate is too little, too late.

Why is it that waiting for the worst to happen is the minister's approach to protecting Canadians?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important to understand that the responsibility of the police of jurisdiction, and in this case the RCMP, is to maintain the peace. They have deployed officers from the very first day, both on land and on the water. They have been working with the Canadian Coast Guard, responding to an escalating conflict in that area.

We have continued to increase resources and, at the request of the Nova Scotia government, we have now significantly enhanced those resources. The police have an important job to do in maintaining the peace and, where acts of criminality take place, to thoroughly investigate them and hold those individuals responsible to account. They are doing that job, and we have ensured that they have the resources to do it effectively.

Public Safety

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister actually has an important job to do. Maybe instead of waiting, and blaming others and not doing anything about it, he should actually get on it.

It seems that his usual practice is to ignore an issue and hope it goes away until he is forced to actually do something. He waited until people were assaulted and buildings were set on fire to give the RCMP additional resources in Nova Scotia. Of course, that is his pattern. Even in their grief and their horrible loss, loved ones and families of the Nova Scotia mass murder had to fight and beg him to have a public inquiry.

Why does the minister always wait until things escalate so far before doing something?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear that the police of jurisdiction in this case have been present right from the very first day. They have been working with both sides of the conflict. There are divisional liaison teams in place, which include Mi'kmaq officers, who have been working with that situation to try to resolve it.

When incidents of criminality take place, the police immediately begin investigations. They have gathered the evidence, and they have done their job.

Our government's responsibility is to ensure, working with the provincial authority, that they have the necessary resources in place to keep that situation peaceable and under control, and to uphold the laws. We have done that.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I asked about the public inquiry into the horrible mass murder in Nova Scotia on behalf of the victims' families and their loved ones.

It is six months today since that mass murder occurred. The minister made families of the victims fight before he agreed to a public inquiry, but it still has not begun. It is ridiculous. There are many experts out there who could sit as commissioners. These guys do not need to wait for another Liberal to replace Anne McLellan.

When will the public inquiry start so that families and communities in Nova Scotia can get the answers they deserve? Why on Earth is the minister waiting so frigging long?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, in the hours after the terrible tragedy on April 18 and 19 in Nova Scotia, I reached out to the Nova Scotia government, and we began doing the work that was necessary together to ensure that Nova Scotians, and particularly the families of those victims, got the answers they needed.

We have put in place the structure of a public inquiry and appointed commissioners. We have established the secretariat and resourced it. That work is already under way, and we will have more to say about it as the week unfolds. We are absolutely committed to ensuring that the families receive all of the answers to the concerns that they legitimately have.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry for my language, but the whole lives of loved ones and families of murder victims are impacted forever.

On August 25, U.S. business executives came to Canada on a private jet and were granted quarantine exemption, which the minister said was a one-time mistake that should not have happened. However, it was just found out that on the exact same day, other big-shot U.S. executives came to Canada on their private jets and were permitted to travel the country freely.

Canadians face restrictions and quarantines in their own country, but the Liberals just keep granting exemptions to American billionaires. Why is there always one set of rules for connected elites and another set for everyday working Canadians?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, our government has taken unprecedented action over the past several months to prevent the introduction and spread of COVID-19 through non-essential travel restrictions.

Just to correct the mistake that the member has made repeatedly in the House, there were no ministerial exemptions provided, and no ministerial involvement in the decisions pertaining to these executives or the one reported yesterday. In fact, following that decision and on the same day, I raised the concerns expressed with the president of CBSA and he instantly implemented additional measures. That updated guidance is working. The agency has denied cases of entry by executives intending to enter Canada for discretionary travel. We will continue to do the work of keeping Canadians safe.

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

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Liberals' border management is a big disaster, but that is how the virus is getting into the country. American millionaires in private jets are being allowed to enter the country's three hot spots.

Why the double standard?

Why do Canadians have to quarantine while American millionaires do not?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity, if I may, to announce to the House that we have today extended the non-essential travel restrictions until November 21. I am sure that is welcome news.

I would also reiterate, once again for the member opposite, that the decision of admissibility by border services officers was based on the information that was provided to them. As a direct result, I have spoken to the president of CBSA. The agency has implemented additional measures to prevent future incidents of this type, and the guidance that has been provided by the president of CBSA is working.

The agency continues to deny access to entry for executives intending to travel for discretionary purposes.

Health

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister himself acknowledged that the federal government does not have the expertise to run long-term care facilities. He is right: our health care professionals are the ones with that expertise. His job is to restore adequate transfers to pay for health care in Quebec, but the federal government has been chipping away at transfers for 25 years. What happened in the long-term care facilities is a direct consequence of 25 years of federal negligence.

Why is the federal government not boosting transfers, rather than trying to run the whole show after 25 years of negligence?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for such an important question about the role of the federal government to support provinces and territories, in particular during the COVID-19 outbreak.

I will remind the member opposite that we negotiated $19 billion of support for provinces and territories, of which $700 million was to bolster supports for long-term care homes to protect seniors from what we saw happen in the spring surge. I will also remind the member opposite that we did not hesitate to offer support through direct service, through the Canadian Red Cross, one of our important partners, and certainly through the Canadian military to protect seniors. We will continue to do that no matter in which province those seniors reside.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, apparently the government needs a little reminder. Does it know who looks after seniors in Quebec's health care system? Orderlies, nurses and doctors do. National standards do not look after Quebeckers. People who work for money and need to be supplied with the necessary resources do. Our health professionals know how to do their job. They want to be equipped to do it with dignity. Quebec and the provinces are asking for money, not a lecture.

Why is the government refusing to increase health transfers right now, no strings attached?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Bloc Québécois is making seniors the crux of the debate; they should not be the subject of debate. As I have often said, seniors are not a jurisdictional issue or a line written into our Constitution. They are flesh and blood human beings, and they have suffered more than anyone else during this pandemic.

What the Canadian government wants to do is help improve the situation, not tell Quebec what to do or how to do it. It wants to work with Quebec and all the provinces to ensure that this never happens again.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said last week that the tragedy that played out in long-term care facilities is an opportunity for the federal government; he called it an opportunity. Indeed, it is an opportunity for the federal government to interfere in Quebec and provincial jurisdictions. Caring for seniors during a pandemic is not an opportunity, it is a duty, and this government is not fulfilling its duty. Its duty is to restore health transfers to a level that would allow for seniors to be cared for with dignity.

Why is it not seizing that opportunity and actually doing the right thing?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, a day without a constitutional squabble is not a good day for the Bloc Québécois.

What we want to do here is to work with all the provinces. How can we work together to improve the situation for seniors? We are talking about saving lives and improving the health of people who have suffered too much. I think everyone can agree on that.

Again, seniors should never be the subject of constitutional debates. They should be seen for who they are, human beings who gave us society as we know it. We must be there for them.

Ethics

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with Canada having the highest unemployment in the G7 and the highest deficit in the G20, one would think Liberal finance committee members would be rushing to work on fixing the economic wreckage. Instead, they spent 20 hours filibustering to cover up the WE scandal, rambling on about Greek philosophers and cartoon characters just to pass the time.

The Conservatives have a solution. Let us take the WE scandal out of the finance committee into a special purpose anti-corruption committee so that finance can get back to its job.

Will Liberals support us so that we can get back to our work?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, last night I sent a motion to my colleagues in the other parties. This morning I sent a letter talking about the creation of a committee to look at all of the expenses made by the government, because we have made a lot of effort to be there and support Canadians.

I think that is the responsible approach, not that of the ultra-partisan motion that has been put forward to please only the Conservative Party and does nothing for Canadians.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, more threats. We remember this summer, when the Prime Minister said that if we asked questions about the WE scandal, he would shut down Parliament. A few months later, we are back, and now he is saying that if we continue to ask questions, he will trigger an election because he wants to prevent Canadians from finding out about the scandal at any cost.

What is this secret that is so serious and so dangerous that the Prime Minister is willing to trigger an election to hide it?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, we are in the midst of a pandemic. It is a very difficult situation with respect to health and public finances, issues on which the government must focus all of its energy.

The government suggested to the opposition that a committee be established where we could all work together and where members could ask whatever questions they want. That is very different than a completely irresponsible, ultra-partisan committee that would seek to completely stall the government. That is irresponsible. The opposition should join us, ask the right questions and work on behalf of all Canadians.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has shown that he will stop at nothing to protect his secrets. That is why we had the cover-up prorogation. That is why we have had days and days of filibustering, with Liberal members reading newspapers and PCO memos into the record, trying to put us to sleep. The filibuster continues. The secrets must be damning.

What we need to know is when will the Prime Minister release the documents and end the cover-up?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, if they want to have a committee and ask all the questions they want, we have a solution for them. I sent a note to their House leader last night and a letter in more detail this morning. There is an option for all of us to work together.

They can ask all the questions they want, but in the meantime the government has to keep working for Canadians. The government will keep working for Canadians in spite of what they want to do.

Aviation Industry

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Speaker, COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the airline industry with routes cut, massive layoffs and customers being ripped off. Countries around the world facing these same challenges have shown leadership and put in place solutions, including taking on an equity stake to protect the public interest, but not Canada.

It is not about helping CEOs. It is about protecting Canadian jobs and making sure passengers get their money back. When will the government stop dithering and commit to a rescue package of public equity, job protection and consumer protection, which the NDP has been calling for?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my colleague and, indeed, all Canadians that we are working very hard. We recognize that there have been great difficulties in the air sector, including airlines and airports, and we are working on solutions that will ensure Canadians are able to have safe, reliable and efficient travel when we pull out of this pandemic.