Debates of Oct. 2nd, 2020

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I realize that the government House leader is bothered by the fact that the Bloc Québécois's sole loyalty is to Quebeckers. I invite him to talk to us about elections outside the chamber. I would like an answer. Of course, given that the Bloc Québécois's sole loyalty is to Quebeckers, we will vote in favour of everything brought before the House that is good for Quebec. We are making that clear from the outset.

Since the issue just came up, let us continue discussing culture. We are asking for a clear answer and we do not want the government to avoid the question by talking about other things. Our museums, movie houses and theatres are in a red zone and closed for 28 days. This means that their owners are in trouble. This means that artists are once again unable to practise their craft. Culture matters to the Bloc Québécois because it represents our identity—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The hon. government House leader.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is not Quebeckers. Bloc members make that mistake a lot. The Bloc Québécois is just a political party with its own strengths and weaknesses. That is all. It is not all Quebeckers. Bloc members do not speak on behalf of my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent, of Liberal caucus members from Quebec, or of my colleague from Gatineau.

The Bloc Québécois is loyal to the Bloc Québécois, not to Quebeckers, period. Its members have decided to stay in the stands and watch the game while we vote.

The Environment

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, former Liberal Dan McTeague recently released a study that revealed the Liberals' new fuel standards, dubbed carbon tax 2.0, would increase home heating costs by 60%, drive up the price of fuel by another 13¢, cost 30,000 jobs and remove $22 billion from our economy.

For the Minister of Economic Development, why does her government continue to wage war on hard-working men and women in our energy sector, manufacturing sector and agriculture sectors across our country?

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Western Economic Diversification Canada) and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change (Canada Water Agency)]

Mr. Speaker, our government has put in place an ambitious climate plan that is doing more to cut pollution than any other plan in Canada's history. We are also putting more money in Canadians' pockets. The clean fuel standard represents a massive opportunity to create jobs, attract investment, drive innovation and ensure Canada is producing the things the world wants, well into the future. Canadians expect climate action now, and that is what we will deliver.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, this has nothing to do with climate action, and I have figured out what the Liberals' actual priorities are. Today, they posted a job for $90,000 for a storyteller and team lead in the PMO.

In the middle of the pandemic, is that your priority? You want a storyteller to tell stories about the Prime Minister. It is shameful. When thousands of people in Saskatchewan are looking for jobs for months and people are paying their mortgages with their lines of credit, your priority is a storyteller for your unserious, unethical Prime Minister. You should be ashamed of yourselves and get a real plan for jobs in our country.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

I just remind the hon. member to direct his questions to the Chair.

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Western Economic Diversification Canada) and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change (Canada Water Agency)]

Mr. Speaker, all we hear from the Conservatives is what they are against. They are against putting a price on pollution. They are against having cleaner fuels. They are against having a real climate plan. We know we have to take climate action now. Canadians know this. The world knows this. It seems the only people who do not are the Conservatives.

Natural Resources

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, the natural resources minister told CBC News that there is no path to net-zero carbon dioxide emissions without nuclear power. The minister gave every impression that the Liberals' throne speech would commit added research and development to small modular reactor technology, and this is also a priority for the New Brunswick government. However, the throne speech was totally silent on SMRs.

Does the government consider SMR to be part of the country's clean and affordable energy solution, or is this minister just out of the loop on national energy decisions?

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, certainly, small modular reactors have a wide range of potential applications, are emissions free and could be an option for communities that choose to use them. In 2018, a steering committee including provinces, territories and power utilities submitted the SMR road map. To date, we have seen a clear interest and initial action taken to advance this technology in a safe and responsible way.

The safety of Canadians and protection of our environment remain top priorities for both our government and our industry regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. We have more to say about this, and we are very excited about the possibilities that the SMR sector is presenting to Canadians.

Digital Services

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended many aspects of our lives.

Our government is making sure that no one has to face this pandemic alone. Our government has provided important benefits, such as the Canada emergency response benefit and the Canada emergency student benefit, at a time when the public service was making significant efforts to shift to telework.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Digital Government provide us with an update on how the government and the public service have adapted to provide these important services to Canadians?

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and to the Minister of Digital Government]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell for his hard work and his excellent question.

More than ever before, we now understand how important it is to have access to online services in times of crisis. We increased the capacity of these systems overnight in order to quickly meet the growing need for online services and the transition to working from home. We provided tools such as the Benefits Finder and the COVID Alert app. These tools were deployed within just a few weeks. Our public servants are amazing.

Our plan is to build on this momentum to provide better, faster and more reliable online services to improve the lives of Canadians.

Rail Transportation

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it has been another summer where my constituents have not been able to utilize the Okanagan Rail Trail to its full capacity. A section of the trail is closed due to the fact that the federal government has delays in administering an addition to reserve. People, dangerously, have to divert onto a highway.

This decommissioned CN Rail project is a model of co-operation between our local municipal governments and thousands of donors and volunteers. I wrote the indigenous services minister months ago, with no response. My constituents are getting frustrated. When will the minister resolve this land transfer?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to sit down with the member and brief her further on another occasion.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, businesses across Canada are struggling in their recovery. I hear from many about CEBA: their frustration with applications, delays on changes that were promised long ago and long wait times. Even the MPs are being barred by officials from even asking for help. Especially when Liberals only seem to respond to our questions with condescension, that is not enough.

Could the minister tell us when we can expect this small business lifeline to be fixed?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would never be condescending to any member in the House, particularly to members talking about our small businesses.

I absolutely agree with the member opposite that now, at the time of the coronavirus crisis, they need our support. We committed in the throne speech to enhancing CEBA, and we are very hard at work on that. We will have more to say very soon.

We also committed to further support on fixed costs and to targeted support for businesses facing new lockdown measures. All of that will happen.

Public Safety

[Bob Saroya, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the York Regional Police have reported busting a multi-million dollar illegal casino run by organized crime in Markham. These types of operations fund the drug trade and human trafficking, and the dirty money they make is protected by brutal violence.

Liberal policies are soft on crime and hard on communities. These policies are failing the GTA. That is why organized crime is thriving.

Why will the Liberals not take organized crime seriously?

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

Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me be very clear that we take the threat of organized crime, transnational organized crime, money laundering and the activities that the member described very seriously.

I am a little perplexed by the member's assertion now, because when he and the Conservatives were in government, they cut resources to the RCMP. They closed all the integrated proceeds of crime units, and excellent police services like the York Regional Police service have always relied on well-funded support from the RCMP. That is why we have been working so hard to restore the capacity of the RCMP to participate fulsomely and to lead Canada in the fight against organized crime.

We will always stand resolutely to ensure that our officials have the resources they need.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Lenore Zann, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries.

I sit in the unceded traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq in Nova Scotia. Each year on October 1, we celebrate Treaty Day to honour the peace and friendship treaties between Nova Scotia's original Mi’kmaq first nations and European settlers.

My constituents in Millbrook First Nation, as well as the Mi’kmaq across the province, would appreciate an update on the current nation-to-nation discussions under way between our government and the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs based on their treaty rights to fish for a moderate livelihood, which was upheld in a ruling on the Marshall decision—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries.

[Terry Beech, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for the excellent work she does in this place on behalf of her constituents. Yesterday was indeed Treaty Day, and it reminds us of the important work that still needs to be done in honouring the Peace and Friendship Treaties signed so many years ago.

Under the Marshall decision, first nations have a constitutionally protected right to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood, and implementing this decision is critical to the work of reconciliation and is a priority for our government. The minister continues to have conversations with first nations leadership, and will continue to work collaboratively to fully implement their treaty rights.

Indigenous Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, today we are reminded that COVID-19 can hit anyone anywhere, even the President of the U.S.

We also know that first nations are disproportionately impacted. One of the biggest challenges for first nations is how people self-isolate when their houses are overcrowded during a housing crisis. Every day, indigenous people are forced to leave their community for essential services. For communities now in lockdown, like York Factory, people are stranded.

What actions is the government taking to ensure people can safely remain outside their community for their health and that of their first nation?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to update the member on the recent cluster of cases in York Factory. A rapid response team arrived in the community a few days ago. They are ensuring that community members who are affected are isolating, and we are tracking and testing cases. We are cautiously optimistic about the outcome and the safety of that community at this time.

Obviously we know indigenous communities face these barriers and will continue to face these barriers as a second wave hits. We will move aggressively to deploy surge capacity and ensure isolation, whether it is inside or outside the community, to avoid that important vector of transmission that can be caused with intercommunity travel.

The Environment

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in this place to raise an issue that I think has not been raised here before. It is that imminently the United States military plans to start bombing within the territory of our southern resident killer whales. It is called, very benignly, the U.S. Navy northwest training and testing activities, but it will include the use of torpedos, bombs up to a thousand pounds, explosives and testing underwater drones in our shared waters. The Liberal government has said nothing. The State of Washington has protested.

When will the government deliver a clear message to the U.S. Navy not to do this in our waters, and not to wipe out our southern resident killer whales?

[Terry Beech, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to the protection of the marine environment and made significant investments over the past years to protect southern resident killer whales.

Canada's navy has always been a strong steward of the environment. It has taken action to cease training operations in the area until we can assess the situation. It also has procedures to limit training impact on wildlife and continues to work with the Department of Defence and our counterparts in the United States on this important issue.