Debates of Oct. 20th, 2020

Canada Revenue Agency

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. I would say that it is important to the Canada Revenue Agency that taxpayers are able to receive all the credits and benefits to which they are entitled. We continue to work to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Checks are being done. Our systems are experiencing high volumes of traffic right now, but the work continues to be done.

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

Mr. Speaker, the minister has been spouting the same platitudes for five years now. The problem of reaching Revenue Canada has been going on for five years.

When people receive an envelope marked Revenue Canada, they get a little stressed. When the envelope contains a letter that says that there is a problem and to call the number provided, but there is no answer when they call, naturally their stress level will go up. The pandemic has certainly created a little more stress and pressure, but even before the pandemic, there were problems contacting the department. I once tried calling 25 times, and no one answered.

Can the minister give a clearer answer to Canadians and say why, in five years, she has not been able to clarify the situation and increase the efficiency of Revenue Canada?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I do not agree in the least with what my colleague just said. During the pandemic, the Canada Revenue Agency has served more than eight million Canadians. It has ensured that people received the CERB. It is now responsible for ensuring that people receive the new benefits that have been put in place, including the Canada recovery benefit, the Canada recovery caregiving benefit and the Canada recovery sickness benefit.

Justice

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it pays to be friends with the Liberals. We saw it with WE Charity and now with the judicial appointment process. The Prime Minister's Office meddles in the process. It uses its infamous Liberalist database to check whether future judges are Liberal donors. Who is the PMO consulting to check up on the reputation of future judges? It is consulting Liberal officials and Liberal riding association presidents. The PMO checks to see whether future judges put up Liberal Party lawn signs at election time. What are the criteria for becoming a judge in Canada? Is being a good Liberal one of them?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, as I just said, we implemented a transparent process for appointing judges that takes into account quality and diversity. I will be clear. I have never been pressured to appoint any particular person to the bench. The decision to recommend a candidate to cabinet is mine alone. I make the decision based on the quality of the candidate as assessed by the CJC, the needs of the court, and the diversity of the judiciary. There is no partisanship in my decision-making process.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, someone needs to talk to François Landry.

Last year, the Bloc Québécois called out the Prime Minister, who got caught checking whether future judges were good Liberal donors. It was noted at the time that 90% of total political donations made by new judges over the years were going to the Liberal Party. Today we learned that while the Bloc was expressing outrage, there were people even within the justice minister's office who were also completely outraged.

The judicial appointment scandal is like the WE Charity scandal. No matter where we look, why is it always the Liberals' friends who get all the sweet deals from this government?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, what my colleague just said is simply not true. He knows that we appoint judges from all walks of life and of all political stripes. We have been very clear about the transparency of the process we brought in. I have appointed nearly 160 people since I became justice minister. We have appointed top-notch individuals across the country, and I am proud of the results.

Health

[Tako Van Popta, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

Mr. Speaker, when COVID hit in March, Transport Canada made, in my opinion, the correct decision to allow BC Ferries passengers to remain in their cars rather than mingle on the upper decks. It is another way to fight the spread of the coronavirus, but late last month, right when the second wave was threatening to come upon us, it reversed that decision.

Will the minister commit to reviewing that flip-flop decision and do the right thing for British Columbians?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear on this. It is not a question of either-or, either deciding in favour of letting people sit in their cars because of COVID or forcing people to get out of their cars because of the concern for marine safety. It is both.

We both have a responsibility, as the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Health, to make sure that passengers onboard our ferries are safe from both COVID and the possibility of a marine accident.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, COVID has grounded our airline industry, and inaction by this Prime Minister ensures that it may never fully recover. However, Germany, Japan and Iceland have all implemented rapid testing, which shows that it is a safe, science-based alternative to quarantine. We are not saying to throw open the borders, but we are saying that rapid testing would get us on the pathway to economic recovery. Rapid testing reconnects communities, reunites families and gets Canadians back to work.

Other jurisdictions around the world are safely implementing rapid testing. With the airline industry teetering, what is this Prime Minister waiting for?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the issue of maintaining appropriate health measures at the border is one that this government is seized with. As the member opposite knows, this is an issue through which all countries are struggling to find a path forward.

In fact, the blend of science around when quarantine can be released in partnership with testing is one that is being researched in Canada. We have a number of research projects underway and a number are almost ready to be launched. We will come back to the House with details when they are available.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, farmers in my riding have been calling me because they have not received their CEBA benefit loans yet. Their banks are still waiting to be told whether this money can be deposited into personal bank accounts, even though the government promised to act on this back in May. Many of these farmers have bills that are coming due at the end of this month, and they are unable to pay them.

Will the minister instruct the department to correct this technicality immediately?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for that really important question.

We want to assure all small businesses, particularly farming businesses, that, absolutely, we want them to get the important support of this loan. We will announce very shortly the process for them to get access to that loan.

The banking system in Canada does not have the same kind of due diligence for personal accounts as it does for business accounts, and we are working very hard with the over 200 financial institutions to make sure that we get this to these businesses right away.

Small Businesses

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to acknowledge Small Business Week and highlight the creativity and collaboration that small businesses have shown since the beginning of the pandemic.

In the riding of Châteauguay—Lacolle, leaders of businesses such as Usiprog in Napierville, Ogilvy Equestrian in Léry, Pyro-Air in Châteauguay, and T-Clean in Saint-Rémi have put their shoulders to the wheel. They changed their operations in order to keep countless jobs. They retooled their production lines to produce masks, respirators and other equipment to help us deal with COVID-19—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. minister.

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, this being Small Business Week, I want to acknowledge the resilience of the businesses in Châteauguay—Lacolle. Starting and managing a small business takes a lot of work during a pandemic.

The second wave is forcing small businesses to roll up their sleeves once again. My colleague can assure businesses in Napierville, Léry, Châteauguay and Saint-Rémi that we will be there for them.

Ethics

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that the Liberals are hoping Canadians will grow tired of the WE scandal. Frankly, we are sick of hearing about it too. I would much rather stand here today and ask about the small businesses in my riding that are fighting to survive, but as an official opposition member, it is my duty to hold the government accountable.

Therefore, I rise today to ask this: Will the Prime Minister pledge to put an end to the barrage of roadblocks, redactions and delays, and let us do our jobs?

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

Mr. Speaker, if they want to talk about other stuff, then they should ask questions about other stuff. It is that simple. Instead of being here today debating an ultra-partisan, irresponsible motion, we can be debating how we can help our seniors, how can we help our provinces and how can we help our businesses. Instead of doing that, no, they had this great idea of putting an irresponsible motion on the table.

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

Mr. Speaker, we can see that the pandemic is an excuse for everything. The Liberals want to use it to hide their scandals and corruption.

They have been found out. What are they doing? They want to trigger an election. There have been quite a few scandals and close friends who closed up shop when they got caught red-handed with hundreds of millions of dollars. At present, the Liberals are throwing money out the window. My question is simple.

Where is this money going and is it being managed properly?

We can chew gum and walk at the same time. If the Liberals did not know it, we are informing them. That is what we want.

What are they trying to hide? Why not come clean with the powerful disinfectant that is the truth?

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, they are saying that it is important to discuss many things that will help Canadians, but they always come back to the same thing, the motion they moved today. That is their thing. They are forcing Parliament to debate the motion rather than debating how to help seniors.

Seniors have suffered more than anyone during this pandemic. Thousands of people are currently looking for work. Parents are worried because schools are closed. That is what we should be debating today, not an irresponsible motion like this.

Economic Development

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Sault Ste. Marie announced $800,000 of FedNor funding to the company Skritswap last year. We know this company forwards its mail from Sault Ste. Marie, but that it is actually located in southern Ontario. It also has job opportunities and employees in B.C. and California, of all places. What is missing here is anything to justify the company receiving funding designated for northern Ontario.

Can the minister tell us how many jobs were created in Sault Ste. Marie as a result of this funding?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have been there since the beginning of the pandemic, and even before, by making sure that we invest in people in northern Ontario, maybe through the RRRF program to protect jobs. We have protected thousands of jobs across Ontario, in particular in northern Ontario. We also invest in economic development to make sure we are creating new jobs. We know that northerners need these investments and we will be there to make sure we are there for them.

Health

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know that COVID-19 has completely changed our daily lives and the many necessary measures to keep us safe are taking a toll our mental health. The mental health crisis in our country is a silent pandemic for which there is no vaccine. We are constantly hearing warnings and concerns from medical professionals, and I hear concerns from my constituents, as well. I am seriously concerned about this. I introduced a motion to study the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and well-being of Canadians at the Standing Committee on Health.

Could the minister highlight our government's investments to support Canadians during these difficult times?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Newmarket—Aurora for his hard work on the health committee and in particular his leadership on this important issue. He is absolutely right. We have known that mental health and substance use issues are on the rise as a result of Canadians' distress around dealing with COVID-19. Very early on, we worked to establish supports for Canadians through the Wellness Together Canada portal.

On October 9, I was pleased to announce we will be investing an additional $10 million in COVID-19 mental health and substance use service needs and delivery research. This will support 55 teams across the country to address specific mental health and substance use crisis needs resulting from COVID-19.

Housing

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we are in the middle of a pandemic, the cold, wet weather is upon us and non-profit housing groups are still waiting to see how they can apply for the measly 3,000 units under the rapid housing initiative announced prior to the throne speech.

The government's own website says that information will be forthcoming. One month later, they are still waiting. Community groups want to quickly secure distressed housing before large capital funds can swoop in and take it to turn a profit. Liberals are now threatening an election because they want to hide from the WE scandal.

Enough is enough. Will the Prime Minister put the needs of the people first and get the housing built?