Debates of Oct. 27th, 2020

Poverty

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that member is a sheep in wolf's clothing. Speaking of creatures that do not actually exist, he speaks about this so-called middle-class tax cut. The report from the Department of Finance says that its effects are “difficult to spot”. It is kind of like the Loch Ness Monster: big, notorious, spoken of often, but no evidence it actually exists.

What the report does say is that when poor people in the country get up and go to work, the government takes more in clawbacks and taxes than they are allowed to keep of that extra Canadian dollar. Why are the Liberals punishing workers?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, while I am entertained by the hon. member citing a mythical creature that is dear to my Scottish heritage, that is about as far as I can remain interested in this ridiculous line of questioning.

The reality is, programs like the Canada emergency response benefit have landed on the kitchen tables of nine million Canadians. Programs like the Canada emergency wage subsidy have protected the jobs of three million Canadians. Programs like the emergency business account have supported 775,000 Canadian businesses so workers can remain on the payroll.

The reality is, when it comes to supporting low-income workers, we are looking out for their interests and, more important, advancing programs that are actually helping them get by during a time of unprecedented difficulty.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Quebec announced that businesses in the red zone would stay closed until November 23. We are entering the second month of the second wave, but entire sectors of our economy are still waiting for Ottawa to help with fixed costs for the first month. These businesses are closer than ever to bankruptcy.

The government missed the mark with its rent relief for SMEs in the first wave, and it was not there during the first month of the second wave. When will the government finally table a real assistance program for fixed costs in the House, one that effectively meets the needs of Quebec's SMEs? I want a date.

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

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that our businesses are struggling right now, especially those in red zones.

We hope to be able to work with the Bloc Québécois to reach our objective, which is of course to develop new measures to directly help tenants with commercial rent, support our SMEs with $60,000 loans, $20,000 of which is forgivable, and maintain the wage subsidy.

I hope to be able to work with my colleague to help businesses.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to, but I did not hear a date.

I will give a date. On April 11, the Bloc Québécois amended a motion to say that businesses need assistance for fixed costs. There must still have been snow on the ground back on April 11, and the government voted in favour of that motion.

Since then, it has put forward an embarrassing rent relief program that businesses were not able to access. Here we are, in the second month of the second wave. The snow is back. We should not still be making it up as we go. Quebec took action to help SMEs with fixed costs on day one of the second wave.

Here we are. We want a date. When will the government provide effective assistance for our SMEs?

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

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada work very well on economic measures. In fact, Quebec's minister of the economy has thanked the Government of Canada for all the help it has provided since the pandemic began.

Business owners across Quebec and Canada, from my colleague's riding of Abitibi—Témiscamingue to Ahuntsic—Cartierville, know full well that we have been there for them from the outset, with loans, cash, partial subsidies, and assistance for fixed costs as well.

We will continue to be there. We have been there for them from the outset, and we will also be there in the future.

Public Services and Procurement

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

Mr. Speaker, Radio-Canada reported that the Liberals signed contracts that gave the United States and Britain first access to vaccines ahead of Canadians. Potential vaccines from Novavax, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna all report a minimum three-month delay for Canadians in favour of Americans and the Brits.

Are the Liberals worried about producing documents related to the COVID vaccine because they know they will show they have signed contracts that put Canadians at the back of the line like they did with rapid testing?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have finalized seven agreements, and we are in negotiations with a number of other suppliers.

We are going to continue to work with all those companies to ensure that Canadians have access to vaccines as soon as they are approved. We are working diligently to ensure that once a vaccine is ready, we will be ready to deliver it to Canadians.

We are going to protect Canadians and we are going to stand by them right through this pandemic.

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

Mr. Speaker, no answer there. That is interesting.

Radio-Canada did report that Canadians would have the COVID vaccines delivered later than other countries. I think that is what the parliamentary secretary was dancing around there. That sort of incompetence means that just like the Liberals delay in rapid tests, the fact that we do not have rapid tests right now and we are seeing cases increase, when a vaccine is eventually ready, Canada will be at the back of the line.

I will ask again. Could the minister confirm that she agreed to contracts that put Canadians three months behind, at a minimum, the Americans when it came to a COVID-19 vaccine?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, the government is of course working on all possible fronts to deliver safe and effective COVID-19 treatments and vaccines to Canadians as quickly as possible. That is why we have seven agreements, with up to 358 million doses.

It is interesting the member across the way is listening to experts now. She was not listening to them yesterday when they told her that her back-seat-driving motion, playing politics with our pandemic management, was out of line.

We are going to make sure that we continue to deliver the contracts, that we deliver the personal protective equipment, that we build the domestic supply and, yes, ensure that vaccines are there when Canadians need them, so we can put an end to this pandemic and protect Canadians.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday evening, Mr. Legault, the Premier of Quebec, extended the red zones for another 28 days. Restaurants are closed, gyms are closed, and other businesses are suffering tremendously. However, the Liberal government has a solution at its disposal that could help Quebec. It is called rapid testing.

When will Quebec get rapid tests?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we will be providing Quebec with 200,000 rapid tests this week as a matter of fact. All provinces and territories are receiving rapid point-of-care testing over the next weeks to come. We have been working very closely with our provincial and territorial partners to make sure they have the tools they need so they can have a robust testing and screening strategy no matter which province Canadians are in.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is a nice answer, but I recall that on January 31, at the start of the pandemic, the answer I received at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Health was that protocols were beginning to be looked at. After that, on February 9, our PPE was sent to China.

Can the minister confirm that hundreds of thousands of rapid tests will be sent to Quebec? Let us not forget that there are eight million people in Quebec.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, yes.

Indigenous Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, the people of Neskantaga are facing yet another week without clean water, no water for showers, no water for toilets. Health Canada nurses are being forced to fill jugs with water from the river. We remember the Prime Minister's promise to the people of Neskantaga, how he sent his minister north for the photo op and to promise clean water for all first nations. That was four years ago and now we have an evacuation in the middle of a pandemic.

What is it going to take for Prime Minister to sit down with the Neskantaga people and put an end to this disgraceful abuse of their rights and dignity?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, let me say that it is entirely unacceptable that Neskantaga has gone without clean water for 25 years. Members should note that this government has invested $16.5 million into a new plant to fix the distribution system and the waste-water system. That is cold comfort for people who have evacuated in Thunder Bay, except for the 24 members ensuring safety within the community. We are prepared to evacuate them as well.

Let me reassure the House and say that we will not rest until the system is fixed and members can go back and safely enjoy the water they are entitled to as a matter of right.

Health

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, 19 residents have died from COVID-19 at Parkview Place in Winnipeg. COVID cases are rising in this facility and in other care homes owned by the federal government across the country. Their disregard for seniors and other residents, including disabled persons, during the pandemic is a national tragedy. Workers' and residents' lives are on the line and families are terrified to lose their loved ones. Meanwhile, the Liberal government is missing in action. People need help now.

When will the Liberals stop putting profit over the well-being of residents in long-term care homes?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I share the member opposite's concern about what is happening in long-term care homes across the country, and certainly the loss of life in the first wave of the pandemic was unacceptable.

That is why in the Speech from the Throne we talked about the importance of setting national standards. In addition, we have employed and mobilized, through the Canadian Red Cross, hundreds if not thousands of workers across the country to support the provinces and territories as they seek to prevent COVID-19 from entering long-term care homes.

We will be there for Canadians no matter which province they are in.

Housing

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that safe, affordable housing is a surefire way to slow community transmission. My riding is in dire need of more affordable housing. That is why I was so pleased with the rapid housing initiative announcement.

Can the minister update the House on how this new program is being rolled out?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and her passion for this issue.

Today, the Prime Minister and I announced a new $1-billion rapid housing initiative that will quickly build 3,000 new affordable housing units for the most vulnerable. The first $500 million will go to the municipalities that have the highest number of individuals experiencing homelessness. The second $500 million will go to non-profit organizations, indigenous governing bodies, the provinces and other municipalities. Quite simply, this is the national housing strategy at work.

Veterans Affairs

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we have a problem. Despite the billions of dollars the Liberals claim they have thrown at Veteran Affairs, the backlog in claims is approaching 50,000. In fact, it is now normal for veterans and their families to wait two years for their claims to be processed, while the standard is 16 weeks. This problem did not start with COVID. Something, someone or the system is failing veterans, and it has happened under the Liberals' watch.

Can the minister tell the House what specific direction, if any, he is giving Veterans Affairs to reduce the backlog?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's question, as it is certainly vitally important.

We have invested about $200 million to allow us to hire new staff and speed up the process to make sure veterans receive their financial compensation faster. Veterans should receive the benefits and services they are entitled to in a timely manner.

As I have said many times, this backlog is totally unacceptable. I can assure my hon. colleagues that it is the number one priority for me, and we will continue to work on it.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is getting worse, not better. We are at a point in time where access to the benefits veterans and their families need should be easier to get, not harder, yet veterans are saying that they are having a hard time getting the necessary paperwork to apply for financial compensation and benefits, further delaying their claims. The minister knew in the spring that the benefits could be withheld, because he and his officials were warned about it. Now it is happening.

Again, what direction, if any, has the minister given Veterans Affairs to resolve this issue so that at-risk veterans and their families are not prevented from accessing the vital financial support they desperately need?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, for any veteran who is in a dire situation, we have the emergency fund in place if an emergency situation has taken place.

On the backlog, which is a major issue, I indicated to my hon. colleague that we have invested just under $200 million to make sure we hire more staff; to make sure the department is coordinated better; to make sure that when a file is dealt with, it is dealt with by a group of people so that veterans will not have to go from one area to another; and to make sure that it is done faster.

We will make sure that we address this backlog. It will take time, but we—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Lakeland.