Debates of Oct. 5th, 2020

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we all know just how much the current Liberal government loves slogans, clichés and idioms, a whole variety of figures of speech and double-talk, to avoid straight talk, transparent answers and well-reasoned policy. As we all know, the Prime Minister is the cliché master, double-talker and sloganeer: “I've got your back”; “We are all in this together”; “We will succeed, because we must succeed”; “We have the tools”; “We're all hands on deck”; and, of course, the ultimate fallback when faced with a tough question, “Nothing is off the table”. The Prime Minister has excused ethical lapses by telling the Ethics Commissioner that he does not have business meetings when he improperly joins meetings with lobbyists; they are just relationship sessions. The PM excuses alleged misbehaviour from decades ago, and even from much more recently, by saying he respects women's ability to experience things differently.

Clichés are essentially a result of unremarkable thinking, which brings me to the theme of the Speech from the Throne: the remarkably imprecise commitment to build back better. The current government may have a historic record for spending hard-earned Canadian taxpayer dollars, but it has an abysmal record of building anything.

Last week, the government made much of the relaunch of perhaps the Liberals' most misguided creation, the Canada Infrastructure Bank. The institution, when it was created in 2017, was challenged far and wide as a problematic, theoretical mix of public and private investment and interest, and, as predicted, it has been a flop. Still, the original CEO retired with a six-figure bonus on top of his $600,000-a-year salary. Last week's attempted resuscitation included a new board chair and re-profiling of $10 billion of the original still-languishing dollars. However, the Liberals are still hoping that private investors will be drawn in by the public money put up to backstop loans, which really lays all of the investment risks on Canadian taxpayers.

There is one infrastructure investment by the government that has seen Canadian tax dollars spent. Unfortunately, it has been invested offshore: $256 million to buy an interest in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Global Affairs officials warned the Liberals that the investment would be used by China to further the communist regime's authoritarian model of governance in vulnerable nations around the world, and it has. Those Canadian tax dollars are building infrastructure, but the building is not happening in Canada and it is not creating Canadian jobs.

All of that said, there is one massive infrastructure project under way in Canada today, an almost $6-billion project, but it again speaks powerfully to the government's fumbling, to lost opportunities for a major Canadian employer and to many lost worker-years of employment. It is the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, one of the largest infrastructure projects in North America today. It will provide a spectacular new crossing link between Windsor and Detroit that will be of tremendous benefit to bilateral trade and travel.

When bids were called in 2016 and 2017 for the massive precast reinforced concrete girders and slabs for the longest main span of any cable-stayed bridge in North America, Canada's leading infrastructure product manufacturing company, with the largest manufacturing facility in Canada, a company called Decast, tendered bids compliant with Canadian specifications and Ontario's tough MTO standards. The girder portion of the project is worth $20 million and 30 direct full-time jobs for one year. The slab portion of the project is worth $40 million, with 45 direct manufacturing jobs for a year and a half. This does not account for the many millions of dollars in downstream business for Ontario suppliers of the aggregates, the cement and steel materials, and the many trucking and transportation jobs.

What happened? Decast lost the bid. Who got it? It was a company that did not meet any of the quoted specifications or standards, with a facility not certified under the Canadian precast concrete quality assurance certification program, a company that does not buy material from the MTO's designated sources of materials list, a company that does not have facilities to allow proper concrete curing to MTO standards, a company that is American, in Columbus, Ohio.

When Decast asked why Canadian and Ontario MTO standards cited in the tender were so flagrantly ignored, the Ontario government, which should have jurisdiction over standards for a project largely in this province, had an answer: The federal government put Canadian and Ontario safety and quality standards aside and decided to export Canadian dollars and Canadian jobs to Ohio. Canada is paying for 85% of the construction of the Gordie Howe bridge, not to mention paying the bill to the customs facility on the U.S. side, and it exported the structural manufacturing and all those jobs.

The latest infrastructure minister has some questions to answer. Why? What standards is the U.S. manufacturer working to? Who is auditing the U.S. manufacturer? MTO standards are set for a 100-year service life. With the deficient standards, does the Gordie Howe bridge consortium only care about the 30 years it will be responsible for the operation of the bridge?

Infrastructure spending should contribute to the growth and prosperity of Canada. The government does not get that sourcing foreign, in the absence of fair trade, will hobble Canada's economic recovery and essential growth.

In the real world, building back better means moving the sorry lot opposite to this side of the House and for the Conservatives to deliver the jobs and the road, bridge, rail line and subway infrastructure that Canada so sorely needs today. As the House knows, my constituents expect the subway element to include the long-delayed Yonge subway extension north through Thornhill.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, this is a bit much. When I sat in the opposition benches and Stephen Harper was the prime minister, there was a lack of support for Canada's infrastructure. Shortly after the 2015 election, we saw historic amounts of money being invested in Canada's infrastructure, as our Prime Minister believed that by investing in infrastructure we are building a healthier and stronger Canada. The member cites one particular project when there are literally thousands of projects across our country.

Given that the member was a cabinet minister under Stephen Harper, does he have any regrets that former prime minister Stephen Harper did not have the strong conviction toward investing in infrastructure that the member seems to have today, where he supports the current government's infrastructure plans?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I must say that I am always gently amused by the revisionist history of my colleague from Winnipeg, and I will, with respect, correct him. The government, after its election in 2015, did not build all those wonderful projects that he is talking about. It made promises to build projects, but could not get the money out the door.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the other day, the member for Chicoutimi—Le Fjord said that the Conservatives support a stable, predictable increase in the health transfer escalator.

However, it is the Harper government that cut those transfers to 3%. That was completely insufficient and the Conservative government's actions, along with those of the successive Liberal governments, contributed to the shortfall that Quebec and the provinces are currently united in speaking out against. Experts who appeared before the Standing Committee on Health to talk about COVID-19 told us that this was undermining the systems and preventing us from properly addressing a crisis like one we are currently experiencing.

I would like to know where the Conservatives stand. Do they agree with the demand for the $28 billion top-up, an increase of the federal government's share to 35%, and an escalator of 6% for health transfers, yes or no?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

I must correct the member. When it comes to the spectacular cutting of health transfers to the provinces, it was the Liberal government, and former prime minister Paul Martin, who downloaded, causing problems right across this country, which we are still recovering from today. With regard to the Harper government, in which I was pleased to serve, we did not cut the health transfers. We reduced the future transfers by 3%, because the provinces were not spending that money.

With regard to the provinces' request for a greater share of health transfers, there are serious discussions to be taken, but the Liberal government did not even mention them in the Speech from the Throne.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for raising the Gordie Howe bridge. My first public meeting to have a new border crossing in Windsor was 1998 at Marlborough Public School. We are still anticipating the final infrastructure being built.

I do want to note a couple of things that are important. The first girder and building process took place on the parkway. It was called “girder-gate”. I actually met with and revealed, through a number of different welders, that there was a problem that took place, where they actually rejected over 200 girders.

The problem, though, and I would like the member to comment on this, is that the legislation calls for a P3, which is different from what was built for Sarnia. They had separate legislation for it. It is different from Niagara Falls. All those different things led to having a P3 as part of the operator. What is the solution going forward? That was the legislation enshrined by the Conservative government, to do a P3 and to go against the traditional process for building international border crossings that had been done in our country.

I do want to finish by giving some credit. The Conservative Party, unlike the Liberals, did not fall under the siren spell of Matty Maroun, the private American billionaire who owns the Ambassador Bridge. Conservatives have played a constructive role in this process and need to be recognized for that, because it has been a long fight.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will always accept a compliment from my hon. colleague.

I must say that we cannot link P3 projects with the scandal that occurred with regard to those girders that were rejected. What we need to see in projects like this, however they are structured financially, is that they abide by the standards and the safety specifications that are set by Canadian and, in this case, the Government of Ontario's MTO standards.

It is quite obvious that the government's awarding the contract or overruling the respect and recognition of the Canadian company's more than capable tender bid has to be recognized and remedied.

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I will share my time with the member for Mississauga—Erin Mills.

It is an honour for me to address the House in reply to the throne speech for this second session of the 43rd Parliament.

Over the past few months, people in my community, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, and thousands of other communities across the country have had to overcome unimaginable obstacles. As stated in the throne speech, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit us all, but it has hit some of us harder than others.

Today, I would like to applaud the people of Vaudreuil—Soulanges and the rest of the country for their resilience. This unprecedented pandemic has forced us all to adapt to extraordinary circumstances.

Thanks to the hard and diligent work of our front-line workers, Canadian Armed Forces, first responders, doctors, nurses, grocery store workers, small and medium-sized businesses and, of course, all those who were at the forefront of this pandemic, we have been able to navigate through this crisis on a united front. As was stated in the Speech from the Throne, it has not been easy. It has not been easy on all of the parents who had to stay home to take care of their children as schools closed. It has not been easy on those who had to stay home to care for family members, a friend or a partner. These were not easy times, but with empathy and generosity in no short supply, as Canadians, we have been able to and will continue to face this unprecedented crisis by leaning on each other and being there for each other.

Since the beginning and through it all, the Government of Canada has been there with support, keeping Canadians safe and supporting workers and small businesses. Whether it was by extending the Canada emergency wage subsidy and the Canada emergency commercial rent assistance, providing loans to SMEs through the Canada emergency business account, transitioning from the Canada emergency response benefit to regular employment insurance or introducing the new assistance programs such as the Canada recovery benefit as part of our recovery plan, we are ready to continue to face this crisis together and in unity.

The last few months have also brought to the fore the work, dedication and generosity of community organizations in Vaudreuil—Soulanges that have worked so hard to help people in vulnerable situations. One of these is the Maison des soins palliatifs de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, a palliative care home that stayed open as long as it could so that patients could spend precious time with friends and family during their last days of life. Another is the generous team at Café de la Débrouille in Rigaud, especially Maria and Richard, who never stopped working to provide food hampers to everyone in need in our community.

I am also thinking of organizations like Hébergement La Passerelle, led by Véronique Girard, which, under the most difficult of circumstances, had to accommodate a growing number of women and children seeking safe and secure housing in Vaudreuil—Soulanges to get away from dangerous situations at home. I applaud the Centre d'action bénévole L'Actuel, Source d'Entraide, Grand Rassemblement des aînés de Vaudreuil et Soulanges, Réseaux, DEV and the Vaudreuil-Soulanges RCM. On behalf of the residents of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, I want to thank those organizations for the remarkable work they do. They have done so much to help our seniors, children, families, workers and small businesses weather these tough times.

The throne speech talked about COVID-19 and the immediate measures we took as a government. However, we must not forget about another crisis we are confronted with, climate change. A fair and carbon-neutral future is about more than just protecting our at-risk biodiversity, ensuring greater social justice or slowing climate change. It is about protecting our neighbours, friends and loved ones from the ravages of the destruction of nature. Future generations will decide whether we did the work that was needed to create a greener, healthier and more sustainable society.

Fighting climate change is at the heart of who we are as Canadians. Our government continues to take action.

Indeed, prior to the beginning of this pandemic, Canadians showed tremendous leadership in their everyday lives to tackle climate change. I think of parents in my riding of Vaudreuil—Soulanges who purchased fuel-efficient vehicles or took up public transit for the first time. I think of young people who I saw every spring taking to our shorelines to pick up all of the waste that was there, including so much plastic. I also think of neighbours who made the effort to put their food waste in the compost instead of the trash for the first time.

These actions stem from the firm belief in members of my community and all Canadians across the country that no matter how big or small, all of our actions individually matter, even small actions like putting a mask on during the pandemic or ensuring that we keep our distance and that we wash our hands. In all things, whether we are talking about the pandemic or environmental protection, we need to be able to count on each other and to do our part. That is exactly what people are doing in my community and I know that more and more Canadians are taking action all across the country.

The leadership shown by ordinary Canadians has been essential in supporting our government's implementation of the first real plan in Canada's history to combat climate change. For example, in a single term, we brought in a plan to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by more than 200 megatonnes. We have protected more than 12% of our land and marine environments, made it more affordable to buy electric vehicles and enabled green technologies to expand. Climate change needs a “Team Canada” approach and Canadians are key to our success.

However, over the course of this pandemic, the health and safety of Canadians remain our priority. This Speech from the Throne accounts for the fact that the world entered into this pandemic facing the risks and consequences of climate change. COVID-19 has taught us that we must face challenges decisively and with determination.

In that spirit, our government will bring forward a plan to exceed Canada's 2030 climate goals and will also legislate Canada's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. The Speech from the Throne lays out key initiatives that will be a big part of our upcoming plan and will help us continue the momentum Canadians created to fight climate change. There are measures such as creating thousands of well-paying jobs in retrofitting homes, making zero-emissions vehicles more affordable while investing in more charging stations across the country, and creating a fund to attract investments in making zero-emissions products. Canadians know that climate change threatens our health, our way of life and our planet. This Speech from the Throne makes it clear that our government will continue to deliver.

Another measure I am thrilled to see in the Speech from the Throne is a new commitment by our government to work with the municipalities to increase the number of urban parks across the country. The pandemic has reminded us just how much nature means to us.

My community is rich in opportunities for nature outings, such as hiking Mont Rigaud, biking along the water in Vaudreuil-Dorion, and walking the colourful trails of Hudson and Saint-Lazare.

However, in the more urban communities it can be harder to get close to nature, and our government is working to green our urban centres.

In addition to providing more access to nature, this pledge would have benefited families like mine when I was younger. Indeed, when I was a young boy, I was not living in a household that had a lot of money. My brother and I could count on a loving mother who did all she could to provide for us. However, we knew that money was scarce. Expanding on urban parks is not just a question of increasing green spaces. It also provides all Canadians, no matter their social status or wealth, with an opportunity to benefit from connecting with nature.

The Speech from the Throne made it clear that, as Canadians worked together to fight this pandemic, to save lives, to protect and secure jobs, and to tackle generational challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, they will have an ally in the Government of Canada. History has shown us that we can meet any challenge by coming together and the many challenges we face today are no exception.

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as the Bloc Québécois climate change critic, I am pleased to speak directly to the parliamentary secretary. He spoke abut the government's objectives of exceeding 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets and becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

These objectives are essentially those of Bill C-215, an act respecting Canada’s fulfillment of its greenhouse gas emissions reduction obligations, which I introduced in the House of Commons a few months ago. First, I would like to know whether the government will vote in favour of this bill, because I know it intends to introduce legislation about this.

Second, I will come back to the 2030 climate target. At this time, if we rely on Environment Canada's most optimistic scenario, Canada will reduce its green house gas emissions by 19.45% by 2030, with a shortfall of 77 megatonnes. What tangible measures will this government introduce to exceed these objectives?

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her question and for the bill she introduced. I know that introducing a bill is not easy and that it takes a lot of energy and time. I look forward to hearing more about what she wants to do with her bill.

In response to her second question about our objective to not only meet the Paris targets, but also exceed them, I would say that this is why we want to propose a clean fuel standard, why we promised to plant two billion trees and why we are going to invest in green infrastructure. We believe that all of these initiatives will allow us to not only meet the Paris targets, but also exceed them.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for devoting a large part of his speech to the importance of tackling climate change. We know that climate change will be the defining issue of the 21st century and how we respond to it will largely determine our success on this planet. We also know that the economic costs of climate change are going to be significant. We can see that private sector investment is already starting to take heed of these facts and is making its investments appropriately.

The Liberals just came off four years of a majority government and they have failed to meet their targets thus far. They also spent billions of dollars on a pipeline. The government seems to be going completely in the wrong direction.

How can Canadians continue to have confidence that the Liberal government will actually meet its target, given its track record thus far?

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague may already know, my community has been devastated over the last three years with two historical floods.

We know full well the need to take action on climate change. That is why I am very proud to be part of a government that has put forward the most robust plan in Canadian history to tackle climate change. It has allowed us so far, as the projections show, to reach 200 megatonnes of our goal of meeting and exceeding the Paris targets.

We also know that we are not done yet. That is why we have put forward our promise to plant two billion trees. That is why we will be introducing clean fuel standards. We will continue to invest in record amounts in green infrastructure and make electric vehicles more affordable.

We know that all these initiatives will help us meet and exceed our Paris targets.

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

Mr. Speaker, I hope the hon. parliamentary secretary knows that Canada has obligated itself to improve its target within this calendar year, 2020. It is called the nationally determined contribution. That will not be met with this vague, feeble pledge to exceed Canada's 2030 target, which is not consistent with the Paris treaty, that was put in place by Stephen Harper and is approximately half of what must be done.

I beg the parliamentary secretary to make a clear statement that Canada will live up to its responsibility to put in place a target that meets the IPCC's science and does it within the terms of the Paris agreement, within calendar year 2020.

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for all she did as the leader of the Green Party. She moved so many great initiatives forward. It was a pleasure to have worked personally with her on numerous initiatives.

With regard to doing better and doing more, we know that we need to do better and do more. That is why we have put forward numerous initiatives to help not only attain but exceed the Paris targets. We have also put forward a very ambitious pledge to ensure that Canada is carbon neutral by 2050.

I look forward to continuing to work with my hon. colleague on that. I know she will still be a strong advocate for the environment, regardless of whether she still leads the Green Party. I look forward to working with her in the months and years ahead.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to speak to the Speech from the Throne and how it will impact the realities of Canadian lives today and in the future.

A few weeks ago, I had a really heart-wrenching conversation with a constituent who outlined her struggles. She is a single mom, a personal support worker and a mother of three children. She and thousands more like her have been faced with the challenge of a lifetime. While this pandemic has taken its toll on every Canadian, it has taken a bigger toll on women.

Women have bravely served on the front lines of this crisis. They make up 92% of our nurses and 81% of all workers in the Canadian health care and social assistance sector. One in every three jobs held by a woman is deemed essential. That also means that women are putting themselves at risk.

A study in July by the Middlesex-London Health Unit shows that women comprise approximately 59% of those infected with COVID-19 compared to 41% male. Women have also been on the front lines at home, taking care of children who have been away from school, aging parents or ill parents. That means time away from work. They have been the first to be let go from jobs. They make less money than their counterparts. We have seen an increase in gender-based violence in the home.

Therefore, it makes me very proud to see the gender lens being applied to the Speech from the Throne and on the economic recovery plan proposed by our government. Equality must begin with our highest offices, which is why we appointed Canada's first gender-balanced cabinet. We expanded the women and gender equality into a full federal department and implemented gender-based analysis to ensure that our policies and programs took that lived experience of women into account.

We made a commitment five years ago that our government would be a feminist government and we followed through on that commitment, with historic measures to protect women's rights and provide opportunities for women to succeed in every corner of our society. However, COVID-19 has had the worst kind of impact on women, personally and professionally. If we are not careful, if we do not prioritize supporting women, the incredible progress that we have made over these past years will be set back by this pandemic, and it already has been.

At the onset of this crisis, we recognized how COVID-19 would impact Canadian lives and we took swift action to provide support for families, workers and businesses through tailored programs to suit their needs while they tried to keep themselves safe from COVID-19. Programs such as CERB kept the lights on in homes. The Canada emergency business account and the Canada emergency wage subsidy helped small businesses survive. Mortgages were able to be deferred. We worked with Canadians at every turn, listened to their feedback and enhanced these programs at every opportunity. We recognized how this pandemic was uniquely impacting women and we took action to help.

When Canadians stayed home to protect themselves and each other from COVID-19, it unfortunately also created an environment where those facing gender-based and domestic violence were isolated with their abusers. The Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses saw increased crisis calls in 20% of its shelters and police services across the country saw increased police reports of domestic violence. During the pandemic, we were able to support local organizations in my neck of the woods, in Mississauga, like Interim Place and Nisa Homes so we could keep providing those essential services to vulnerable women in my riding.

I am glad that our government stepped in early to deliver combined $50 million investments through Women's Shelters Canada and indigenous organizations to provide these centres with the means to continue operating.

Moving ahead with our recovery, we have accelerated our investments in shelters and transitional houses to better protect those fleeing domestic violence. We continue to build on our strategy to end gender-based violence with a national action plan.

Over the last five years, we reversed harmful cuts to women's organizations and made historic investments to create opportunities for women to thrive and achieve success. A major part of supporting women's success is through empowered entrepreneurship. Through programs such as the women entrepreneurship strategy, we have invested in female-led and female-owned businesses.

A couple of young women in my riding run an organization called Welo. We were able to support them to scale up their business. Having the opportunity to go and see their business, I saw first-hand the kind of impact this strategy has had on women all across the country.

During this pandemic, businesses have suffered significantly. A lot of small businesses are owned and run by women, and those businesses have been struggling to the point of bankruptcy. This is why our government committed to advancing the women entrepreneurship strategy to better support women to grow their businesses. It is estimated that 62% of the jobs lost at the onset of this pandemic were held by women. Our government recognizes child care has been and continues to be a major barrier for participation of women in the workforce.

Fifty years ago, the Royal Commission on the Status of Women outlined that child care services were a necessity for women's social and economic equality. We know that child care is an issue that disproportionately impacts women and has been instrumental for women to enter the workforce. With the restart of our economy, mothers will face difficulties as they return to work unless they have safe, affordable and accessible child care on which to depend. When half our population is held back, it creates ripple effects that continue to impact single-parent households and those households that rely on two incomes to make ends meet.

From day one, our government recognized that child care was an economic imperative. We worked with the provinces and territories to create bilateral child care agreements and committed to spending $7.5 billion over 11 years. Since 2015, that investment has created 400,000 affordable child care spaces, targeted for families in need, and thousands of jobs for early childhood educators.

We know this pandemic has put those jobs and that incredible progress at risk. That is why, when our government committed $19 billion through the safe restart agreement, we ensured that child care was included as a key priority. Through this agreement, we invested $625 million for Canada's child care sector. Combined with agreements under the multilateral early learning and child care framework, the Government of Canada will invest almost $1.2 billion to support child care in 2020 and 2021. That is a 67% increase over the next highest year in history.

This pandemic has changed much, but not our commitment to equality of opportunity for women. We are a feminist government, and that has remained at the core of our response to this crisis. Even now we continue to break down barriers as we appointed the first woman in our history to serve as Canada's finance minister.

There is a reason this crisis has been called a “she-cession”, and a full economic recovery is not possible without a “she-covery".

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I honestly feel bad for many of the Liberal members. I know they are dedicated to things like the environment and women's rights. However, their government has been a disappointment. We have an environmental government that states it is about the environment, yet it has not planted any trees or hit its targets. The government is supposed to be a feminist government, however, it did not get the wage subsidy out in time, which caused many women to lose their jobs and—

[The Deputy Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

I have to interrupt the hon. member for a moment. We have a point of order.

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the hon. member has a very interesting point to make, but I do not see that he is wearing a tie.

[The Deputy Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

I thank the hon. parliamentary secretary for his point of order. I bring this to the attention of hon. members and pick up on recommendations and fairly rigorous suggestions on the part of the Speaker, who has reminded hon. members that even though they are participating by video conference, the standards we use in the House should indeed be used, as well.

I see the hon. member for Northumberland—Peterborough South is making a slight adjustment. I will go back to him and see if he can finish his remark quickly, then we will go back to the hon. member for Mississauga—Erin Mills.

The hon. member for Northumberland—Peterborough South.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to continue on and say the government is supposed to be about feminism. However, we have a wage subsidy that was not rolled out that cost many women their jobs. We have a rent subsidy that cost many women their jobs and businesses because it was not rolled out correctly. We have rapid testing that could put so many women back to work faster. However, we cannot get it out to people, to schools and to care facilities. That is leaving so many women with the inability to return to work.

Is the member disappointed in the government or am I just experiencing it differently?

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, I am very proud of the work our government has done to support Canadians during this pandemic. The member's remarks have shown quite clearly how out of touch he is with the reality Canadians have experienced. The wage subsidy saved tens of thousands of jobs. The CERB kept the lights on in the homes of millions of Canadians. We have done that work. We have made sure that Canadians have been supported throughout this pandemic and we are going to continue to ensure that women are kept at the forefront and all Canadians have the support that they expect from a government that takes equality of opportunity into account, regardless of gender and any intersectional barriers we have.

[Louise Charbonneau, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I want to thank the member for her appeal on behalf of women.

She left out one category of women, however. Senior women, aged 65 to 75 years old, worked hard and helped make Quebec what it is today. The government has offered assistance to senior women over the age of 75, but 65-year-old women, who worked their whole lives, did not receive any assistance from the government.

Does my colleague think that is fair? Can the government give these women some real, concrete assistance to get through the pandemic?

I have first-hand experience with the pandemic. I was very close to my sister, who died from COVID-19. She was in a residence—

[The Deputy Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

The hon. member for Mississauga—Erin Mills.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I offer my sincerest condolences to the member for the loss of her sister. COVID-19 has impacted tens of thousands of lives across the country. She is absolutely right: Seniors do matter. We are making sure that we prioritize the work to make sure that seniors are placed at the forefront, that their vulnerabilities are not exploited.

Through the Speech from the Throne, we are ensuring that we would increase those payments to seniors. We would create new benefits such as the disability benefit that will impact seniors.

We have made, over the past number of months, investments such as making a one-time payment through old age security and GIS to seniors to cover their extra costs during this pandemic. We have made historic announcements in my riding to administer, through the United Way, programs targeted toward supporting vulnerable seniors in the Peel region and indeed all across Canada.

The reality is—

[The Deputy Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

Order. We have only a short time left and we are going to take a quick question from the hon. member for Ottawa South.