House of Commons Hansard #10 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pandemic.

Topics

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

11:50 a.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Liberal Alexandra Mendes

Could the hon. parliamentary secretary confirm if she would like to split her time?

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

11:50 a.m.

Liberal

Yvonne Jones Liberal Labrador, NL

Yes, Madam Speaker, I am sharing my time with the member for Winnipeg South.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

11:50 a.m.

Bloc

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

Madam Speaker, there is a full page about reconciliation in the throne speech. However, communities still have problems with infrastructure, housing and drinking water. I want to go back to a topic I mentioned earlier.

Families, loved ones and communities have waited long enough for the government to take real action on reconciliation. I would like to ask a question of my hon. colleague, who may know more than I do about the so-called plans that were announced, since all we see are blank pages without details or timelines.

When will the government present a national action plan in response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls?

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

11:50 a.m.

Liberal

Yvonne Jones Liberal Labrador, NL

Madam Speaker, it is important to acknowledge the tremendous work that we have done together with indigenous communities across Canada.

We are committed to full reconciliation with indigenous government and indigenous communities across Canada. We have made major strides in working with Inuit, first nations and Métis governments and communities, and we will continue to do that.

However, as a government, we will not arbitrarily outline those directions. We work in partnership with our indigenous communities and indigenous partners to plan that road map towards reconciliation together. The colonialism that existed in previous governments is what got us to the point where we are today. Going forward as a government, we believe that indigenous people have to be the authors of their own future. We will work with them to ensure that that happens.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

11:50 a.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

Madam Speaker, before the pandemic many Canadians were voicing their need for affordable and accessible child care. In fact, the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce said it is its number one issue. The Liberals have been promising child care for 20 years, in fact, children who needed child care 20 years ago are needing child care now. This summer when the Liberals had the opportunity to invest in child care with transfers to the provinces, they refused to do what was needed. Parents, especially women who want to work outside the home, want to get back to work, but they do not have a safe place to send their kids.

We are fighting for safe, affordable child care. The Province of B.C. has been investing in child care. It needs a federal partner, a champion. I am asking the member: When will this happen? We cannot wait another 20 years. Does the member agree that this is not just a social issue, but a very important economic issue? We saw the success of the program implemented in Quebec. It grew the GDP, 70,000 people went back to work and most of them were women. This is the time to implement such a program as we recover from the pandemic.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

11:50 a.m.

Liberal

Yvonne Jones Liberal Labrador, NL

Madam Speaker, it is good to see the member in this virtual Parliament. He is right. Child care in this country is not just a social advancement, it is an economic advancement for all of us in society. We have learned how COVID-19 has impacted women and those in our society in terms of the gaps that exist. I certainly support the national strategy toward child care. It is an important direction that our government is taking and I am happy to see that the NDP is there to support the work that we are doing to ensure that all families have access to child care and services where they need it.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

11:55 a.m.

Winnipeg South Manitoba

Liberal

Terry Duguid LiberalParliamentary 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)

Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise virtually in the House of Commons this morning on behalf of my constituents here on Treaty 1 territory, the homeland of the Métis nation, to highlight the many commitments our government has made to support Canadians as we continue to fight against COVID-19.

Our government knew that we needed to provide immediate support to Canadians as our country grappled with the most serious public health crisis and economic crisis of our lifetime. Within a matter of weeks, our government introduced the Canada emergency response benefit, the CERB, which provided direct and immediate income support of $2,000 per month to those who had suddenly lost their jobs. The CERB provided over 277,000 Manitobans with money so that they could make their rent or mortgage payments and put food on the table. Now, as we transition away from CERB, our government continues to support Canadians with an improved EI benefit that provides $500 per week for those who continue to look for work.

Canadians should not have to choose between their livelihoods and their health, and that is why we introduced a national sick leave benefit. We also announced a caregiver benefit for parents who need to take time off to care for a child or a loved one.

I know that these benefits have been absolutely critical to many families in my communities. I know many parents have had to make difficult decisions regarding their employment, and women in particular have faced the brunt of these difficult choices. The numbers we have seen are shocking. Women's participation in the workforce has dropped to levels we have not seen since the 1980s. Canada's economic recovery will not be complete without a strong return to work for women across the country. To achieve this, we have committed to a national child care strategy so that parents will have access to quality, accessible and affordable child care as they return to their jobs.

During this difficult time, many of my constituents have emailed, phoned and sent letters regarding key policies they wished to see in the Speech from the Throne. Thanks to their thoughtful feedback, our government has made strong commitments to establishing national pharmacare, increasing old age security, supporting family reunification and many important initiatives that would have a significant and positive impact here in Manitoba and across the country.

I know that all members of the House will agree when I say that Canadians have truly risen to the occasion and supported one another in amazing ways in the last six months, and Manitobans are no exception. Let me take this moment to recognize the selfless efforts of our front-line health care workers in Manitoba, who have worked tirelessly under the most difficult of circumstances. I also want to recognize essential workers, such as our truck drivers and grocery store clerks, who have stepped up when we needed them most.

I want to take a moment to give a special mention to the folks at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. It has been at the forefront of incredibly important work to protect the health of Canadians, including developing the first Canadian COVID test on January 15, providing testing regimes for remote northern communities, and conducting essential research support for vaccine and therapeutic development.

We have often heard the proverb that it takes a village. During COVID, we have seen it come to life in my community of Winnipeg South. Mosques, churches, temples and local organizations here have exemplified what it means to be a community and have come together to take care of those most in need.

We know that the devastation facing our small-businesses community has been among the biggest challenges our country has faced through this pandemic. Small businesses are the backbone of the Manitoba economy, providing thousands of jobs in every corner of the province. Our government recognizes this, and has committed to supporting SMEs through a number of initiatives. Early on, we provided the emergency wage subsidy, which covered 75% of a worker's wages so that businesses could continue to keep their employees on the payroll. Not only have we made this program more flexible, we have also announced that we will be extending it to next summer so that businesses can plan ahead.

Other federal support programs have also been critical to the vitality of our businesses, including the Canada emergency business account loan program, which has provided $40,000 in interest-free loans to qualifying businesses to help them bridge to the other side of the pandemic.

For businesses that have been unable to access these programs, Western Economic Diversification and our regional development agencies across Canada have been critical in helping us provide direct support to SMEs.

In May, the government earmarked approximately $1 billion to the regional relief and recovery fund, RRRF, which was designed specifically to aid small businesses that may have fallen through the cracks and were unable to access other business programs. In my home province of Manitoba, the RRRF has supported 85 different businesses, with a total funding of over $8.4 million. Just last week, our Minister of Economic Development announced an additional investment of $600 million to the regional relief and recovery program so we can continue to support small businesses and help them weather this time of economic uncertainty.

This is a very difficult time for so many, and our priority remains protecting people and saving lives. At the same time, we cannot forget that when it comes to protecting people there is another crisis on the horizon that will create even more health and economic disruption than COVID-19. I am, of course, speaking of the climate crisis. Nowhere is the climate crisis felt more strongly than in the disruptions to our water cycle and our freshwater systems.

Decades of public opinion surveys record that Canadians feel no resource is more important than fresh, clean water to our economy, health and well-being. I am delighted the Government of Canada cemented its commitment, in the Speech from the Throne, to create a Canada Water Agency to work with provinces, territories, municipalities, indigenous governments and stakeholders to better manage and protect our precious freshwater resources. I am especially pleased and honoured that the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has asked me to lead this effort.

As Canadians, we are fortunate to have over two million lakes and rivers: approximately 20% of the world's freshwater. Our waterways support fisheries, tourism, shipping and navigation, and so many other industries. They are crucial for aquatic ecosystems and wetland habitats, which are vital for many plants and animals.

An important part of keeping our freshwater resources protected and well managed includes improving deteriorating water quality. To this end, in 2017 we invested $70.5 million in the Great Lakes and the Lake Winnipeg basin. Over five years, $44.84 million was provided to the Great Lakes protection initiative in order to address the most significant environmental challenges affecting the Great Lakes: water quality and ecosystem health. For the Lake Winnipeg basin, $25.8 million was allocated to address the increasing challenge of nutrient pollution and toxic algae in restoring the health of Canada's sixth great lake.

In this era of climate instability, flooding has had a major impact on communities and the public treasury. The government has paid out more in disaster assistance in the last 10 years than in the last 40 years. The Manitoba flood of 2011 alone saw more than 7,000 people displaced from their homes, critical infrastructure destroyed, and 70 states of emergency declared in local communities, resulting in a $1-billion impact to the Manitoba economy.

To address these flooding and water challenges, the Speech from the Throne commits the Government of Canada to make investments in the Canada Water Agency, as well as in major water infrastructure to better manage and protect our waterways for the benefit of the environment, the economy and future generations.

Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic has been the most serious health and economic crisis our community has faced in generations. In Manitoba, as well as in communities across the country, we have seen Canadians come together and work together in extraordinary ways to help one another through these difficult times. There has been unprecedented co-operation among the provinces, territories and the federal government. Canadians want to see that co-operation continue, and they want to see all parties in the House work together to help meet the challenge of COVID-19 and build a better Canada when the pandemic subsides. Let us not disappoint them.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON

Mr. Speaker, I specifically want to ask the member about the Canada Water Agency. This is an exciting undertaking. I am really quite excited to hear about this and follow its progress.

I have a private member's bill, the national strategy for fresh water, Bill C-245. I wondered if the member and his government have any plans to support this bill, as it looks to do a lot of the same things as he was talking about regarding the Canada Water Agency.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:05 p.m.

Liberal

Terry Duguid Liberal Winnipeg South, MB

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her interest in, and passion for, fresh water. As she knows, we are blessed with 20% of the world's fresh water. It is a precious resource, and we need a freshwater strategy for the country. We view the Canada Water Agency as a mechanism that can help bring that about. As the member will know, water is a complicated jurisdiction with provinces, municipalities, territories and the federal government all having responsibilities. The Canada Water Agency will work across those government lines to better manage and protect our fresh water.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:05 p.m.

Liberal

Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC

Mr. Speaker, I am particularly interested in the Canada Water Agency and I note that the member has indicated that he is responsible for this file. Could the member give us insight of what the benefits and consequences of this agency will be for us here in British Columbia?

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:05 p.m.

Liberal

Terry Duguid Liberal Winnipeg South, MB

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his interest in water. I know he is passionate about salmon, which is a very important resource for all British Columbians including the indigenous peoples there. It is the home of the Fraser Basin Council, which really is a model for Canada on how stakeholders, governments and indigenous governments can work together to better manage and protect our water resources.

This will be an agency for the whole country. It is modelled in part on the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, which unfortunately was closed by the previous Conservative government, but we will be there for B.C., for salmon and for the freshwater interests of British Columbia.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:05 p.m.

Conservative

Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to rise in the House, as opposed to participating virtually, as we debate the Speech from the Throne. I am very pleased to be here.

I want to start by acknowledging how very challenging these last seven months have been for so many. I look at the people working in the hospitals and long-term care facilities and front-line workers everywhere, including people delivering groceries. It has been seven months and it has not been getting any easier for many of them. We know they are getting tired and we want to express our immense appreciation for what they are doing. I also want to recognize that many individuals and businesses also continue to face extraordinary challenges.

Regardless of the disagreements we might have in the House, I think it is fair to say that we are united in the agreement that we must do the best we can to support Canadians during this time. In these unprecedented times, it is healthy to have vigorous debate and at times disagreements on the best path forward.

About one year ago, we were on the campaign trail. Just a few short weeks later, the current government was given a new mandate by the people. It was a minority mandate, because the Canadian public did not have quite as much faith in the Liberals as they had in the previous election. There was an important message in that election for the Liberal government to hear, but I am not sure the Liberals heard it.

Since that time, we have had two Speeches from the Throne, but we have had no budget. We have had over 80-plus days of the morning show on the Rideau porch. The Prime Minister would come out on his porch and announce spending and extraordinary new measures. During that same time, we had 14 sitting days in the House. Let us think about that. We had a Prime Minister announcing extraordinary new programs during an unprecedented crisis and we had only 14 sitting days. The bottom line is that we heard about billions and billions of dollars, with very minimal debate.

That is how mistakes get made. By bypassing Parliament, committees and process, the Liberals will make mistakes. That is why things like the loan program for businesses was such a disaster. The Liberals did not look to the brainpower, to the people and the experience within the Parliament, to take that extra bit of time needed to do things properly. That is on the government. It was 80 days of the Prime Minister on the porch and 14 days in Parliament with minimal debate.

I went back to read a number of Speeches from the Throne as part of my process of thinking about what I would say today. I went back to 2008 and 2011 and I saw very workman-like speeches. They were very orderly, workman-like, telling Canadians what the vision and goals of the government were.

Then I went to the Speech from the Throne in 2015 from the current Liberal government. What it said was that the Government of Canada “will promote more open debate and free votes, and reform and strengthen committees.” Right now a committee is looking into some challenges of the current government, the WE scandal, and the government is doing its very best to shut that committee down.

That speech also said, “notable are the things the government will not do....it will not resort to devices like prorogation and omnibus bills to avoid scrutiny.” What did the Liberal government do in the middle of a crisis? It prorogued. No one believes it was anything other than to avoid the WE scandal and further testimony about how the government was helping Liberal friends in this time of crisis.

I found it absolutely stunning that when we finally came back after the prorogation period, we had a fast-tracked bill. Again, there was no committee debate. Was this 2015 promise just for 2015 when the Liberals had a majority or was it a promise for what the Liberal government wanted to do?

However, the Minister of Environment had the nerve to say to the media that we had to fast-track the bill because we had to get help to Canadians. I remember reading this and thinking about fast tracking the bill. We had five weeks in which we were ready, willing, able and we would have done anything to do proper scrutiny of the bill to ensure it was done right so we would not be in the same position we are with the bills we have seen, such as the rent assistance program.

They did indicate that they wanted to trust their government. The Liberals say that they want Canadians to trust them. I do not know about other members, but as we hit ethical scandal after ethical scandal, I think that trust is eroding in many ways.

I did not mention democratic reform, but that again was a strong commitment by the government.

After reading this Speech from the Throne, I am left with a some doubt on whether the Liberals will do what they say they will do. They have a propensity to recycle their broken promises. Their promise on child care goes back 20 years, which is an awful long time. Their promise on pharmacare has been there for a while. The Speech from the Throne focused a little on the current issue and a whole lot on recycled, broken promises.

On what is most important to Canadians right now, the Liberals have said that their number one pillar is to fight the pandemic and save lives. I think everyone in the House can agree with that, but we have to look at the execution of this. Who sent all our PPE equipment either to the dumpster or to China? Who failed to keep our stockpile up to snuff? Who failed to look at what other countries were doing with respect to rapid testing? Who failed to close the borders in an appropriate time and accused the opposition of being racist by suggesting we should close the borders? It was the government. However, we need to look forward now.

We now know that everyone expected a second wave would come. We knew that there was a bit of a window to prepare for that. What did the Liberals do about fighting this pandemic and saving lives?

The Liberals will set national standards for seniors, because those are the people who have been most impacted. A recent article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal talked about the issues with seniors, and standards were not one of those issues. They were issues of ensuring protective equipment, training personnel, licencing inspections and capital improvements. Those things would prevent issues in a second wave. Did the government make a move? I know it is the responsibility of provinces and territories, but did the Liberals say to the provinces and territories that a second wave was coming, that they wanted to support them, what could they do to help, was it just about money or were there other things they could do to help? If a second wave hits these seniors homes, part of it is on the current government.

For indigenous people, they were very specific 10 months ago. The Liberals would eliminate all long-term drinking water advisories on reserve by 2021. In the speech, they say they will make additional resiliency investments. What does that mean? I think most first nations know what eliminating all long-term drinking water advisories means, but do they know what additional resiliency investments are?

I find much to be concerned about with the government's current approach. Certainly, from our side, we would have great difficulty supporting this Speech from the Throne.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:15 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary 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, the member made reference to the fact that there was a different expectation after the last federal election and I concur. Canadians do have a very different expectation and the government has risen to that, which is to work more with opposition parties. In fact, anything and everything that passes through the House now requires that support and we continuously reach out for it. Even the throne speech will have the support of at least one other political party in the House, otherwise it would not pass. It is the same thing with legislation. Canadians also sent a message to the Conservative Party, one of co-operation. What we have witnessed over the last couple of months from the opposition party is anything but co-operation. Those members seem to want a dysfunctional House of Commons.

Last Friday, we debated Bill C-3, the Judges Act. The Conservative Party is completely in support of it. Their former leader Rona Ambrose wanted that bill. At one point, the Conservatives wanted unanimous consent, yet they continued to talk out the bill to prevent it from passing.

Why is that the case? Why this destructive force in the House of Commons?

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC

Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that the Liberals have very few willing to defend their position. The hon. member has had a lot of say, but we do have Liberal members doing their maiden speech in the House.

It is time for us to take our jobs as parliamentarians seriously. When bills are introduced in the House, there is a process. There is a committee process with expert witnesses and that is what prevents mistakes. When the Liberal government keeps introducing legislation and wanting to ram it through without proper scrutiny or a committee process, that is when we end up in trouble. Why would we have a Parliament if all the government wants is unanimous consent to ram every piece of legislation through at its will?

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:20 p.m.

Bloc

Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague on her brilliant speech.

I would like to hear her thoughts on how the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government just replied to her, claiming that the opposition parties are continually opposing and blocking the government. However, it was the Liberal Party that imposed a gag order, thereby preventing the opposition parties from making any amendments that would have improved certain bills.

I would like to hear my colleague's opinion on that.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:20 p.m.

Conservative

Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC

Mr. Speaker, that is a great point. I look again at landlords' support for our small businesses and the rent program for which landlords needed to apply. That program as been a disaster. It has created huge issues throughout the country. It was a much-needed support for small businesses, but it was designed improperly.

We need to have conversations in the House. The Liberals are not going to get everything right and that is what Parliament is for, that is what committees are for. Certainly, it is very inappropriate for the parliamentary secretary to say that the opposition has been obstructing when the Liberals have had important bills go through the House in record time. In fact, last week a bill worth almost $50 billion was approved without proper scrutiny. That is not right. The Liberals should reflect on that.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:20 p.m.

NDP

Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC

Mr. Speaker, like all members of Parliament, I have been in regular contact with small businesses in my riding. We know the two major fixed costs for small businesses are labour and rent.

I am thinking of organizations such as a social enterprise in my riding, the V2V Black Hops Brewery, which was unable to qualify for the wage subsidy because it was a new start-up company. Therefore, the eligibility rules were too restrictive. I also had a small business that had been in the community of Duncan for 25 years. It went out of business because it had an uncooperative landlord and could not access commercial rental assistance.

Does the member share my concerns? The rental assistance, in particular, was not even mentioned in the throne speech? For many months now that has been one of the biggest areas of concern we have heard repeatedly and the Liberals need to act on it.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:20 p.m.

Conservative

Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC

Mr. Speaker, we agree that the design of this program was very flawed. The Liberals need to act on that. It was not mentioned in the Speech from the Throne. Nor was it in their first piece legislation, and they could have fixed it at that time. Even walking down Sparks Street can break one's heart to see small business entrepreneurs who have had shops for many years. Yesterday, one of them had a liquidation sign in its window.

One business in my riding was open again, but the owner was not sure if the business would survive. That program was critical and it really anticipated by small business owners.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:20 p.m.

Conservative

Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to participate virtually today. I would like to take this opportunity to say hello to my House of Commons colleagues and everyone following our proceedings. I would like to point out that I am taking part in today's proceedings from the city of Lévis, which is currently in a red zone. I want to commend the resilience of the people of Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis who are experiencing the strains of the lockdown.

The purpose of my intervention today is to convey that I cannot support the Speech from the Throne delivered by the Governor General on September 23, 2020.

The role of government and of parliamentarians is to help and support people, to minimize the impacts of the pandemic and to try to make things run smoothly. I simply cannot support the throne speech because there are two fundamental components missing from it, things that would help people in red zones, like the people of Lévis.

Measures need to be put in place immediately to deal with the resurgence of the pandemic. That includes quicker testing and results analysis. For example, the wife of one of my colleagues who works in the education system was tested for COVID-19 and has been waiting for three days now for her results, which means that my colleague also has to wait for the results. That is paralyzing the work of our organizations, despite telework being an option. It slows things down, not to mention the fact that some jobs require staff to be on site.

In our region, there are a lot of manufacturing jobs. These measures are needed immediately to support public health authorities in order to make testing faster, something that is not clearly set out in the throne speech.

Another necessary measure involves providing reasonable and targeted support to businesses and individuals during the pandemic so that the government remains agile and flexible once it is over. Unfortunately, even before the pandemic, the Liberals were already caught in a deficit spiral. Right now we are far from improving our situation.

What is in a throne speech? As my colleague from British Columbia mentioned, we usually expect a throne speech to present a vision.

This vision could have explained how to fight the pandemic and help people right now while presenting a plan for the medium term. However, neither of these elements is in the throne speech. On the contrary, it is chock full of all kinds of promises. Having many priorities means that there are none. It is just a jumble of words. Unfortunately, this does not meet our immediate needs as the pandemic surges and we are experiencing a second wave.

In my view, the best analysis of the throne speech is the one provided by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. His analysis leads us to conclude that the throne speech is not what Canada needs right now to face the pandemic. We should remember that the Parliamentary Budget Officer is an independent officer and he is in some ways the government watchdog. He is there to remind the government that it must stay on track if it wants to prevent problems from arising further down the road.

We have seen the warning signs. Before the throne speech, my old colleague and former finance minister, Joe Oliver, said that it is time for Canada to pick a fiscal anchor.

Of course we need to support people. In 2008, the Conservatives did that through massive infrastructure investments to stimulate the economy. Many projects got built in my riding, including the Lac-Etchemin arena, the Lévis water treatment plant and the Notre-Dame-Auxiliatrice-de-Buckland infrastructure project. Those were measurable outcomes of targeted investments, and the Conservatives also had a plan at the time to balance the budget.

A former Liberal finance minister, John Manley, said it is important to have a fiscal anchor because that shows the financial markets that Canada is supporting people and knows where it is going in the medium term. Unfortunately, the throne speech proves that this government is going in the opposite direction.

According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer's economic outlook, it is possible to get through the pandemic and stay on track with realistic fiscal anchors, but that will not be possible if the government engages in new spending.

As my colleague from British Columbia said, the Liberals are interfering in programs that are provincial responsibilities. As the saying goes, they are throwing money out the window. That is not the sound management we expect. Moreover, financial markets are worried. Firms such as Fitch Ratings have downgraded Canada, and credit rating agencies such as Bloomberg and Moody's have warned Canada that if it does not stop spending shamelessly and keeps introducing poorly targeted measures, it is going to crash and burn.

We want to support Canadians, but we want to be able to do that now and in the long term. The measures proposed by the Liberals combined with the government's extravagant spending would threaten the social safety net in the medium term. That is troubling. We are not even close to achieving sustainable development.

According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, there is a risk that the sustainable debt-to-GDP trajectory could be reversed. In other words, if we continue to spend excessively on extravagant and poorly targeted measures, we will be temporarily “doped” by a significant cash injection, but we will have to pay for the damage in the medium and long term, since this is borrowed money.

There is another aspect that concerns me. The Speech from the Throne says that interest rates are going to stay low for decades to come. Of course that is unrealistic. The Bank of Canada's key interest rate is currently 0.25%. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer's assumption, that rate could remain stable for the next three years, but it is expected to increase by 1% within five years' time. That is five times higher than the current key rate. The rate would remain fixed at 1.25%, but that would still increase the debt by $8 billion. The government seems to be deluding itself regarding easy credit.

The third thing that worries me is the government's poorly targeted measures. People received more money than they lost from their savings. This is borrowed money, though. It belongs to the government.

Canadians' household income went up by 5.4%. That is nice to see, but since this is borrowed money, it will have to be paid back. The problem is that the Liberal government makes poor spending choices and implements measures that hurt the economy. For example, it did not encourage people to stay connected to their jobs or to return to work.

I will not support the throne speech because it contains extravagant expenses, is devoid of any fiscal anchors and does not present short-term measures to combat the pandemic.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the Chair for coordinating the hybrid sitting. This is the first time I have participated.

I will now yield the floor to my colleagues and I would be happy to take questions.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:30 p.m.

NDP

Richard Cannings NDP South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask a question of the member and of all Conservatives.

I get confused when I hear the Conservative response to the Speech from the Throne. It is all about the government not spending enough money and needing to take care of situations with businesses or people who have fallen through the cracks. On the other hand, I hear that we are spending too much money, so I get confused.

We have in the NDP caucus 24 members who have, through the last six months, accomplished a great deal for Canadians. Almost all of the benefits that Canadians needed and received to help them through the COVID pandemic came from NDP proposals, yet the Conservative caucus, in my view, has achieved nothing.

I am wondering if the member could explain to me what the focus of the Conservative caucus is.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:30 p.m.

Conservative

Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is very simple. The core and main goal of our Conservative approach is to support Canadians now and later. Recently, we saw the Liberal government cutting debate, shutting down the House and preventing us from putting efficient measures in place to support our collectivity.

I will refer my colleague to the specific example of measures that are so ill-conceived, they are having the opposite impact than the one the government aimed for, which was to support businesses. Restaurant workers in my riding are having a hard time finding jobs and pharmacists have a hard time hiring students because the measures did not incentivize or encourage them to stay in the labour market. Conservatives want constructive measures and, in that regard, we also need targets that will—

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Jonquière.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:35 p.m.

Bloc

Mario Simard Bloc Jonquière, QC

Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech.

He mentioned the Parliamentary Budget Officer several times. I could add to that by saying that, in 2013, the Parliamentary Budget Officer released a devastating report on health care funding. In the report he indicated that, if nothing is done, year after year the provinces would have to absorb the deficits that the federal government does not want to face while running surpluses.

Lastly, I asked his colleague from Chicoutimi—Le Fjord a question. As his colleague from Carleton tells me, often in politics you have to repeat yourself. My question for him is this: Knowing that the provinces have asked for transfers to be increased to 35% and that 81% of Quebeckers agree with that increase, would he be prepared to promise that a future Conservative government will increase health transfers to 35%?

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:35 p.m.

Conservative

Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC

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

Obviously we are in favour of reliable, predictable transfers in health. That would allow us to support the provinces, especially during a pandemic.

What I was explaining in my speech is that given the Liberals' irresponsible management of public finances, these same transfers could be compromised in the medium and long term, so say many economists, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, and former Liberal finance ministers and advisors. That is why we want a responsible approach that will allow to continue to support health care and the provinces, especially during a pandemic.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

12:35 p.m.

Liberal

Bob Bratina Liberal Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my friend from Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis why we cannot accomplish the things he mentioned would be desirable by the continuation of Parliament. How would Canadians be served by collapsing the House and forcing another election, with as much as a month or more perhaps of no parliamentary activity?