Debates of Nov. 16th, 2020

Official Languages

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is easy.

My colleague is a member of the Standing Committee on Official Languages. She defends her party's positions. Quite frankly, no one can say the Liberal Party has been much of an ally to French in Quebec. That party voted against the application of Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses and against our proposal to make knowledge of French a requirement for obtaining citizenship in Quebec. It funds anglophone communities, but does not support French, which is under threat in Quebec.

Does the government realize that it is not helping French in Quebec? It continually undermines it.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has supported both official languages since 1969.

During the Laurendeau-Dunton commission hearings, the importance of French was made abundantly clear, and the commission made good recommendations. At the time, it was actually Pierre Elliott Trudeau who established institutional bilingualism in our entire public service, ensuring that all Quebeckers and francophones across the country would have access to services in French.

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, and we are now at a point where we need to do more to protect French, a minority language in Canada and North America.

This is the first time the government has recognized the situation, which is why are going to take action.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Saint-Laurent said out loud what the Liberals are secretly thinking, and she said it in English, to boot. That is the importance she places on French.

It is not surprising that when she won her seat, she gave her speech entirely in English, claiming that anglophones support her.

There is only one official language in Quebec, only one language that is under threat, and that is French.

Will the government finally wake up after 50 years? Will it apply Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses and make knowledge of French a requirement for citizenship in Quebec?

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

Mr. Speaker, my Bloc Québécois colleague is certainly in no position to tell us what Liberal members are thinking.

However, I can tell him what they are thinking because I sit with them. We recognize that French is losing ground. We recognize the importance of supporting the French language, not just across Canada, but also in Quebec.

We mentioned it in the throne speech. We are saying it publicly everywhere. I know that the Bloc Québécois is still trying to pick fights. However, on this side of the House, we will always stand up for the French language.

Public Safety

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, CSIS says China's communist regime uses spies to intimidate and threaten Chinese Canadians to suppress dissent on Canadian soil. China's Operation Fox Hunt is an attack on Canadian sovereignty and national security. The Prime Minister says he has “long been concerned”, and that he brings it up when he engages with China. The victims of these bullies sounded the alarm and they have the courage to stand up.

What is the government actually doing to protect them?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear that our government has been taking, and will continue to take, action to protect Canadians, their personal information and their interests from any threat or intimidation from foreign interference or espionage, including threats to our economy, intellectual property, critical supply chains and communities.

As the NSICOP report released earlier this year makes very clear, we recognize the hostile activities of state actors, such as China, as a key and growing risk in this regard. We remain constantly vigilant against these risks.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, beyond so-called recognition and all these words, what is the actual action?

Almost 80% of Canadians believe China constitutes a threat to Canada. Recently, the Chinese ambassador threatened Canadians in Hong Kong. Canadian citizens are in arbitrary imprisonment and Canadian lives are at risk in China. The Liberals' failure to stand up for human rights and to protect Canadians all over the world is emboldening these state-sponsored bullies.

How can Canadians feel safe anywhere when the Liberals clearly do not have their backs?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the very premise of that question is that Canada is making strong representations on an almost daily basis with respect to the issues around China. Reports of harassment and intimidation of individuals in Canada are deeply troubling. Allegations of such acts being carried out by foreign agents are taken very seriously. Chinese representatives, who are governed in Canada like all foreign government representatives in Canada, have a duty under international law to respect the laws and regulations of Canada. Canada will continue to use every measure available to stand up for Canadians and their rights.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, so we will just tell Canadians these measures. Canadians are under threat and deserve action, not just words. Three weeks ago, eight people were charged for intimidating and harassing Chinese Americans in the U.S. American officials say there is an aggressive commitment to protect their citizens from China's campaign of illegally imposing its will. The Prime Minister does admit, as do these ministers, that this is happening to Canadians.

I will ask one more time. How many people have actually been charged in Canada for going after Canadians in Operation Fox Hunt?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me assure the House that we do not in any way tolerate hostile foreign state actors threatening Canada's national security or the safety of any of our citizens. I want to assure the House and all Canadians that our security and law enforcement agencies have the skills, resources and legal authority they need to detect, investigate and respond to every such threat.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have left thousands of small businesses, especially start-ups, to fend for themselves throughout the pandemic and they are desperate for help with a second wave hitting. Many entrepreneurs still cannot access CEBA, the wage subsidy or other small business supports. Now the government is refusing to backdate support for commercial rent relief to April. For months small businesses have been left behind by government programs. Many now have massive debts and are facing bankruptcy.

Will the minister do the right thing and backdate the broken CECRA program to April 1 to save thousands of small businesses across Canada?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, the programs that we have put forward are the lifeline to our small businesses, whether it is the fixed cost support for rent or making sure they have support today and going forward. Over 780,000 businesses have taken advantage of the small business loan, with more to come as we increased it by another $20,000. The Canadian emergency wage subsidy is providing the help necessary to keep employees on those companies' payrolls.

This work continues. I am thrilled to work with all members on all sides of the House to make sure we are supporting Canada's small businesses.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, businesses need retroactive payments. This country is in the grips of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. In parts of the country, cases are higher than they were in the spring. It is critical that people can stay home to stop the spread of this virus.

Instead of supporting Canadians to help save lives, the Prime Minister is now threatening to take away those very supports. Previously, he said the government would do whatever was necessary to see our country through COVID-19.

Can the Prime Minister promise Canadians they will have the financial support that they desperately need to stay home and save lives?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her concern for Canadians' lives and safety. In fact, that is what we have been focused on since the beginning.

We have been there for provinces and territories no matter what measures they needed and no matter what tools they needed, whether it was providing financial support for Canadians to stay home or support for small businesses and, indeed, medium- and large-sized businesses to stay viable during this time.

We provided $19 billion for provinces and territories, as well as additional supports to the Canadian Red Cross and others. I could go on. We will be there for Canadians.

Infrastructure

[Majid Jowhari, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, many constituents in my riding of Richmond Hill rely on accessible public transit to commute to work and home safely. The proposed Yonge North subway extension is a major step in connecting Toronto and York Region.

Can the minister kindly update the House on the progress of this infrastructure project and other investments in public transit?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Richmond Hill for his continued advocacy for the Yonge North subway.

While the Conservatives called for cuts to infrastructure, our government has invested over $13 billion in public transit, more than 13 times what the previous government invested. We look forward to working with the province and seeing a business case from it for the Yonge North subway extension, so we can get it built. This will create good jobs, reduce emissions and help people get around their communities faster.

Public Safety

[James Cumming, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only Five Eyes member to neither ban nor restrict the use of Huawei 5G equipment. Why are we allowing the Chinese government to bully and intimidate our country in a brute force attempt to potentially surrender our citizens' data, privacy and security?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, we know the potential when it comes to 5G technology and the important impact it will have on Canadians and our economy going forward. That is why we continue to do our due diligence and work with national security experts. We continue to work with our allies.

I can assure the member opposite that we have never and will never compromise when it comes to the safety and well-being of Canadians. We will make a decision in the best interests of Canadians.

[James Cumming, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the EU's general data protection regulation mandates that all business activities by Huawei meet its requirements. This allowed it to rule that Huawei was in breach of a European privacy law when it failed to comply with the request to provide the data it kept on EU citizens.

I ask the minister to be clear. Will Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act take similar steps to identify companies that are deemed a security threat and take coercive action if needed?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for his very thoughtful question on the privacy and protection of the individual data of Canadians. That is why we have been very clear about presenting the digital charter, which has 10 principles that will guide future legislation, policies and programs, and will keep Canadians' privacy and data safe and secure. I look forward to having a meaningful conversation on the subject matter very soon.

Infrastructure

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, effective public transit will be key to economic recovery after COVID, and York Region is no exception. The Yonge line is at capacity, and it does not go far enough north. The Yonge subway extension would create 60,000 jobs, reduce gridlock and deliver economic growth for the entire GTA.

The Ontario government has committed to investing, but the Liberal government is still refusing to act. What is the government waiting for? Why will it not invest in the Yonge subway extension?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to stand and talk about our investments in public transit. Our government has invested over $13 billion in public transit. That is more than 13 times what the previous government invested, and the Conservatives actually called for cuts to infrastructure.

We look forward to working with the province. We look forward to receiving a business case for the extension so that we can get it built, creating jobs, reducing emissions and helping people get around their communities faster.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government says it is committed to public transit in Ontario, but apparently not to the Yonge subway extension. The Yonge line is the lifeblood of the GTA, with 800,000 commuters a day and almost 100,000 of them passing through Finch. For jobs, economic recovery and growth, the GTA needs a union station of the north.

The business case is obvious. Why will the Liberals not get this Yonge subway extension on track? What is the real reason they will not invest?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to reiterate, again, our commitment to public transit.

We have invested more than $13 billion, but let us look at the previous Conservative government. We have invested 13 times more, but what did the Conservatives call for in the last election? They called for cuts to public transit. I am not sure that they would be committed to the investments in public transit we so desperately need to make.

We are committed to the Yonge North subway extension, but we need to be accountable to taxpayers. We need to see a business case, and then we will move forward, because we want to create good jobs. We want to tackle climate change, and we want to build more inclusive communities.

Taxation

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last night on the TV show Tout le monde en parle, the Minister of Canadian Heritage said that he was optimistic that web giants would be subject to GST in the next budget. It is not optimism he needs; it is a bit of initiative.

The minister does not need to wait for the budget. He can simply ask the GAFAM to immediately begin charging GST like other businesses do. Even the web giants are saying that they have nothing against that. The government just has to ask. This is a matter of tax fairness.

What is the minister waiting for to take action?