Debates of Nov. 17th, 2020

Public Safety

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles once again for his question.

I think I made myself clear. I think all members in the House have understood that national security is paramount for each and every contract considered by the Government of Canada. In response to all questions today, we have said that national security would always come first. It is our duty as a government to ensure the health, safety and security of Canadians.

Health

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, in Manitoba the provincial and federal governments have had eight months to fix health and safety issues occurring in federally owned long-term care homes. They failed. We now have outbreaks of COVID-19 at Maples and Parkview Place long-term care homes. Workers and residents are getting sick and losing their lives.

The federal government owns Revera facilities, and it is time it stopped playing jurisdictional games and honour its responsibility to keep residents and workers safe and alive. When will the Liberals own their part of the crisis and make sure workers and loved ones can survive the pandemic?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I think every member in the House is concerned with the growth of cases and indeed the tragic deaths that are occurring across the country as a result of COVID-19. Our hearts are with all of the families that have lost a loved one. In this difficult time we all have to continue to pull together.

We need a team Canada approach and that is exactly what we have been providing, whether it is $19 billion to provinces and territories, millions of rapid tests for provinces and territories, or additional supports, such as over 250 Canadian Red Cross people deployed into long-term care homes, including in Manitoba, we will continue to be there for all Canadians no matter which province they are in.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

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

Mr. Speaker, the government promised supports to small businesses, and the House passed legislation on November 6, but businesses are still waiting, and they are incurring massive debt while they wait. Ultimately the Liberals should not have delayed. This should have been passed in the summer, but they prorogued Parliament, even though everyone knew a second wave was coming.

Time is running out for so many small businesses that are closed again to protect public health. The government needs to move quickly.

Why are the Liberals not asking the Senate to convene and pass these supports? Where is the sense of urgency to save Canadian small businesses?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, that urgency is what we have been dealing with right from day one. We are making sure we have supports to help pay for staff, pay for fixed costs and get that liquidity support in the small business loans. We have treated this with absolute urgency from day one.

We will continue to do that every single day so we can bridge them to beyond this crisis. I want to thank small businesses for all the work that they are doing for our country.

Health

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the opioid crisis continues to be one of the most serious public health crises in Canada's history. Tragically, the impact of COVID-19 is only worsening this crisis and many communities, such as my riding of Davenport, are feeling the effects. Canadians cannot wait. Leadership on this issue will save hundreds of lives.

Can the Minister of Health share some of the work the federal government is doing to address the devastating impacts of the opioid crisis?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her passionate advocacy for people who use substances. Every person who uses substances deserves the right to treatment and deserves the right to compassionate care.

As we fight COVID-19, we cannot forget about the epidemic of opioid overdoses that is happening in our country. That is why we announced nearly $9.5 million for four safer supply projects in Ontario, including two in Toronto. That is a way to ensure that people have access to safer substances, less toxic drugs.

In fact, we will continue to tackle this epidemic by expanding access to a safe supply of prescription opioids, committing over $700 million toward effective treatment and fighting stigma that prevents people from—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.

Foreign Affairs

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the foreign affairs minister has repeatedly said that he is disturbed by the treatment of Uighurs, but his feelings have not led to any action. In fact, the government remains complicit in the abuse of Uighurs by failing to put in place safeguards to address the sourcing of products made by Uighur slave labour and by funding the belt and road initiative through the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Therefore, when will the government use Magnitsky sanctions to hold perpetrators accountable, protect the integrity of our supply chains and withdraw Canadian taxpayers' dollars from the AIIB?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is correct. We are gravely concerned on this side of the House, and I think all parliamentarians are, when it comes to the plight of the Uighurs.

I have raised this issue both publicly and privately with the Chinese authorities. We welcome the work of the committee. More than that, I did speak to the representative for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to look at what the international community can do in terms of action to assess the situation and report back to the international committee.

We are going to work with the international community to hold China to account for its international obligations.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, he did not need to wait for feedback from the UN. Canadian parliamentarians have been suggesting real action that the minister could have been taking for a very long time.

Last year, the Conservatives asked the government about CPP investments in Chinese military affiliated tech companies playing a significant role in the surveillance and mass detention of Uighurs. All we heard back at the time was that it was looking out for the interests of Canadian pensioners.

Has the government done anything to prevent CPP funds from enabling grievous human rights abuses?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I am really surprised to hear the member say that we should not work with the UN when it comes to investigating a serious situation.

What we said was that we had taken action. The member, for whom I have the utmost respect, always says “take action.” We took action. We are talking to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, asking what the international community is going to do, and lending Canada's support.

I think Canadians who are watching expect Canada to work with the international community to hold China to account in terms of its international obligations.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, we are 10 months into the COVID crisis and news of potential vaccines are starting to surface.

However, for months, immunologists, pharmacists and public health officials have been asking the federal government to table a transparent plan on where Canada is on the list to receive a vaccine, how the vaccine will be delivered to Canadians and who will get it first.

On what date will the Prime Minister make public this plan or does he even have one?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as scientists have been working around the world on their important work to uncover effective vaccines for COVID-19, we have been working to ensure that Canadians will have access and be able to get vaccinated when the time comes.

That is why we have secured a range of vaccines and hundreds of millions of doses for Canadians, so Canadians are safe and well-served when they arrive. A few vaccine candidates have published some promising results and seem to be moving quickly. This is the light at the end of the tunnel.

I know we need to continue to work closely together to get through the next several months. We will continue to work with all our partners to ensure that Canadians have access to vaccines when they arrive.

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

Mr. Speaker, for those watching, that is word salad for “We don't have a plan and we don't have details.”

Today we learned that the military might actually have to be deployed regarding the vaccine, but we still do not have details on who is going to get it, in what order, how it is going to be distributed and how some of the logistic details might be addressed.

The health minister did not deliver rapid tests in a way that could have stopped the second wave. Is her incompetence or the Prime Minister's the reason why, 10 months into COVID, we do not have any details on vaccine distribution?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, this is a whole-of-government approach. In fact, it is a team Canada approach. We will be working closely with provinces, territories and indeed local public health as we need to. This is an endeavour that will require all hands on deck.

I am so thrilled with the work of people like those on the vaccine task force, hard-working volunteer Canadians who have been helping the Government of Canada procure the most effective vaccines. That is resulting in ensuring that Canadians have access to promising vaccines to the number of doses we will need. We will continue that hard work. I know Canadians are looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Official Languages

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

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has long criticized the anglicization of Quebec supported by the federal government, which ceaselessly promotes services in English in Quebec.

Today, 200 people complained about Montreal businesses that were unable to serve them in French. Yesterday, the minister assured me not once but twice that she recognized the decline of French and that she would take action.

Can she announce just one concrete measure, other than the modernization of the act, to address Quebeckers' concerns?

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

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that we must be there to protect the language rights of francophones, both in Quebec and across the country. This is the first time that the Government of Canada has acknowledged that it must do more to protect the state of the French language. We know it is a minority language in Canada and around the world.

I will be pleased to work with my colleague when we announce a major reform of the Official Languages Act, which will acknowledge this situation and the need for the government to set an example from the top down, but which will also acknowledge that we must do more to protect access to the language—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. The hon. member for La Pointe-de-l'Île.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is not hard to understand. There is an official language in Quebec: French. There is a language under threat in Quebec: French. There is a language being supported by the federal government: English.

In the Speech from the Throne, the government promised to protect French in Quebec, but the Official Languages Act encourages services in English and institutional bilingualism. That is why the federal government constantly guts Bill 101.

When will this government stop undermining French in Quebec?

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

Mr. Speaker, I completely disagree with my colleague because the reality is that we are helping francophones in Quebec and we are helping the Quebec government get access to French training services, particularly with regard to immigration, through the Canada-Quebec agreement on immigration.

We are also here to support our artisans working in the cultural sector, for example by providing support to Radio-Canada across Quebec. This is a flagship institution for francophones and Quebeckers. We also actively support culture and the French fact through Telefilm Canada and all the cultural institutions. We are there as allies to francophones, allies to those who—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. The hon. member for Richmond—Arthabaska.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the member for Saint-Laurent said she needed proof of the decline of French in Quebec and Canada. I doubt she has read a single study or listened to anything in the media. She is an MP from the Montreal area, but I doubt she spends much time walking around Montreal or going to shops and restaurants, which would explain why she is so out of touch with reality.

Interestingly, not a single Liberal MP, and certainly not any from Quebec, have spoken out against her statements, which are disrespectful to all francophones in Quebec and across the country.

Will the Prime Minister or the Minister of Official Languages have the courage to stand up and repudiate their fellow MP's statements?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that my colleague focus on his own MPs.

For our part, Liberal Party of Canada MPs vigorously stand up for both official languages. Every Quebec MP ardently champions French in Quebec and across Canada. We have worked hard in the past and will continue to work hard because we know that defending French in Quebec and across Canada is essential.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. The Liberals have been in office for five years and have a long list of failures to show for it.

The COVID Alert texts are in English only in Quebec. A $1-billion contract was awarded to WE Charity, a unilingual anglophone organization. Government officials' conference calls are in English only. Labelling rules have been suspended during the pandemic and labelling is in English only. The government is refusing to give Quebec a clear answer regarding the application of Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses.

This government is in no position to lecture anyone here in the House. It needs to introduce its bill to modernize the Official Languages Act before Christmas, as called for by all of the organizations. That is what we expect from the government right now.