Debates of Nov. 20th, 2020

Hastings—Lennox and Addington

[Derek Sloan, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to honour the following people and businesses. They have gone above and beyond during the pandemic response in Hastings—Lennox and Addington. I honour Karen and Harold Bailey from Centre Hastings; Joan Donaldson, Joanne Carrol and Jackie Scott from Tudor and Cashel; Debbie Rollins, the long-term care director of Hastings Manor; the mask mate project in Napanee, which provided free mask mates for health care workers; Sarah Routhier from Belleville for her efforts on mental health; Dawn Switzer, the clerk-treasurer in Faraday Township; the following school officials from Bancroft: Wayne Stewart, Lisa Resmer, Terrace Suman, Marion Wilson, Rob Lake, Lisa McKenna-Sutherland and Pat Flagler; Morningstar Mission, the Lions Club and Marie's Place for delivering meals across Greater Napanee; Tim Hortons in Napanee for a record-breaking smile cookie campaign, with almost $20,000 raised; and Tim Hortons Tweed, which gave free coffee for a search party for Brock Beatty, who tragically lost his life recently.

My heart goes out to the Beatty family for their loss. God bless.

Transgender Day of Remembrance

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

Madam Speaker, trans rights are human rights. That is why I was proud to vote in favour of Bill C-16, which entrenched trans rights in the Canadian Human Rights Act in the last Parliament. It is also why I was proud to vote in favour of banning conversion therapy by voting in favour of Bill C-6 at second reading last month. However, despite the tremendous progress we have made toward ensuring the protection of the rights of trans Canadians over the past five years, we still have much work to do to ensure that we eradicate transphobia in Canada.

On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, let us reflect upon the lives that have been lost as a result of transphobia, and the hatred, violence and discrimination it fosters. Let us redouble our commitment to tackling the scourge of transphobia and ensuring that the rights of all trans Canadians are protected.

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Madam Speaker, today I want to mark the Transgender Day of Remembrance and call attention to the more than 350 trans and gender-diverse people who were murdered this past year and the more than 3,500 people killed over the past decade worldwide just for being themselves.

Some might think that such heinous crimes could never happen here in Canada. Unfortunately, that is not the case. This past year alone, Canada saw the murders of two transgender Canadians. We must take this as a reminder that not only discrimination but also hatred persist, and that we must continue to fight for safety and full equality for all.

While 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us, it has hit the transgender and gender-diverse community especially hard. COVID has brought even greater challenges to a population that already faces barriers in finding housing and employment and in seeking out supportive health care. I call on members to not only mourn the losses of our parents, children and siblings, but, at the same time, celebrate the strength and resilience of this community.

André Carpentier

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Sherbrooke, QC]

Madam Speaker, November is diabetes month, and as the month draws to a close, I would like to say a few words, with less emotion than yesterday but just as much pride, in recognition of the exceptional work of Sherbrooke's own Dr. André Carpentier, who has become an international leader in diabetes research. He developed a series of molecular imaging methods to study how fats behave in the human body.

Dr. Carpentier and his team were the first to observe the thermogenesis of brown fat, and they are also the only team to have measured the metabolic breakdown of dietary fats. These advances will help develop drugs to treat certain complications associated with type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Carpentier is a professor of medicine and a physician-scientist at the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, the CHUS, and he is also the director or co-director of several diabetes research networks. In addition, in December, Dr. Carpentier will become the new scientific director of the CHUS research centre.

My hearty congratulations to him for his excellent work and his involvement on so many levels.

Renovations on Parliament Hill

[Eric Duncan, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Madam Speaker, for generations, Canadians have been proud to visit and showcase Parliament Hill, with our House of Commons, the Peace Tower and the Centennial Flame. However, with the ongoing work taking place here to renovate these historical assets, Canadians are becoming increasingly concerned with their cost in an accountability process that continues to spiral out of control.

This week, it was reported that another $153 million was added to the now $4.4-billion project, an amount growing with every update. It is now at least four times the size of the original estimates. It is very clear that the governance and oversight in this project are a mess. To use the old saying, there are too many cooks in the kitchen.

I love Parliament Hill and I am honoured to serve here, but it is projects like this that make the federal government look incapable of managing our tax dollars properly. I implore this chamber and the minister to intervene immediately, come up with a proper governance and oversight plan, and get this project back to a reasonable budget.

Cultural Industries

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am here today to congratulate the Minister of Canadian Heritage for being a champion to our cultural industries with his vision for the future and for dealing with the immediacy of the pandemic. Ensuring that web giants contribute to the creation, production and distribution of Canadian stories is long overdue. Local new outlets play such an important role in our communities. Supporting them is critical, and so is helping our film and television industry.

Etobicoke—Lakeshore is a film hub in Canada, even known as “Hollywood North”. Cinespace and William F. White International Inc. are two of the big players creating jobs and supporting our local businesses. The pandemic hurt this industry in unconventional ways. I am proud that we stepped up to offer short-term compensation to address the lack of COVID-19 insurance, and I am proud we ensured financial support for gig workers, who are key to the film industry.

Film and TV are so vital to our cultural identity and my local economy. As we move forward, we will be there for them.

Mind the Gap

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Madam Speaker, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all seen heartbreaking tragedies among the elderly in our communities, especially those in long-term care. However, this crisis has only made visible and amplified problems that have existed for a very long time. Today, I pay tribute to Mind the Gap, a brave group of women in my riding who have been working for many years at all levels of government to find solutions.

Mind the Gap began as a peer support group of six women whose husbands suffered from Alzheimer's. Five of them experienced placing their spouses in long-term care, and most are now widows. What makes these women remarkable is that they have chosen to dedicate their time to using their lived experience to turn to advocacy. I first met them when they were advocating for a national dementia strategy. During the current crisis they have been providing thoughtful solutions, including advocacy for national standards for long-term care, and researching positive models from around the world.

At this very difficult time, I want to thank Mind the Gap members for turning their personal tragedies into a basis for action.

Travel Agents

[James Cumming, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Madam Speaker, hard-working travel agents are struggling. In my riding, for over 30 years Paull Travel has provided travel service. It is a company like many others, including independent travel agents, who, after decades of hard work, have found themselves in an impossible situation where the only avenue they may be able to take is to go out of business for good.

Brought on by the pandemic, but made more hostile by government's inability to provide rapid testing for Canadians and much-needed support for airlines, many travel agencies and independent providers are facing revenue decreases in excess of 90%. Paull Travel has done everything in its power to retain its all-female team of 13, many of whom are their families main earners, but with products sold being refunded, commissions are getting clawed back.

Nobody saw this pandemic coming, and the situations travellers have been left in are devastating. There is no debate there. However, at the end of the day, services provided should be services paid, and with any government support to the airline industry, travel agents cannot be collateral damage.

Restaurant Industry

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Milton, ON]

Madam Speaker, COVID-19 has been tough for everyone, but with Canada's hospitality industry facing so many unique challenges, it has been particularly difficult for local restaurants across the country.

Our government has provided billions of dollars in support through the Canada emergency wage subsidy and the commercial rent assistance program. The wage subsidy alone provided over $3.6 billion to restaurants from March to September. With patio season wrapping up, restaurants head into a harsh winter, so I am glad that we have extended the wage subsidy and expanded the CEBA. However, it is not enough. Restaurants need our support.

I want to take a moment to thank restaurateurs, management and industry staff here in Milton who have found a way to continue to serve during the most difficult year ever. I thank the Rad Brothers, EddieO's, Bryden's, Caribbean Vibes, the Thai House, the Green Eatery, Grill Daddy, Naan Guys and our local Paramount Fine Foods. I am sorry that I cannot name them all. Our restaurants here in Milton have found ways to serve our community, with great deals and free meals for veterans and the less fortunate, and help out where they can.

Canadians have been there, but we need to continue ordering in for meals and supporting the local restaurants that have always been there for us and will be when COVID-19 is history.

Claude Bennett

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great patriot, who, after a long life of service and sacrifice, duty and discipline to community and country, has gone home to his Lord and Saviour.

Claude Bennett was humble but had nothing to be humble about. His 27 years as an alderman and member of provincial Parliament were distinguished. He saved countless lives by helping to bring the Ottawa Heart Institute to this city, an institute that, in the end, did three surgeries on him alone. He was relentless in his support of the community. He chaired Triple-A baseball, was the head of the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame and became the president of the Canadian exhibition here in Ottawa.

He continued into his later years, playing an amazing 54 holes of golf on his 75th birthday and regularly walking as much as 10 miles in a single day. He is the great patriarch of the legendary Bennett family.

We all pay tribute to him and his life. He lives on through his family and friends in this world even as he passes into the next.

Small Business

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Speaker, Statistics Canada reports that nearly one in three small businesses does not know how much longer they can stay in business, and the government still cannot get its rent subsidy right.

Bill C-9 was written on the fly and had to be rushed through Parliament without proper scrutiny, even though the Liberals had months to get it right. As written, the bill excludes the businesses that need help the most: the ones that have fallen behind while waiting for the government.

The finance minister had a solution. She told the Senate finance committee that since she clearly intended for these businesses to qualify, the CRA can just interpret the law according to her intentions. Is that really how it works? Is it the minister's intention that counts? It is not the rule of law now; it is the rule of ministerial intention.

Intentions do not pay the rent and neither do endless announcements. It is November 20, the first is coming soon, and thousands of small businesses do not know how they are going to pay the rent.

Post-Secondary Education

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Madam Speaker, post-secondary students and recent graduates are still not getting the help they need. In my riding, many UVic and Camosun students have fallen through the cracks of the pandemic relief programs. They could not get summer jobs, and while the Liberal government helped out its friends, students got none of the $900 million set aside to help them.

To make things worse, while students are struggling to pay rent, the government has started collecting on student loans again and continues to make money off the backs of students by collecting millions by charging interest on student debt. As we face this second wave of COVID-19 across the country, the Liberals are still leaving students behind, and I want to give a shout-out to the Don't Forget Students campaign.

It is time for the government to live up to its promises and start listening to students.

Métis Nation

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Madam Speaker, each year, on November 16, Métis people across Canada pay tribute to Métis leader and founder Louis Riel. He devoted and sacrificed his life to defending the rights of Métis people. Riel's legacy continues to resonate across the homeland.

In addition to recognizing Louis Riel Day, the Métis Nation of Alberta has declared the week surrounding November 16 as Métis Week. It celebrates the culture, history and contributions of Métis people to Alberta and to Canada, with events held across the province. As Métis Week comes to a close, I urge all parliamentarians and all Canadians to reflect upon the important contributions and sacrifices of the Métis.

Our government supports Métis nation-led initiatives for post-secondary education and housing in Métis communities. We will continue to work government-to-government with the Métis nation to make a real difference in the lives of Métis people.

Early Childhood Week

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Madam Speaker, I want to draw the attention of the House to the fact that this week is early childhood week in Quebec. The idea of designating such a week emerged from the 2015 “Tous pour eux” forum, which brought together local and regional stakeholders on the themes of childhood and the perinatal period.

Early childhood week reminds us how important it is to always enthusiastically support initiatives that help our little ones.

On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, it gives me great pleasure to rise today to express our heartfelt thanks to all the stakeholder organizations that are working for our little ones.

I also want to take this opportunity to recognize that today is Universal Children's Day. Children are our future. They represent joy and purity. We must continue our efforts to give our children the future they deserve.

Nova Scotian Fishery

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Madam Speaker, for months now the Nova Scotian fishing crisis has continued to escalate. Tensions have risen with each passing week. We have heard testimony at the fisheries committee from indigenous leaders, commercial fishermen, DFO representatives and academics.

The common thread in this crisis is that no one is happy with the performance of the Liberal government. Even the Liberal Premier of Nova Scotia said that he is “very dissatisfied” and that “We need the federal minister to sit down with all sides in a room. It is not enough to sit down with Indigenous leaders or with fishing associations by themselves.” On Wednesday night, the fisheries minister admitted that she has not even read the Marshall decision, which is a foundational ruling in this crisis.

Nova Scotians are tired of empty words and inaction. They need a minister who understands her job, does her homework and provides the necessary leadership to de-escalate this crisis.

Business Achievement Awards

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is Global Entrepreneurship Week and I cannot think of a better time to highlight the winner of our local Vaughan chamber's young entrepreneur under 40, Robert Federici, owner of Ciao Roma in my riding of Vaughan—Woodbridge.

The Vaughan Chamber of Commerce has been serving our dynamic and entrepreneurial city of Vaughan for years, strengthening and fostering business relationships. The VC's 2020 Business Achievement Awards took on a virtual look this year, but the connection was not lost among the nearly 500 virtual attendees, cheering on winners such as DuROCK Alfacing, winner of the innovation and technology award; Pizza Nova, winner of hospitality; and other winners such as Fazzari + Partners, TACC Construction and the Cortel Group. There was a special recognition for the community spirit award winner, Peter Wixson, the founder of the Vaughan Food Bank, whose dedication over three decades inspires so many.

Small businesses know and can rest assured across this country that our government has their backs, as we all continue to face and battle COVID-19.

Health

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Madam Speaker, this country is in a worse crisis than we ever could have imagined. Eleven months after COVID has hit, thousands of lives, millions of jobs and Canadians' freedom have been lost. Canadians were told in March, if they just followed the rules, we would flatten the curve and things would get better. Things are not better. The Prime Minister has failed in managing this crisis. Yesterday's report is proof of that. Canadians deserve some answers and the truth.

When will the Prime Minister realize that getting rapid, at-home testing, having reliable tracing and getting Canadians all the data is his job and he is failing miserably at it?

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, from day one, we have been there to support provinces and territories in their responsibility to deliver health care. We have sent rapid tests, support for long-term home care, additional contact tracing and test processing capacity, and we have provided $19 billion through the safe restart agreement.

Our vaccine portfolio is one of the strongest in the world and we are working with partners to ensure that we will be ready to deploy when the time comes. We have taken a team Canada approach to COVID-19 and we will continue to work to keep Canadians safe and health every day.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

I just want to remind members to keep the back-and-forth down during question period so that we can hear what those who are speaking are saying.

The hon. deputy leader of the official opposition.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Madam Speaker, Canadians are being kept in the dark by the Prime Minister. He is throwing numbers at them without any context. Too often, the government cannot tell us what activities are driving up COVID-19 numbers. One day, it is restaurants. The next day, it is weddings. Then it is schools, and then it is not. Our lack of detailed data prevents us from tracking outbreaks and knowing the highest-risk settings. One year after the first COVID case was flagged in China, Canadians still do not have answers.

When will the government release the data it is using to make decisions on this pandemic?

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, as weather gets colder, we need to keep practising the things that have kept us safe, the things that we have done that worked in the first wave, such as physical distancing, frequent handwashing and avoiding large or crowded gatherings.

We see the numbers going up, but the pandemic is not over yet. We must be vigilant. I know it is hard to be away from loved ones, but by staying apart, we are keeping each other safe.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Madam Speaker, the Liberals' plan is not working. The cases are going up, jobs are being lost and Canadians are at risk. We know South Korea was one of the first countries impacted by COVID-19. On Monday, it reported 230 new cases for a population of 51 million people. They knew for certain that 202 cases were community spread and 28 cases were imported. Countries like Taiwan had early access to rapid testing and that has helped them reduce their COVID numbers.

Why has the government not learned a thing from other countries like South Korea or Taiwan, which are doing things right, and instead is continuing to have Canadians fly blind on COVID-19?

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, we know these are challenging times and Canadians have stepped up to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The federal government has been working closely, since day one, with provinces and territories to ensure they have the tools they feel they need to respond to the pandemic. Modelling shows that we need to keep working at the measures that have kept us safe. This includes, as I said before, physical distancing, frequent handwashing and wearing a mask. We will continue to do everything we can to keep Canadians healthy and safe.

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

Madam Speaker, we all remember in the spring when the Prime Minister would come out of Rideau Cottage to lecture us. He told us to get ready for the second wave. It has been nine months since the pandemic started in Canada, and there is still no plan. There is plenty of talk, but no real plan.

Thousands of lives and jobs have been lost, and hundreds of billions of dollars have been added to our national debt. Borders, rapid testing and vaccines are the Liberals' responsibility.

Where is the plan?

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, while scientists around the world do very important work to find a vaccine for COVID-19, we are working to make sure that Canadians are able to get vaccinated when the time comes. That is why we are securing a range of vaccines and hundreds of millions of doses so that Canadians are safe and well served. A few vaccine candidates have published some very promising results and things seem to be moving very quickly. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that Canadians will have access to a vaccine when it becomes available.