Debates of Nov. 23rd, 2020

Coquitlam Small Business

[Ron McKinnon, Liberal, Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, recently, I was pleased to join Coquitlam small business owners Zabrina, Justin and Phil on a special video call with our Prime Minister. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many challenges for small businesses, and Zabrina, Justin and Phil's Ninja Bubble Tea is no exception.

When the pandemic first hit, Ninja Bubble Tea had to shut down operations from March to May. Since reopening, it has shifted its operations to meet the evolving challenges of COVID-19. I was happy to see Ninja Bubble Tea taking full advantage of our government's COVID-19 support programs, including the Canada emergency wage subsidy, Canada emergency commercial rent assistance and the Canada emergency business account.

Ninja Bubble Tea's story is one of hometown success. There are countless stories like this behind every small business: stories of entrepreneurship, perseverance and everyday Canadian resilience. I am proud to highlight yet another Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam story in the House.

Jean Beauchesne

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay a heartfelt tribute to Jean Beauchesne, a colleague from my riding office in Trois-Rivières. Last June, he received not one but two cancer diagnoses. We were all shocked when we heard the terrible news.

Despite this, Jean has kept up his resilience and extraordinary composure while undergoing chemotherapy. Jean worked in the Mauricie media for almost 30 years and was our communications officer. His perseverance and resilience are such that a close friend called him the Terry Fox of 2020.

On behalf of the people of Trois-Rivières, I wish Jean a good recovery. I hope that our positive energy will sustain you, Jean.

Human Rights

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives are standing up for Canadian values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law threatened by the Chinese communist regime. Conservatives strongly support pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong who are being arrested and risking their lives in the name of freedom from China.

Canadians are alarmed by revelations that the Chinese communist party is forcing the Uighur Muslim minority into brutal re-education camps. China's widespread human rights abuses are well known to Canadians. Why then are the NDP member for Churchill—Keewatinook Aski and the Green Party member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith scheduled to speak at an event that amplifies Chinese communist propaganda and interferes with Canada's independent judiciary?

The event calls for the release of Meng Wanzhou, who is currently under house arrest in her $13-million Vancouver mansion. Green and NDP members' time would be better spent calling for the release of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who have been held in appalling conditions in Chinese prisons for over 700 days.

Shame on the NDP and Green Party for supporting Chinese communist propaganda over Canadian values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.

Marc Hovingh

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, like so many others, I was deeply shocked and saddened when Constable Marc Hovingh was killed in the line of duty on Manitoulin Island last Thursday.

A 28-year veteran of the Ontario Provincial Police who was described as a gentle giant by his friends, Constable Hovingh, with his wife Lianne, was active in his community, especially within the Mindemoya Missionary Church.

As we strive to better recognize the contribution of essential and front-line workers, this event reminds us of the legacy of sacrifice by those who stand to serve and protect.

On behalf of the people of Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, who are filled with grief at this tragic loss and grateful to all who put their lives on the line for us every day, I wish his wife Lianne and his children Nathan, Elena, Laura and Sarah continued strength through these difficult times.

As I extend sincere and heartfelt condolences to his family, I do as well to his colleagues in the Ontario Provincial Police, to his friends and to the residents of Manitoulin Island.

I ask all members to join me in a moment of silence for Constable Marc Hovingh.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Following discussions among representatives of all parties in the House, I understand there is an agreement to observe a moment of silence in memory of Ontario Provincial Police Constable Marc Hovingh, killed in the line of duty on November 19, 2020.

I now invite hon. members to rise.

[A moment of silence observed]

COVID-19 Emergency Response

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister does not hesitate to involve himself in areas of provincial jurisdiction when it suits his political purposes, but on issues regarding the health of Canadians and the response to COVID he is in hiding. The Prime Minister alone is responsible for the border. He failed. The Prime Minister alone is responsible for vaccines and rapid testing. He is failing. It is easier for the Prime Minister to blame the provinces for the shutdowns and increased cases than to do something. That is cowardly.

Why has the Prime Minister's big talk never been matched by real solutions?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let me speak for a moment about vaccines. Let me start by thanking the outstanding public servants at Procurement Canada. Thanks to them, Canada has one of the very best portfolios of vaccines in the world. We have purchase agreements with all of the leading vaccine candidates: Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Medicago, Novavax and Oxford-AstraZeneca. We are well positioned to vaccinate Canadians and that is what we are going to do.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister alone is responsible for our border and what happens there. Today, we learned that over five million people have come into Canada and not isolated. If we had rapid testing these people, many of whom are essential workers, could have been tested and cleared or tested, isolated and treated. We are 11 months in and rapid testing is uncommon in Canada and at-home testing is non-existent.

When will the Prime Minister step up, do his job and ensure that rapid and at-home testing are available to Canadians?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let me inform Canadians and members of the House that six rapid tests have been authorized: bKIT Virus Finder from Hyris; BD Veritor system from Becton, Dickinson and Company; Abbott ID Now; Abbott Panbio; Xpert Xpress; and Sofia 2 SARS Antigen FIA from Diagnostic Hybrids. By the end of the year we expect delivery of 20.5 million Abbott Panbio antigen tests.

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

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of talk, but no results.

Eleven months after COVID hit, thousands of lives and millions of jobs and freedoms of Canadians have been lost. We are on the verge of a mental health crisis, and lockdowns that were meant to be a last resort to buy some time have become the Prime Minister's only answer. Smart border action, rapid testing and good data are all part of the solution and a federal responsibility, but the Prime Minister is sitting on his hands and doing none of the heavy lifting.

When will he step up, do his job and present a smart strategy to deal with COVID?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I have spoken about vaccines and rapid tests so let me talk for a moment about the border. Let me start by reminding all Canadians and visitors to Canada that a 14-day quarantine is mandatory and we expect and require people to abide by that.

When it comes to the Canada-U.S. border, let me also say this. We have imposed unprecedented restrictions on travel across that essential border and have done it while maintaining the essential lifeline of trade between Canada and the U.S. That is a great accomplishment and a testament to the friendship between Canada and the United States.

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

Mr. Speaker, the problem is that we just get bits of information at a time.

On top of that, the provinces are the ones telling us about the plan to distribute vaccines when that information should be coming directly from Ottawa. Three provinces have announced how many vaccines they will receive.

Sure, the plan is easy to see: The vaccines will be distributed to the provinces on a per capita basis. However, we should not be getting bits of information from the provinces about the federal government's game plan. Why will the Government of Canada not share its distribution plan with the public? It should not be complicated.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the member opposite that the vaccine distribution plan is absolutely essential.

That is why I am so proud of the public servants at Public Services and Procurement Canada. Thanks to them, Canada has the very best portfolio of vaccines in the world. We have contracts with Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi-GlaxoSmithKline, Medicago, Novavax and AstraZeneca-Oxford.

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

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the Deputy Prime Minister, that is not the problem.

The problem is that the Prime Minister, who is back at Rideau Cottage, comes out every day to put on a little show for Canadians, but he has nothing to say. He gives press conferences with no new information.

Meanwhile, the American government has proven that it has an action plan. Procurement is already done. The distribution plan has been set in motion. Everyone knows where the government is headed. Let's look at a smaller country, the Netherlands. Officials there have announced that the vaccine will be given to people aged 60 and over, people with health problems and front-line health care workers.

Why does our government not come up with a comprehensive plan and announce it to Canadians?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, in order to distribute the vaccine, the most important thing is to procure the vaccine.

That is why I want to emphasize that Canada has done this. It is important to reassure Canadians and to explain that we really do have the best portfolio of vaccines in the world.

As for distribution, we are currently working with the provinces and territories, experts, and the Canadian Armed Forces to ensure that we have an excellent distribution plan.

Official Languages

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on the weekend, the Minister of Official Languages declared that we are on the verge of a linguistic crisis.

I have news for her. French has been in decline in Quebec for a long time, and much of the blame for that lies with the federal government, whether Liberal or Conservative. She is like a pyromaniac who yells “fire!”. Ottawa has been gutting Bill 101 since 1977. Ottawa funds organizations that challenge Quebec laws. Ottawa opposes the application of Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses.

Will the government admit that the linguistic crisis is largely Ottawa's doing?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

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

Today, members talked about the Holodomor, a deliberate effort to kill a language and a culture. That is why I want to assure the member that French in Quebec is very important to me personally. I am well aware of the fragility of the French language.

I want to assure all members that we will work to protect French in Quebec.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is an exception in the Liberal Party.

The Liberals' culture has long been hostile toward the French language. One half hour after apologizing for underestimating the decline of French, the member for Saint-Laurent liked a tweet stating that this decline is greatly exaggerated. That is just unbelievable.

When the Bloc wanted to apply Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses, the member for Mount Royal rose in the House and stated that it was shameful. Today, the Bloc has returned with an actual bill to protect the French language.

Which Liberal camp will win: the one that says it wants to take action or, as usual, the one that shows contempt for the French language?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I want to again point out that I understand what a challenge it is for Quebec and Quebeckers to remain francophone in North America when they are surrounded by anglophones.

I also understand that there are new challenges in the digital age. That is why I truly want to work with all of our colleagues to protect the French language in Quebec and Montreal.

COVID-19 Emergency Measures

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of the pandemic, small businesses had to close and that was tough. The Liberals proposed a plan, but that plan did not work because it was designed for landlords, not tenants.

Today, the plan still does not work for small businesses. The NDP has a simple solution. Will the Prime Minister provide help to small businesses that is retroactive to the spring or not?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

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

I am very pleased to inform the House that, starting today, small and medium-sized businesses can apply for the Canada emergency rent subsidy through the Canada Revenue Agency. Payments will begin on December 4.

I also want to note that the assistance will be retroactive to September 27. The government will cover up to 65% of rent. If businesses are subject to lockdown restrictions they will receive 90% of the cost of their rent.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, let me try this again in English.

The plan proposed by the Liberals when small businesses were forced to shut down was a complete and abject failure because it was designed for landlords, not tenants, so that, as a tenant, a small business could not apply for it. Now their plan still does not help the businesses that had to shut down in the spring.

Our solution is simple. We are asking the government to make that help retroactive to April. It is what small businesses are asking for. Will the Prime Minister help out small businesses by making the help retroactive to the spring?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, what we have today is not only a plan for commercial rent. We have a law, and I would like to thank all members of this House and of the Senate for supporting it.

I would like to take this opportunity to let all small businesses across our country know that they can apply today to Revenue Canada to get that rent support. Payments will begin on December 4. This is retroactive to September 27. This is the support our businesses need, and they will get it.

Health

[Gary Vidal, Conservative, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, Canada's chief medical officer released an update on COVID-19 modelling in Canada. While the numbers were sobering and a stark reminder of the serious situation we are in, one thing really stuck out to me. There was no real mention of indigenous people or their communities in this report.

How can the government properly support indigenous people at this time when they are not even included in these significant reports?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, the last week for indigenous peoples has seen multiple rises in cases affecting indigenous communities. It is, indeed, alarming. What the member has also seen are targeted responses in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The Government of Canada stands with those peoples as they deploy exceptional measures to defend their people and to prevent their communities from contracting COVID, and we will always be there with them.