Debates of Nov. 3rd, 2020

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, of course, making sure that our small businesses are supported through this very difficult time is our top priority.

I want to assure the hon. member that absolutely nothing is more important than for us to get the supports out to businesses, especially the important support like rent support and fixed costs during this very tough period. The legislation that was introduced will do exactly that; ensure that our businesses get that support to bridge through this difficult time, including lockdown support of an additional 25%. I hope that the member will indeed support us so that we can get this important legislation passed and get the support to businesses.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is coming weeks too late for some businesses. Last Sunday, rent was due for thousands of Canadian small businesses struggling with higher costs and fewer customers. The government has known for months that its rent assistance program was a disaster and that it was ending in September. A new program was promised weeks ago. Announcements do not pay the rent.

On what date will businesses be able to apply for rent assistance?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that at the outset of this pandemic we made the decision that we would be there for Canadian households and businesses, no matter what it took.

To help with the cost of staff, we advanced the wage subsidy; to help with the cost of fixed expenses, we launched the emergency business account; and to help with rent, we initially started with the commercial rent assistance program. We are now moving forward with the Canada emergency rent subsidy. This new program will allow applicants to apply retroactively back to the period beginning September 27. If the hon. member would like a technical briefing from department officials, I would be pleased to set one up for him.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, small businesses are struggling through this pandemic. They have enough troubles without having the burden of additional untimely audits. Some small business owners are reporting that audit responses are costing more than the benefits they are receiving.

Will the minister commit today to pausing the CEWS audits and helping our small businesses, instead of labelling them as tax cheats?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government acted quickly and decisively to help Canadian workers and the organizations that employ them. The Canada Revenue Agency launched a small-scale initiative to audit Canada emergency wage subsidy payments. While the agency is carrying out pre-payment audits for the CEWS, the post-payment compliance process will rely on this important work.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, quite frankly, we know small business owners are not a priority for the government, as is seen from this response and by the fact that it took it months to get announcements out the door.

Will the minister finally commit to pausing CEWS audits for Canadian small business owners?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the wage subsidy, we want to make sure this benefit reaches as many businesses as possible. It is essential, since we asked CRA to administer a very complex program, which is going to meet the unique needs of different businesses and will involve subsidies ranging from a few hundred dollars to tens of millions of dollars potentially, that we have integrity measures in place.

We are going to trust CRA to do its work at arm's length from the government, as all parties should do, if they one day form government. This is the correct path forward. We are going to continue to advance supports that will land on the front doors of businesses, so they can remain open when this pandemic is over.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, even with the highest deficit in the OECD, we in Canada have a higher unemployment rate than the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan. Despite this, the government shut down Parliament almost all summer instead of working to restart our economy safely.

Where is the plan to build back after the catastrophic damage caused to our small businesses, our workers and our economy?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the hon. member's assertion, I would remind him that Canada's recovery regarding job loss is going much faster than many of the comparative countries he has outlined. I point to the United States, in particular. While Canada has recouped 76% of the jobs that were lost during this pandemic, the United States sits at only 52%. The hon. member will know that he is cherry-picking data because, if he actually looked back at our record entering this pandemic, he would see that Canada was on a record run of job growth and had achieved its lowest unemployment rate since we started keeping track of those statistics over 40 years ago.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is more proof that if the government tortures the data badly enough it will confess to anything.

Here are the facts from the OECD. The United States has an unemployment rate of 7.9%. Canada has an unemployment rate of 9.0%. In fact, Japan, Germany, France and the U.K., along with the U.S., all have lower unemployment than Canada, despite having by far the largest deficit in the OECD.

This is the worst record around. What will the government do to reverse the disastrous damage it has done to our businesses and workers?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, with respect, if anyone is torturing themselves to use data to make a false point, it is the hon. member opposite. Members will notice his speaking point just a few days ago talked about unemployment in the G7, but because Canada's jobs are actually recovering more quickly than our G7 comparators, he has dropped Italy from that list.

If we pay attention to what is going on, we will see that our unemployment rate is a factor of not just the status of our economy, but of the public health measures that have been put in place to keep Canadians safe. Our unemployment rate in Canada is about 9.0%. The last data point I saw for the United States was about 8.4%. If the hon. member is so enthralled with the American response to the coronavirus pandemic, I would ask him to show us which public health measures we should erode for the sake of that extra 0.6 points.

Justice

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's Office is pushing to have friends of the Liberal Party appointed judges.

Yesterday, the minister said, “I can only speak based on my experience as justice minister.... I have never been pressured by the Prime Minister's Office.”

However, Radio-Canada has revealed that on February 18, 2019, while that same minister was in office, a Liberal aide wrote the following to his chief of staff: “Need to talk about what PMO requires us to do prior to a judicial appointment. It raises some concerns.”

Who is telling the truth?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, to restore confidence in the appointment system after 10 years under the Conservatives, we put in place a clear and transparent system in 2016 to identify exceptional candidates who also reflect Canada's diversity. All appointments are based on candidates' professional experience. Nominations are assessed by the judicial advisory committees, which give us recommendations, either highly recommended or recommended candidates, and we go from there.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal aide in question also told the justice minister's office, “What we are doing is similar to what led to the Commission d'enquête sur le processus de nomination des juges, back in 2010 in Quebec”. That was the Bastarache commission.

That is not all. Joël-Denis Bellavance of La Presse revealed that a member of the Prime Minister's Office contacted the Minister of Justice four times to find out more about certain candidates. This is documented in at least two media sources.

Who is telling the truth? The Minister of Justice or the newspapers?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, I am the one who makes recommendations to cabinet, and I have never been pressured by anyone. My recommendations have never been blocked.

We consult with the legal community on each case. The legal community is very happy to have a role to play in the evaluation of candidates. This is how we ensure the integrity, credibility and reputation of candidates. It works very well, and I am extremely proud of the outcome.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after more than seven months, the Transbois company in my riding is still unable to access the emergency wage subsidy because it had the misfortune of changing owners on the wrong date. I say it has been seven months, but we are almost at eight months.

The Prime Minister said that he would not let anyone down. Transbois has 40 employees and needs help to ensure its survival and continued existence.

Is the government going to make sure that it helps all businesses, regardless of size?

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

Mr. Speaker, of course I will be pleased to help my hon. colleague and Transbois access funding.

As my colleague knows full well, he can come to us at Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions to find a solution that will help the owners of Transbois and their employees in particular. I would be pleased to start a conversation with him. I look forward to hearing from him.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the restaurant and hotel industries are on the brink of bankruptcy. Thousands of businesses in this important sector of the Canadian economy can hold on no longer. We must act now. Fixed costs need to be paid every month.

Customers are unable to visit these establishments because of the pandemic. We are starting in on the 10th month. Bill C-9 has not been adapted for these businesses.

When will the government introduce a plan tailored to the restaurant and hotel industries?

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

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that, generally speaking, the hospitality and tourism sectors are facing massive challenges.

I have had a number of conversations with the Association hôtellerie Québec, most recently yesterday, with the Conférence économique de l'industrie touristique québécoise, led by Raymond Bachand, and with several other stakeholders across the country.

We have been there from the beginning of the pandemic with programs such as the wage subsidy, assistance for small businesses, and rent relief. We realize that we still need to do more, and we will do so.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, small businesses, such as That Breakfast Place in Port Stanley, Evolation Yoga in London, and the St. Thomas Health Club, have faced an uphill battle getting relief from the government, especially when it comes to rent relief.

These businesses have real people, often hard-working parents and caretakers, who are just trying to make ends meet. Some of them are fearful their businesses will close for good. Will the government back off and give these businesses room to breathe as they chart a path forward?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I have spoken with many business owners across Canada, including in my own community, who have been raising issues like this with me for several months.

The good news is we have stepped up in a way that no government ever has in the history of our nation to provide direct support to businesses that have been affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic. In order to help with the costs for their employees, we advanced a wage subsidy, which is keeping three million workers on the payroll. In order to help with the fixed costs for small and medium-sized businesses, we advanced the emergency business account, which is helping over 700,000 Canadian businesses.

Now, to address commercial rent, we are putting forward the Canada emergency rent subsidy, which is going to help them stay in their premises as long as is possible, so they can still keep—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Elgin—Middlesex—London.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this truly is not a reality for all. It is no secret that women who own businesses are facing the challenges of this pandemic. I receive pleas from many women who are working as travel agents, curators at museums or who run small boutiques and have gone months with little or no business at all. Many of them have worked hundreds of additional hours to fill the gaps to keep their businesses afloat. Now is not the time to have big brother knocking at the door.

Will the government take the reasonable step of backing off small businesses as they regroup to survive this pandemic?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her advocacy of women. Truly, this pandemic has hit women the hardest. I will say at the same time, with a lot of humility, that no country in the world has done a better job at applying an intersectional gendered analysis to its COVID response than Canada has. We have much to do. The path to recovery depends on women doing well and this is the right government at the right time to get it done.

Canadian Heritage

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this week we learned that a high-ranking Facebook executive has been using his connections within the government to offer lucrative positions to civil servants. It might be why we heard today that instead of making web giants pay their fair share, the Liberals are passing the buck to regulators. It seems that Facebook lobbying is working.

Will the minister please explain why his ministry is helping Facebook instead of looking out for the interests of Canadians?