Debates of Nov. 30th, 2020

International Trade

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that was just as clear as what we were told about the vaccines.

In other words, we are being asked to blindly trust the government when it discredited itself in previous agreements. This is the same government that would have sacrificed Quebec aluminum in CUSMA. It is the same government that did sacrifice supply management three times. We cannot approve an agreement without reading it. It would be irresponsible to give the government carte blanche.

The agreement is being examined in committee. Does the government not understand that we need it right away?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, I absolutely agree with the hon. member that the work he and all colleagues do is extremely important. That is why I want to thank the officials here in Canada and the United Kingdom for all of their hard work. I know they are working as fast as they can to make sure they get the review completed.

The continuity trade agreement with Canada and the U.K. does this: It provides predictability and stability, and this is what businesses are looking for, particularly during this time. Our economic recovery counts on the stability in this important trading relationship with the United Kingdom.

Health

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the House will pardon my nervousness. I just got a text message from my wife that my daughter's water just broke, and I am going to be a grandfather for the first time. I completely forgot what I was going to say.

Time and again we have asked the government for a commitment to bring 988 to Canada. Sadly, all we have received is scripted talking points and no commitment from the minister. This is not a partisan issue. Mental health associations are calling for it, national telecoms are calling for it and Canadians are demanding it. Either the minister supports it or she does not. Let us not give Canadians who are suffering false hope.

Does the Minister of Health support a 988 national suicide hotline in Canada? If she does not, she should have the courage to say so.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but say congratulations to the member opposite, because that is pretty exciting news to break to the House of Commons.

His topic is very serious, and I want to reassure him that I want to work with him on a national hotline. I have said that in the House. I will continue to do that work.

I think we should find a time to sit down and talk about it so I can show the member opposite the work the department has been doing. I fully support the premise, and I think we can work together to make it happen more quickly.

Official Languages

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are using their white paper on official languages to buy time until the next election. Meanwhile, they are holding communities hostage.

The Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne and the Quebec Community Groups Network want this.

Will the Liberals stop playing politics and introduce a bill to modernize the Official Languages Act before Christmas?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague has been the official languages critic for several years now. Whenever he asks me questions about modernizing the Official Languages Act, the Conservatives' sudden interest in official languages surprises me, especially now that they are courting Bloc Québécois votes.

The Liberals are always here to support minority language communities. We are always here, ready to step up. We are going to work on a proposal for language reform that will set the tone for the next 50 years when it comes to protecting language rights in this country.

Transportation

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, truck drivers have been essential to keeping our supply lines open, but government red tape is blocking Canadian truckers from securing fast enrolment for transporting dangerous goods across the border. In-person interview sites are closed and CBSA has no timelines for reopening, no virtual option and no rules for deeming travel by truckers for fast interviews as essential.

When is the minister going to fix this unfair situation and put pressure on his American counterpart to deem travel for fast enrolment interviews as essential, or allow fast interviews to be done over Zoom?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we will certainly look at that, but we have been trying to do everything possible to make sure that our truckers are able to move across the border, because they do represent an essential service. They are doing a fabulous job of making sure that Canadians are being provided with all the necessary goods that we need here in Canada. I will look into the point the member has just raised.

Women and Gender Equality

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, between November 25 and December 10, Canadians observe 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.

It is an opportunity to come together to condemn violence, have conversations and renew our commitment. I believe men and boys can play a vital role in preventing gender-based violence.

Can the Minister for Women and Gender Equality provide an update on our national action plan and on how men and boys are being encouraged to be part of the solution?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Nickel Belt is absolutely right: Men and boys play a vital role in ending gender-based violence. That is why our government partnered with the Moose Hide Campaign, Next Gen Men, Catalyst Canada and Pauktuutit, to name a few, so that men and boys are working on healthier relationships, have the tools to be more than bystanders online and offline and can be part of the positive change that is so desperately needed.

I know my colleagues here are playing important roles as mentors. They are leading by example. They are opening doors to progress in terms of pathways for employment and career development. We look forward to the day when we do not have to have 16 days of activism against gender-based—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Kootenay—Columbia.

Telecommunications

[Rob Morrison, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, during this crisis, Service Canada locations that provided essential help for those who were in need were closed and critical health care visits have been conducted virtually. Safe help was a single click away. The problem was that many did not have reliable broadband connection. The requirement for connectivity is not about social media. It is about the health and well-being of our loved ones.

Will the minister commit to funding shovel-in-the-ground solutions for Kootenay—Columbians, like in Yahk and Kaslo, now, not in five or 10 years?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have positive news for my colleague. As of November 9, there has been a call for applications. It is open. This is the single largest investment in broadband in Canada's history. Our government has put it forward. We are taking a matter of days to review and assess project proposals that come forward, for rapid response. For longer-term projects, there is another $1 billion set aside.

The short answer is yes. I ask the member to reach out to my team and me, and we will do what we can to help.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, after months and months of delays, the Liberal government finally announced its scheme to improve high-speed Internet in rural communities. Unfortunately, its funding decisions will be based on service maps that are filled with inaccurate data. This is happening in Grand Manan, in communities outside of Grand Bay-Westfield and up north around Baie Sainte-Anne. These are just a few communities in my province. This is disqualifying many communities in New Brunswick from applying for the program today.

Why have parameters been proposed that will mean many rural communities will not receive high-speed Internet?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have good news for my other Conservative colleague as well. Those maps he referred to have been updated. They have been updated as of January. We continue to update them. The hexagon model is gone.

I encourage him to reach out to my team and me if he has any questions about it. We have set up a concierge service, a one-stop shop for smaller communities that do not have capacity to go through the process on their own. We will be there to help them get connected to this essential service.

In addition, our government invested 10 times more in connecting New Brunswickers than the previous government did. Let us finish the job.

Government Programs

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, people like Mr. Poirier from Saint-Georges are under stress because their Canada Revenue Agency files are frozen.

These individuals want to co-operate with the CRA, but they cannot reach the agency. One of my staffers spoke with an agent, who was very friendly by the way, who said the CRA is currently processing claims from November 4. That is nearly a month of delay.

People do not want any trouble with the CRA. They are already under stress because of COVID-19. When will the government bring in the human resources needed to respond effectively to Canadians?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague that, during the pandemic, all CRA employees have had to work from home.

I encourage my colleague to come and see me or call me after question period. I will do everything I can to help him.

The Economy

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Pickering—Uxbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, during this pandemic, Canadians came together to get through the first wave of this unprecedented time. Our federal government was there for Canadians.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance please update the House on what we might expect later today in the fall economic statement and how our government will continue with our commitment to be there for Canadians throughout the second wave and as we recover.

[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 can confirm that later today the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada will present the fall economic statement in the House of Commons for 2020, which outlines our government's plan to support Canadians through COVID-19 and that we will ensure the economy that follows this pandemic is more robust, inclusive and sustainable than before.

As we battle the second wave of the virus, we know we are going to be in for a hard winter, but spring is going to come. We are always going to be there for Canadian households and businesses in my home province of Nova Scotia, in that member's community of Pickering—Uxbridge and from coast to coast to coast, as we have been from the beginning of this pandemic.

Families, Children and Social Development

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, in August, we were finally able to get the Liberals to support our motion calling for $2 billion for child care to help families during the pandemic. Months later, the Liberals are still making families wait. This funding is essential to help providers follow health directives and create new affordable licenced spaces to help parents, especially women, who have jobs outside of the home to get back to work.

When will the government stop making families wait or is this what we all feared? Another broken child care promise.

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the hon. member that this year alone we have invested more than $1 billion to help provinces and territories continue to create more affordable and quality child care for Canadians, a record amount of money for this year.

We have worked hard since 2015 to create 40,000 child care spaces across Canada. We have invested more than $7.5 billion in early learning and child care. We are committed to creating a national system of child care that is affordable and is high quality for all parents. This time, I hope the NDP does not join the Conservatives and derail something we should have done a long time ago.

The Environment

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on December 12, the United Nations will be marking the fifth anniversary of the successful conclusion of the Paris negotiations. The Paris agreement stands as our best hope to avert runaway global warming. We have had some good news and the U.S. is planning to rejoin under President-elect Biden.

Could the hon. minister update the House on where Canada is toward improving our target as we are required to do within calendar 2020?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, our government has made very clear its firm commitment to bring forward a plan to exceed our 2030 targets under the Paris agreement and to define pathways to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. We have previously put into place what is by far the most significant and comprehensive climate plan in Canadian history. I look forward to bringing forward a plan to exceed our 2030 targets in the very near term.

We will then be engaging consultations with indigenous peoples, provinces and territories and with Canadians generally as part of informing and finalizing Canada's updated nationally determined contributions well in advance of COP24.

Public Accounts of Canada

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to table today, in both official languages, the Public Accounts of Canada 2020, and also to inform the House that the Auditor General has provided an unqualified audit opinion on the Government of Canada's 2020 financial statements.

Auditor General of Canada

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Pursuant to subsection 7(3) of the Auditor General Act, it is my duty to lay upon the table the fall 2020 reports of the Auditor General of Canada.

Pursuant to Standing Orders 108(3)(g), these reports are deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.