Debates of Dec. 11th, 2020

COVID-19 Vaccine

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Madam Speaker, in Saskatoon, the University of Saskatchewan is home to VIDO-InterVac, Canada’s very own solution for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Last January, VIDO-InterVac researchers were among the first in the world to isolate the COVID-19 virus and were testing a prototype vaccine in animals by March. VIDO asked the federal government for funding to speed up its development timeline, but its request has not been approved.

Why have we not heard any more about this made-in-Canada vaccine, while massive multinational companies are getting theirs approved? The simple answer is this. The Prime Minister has decided not to support made-in-Canada vaccines and has instead signed billion dollar contracts with foreign multinational corporations.

The Liberals are putting the financial gain of the pharmaceutical industry first, at the expense of Canadians, Saskatoon and VIDO-InterVac. The result is that the United Kingdom and the U.S. are producing their own vaccines. In Canada, the Prime Minister has put us at the mercy of other countries. Shame on him.

Gatineau

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Madam Speaker, 2020 was not the year we were expecting.

In response to the pandemic, our government took exceptional measures to provide assistance. In Gatineau, that represents $6.8 million for seniors, a more generous Canada child benefit for nearly 20,000 children, emergency assistance of more than $1 million for food banks and community organizations, 211 summer jobs for young people and invaluable help, such as the CERB and the wage subsidy, for businesses and workers.

These measures would never have been possible without the extraordinary work of our federal public servants. Gatineau has also made significant progress on a number of projects, including the Gatineau 2 Project preservation centre, the Rapibus Lorrain station, the redevelopment of a Service Canada centre and the confirmation of the need for a sixth crossing through an NCC study.

Once again the people of Gatineau have shown great resilience in 2020 and thanks to everyone's efforts, better days are ahead.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Madam Speaker, V2V Black Hops Brewery is an amazing social enterprise in my riding that raises funds to help with military and first responders PTSD programs. However, because it is a relatively new business, it has not qualified for the wage subsidy and was prevented from accessing the commercial rental assistance program. It is also unable to qualify for the new rental subsidy.

In July, I raised this issue with the Minister of National Revenue. I gave a copy of that letter to her parliamentary secretary in September. I followed up with both of them with an email in October. I also notified the minister of small business of this issue in November. Here we are in December and I have still yet to receive any reply, let alone an acknowledgement.

The Liberals quickly provided billions of dollars for large corporations, but have not budged when asked to improve the programs for new small businesses. This is an unacceptable lump of coal for this Christmas and I again urge the government to step up and fix these programs.

Heart Lake Baptist Church

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

Madam Speaker, this holiday season has been unlike any other and has brought unique challenges while exacerbating older ones.

Food insecurity in Brampton and all across Canada has only increased due to the pandemic. While our government has invested another $100 million to support food banks and food security groups, I am grateful to all our local organizations working hard to provide the essentials that families need to get by.

In my riding of Brampton North, the Heart Lake Baptist Church food pantry has done amazing work, providing fresh, healthy foods, handmade scarves and hats, and baby supplies to those who need it most.

The Heart Lake Baptist Church is a prime example of how important faith-based organizations are in helping us get through this pandemic. The Heart Lake Baptist Church truly embodies the Christian principles of generosity of spirit and of helping thy neighbour. I thank all of them for their hard work. I wish them all a very merry Christmas.

The Year 2020

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Madam Speaker, this year has been hard on everyone across our great country, so with my last 60 seconds of 2020, I wanted to offer a few insights.

This year 2020 is not the new normal. We will get back to our regular lives. Our children will return to their normal lives at school and have sleepovers with their friends. Their activities and sports will return to being actual games and competitions.

This Christmas we will be coming together as families and friends over Zoom or Skype. This is not normal and it should never be accepted as normal. Our lives should be our lives. We should and will be able to have friends and families in our houses and backyards again.

For the constituents in Regina—Lewvan and people across the country, there will be a few more tough times ahead, but there is a flicker of light and hope that the end of all of this is coming near. We need to show and know that there is optimism and opportunity in 2021. I have no doubt that with the first backyard barbecue or the opening day of our kids' flag football, soccer or dance, 2020 will slowly begin to fade and the possibilities and bright futures for us will come into view in 2021 and beyond.

I wish everyone a merry Christmas.

Marcos Marcos

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

Madam Speaker, I rise in the House to share the sad news of the passing of Father Marcos Marcos.

Father Marcos was born in Sohag, Egypt. He attended Hartford University in Connecticut where he received a bachelor's degree in divinity and then went on to receive a master's degree in psychology.

In 1964, Father Marcos was ordained by Pope Kyrillos VI and came to Toronto. He became the first Coptic Orthodox priest in North America. For years, Father Marcos travelled across North America to serve members of the Coptic community. He was instrumental in establishing the first churches in Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles and New York. Last year, he was honoured for 55 years of faithful service. He was beloved by everyone.

When I offered my condolences to Father Angelos yesterday, he told me that “Father Marcos was truly an inspiration and role model for all of us.”

I extend my sincere condolences to the family of Father Marcos and the entire Coptic community in Canada and around the world.

Lorio Roy

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to congratulate a great Acadian builder, Lorio Roy.

Mr. Roy lives in my riding, Acadie—Bathurst, and just became a member of the Order of Canada. Mr. Roy is the former president of the Société de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick and was appointed to the Order of Canada for his ongoing commitment to improving post-secondary education and his dedication to the Acadian community.

Mr. Roy's numerous accomplishments include serving as principal of the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick and as assistant deputy minister responsible for French-language community colleges in New Brunswick. He was also the secretary general and vice-president of Coop Atlantique, publisher and executive director of the daily L'Acadie Nouvelle, and manager of Acadie Presse. He currently sits on the board of directors of the Port of Belledune.

I would personally like to thank Mr. Roy for his major contribution to education, his dedication to our communities and his steadfast support for Acadians.

I offer him my sincerest congratulations for this well-deserved honour.

Congratulations, Mr. Roy.

Justice

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Madam Speaker, last September, the memorial of the late Edmonton Police Constable Ezio Faraone, who was murdered in the line of duty, was desecrated. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident but part of a trend in which memorials dedicated to police and other first responders are a target.

In response, I have worked with Senator Leo Housakos in drafting Bill S-221, which Senator Housakos introduced earlier this week. It would add significant penalties to the Criminal Code for anyone convicted of vandalizing a memorial dedicated to first responders. This legislation would ensure that perpetrators of such reprehensible acts would be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, while honouring the legacy of first responders who have given their lives.

Vaudreuil—Soulanges Community

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Madam Speaker, as we head into the holiday season, I would like to take a moment to thank the residents of Vaudreuil—Soulanges for their efforts to make the COVID-19 pandemic a little less difficult.

I am talking about small business owners like Jim Beauchamp and André Dumas, who raise spirits and goods for families in need; local artist Andy Cook and Hall of Fame artist Brian Greenway from April Wine, playing free online shows to brighten up our evenings; and Gurinder Singh Johal and Sarvdeep Singh Bath from the Punjab Sports and Culture Association, who delivered pallets of foods to our food bank Moisson Sud-Ouest.

Susan Laventure and Madeleine Turgeon are part of a group known as the “masked angels” who stepped up and began making masks for our community. Dominic Larrivée is working every day to raise funds and bring people joy. Maella is 12 years old and has been making toques herself for people in need.

The list is long, which is why our community will come out of this stronger than ever.

I wish everyone in my community of Vaudreuil—Soulanges a happy holiday season. The year 2021 cannot come soon enough.

Holiday Greetings

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Madam Speaker, 2020 has been a tough year for our communities and for many families. During this Christmas season, local food banks need the support of those able to lend a helping hand. I am proud to celebrate Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon's local organizations, emergency services and business associations that have faithfully rallied residents to stock the shelves at local food banks. I wish I could name them all, but thankfully there are simply too many in the short time I have today.

However, I would like to highlight St. Joseph's food bank in Mission. It has joined forces with Mission Community Services and the Christmas Bureau to amplify its efforts. During this holiday time, I invite everyone to donate to St. Joseph's at missionfoodbank.com to help others.

To all the constituents of Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, I thank them for their generosity, and I wish them and theirs a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

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

Madam Speaker, this year, the holiday season will look quite different. As we prepare to celebrate safely at home, I encourage my constituents of Kildonan—St. Paul to continue their spirit of generosity, to love their neighbour and to support those in need in our community. Many of our beloved Winnipeg organizations have stepped up over these past nine difficult months.

Siloam Mission recently opened the Buhler Centre, which provides additional room for more beds, health services, employment and spiritual care supports. Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre created a program that delivers hundreds of hot meals to seniors in the community. The Knowles Centre and Marymound continue to provide youth in need safe places to live, with 24-7 professional support to help them overcome challenges from difficult childhoods. Harvest Manitoba is preparing thousands of hampers to be distributed across Manitoba over the holidays.

I am so proud to represent such a generous community, and I wish my constituents a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Madam Speaker, as we gather on this last sitting day of the year, I am reflecting on the way our communities have pulled together over the past nine months. In Northwest B.C., we have seen it before. In 2018, wildfires tore through and people risked their lives to save their neighbours' properties.

No matter our differences, when the chips are down, we can count on rural folks to take care of each other. Last night, I spoke with a group of doctors in the tiny community of Fort St. James. They have dozens of COVID cases there right now and expect things to get worse. They are working day and night to save their neighbours' lives, just like health care workers in communities all across Canada. We need to have their backs.

I am thinking today about families in Fort St. James, Binche, Tache, Nak'azdli and every tiny remote community across Canada who are struggling to safeguard their loved ones in the face of this virus. In every gesture of mutual support, every act of care and concern, we are writing the story of who we are as a country. It matters now more than ever.

I wish everyone a merry Christmas.

Supply Management

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Madam Speaker, supply management is central to our agricultural industry and we must protect it.

In spite of the promises Canadian political parties have made, our trading partners will always have demands. They will always want more. To wit, the ink is not even dry on the agreement with the United States, and Washington has already embarked on a new legal battle against our dairy producers. This means that, even though the federal government already sacrificed supply management in the agreement, the Americans want to flood our market even more.

That is exactly why the Bloc Québécois has introduced an ironclad bill that would block any further breaches in supply management. Our farmers have already paid dearly for free trade. The holidays are approaching, and I urge all farmers and people who want to maintain the vitality of our regions to contact their member of Parliament to ensure that they will support Bill C-216. We cannot miss this opportunity to ensure the survival of our agricultural model.

Happy holidays, everyone.

Holiday Greetings

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Madam Speaker,

T’was the Christmas of COVID
And interest was keen,
In our nation receiving
Its promised vaccine.

The stockings were spaced by the chimney with care
Though half of the family couldn’t be there,
The children were snuggled (but sad) in their beds
Cancelled trips to see Santa Claus still in their heads.

Mama in her 'kerchief and I in my mask
Had just hunkered down for the winter-long task,
Of reading each book from Homer to Seneca
While awaiting a booster from AstraZeneca.

But we can’t let the wait crush our spirits by inches
Or transform us into a nation of Grinches,
Let’s reach out to each other, the tall and the small
Like the Grinch, let our hearts grow three sizes—that’s all.

Christmas came to the Whos without ribbons and tags
It came, just the same without boxes and bags,
By reindeer or by Zoom, it can come to us too
Merry Christmas to all, merry Christmas to you.

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

Madam Speaker, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is an annual event that celebrates the best food, livestock and horsemanship this country has to offer. This November, FedNor supported the royal in Toronto with nearly $600,000 to enable northern Ontario agri-food businesses and organizations to expand, reach new markets, and create jobs throughout northern Ontario's agricultural pavilion.

Many local Ontario producers participated, with the best maple sugar in Canada. The sugar bush in Lavigne in my riding of Nickel Belt took home the prize for the best amber grade maple syrup.

Congratulations to the Séguin family and their team.

I thank our food producers, who supply nutritious and delicious food for our tables and our shops, especially during the pandemic.

Let us continue to support local organizations and businesses and local producers.

Merry Christmas and happy new year to all.

Health

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Madam Speaker, yesterday, the provincial premiers and the Prime Minister of Canada met to come to an agreement on health care funding.

Unfortunately, what could have been a historic meeting that benefited all Canadians turned into yet another demonstration of the Liberal Party's arrogance. The Prime Minister said that the government would address the issue later. If we go by what the government has done in recent years, then we should be very worried about what is to come.

Is the government prepared to commit to supporting stable, predictable and unconditional health transfers?

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

Madam Speaker, governments at all levels are working together to keep Canadians safe from COVID-19. As part of our response to the pandemic, we announced $19 billion for a safe restart agreement to help provinces and territories restart their economies safely while we continued to respond to COVID-19. This funding is in addition to the $40 billion we already provide the provinces and territories each year through the Canada health transfer.

We will keep working with the provinces and territories so we can fight COVID-19 together.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Madam Speaker, the problem is that the Premier of Quebec clearly stated yesterday that this was a missed opportunity.

Yesterday's meeting was a unique opportunity to reach an agreement on health transfers. All of the provinces, all of the political parties are asking for stable, predictable, unconditional transfers. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister really dropped the ball yesterday.

Why is the Prime Minister always so quick to lecture everyone and tell the provinces what to do in the health care sector but never ready to commit when it comes to funding?

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

Madam Speaker, from day one our government has been focused on supporting Canadians and jobs during this pandemic. We have provided more than eight out of every 10 dollars spent to fight COVID-19. Our government's total support for provinces and territories during this pandemic includes $322 billion in direct measures to fight the virus and help Canadians.

We will work with our partners to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until we get through this pandemic.

Parliamentary Business

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Madam Speaker, we have been working in a hybrid House of Commons for three months.

Today it is safe to say that it is a success, it works. It worked with the support and co-operation of everyone, under an agreement that expires today.

Since this was done with everyone's support, since it worked, we believe the agreement should be renewed as is until June 23. Does the Government of Canada agree with us?

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

Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague about the fact that we were able to collaborate. Collaboration is extremely important, especially during a pandemic.

As for what comes next, we sent out a proposed motion to all the parties, including the Conservatives. This motion includes the voting application. It should be obvious why, considering how long it can take to vote on Zoom.

Now the Conservatives seem to have problems with the voting application, and I for one would like to know why.

International Trade

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Speaker, the Liberals' delays in ratifying the Canada-U.K. trade agreement have caused U.K. trade officials to state, in their own words, these will cause “damage and destruction” to businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. This represents $29 billion a year in trade between our countries. Weeks ago at committee, the minister would not commit to any timeline on legislation through Parliament or the Senate. Canada's key business, agricultural and manufacturing organizations are calling on the Liberals to provide stability and predictability on trade with the U.K.

What is the plan? We are out of time.

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Madam Speaker, now more than ever our businesses and all Canadians are looking for stability and predictability. Our first priority is implementing the legislation. This is why we are looking forward to working with all parliamentarians on the timely passage of this important legislation.

That being said, we are also actively working with the United Kingdom to ensure a smooth transition for businesses to prevent any disruptions.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Speaker, the Liberals have had years to work on this trade agreement, which they knew was expiring at the end of 2020. Instead, they pulled out of negotiations early in 2019 and did not restart them until this summer. For weeks the minister has been talking about trade mitigation ideas for businesses, and now U.K. officials are saying that the Liberals’ plans may not even be possible. The minister left exporters out to dry with only 12 business days left before tariffs could potentially be applied.

I have asked the minister several times now. What is the plan to mitigate these disruptive tariffs?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Madam Speaker, let me be clear. Our message to businesses is that they do not have to prepare for a worst-case scenario, because we have a trade continuity agreement with the United Kingdom. We are working hard to ensure that there are no disruptions and that there is a smooth transition. Nothing is more important to us than providing stability and predictability for Canadian exporters. We work for businesses, and we will always work for businesses to ensure that they have this continuity.