Debates of March 11th, 2020

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, for a Prime Minister who wants to work across the aisle and work together, that answer is unacceptable. This is very simple.

It seems like the Prime Minister is more interested in attacking the opposition than in protecting homes, livelihoods and the safety of thousands of Canadians living along the shores of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

Could the Prime Minister let those Canadians know what detailed action he is taking this year for a potentially devastating spring thaw? Will he commit to working with us, and it is very simple, on a bipartisan committee, to help these people out?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are concerned with the water levels in the Great Lakes. The International Joint Commission, a joint panel between Canada and the United States, manages these levels.

We are working with the U.S. and the IJC, which is actively examining measures to address these issues. The IJC will be providing a briefing to members in the coming weeks. I invite the member opposite to join.

Again, fighting climate change will be an important part of keeping these Canadians safe, and I invite the members to join with us on that, as well.

Health

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we support the $1-billion investment to combat the coronavirus, but the plan is not very reassuring in terms of security. Customs officers in airports are being left to fend for themselves. They are warning us that the two or three people added by Health Canada are not enough. Even travellers are concerned about being able to enter Canada without being asked a single question.

Will the government tighten security measures? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially when no cure is available.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the decisions that we make as a government to keep Canadians safe are always based on the recommendations of scientists and public health officials. Travellers arriving in Canada must report to a CBSA border services officer and indicate whether they are sick or could have been exposed to an illness.

We will continue to inform travellers arriving in Canada of the measures to protect them and we will use every means necessary to keep Canadians safe.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, airports may have inadequate coronavirus screening measures, but our land crossings do not have any.

There is no protocol for people arriving by train, bus or car. COVID-19 is no longer confined to overseas countries. It is also affecting our neighbour. Nearly 200 cases have been confirmed right on the other side of the border in New York state. There are no masks, no thermometers, no information at our borders. There is nothing.

Will the government implement a protocol to ensure that border officers can protect themselves?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we base our decisions on the advice of public health officials and disease-control experts. We will take all necessary responsible measures to protect Canadians, travellers and workers at our border crossings. We have increased monitoring, and screening processes have been added at all international airports, land crossings and other ports of entry.

We will continue to do everything we can to protect Canadians and stop COVID-19 from spreading.

Natural Resources

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, GNL Québec wants to get started on the Énergie Saguenay project, which would produce 84% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than all its competitors worldwide thanks to our hydroelectricity back home. Investors no longer want to invest in Canada, which is putting billions of dollars in investments and thousands of jobs in jeopardy.

How will the Prime Minister explain to the people of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord and across Canada that they are missing out on major projects because of the climate of uncertainty he has created and his lack of leadership?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, this project is in the early stages of an assessment process.

We are working with the resources sector to create good jobs and attract investment. More than 400 major resources projects are planned or under way in Canada. That is more than last year, and it includes the largest private investment in Canadian history, the LNG Canada project. Direct foreign investment has also increased by 19%. Investors around the world are looking for sustainably sourced products and we are positioning Canada so that we may all benefit.

The Economy

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we now know the date that the government will present yet another deficit budget, yet $100 billion in new debt has so far only bought us an economy that is grinding to a halt, down to 0.3% before the coronavirus crisis even struck. Before that crisis, half of Canadians were $200 away from insolvency and $150 billion of projects had been cancelled.

Given that the past $100 billion has bought so little, how much can Canadians expect to get from this next Liberal deficit budget?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, only a Conservative would think that a million people lifted out of poverty in this country is so little. Only a Conservative would think that a million new jobs created by Canadians over the past four years is so little.

Our plan to invest in Canadians, to support families, to lower taxes for the middle class and raise them on the wealthiest 1% has delivered for the Canadian economy, and that is why we have room to manoeuvre. We have firepower ready to go on this coronavirus challenge we are facing.

We know that investing in Canadians is the right path forward. Conservatives still do not get it.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We had started off really well. It got bumpy and now we are starting up again. I want to remind hon. members that if someone is asking a question or answering a question, please show some respect.

The hon. member for Carleton.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for the 200,000 people who have lost their jobs in the energy sector, the government has done nothing but give the power for them to be fired rather than the firepower he now talks about. In fact, there is no firepower left. The Liberals had already racked up a $30-billion deficit before the coronavirus crisis even struck. We go into this storm with a leaky roof, a cracked foundation and empty cupboards awaiting Canadians.

What is the government going to do to get us out of the mess in which we find ourselves in this treacherous time?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Again, Mr. Speaker, we hear the Conservatives choosing to talk down the Canadian economy, to talk down Canadian workers. I actually suggest that the member opposite listen to someone he regularly quotes, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who laid out very clearly the fact that we have significant fiscal capacity to respond to the challenges we are facing because of the global challenge of the coronavirus.

We will continue to respond and invest in Canadians because that is what has lifted a million people out of poverty and that is what has led Canadians to create a million new jobs.

Human Rights

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's strength lies in its strong, diverse and inclusive communities. Since coming to power in 2015, our government has increased support to LGBTQ+ communities. Canadians may be surprised to learn that people are undergoing so-called conversion therapy in this country even to this day. Three provinces and several municipalities have already taken steps to prohibit this questionable and dangerous practice.

Could the Prime Minister inform us of what the Government of Canada is doing in this regard?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her important question and for her hard work in her riding of Orléans.

We believe that Canadians should be able to live their lives freely. That is why we are proposing a progressive law that will criminalize the destructive and harmful practice of conversion therapy. We will continue to work with the provinces, territories and our allies to continue to build a country where every Canadian can live free from discrimination and truly be themselves.

Public Safety

[Bob Saroya, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, across the GTA there are shootings almost daily. We know from the Toronto police chief that the weapons of choice for criminals are smuggled guns. When caught, these dangerous criminals get bail. When convicted, they get a slap on the wrist.

Will the Prime Minister commit today to supporting my bill, which would keep criminals behind bars who knowingly use smuggled guns?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are significantly strengthening border control measures to interdict the supply of illegal guns from the United States, but we know that will not be enough. That is why we have made the decision to strengthen gun control by banning assault-style weapons and by moving forward on giving cities the opportunity to restrict handguns within their city limits.

I encourage the member opposite, if he cares about Canadians who are suffering from the impacts of gun violence, to support our decision to strengthen gun control rather than the Conservatives' approach to weaken gun control and make Canadians less safe.

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety refuses to stop his plan to give needles to prison inmates. This is Liberal hypocrisy at its finest. The government is quick to punish law-abiding gun owners while at the same time literally giving convicted felons a weapon while they are in prison.

Will the Prime Minister commit today to listening to those on the front lines of Canada's correctional institutions and immediately stop the prison needle exchange program?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, our priority is always the safety and security of all Canadians.

The prevention and treatment of infectious diseases protects everyone, including correctional service officers. Correctional Service Canada conducts thorough threat risk assessments before inmates are approved to participate in this program, and the appropriate safeguards are always in place. Since the introduction of this program, there have been no safety incidents involving staff or other inmates.

This is yet another example of the Conservatives' approach, which does not work to keep Canadians safe.

The Economy

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the government just loves to waste Canadians' money. We have recently learned that the CRA paid over $73,000 to ask a focus group if it would like to change the colour of its envelopes. Envelope colour? What a joke.

Does the Prime Minister really think that spending double the Canadian median income on this is really an effective way to spend Canadians' hard-earned tax dollars?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when we took office we promised to invest in Canadians and that is exactly what we are doing. We also promised to stop the using of public money for partisan purposes, which the Conservatives under Stephen Harper did as a routine approach. The waste brought forward by the Conservative government was entirely inappropriate. That is why we chose to do things like restore the long-form census to make sure that the decisions Canadian governments take are based on the needs of communities.

We will continue to engage with Canadians.

Telecommunications

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, now more than ever Canadians rely on cellphones for their work, school, finances and health care, making access to high-quality and affordable service absolutely essential. However, cellphone and wireless bills are still putting too much strain on too many Canadian households.

Could the Prime Minister please update Canadians on the latest steps this Liberal government has taken to reduce cellphone prices?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Scarborough Centre for her continued advocacy on affordability for the middle class and her incredibly hard work.

In the last election we made a clear commitment to Canadians that we would lower their cellphone bills. Last week, we announced a clear plan to ensure that the three national cellphone providers offer plans 25% cheaper. This is one of the many ways we are making life more affordable for Canada's middle class and those working hard to join it.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, more than 15 months ago I asked the Prime Minister to act on rising HIV infection rates in Canada, yet the number of new cases here continues to climb, while countries where HIV testing and treatment are more accessible have seen reductions of over 30%. China is already putting self-test kits in vending machines on university campuses.

As we hope to see approval of Canadian self-test kits soon, could the Prime Minister tell us how his government plans to make sure that those kits will actually be accessible to young gay men, racialized and marginalized Canadians and indigenous communities?