Debates of March 12th, 2020

Health

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the member is absolutely right. The way we conduct ourselves as Canadians now can significantly decrease the rate of infection in Canadian society. Part of that is making decisions as individuals about where we will go, whether they are large gatherings, and reconsidering going to areas where there are a large number of people, which might include places like churches, or community centres. It might also include concerts and various sporting events.

We have technical guidance that supports the provinces and territories to make those decisions on a provincial level. Of course, under federal jurisdiction, we will spare no expense to protect the Canadians' health.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the meeting of the premiers of Quebec and the provinces in Ottawa has been cancelled. That is a wise decision, but also a shame because we might have finally found out what Canada's emergency plan for containing COVID-19 is.

The Deputy Prime Minister even required the Quebec and provincial premiers to present their plans. Every time we ask for her own government's plan, we just get bits and pieces of information day after day.

Will the federal government finally release its emergency plan in order to reassure the public, please?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we provide technical briefings every day to our official critics. Certainly, we are open to sharing those more broadly.

It is really important as Canadians, as leaders in our various communities, that we have information to protect Canadians' health and safety. I will examine what further we can do to make sure everybody understands how we can ensure that the people we represent are safe and healthy.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, just yesterday, travellers arriving from Italy at Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport were shocked to see that no one asked them any questions. They were coming from one of the largest outbreak zones in the world, yet they were simply handed a pamphlet.

This afternoon, the government's travel advisory for Europe still indicated the lowest possible risk level, even though when we are in a full-blown pandemic. There is a happy medium between panicking and doing nothing.

Will the government finally take real measures to monitor the coronavirus?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, let me assure the member opposite that we, in fact, have implemented very significant new enhanced screening and detection processes for all of our CBSA officers. In addition, we have made sure that they have the training and equipment they need to do this important job. All persons who enter this country from affected regions are subject to questioning by our CBSA officers, and those who are determined to be symptomatic are quickly referred to our public health officials.

I want to assure the member opposite that our officers stand ready. They have the tools and training they need to do their part to assist in this public health crisis.

The Economy

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, events all over the world are being cancelled due to the coronavirus. Festivals in Quebec are subject to the same uncertainty and the same concerns. From Le Festif! in Baie-Saint-Paul, a major cultural, tourist and economic attraction for our region, to the Quebec City Summer Festival, as well as festivals of all sizes in Montreal and across Quebec, everyone is in suspense.

Can the festivals go ahead with their programming? If organizers have to cancel events, will the grant programs be maintained? What about lost ticket sales and sponsorships? We need to plan for this now.

Will they be compensated?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. Of course, I am sure she would agree with me and all members of the House that the health of Quebeckers and Canadians is our top priority.

We understand the concerns being expressed by people in the tourism and cultural sectors, and we know very well, from our discussions, that most stakeholders are worried. That is why I am having productive conversations with the ministers. I will have an opportunity to have a conversation with tourism ministers from across the country via teleconference this afternoon. We will take appropriate measures as needed.

Natural Resources

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Teck Frontier's application withdrawal was yet another devastating blow to western Canadians. That decision was a direct result of the Prime Minister's anti-energy death-by-delay tactics.

Canadians know that Liberals killed Teck. Recent revelations that senior cabinet ministers were actively campaigning for its rejection prove that. Among the most vocal was the Minister of Agriculture.

How can the Minister of Agriculture expect to have any credibility with farmers in western Canada when she attacks our region?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to growing our economy while also protecting the environment. We remain focused on ensuring that good projects can move forward.

Albertans certainly are facing real economic challenges. We work together to ensure that there are better economic opportunities for all. As Premier Kenney himself said the other day, we are seeing declining demand at the same as increasing supply. It is a very significant challenge that we need to work on together, and we certainly intend to work with the Government of Alberta going forward.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have bad news for the government: that is not really how things went down. The Globe and Mail reported this morning that senior ministers with economic portfolios did everything they could to block the very important Teck Frontier project. We knew that was happening, and The Globe and Mail identified the culprits, who included the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

How can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food say that she is standing up for farmers in the west and across Canada, while staunchly opposing a project that is good for the west's economy and Canada's economy? I hope that the Minister of Agriculture will answer this time.

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

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to growing our economy while protecting our environment, and we will continue to ensure that good projects move forward in a timely manner. Investors and consumers are shifting to a cleaner economy, and many industries are innovating to achieve that. Our government will continue to work with Alberta and all provinces and territories to provide good jobs and clean, sustainable growth for people in all of Canada's regions.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the agriculture minister was not standing up for farmers before and she is not standing up for farmers now, and we know why. It is because she was too busy ensuring that Canada's oil and gas workers remain unemployed by opposing the Teck Frontier mine at cabinet. Her focus should have been reopening lost trade markets, removing the carbon tax from farm fuels, addressing the processing capacity for Ontario ranchers or removing illegal blockades, things that actually would have had an impact on Canadian agriculture.

Instead of advocating for farmers and standing up for Canadian agriculture, why is her top priority attacking Canadian energy workers?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would suggest there is some revisionist history going on in the House. The CEO of Teck made the decision to withdraw the application before it ever came before cabinet for consideration.

We are very clear that the oil and gas sector in this country is going through an extremely difficult period of time. We are seeing declining demand and growing supply. That is something Premier Kenney has pointed out as a significant challenge going forward.

We intend to work productively and co-operatively with the provinces and territories most affected to ensure that we have a good path forward, to ensure that good projects succeed. That is exactly what we are going to do.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to clarify that it is my duty to make sure that this chamber functions well, and I want to thank everyone for the first half. However, we hit the halfway point and suddenly everything went sideways. Hopefully I will be able to thank everyone for the second half.

The hon. member for Churchill—Keewatinook Aski.

Indigenous Affairs

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Speaker, first nations in northern Manitoba are scared of the impact of COVID-19 on their communities. People in the Island Lake region are sounding the alarm. There is no running water, overcrowded housing, no hospital and nowhere to self-isolate and get treatment. Meanwhile, the government is talking conference calls, hand sanitizer and testing tents. These are first world responses to a third world reality.

The government needs to get real about what first nations are facing on the ground. These communities need urgent infrastructure now and before the winter road season shuts down. What will the government do to take COVID-19's impact on first nations seriously now?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that despite historic investments in housing, there are deeply concerning conditions of housing infrastructure that many indigenous communities face. We are continuing to work toward a long-term solution.

In light of COVID-19, we are exploring all options to address these challenges, including providing temporary isolation facilities and additional health staff for communities, as needed. These supports for indigenous communities are absolutely not limited by financial capacity.

We continue to work closely with communities to coordinate resources. They are and will be there.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if PowerPoint decks could stop a pandemic, the government could be the world champion in preventive health. I am not saying that to be flippant, but two months into this crisis, isolated first nations are waiting for the basics, like hand sanitizer, gloves and masks, let alone ventilators.

If COVID-19 hits a community like Bearskin Lake or Kashechewan, we are in a nightmare scenario because how do people self-isolate in a home of 21 people full of mould? The minister's plan is to bring in tents. In James Bay in March? That is not going to cut it.

When are we going to see a sense of urgency to protect the lives of first nation people?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for attending the technical briefing this morning with my staff. The funding announced yesterday as part of the budget 2019 emergency investments is a start that enables us to take immediate action in communities to reduce the risk of spread as well as respond should cases arrive on reserve.

The reinforcement support for indigenous communities is not limited by financial capacities, and we are working closely to coordinate those resources with communities. We are providing supplies such as bottled water, hand sanitizer and personal protective equipment to communities as needed.

We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that indigenous communities are prepared to respond to COVID-19 and will continue to adapt our plan as needed.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, since 2008, an organization in Halifax, Hope Blooms, has been making a difference. It has had a measurable impact on food security and social inclusion. It actively engages youth to grow food in its 4,000 square feet of organic garden. Through hard work, its members are improving social inclusion and food security. They even appeared on Dragon's Den, where they secured $40,000 to build a new greenhouse.

The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food was in Halifax last week to meet with them. Could she inform the House on how the government is supporting this kind of project?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to meet with extraordinary people last week in Nova Scotia. Hope Blooms is one of the first organizations to receive funding from the local food infrastructure fund. With this funding, it will build eight new cooking stations. This will help an additional 65 families and 70 at-risk youth to stay healthy. This is exactly why we have put in place the first-ever food policy for Canada to ensure all Canadians are able to access a sufficient amount of safe and healthy food.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are introducing syringes into our federal prisons so that inmates can “safely” inject illegal drugs. Inmates at the Edmonton Institution for Women have protested against the prison needle exchange program. They do not want it, yet rather than listening to these women, the Liberals are risking the lives of inmates and correctional officers in the name of harm reduction. Stony Mountain prison employs correctional officers in Manitoba who have told me they are extremely concerned for their safety.

What do the Liberals say to our brave correctional officers who fear for their lives?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the prevention and treatment of infections and diseases within correctional institutions not only protects the offender population, but also protects the correctional personnel and the Canadian public. It is harm reduction.

We conduct a thorough risk assessment before any inmate is approved to participate in the needle exchange program. Appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure that the needles are safely stored. It is important to recognize that since the introduction of this program in 2018, there have been no safety incidents involving either staff or inmates.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister is not listening to his own corrections officers.

The corrections officers and staff at Stony Mountain penitentiary in my riding are extremely worried about their own safety. Why? It is because the Liberal government is putting needles in the hands of hardened criminals. Stony Mountain is home to some of the most dangerous offenders in Canada, and the last thing we should be doing is arming inmates with contaminated needles.

Why is the minister putting the illegal drug use of convicts ahead of the safety of our hard-working corrections officers?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the safety of our corrections officers is a priority for us. I will tell members that our corrections officers actually understand the principle of harm reduction, and we have been working very closely with them.

They have actually proposed a new, different harm reduction model. We have worked with them to design it. It is being piloted at institutions in Alberta and in Nova Scotia and Ontario this spring. It shows that there is a high level of co-operation and mutual effort to achieve the shared goal of safer, healthier correction environments.