Debates of March 9th, 2020

Economic Development

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

Mr. Speaker, I will gladly do so. I would like to thank my colleague from Nickel Belt for that great question. We know that entrepreneurs are the engine of northern Ontario's economy. By supporting the North Claybelt Community Futures Development Corporation, our government has helped more than 185 businesses create or maintain more than 221 jobs across the region. We are here for northern Ontarians and for our young entrepreneurs.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the coronavirus is already hurting the economy, and we are facing the possibility of a global economic downturn. Canadians are counting on the government to deliver a stimulus and job creation strategy. We need to invest in new infrastructure, renewable energy, public transit and home retrofits to create jobs all across the country. The Liberals have the chance to show that they will help workers and the planet and not just big corporations.

Will the government invest in the sustainable jobs that Canadians need right now?

[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 short answer to the question is yes.

With respect to the coronavirus, I will let the hon. member know that our priority remains making sure that our public health system can provide world-class services and we will have support announced in the near future for those who have to self-isolate. I would invite the hon. member to take a look at the infrastructure plan that we have put forward, which is seeing hundreds of billions of dollars going toward projects that are actually going to create jobs in our communities and leave our communities strengthened as a result. I would be happy to carry on this conversation in more detail with the hon. member at her leisure.

Health

[Paul Manly, Green, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of viruses like COVID-19 is if people stay home and self-isolate when they are sick, but for many low-wage workers and contractors, missing work is simply not an option. The loss of just a few hundred dollars could mean not feeding their families or potential homelessness.

Will the government extend financial support to all workers who must self-isolate for public safety reasons and will that commitment include workers who do not pay into EI or are not EI eligible?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we know that we must support Canadians who may not be able to work because of illness or quarantine. People should not be penalized for acting to support their own health and the health of their neighbours. We have already reduced the EI waiting period from two weeks to one week. We are committed to extending EI benefits to 26 weeks. We are planning for worst-case scenarios and, as the finance minister said last week, we will support Canadian workers in our economy.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

That will end question period for today. I want to thank all members. You were very good today. I just want to mention that.

Criminal Code

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-8, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy).

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

The Environment

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition from young people in my riding who point out that climate change is accelerating in Canada and around the world and that Canadian youth are anxious about being left with an uncertain future. Therefore, they call upon the House of Commons to take meaningful steps to support the future of young Canadians and fulfill Canada's obligations under the Paris Agreement by adopting a detailed climate action strategy that includes legislated climate targets, science-based targets for greenhouse gas reduction and a plan to meet them, and by implementing a comprehensive and steadily rising national carbon price beyond 2022, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies and redirecting those investments into renewable energy systems, energy efficiency, low-carbon transportation and job training.

Opioids

[Paul Manly, Green, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the first petition I have is about the opioid overdose crisis and the number of deaths. People are very concerned about this.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to declare a public health emergency due to overdose deaths in Canada, to reframe the overdose crisis in Canada as a health issue rather than a criminal issue and to take a comprehensive multifaceted approach to overdose and the overdose crisis. They ask that Parliament address issues of addiction, poverty, housing, health care, racial discrimination, economic inequality and instability, that Parliament listen to and act on recommendations made by social workers, front-line workers, nurses, doctors, drug users and individuals directly involved in the drug-using community, and decriminalize drugs in Canada.

Cannabis

[Paul Manly, Green, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I have is from residents in my riding who are concerned about an outdoor cannabis growing operation that has been put into their neighbourhood. They are calling on the government to amend the cannabis licensing regulations to require local community input, as well as to require local municipalities to have significant involvement in decision-making for licences, particularly as to the location of properties that are allocated licences for the outdoor production and processing of cannabis.

They are also asking for a one-year moratorium on licences for outdoor cultivated cannabis to allow municipalities sufficient time to develop appropriate bylaws in conjunction with their enhanced involvement in the decision-making process.

Human Rights

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present a petition signed by residents of the GTA.

The petitioners call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled along with Global Affairs Canada to issue a statement, with respect to South Korea's Moon Jae-in government, expressing denouncement and deep concern over the forcible repatriation of two North Korean defectors back to North Korea and urging the Moon government to take corrective actions ensuring that it will fully comply with international human rights laws; and, with respect to North Korea's Kim Jong-un's regime, urging the regime to disclose the whereabouts of the two North Korean defectors repatriated by South Korea's Moon government, and to treat them with humanity.

Opioids

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to table a petition on behalf of residents of the Comox Valley, from Courtenay and Cumberland.

This petition is about the 12,500 preventable deaths due to the opioid and fentanyl crisis taking place across our country. The tabling of this petition could not be more timely, as tomorrow many of the signatories to this petition will be protesting the closure of the overdose protection site in Courtenay.

The petitioners are calling on the government to declare the current opioid overdose and fentanyl poisoning crisis a national public health emergency. They are calling for resources to support overdose protection sites, support treatment, support tackling this issue with a clean source. They want the government to make sure it is under the Emergencies Act in order to manage and resource it properly, with the aim to reduce, eliminate and prevent deaths; to reform current drug policies to decriminalize personal possession; and to create with urgency and immediacy a system to provide safe, unadulterated access to substances so people who use substances experimentally, recreationally or chronically are not at imminent risk of overdose due to a contaminated source.

The Environment

[William Amos, Liberal, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise on behalf of 44 constituents of Pontiac, who presented me with a petition in my office. We had a very good discussion about the issue of the climate emergency that faces our planet.

The petitioners are urging our government and Parliament to move forward with measures to take action as we face so many climate-related events, such as the floods we faced in the Pontiac in 2017 and 2019. They are insisting it is urgent that we act immediately to address greenhouse gas emissions, to transition to a low-carbon economy and to do so in reconciliation with indigenous peoples and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today I am tabling two petitions.

The first petition is regarding private member's Motion No. 1, the green new deal. It is my pleasure to present this petition on behalf of dozens of residents across Canada. They are joining their voices with those of thousands of Canadians who have signed petitions thus far. All of them are calling on the Government of Canada to address the climate emergency with the ambition and urgency required, on behalf of present and future generations.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to support private member's Motion No. 1, a made in Canada green new deal, which calls on Canada to take bold and rapid action to tackle the climate emergency, to address the worsening socio-economic and racial inequalities at the same time and to support workers impacted by the transition to a clean and renewable energy economy.

Canada Post

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from many constituents from my riding, close to 400 of them. The are calling on the Minister of Public Services and Procurement to adopt the delivering community power vision by Canada Post by transitioning Canada Post to 100% renewable energy, expanding services for seniors, introducing postal banking, converting Canada Post's fleet to all electric vehicles, installing public charging stations, delivering medicines and groceries and installing solar panels and retrofitting post offices.

Indigenous Affairs

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition from over 100 students at Notre Dame High School in Beaches—East York. They call attention to the inadequate housing on reserve and the lack of clean water. They note that, as a matter of basic equality and human rights, this is unacceptable in Canada. They ask the government to take this more seriously. While 88 boil water advisories have been lifted since 2015, 64 remain. The petitioners request that Parliament lend more funding and support to attend to these issues and bring equality to first nations communities.

The Environment

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have four petitions today and I will move through them very quickly.

The first two have to do with the environment.

Members of my constituency are concerned about the impact that we are having on our environment and what the government should be doing to address this.

In one of the petitions they are calling on the House of Commons and Parliament to mandate and fund energy audits for all federal buildings.

In another, they are calling on the House of Commons and Parliament to increase subsidies for consumer purchases of electric vehicles to $10,000.

Agriculture

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have another petition with 275 signatures on it, from farmers and individuals in my constituency who support farmers throughout Canada. They are calling on the Canadian government to refrain from making any regulations under the Plant Breeders' Rights Act that would further erode farmers' rights or add to farmers' costs by restricting or eliminating farmers' privilege.

Flood Relief

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the last petition has 1,677 signatures on it. This one is in relation to the flooding that has been going on in Lake Ontario, the Ottawa River and the St. Lawrence River.

The petitioners ask the government to initiate a program of patterning to either close the seaway early, or open it later in the spring; to use extraordinary measures to target Lake Ontario levels to reduce the levels earlier on; and to further increase the L-limit deviation, similar to the 1986 fall season's defensive actions when outflows exceeded the current limit of 200.

Seniors

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition from the residents of Winnipeg North. They emphasize the importance of our seniors and call upon parliamentarians to recognize how important they are by looking at ways to enhance their quality of life, using the example of the old age supplement, and ways in which we might lift more seniors out of poverty.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand at this time.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

The House resumed consideration of the motion.

Opposition Motion—Documents on Economic Downturns

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I was very excited to have the opportunity to talk about the impact of the Canada child benefit in my community, the impact that it has had on child poverty right across our country and its impact on food insecurity. There are studies that have been done now that show that food insecurity is being impacted by the fact that we have a Canada child benefit that is indexed and that is non-taxable.

That is all money in the pockets of some of the people who are the neediest in our communities, and it is helping children and families to pay for their needs. I believe that is one of the most important programs that we put into place, although there is much more that we can speak about.

That is why I have been so happy that we have had this opportunity today. All members of the House have spoken from all different sides about how, in our communities, what we want is to work together to make sure that our communities are stronger, that people are able to afford what they need to make ends meet, and that they are able to find the employment that they would like to get. All of these are so important to what we have been working on.

I very much appreciate that I have been given this extra time to complete my speech, and I am now ready for my five minutes of questions.