Debates of April 11th, 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Chair, our government absolutely believes in science. We believe that information and knowledge is power and we believe that sharing what we know with Canadians helps all of us respond effectively to the threat posed by the coronavirus. We have a daily press conference by the Prime Minister and daily briefings by health authorities and ministers. In all of those formats, we share information and we will continue to do so.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Chair, every day I hear from seniors in my riding who are affected by the COVID-19 crisis, particularly some who are very concerned about their RRSPs, their retirement savings, that have taken a major hit.

Will the government consider lessening the RRIF requirements beyond what has been already proposed?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, we recognize that seniors, like all Canadians, are feeling extremely challenged. Seniors maybe more so because of the additional health anxiety that they have. Not only have we lowered the amount that they are required to take out of their registered retirement income fund, but we also know that what we did with the GST low-income tax credit has a very significant, positive impact on seniors, helping far more than the majority, over 80%, of those who are in a single situation and almost 50% in a couple situation. These are important measures. We will be considering other things we can do to support the health sector to support seniors.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Chair, this House has asked the Auditor General to undertake important work on its behalf. Currently, the Auditor General of Canada is an interim appointment.

Would the government make his appointment permanent, effectively immediately?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, we did give an interim extension to the Auditor General because we thought that was appropriate at this moment in time. We will consider what the appropriate next steps are, as we have the time to do so, but we do think that the current status allows him to continue to do his important work for all of us in Parliament.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Chair, my office and my exceptional staff, both in my riding and here in Ottawa, are doing work and hearing from constituents every day about not being eligible for these different programs, whether they are students, seasonal employers or people who work part-time, but not beyond 10 hours.

The government has stated that they will be making some charges to the CERB. On what date will those changes come into effect?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Chair, quite frankly, as quickly as possible, we are trying to address the systemic gaps in the CERB. At this time, I cannot tell members exactly when each specific change will go into effect, but I can make a commitment on behalf of myself and the government to do it as quickly as possible.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, my next questions relate to the emergency response benefit.

We are very pleased that the government plans to implement a measure to make exceptions to the zero income rule. We cited examples such as volunteer firefighters and municipal politicians. We appreciate that plans have been announced to address that.

I would like the Minister of Employment to confirm that details on that will be announced this coming week. A threshold of 10 hours was discussed, and I want to make sure that is the case.

Before I give her a chance to answer my question, I also want to applaud the government for announcing that workers in seasonal industries will also be covered. This is not only about those who have lost their income because of COVID-19, but also those who will not be able to go back to work.

I would also like to know when this measure will officially come into effect for workers in seasonal industries.

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Chair, before I answer my colleague's questions, I would like to thank all members for their collaboration and their hard work.

When we created the Canada emergency response benefit, we knew there was still work to be done. That is what we are doing right now. In the coming days, we will continue to look for groups that may not have been included. This will be done on a daily basis. As I said earlier, we are absolutely committed to meeting the needs as quickly as possible.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, I want to respectfully ask the minister about a teacher who works on call as a supply, but who would not have been called the previous month, since early March, say.

Could this person apply for the Canada emergency response benefit, or CERB?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Mr. Chair, of course, we will have to look at individual cases.

In this case, if that individual is not working because of COVID-19, he or she may qualify for the CERB.

We can look at this particular case on the member's behalf.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, before the minister's last sentence, I would have interpreted her answer as an unconditional “yes”. I would obviously like to be kept informed.

To qualify for the CERB, someone has to have earned $5,000 in income. I have some questions about what is considered income.

For example, a university scholarship is income for a student, but it is not taxable. Does that amount count in an application for the CERB?

Another question has to do with benefits for people who are not currently working. Quebec has the CSST for people who are injured at work and the SAAQ for people who have been in a car accident. There are also people who are cashing in their RRSPs. This is taxable income.

Does all of that count towards the $5,000?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his question.

The parameters are very clearly defined. I will be able to get back to him with a more specific answer after today.

Income earned at work counts towards the $5,000. This is a little more flexible than the tax system, but we are talking about income earned at work over the past 12 months.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, I thank the minister for her response.

We are hearing many reports about people who are off work and would like to go back to work. For instance, they may have been on sick leave with a broken leg or something like that, but they cannot go back to work because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Will those people be eligible for the emergency benefit?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for that great question.

We are aware of such cases. We are working together as a team to resolve that problem.

I have no answer to offer him at this time, but it is certainly a top priority for me and my team.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Chair, indigenous leaders across the country have told me that health care resources in their communities were already stretched to the limit and that they would need access to additional personnel.

The existing nurse shortage is leaving many indigenous communities incredibly vulnerable to COVID-19.

What is the government doing to ensure that indigenous communities have enough health care workers to deal with this pandemic?

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

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for that very important question.

Last week, the Minister of Indigenous Services and I had a conversation with leaders from across the country and from first nations.

Our government recognizes that people in first nations, Inuit and Métis communities are among the most vulnerable Canadians. We have provided immediate support through the community support fund to address public health issues, which includes providing PPE, testing and health care personnel. That is just a first step. We know that further support is absolutely required.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Chair, for a long time it has been clear that federal governments have left indigenous communities behind. The state of infrastructure in many communities, as members know, means that indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19. Self-isolation and physical distancing are not practices that many indigenous communities are able to take part in, as a result of overcrowding and unsafe housing. Handwashing is difficult when people do not have access to clean drinking water.

Indigenous communities around the country have been clear that the response has not been adequate and, in particular, that the funding announced has not been enough. This week, National Chief Bellegarde called on the federal government to immediately release about 10% of all its future funding dedicated to its response to the COVID-19 pandemic directly to the first nations communities. Why is the government waiting to scale up to respond to the need and the scale of the need in indigenous communities?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Chair, that is a very important question. Our government absolutely recognizes that indigenous people in first nations, Inuit and Métis communities are among the most vulnerable Canadians and need particular support when it comes to the challenges posed by COVID-19.

Last week, together with the Minister of Indigenous Services, we had a call with Chief Bellegarde and all the regional chiefs from the Assembly of First Nations. We are providing immediate support through the community support fund to address public health issues. This includes providing PPE, testing and health care personnel.

We know this is just the beginning, and we are prepared to provide, and are working on providing, further support.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Chair, I want to now turn my attention to flooding and the way that flooding is going to impact indigenous communities across the country. I will give one example of such a community: Kashechewan. It represents a lot of what happens across Canada. The specific concern is that the solution to indigenous communities faced with flooding cannot simply be camping out on the land. This solution is fraught with serious issues. The situation in Kashechewan and in many other indigenous communities is particularly difficult given the impacts of COVID-19 and barriers to previous plans, which were evacuations.

Does the minister have an update on clear plans? What is the department planning on doing to ensure the safety of indigenous communities beyond encouraging them to camp on the land, particularly given the additional impact of COVID-19?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Chair, that is another important question. Certainly for indigenous communities, and indeed for all Canadians, the combination of flood season and forest-fire season with COVID-19 is going to pose a particular set of challenges. The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness is very seized with this issue and has been working on it in close collaboration with provincial partners, indigenous partners and communities, the Minister of Indigenous Services and the Minister of Northern Affairs. We know we will have to pay particular attention to how we work on these issues.

As for the on-the-land program, if that is a way that indigenous communities wish to address the issue, of course they will have our support, but that cannot be the only answer.

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Mr. Chair, the Prime Minister visited my riding of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound just before last fall's election to discuss broadband rural Internet. I will add that he was received with a passionate welcome, to say the least.

Small businesses, people working from home and rural schools are all suffering due to a lack of reliable Internet. COVID-19 has exasperated the existing situation dramatically. I am sure that all rural MPs could easily identify dozens of constituents who are having a heck of a time getting up-to-date information on any of the current government COVID-19 benefits or programs, or even applying, due to a lack of reliable Internet access or the ability to get through to the 1-800 numbers.

What is the government doing to rectify rural Internet issues right now?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the member opposite for his very thoughtful question on the very important subject of high-speed Internet connectivity in rural communities.

Prior to COVID-19, we made significant investments through the connect to innovate program. We also put forward significant funding under the universal broadband initiative to assist communities like this because we recognized that we are dealing with a significant digital divide.

Going forward we will work very closely with the telecommunications sector. This is a top-of-mind issue. I have spoken to many companies, which have raised this issue with me, about providing better services and high-speed Internet connectivity at more affordable prices.

We will continue to work with the member opposite and the communities that have been impacted.

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Mr. Chair, the gross revenue reduction test for the Canadian emergency wage subsidy does not work well for farmers, as their revenue patterns and income amounts are subject to timing, volume and pricing changes over the year or years, vice what is currently outlined in the wage subsidy legislation.

Will changes be made to include farmers and ranchers who have been left out of the wage subsidy, as the government has deemed food and agriculture as critical and essential during this time of crisis?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Chair, we have worked hard to come up with an approach for the wage subsidy that will deal with the sectors of our economy and individual organizations that are most impacted by COVID-19. The revenue tests we have put in place show us that they have actually seen significant changes in their situations, and they are therefore getting a wage subsidy.

We also know that there are other things we need to do to support sectors that are experiencing challenges, like the agricultural sector. It is one of the reasons we changed Farm Credit Canada's ability to give loans, because we know that sector is going to be a challenge.

We will continue to think about ways to support our food supply, knowing how critical that is at a time like this.