Debates of April 20th, 2020

Agriculture and Agri-Food

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

Mr. Speaker, I can assure members that we are with the farmers. I am speaking to farmers, food processors and retailers every day.

Yes, we have put in place some additional measures through FCC, and more than $2 billion has been given in terms of loans to support them with their cash flow challenges. We have also announced a stay of default to the advance payments program. As well, we have invested $20 million through the CFIA to make sure that food safety is assured in Canada and that we support our food processing plants.

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, workers and retirees are worried. They need reassurance. After the COVID-19 pandemic, we could end up with a bankruptcy pandemic.

With the stock market at its very lowest, virtually all pension plans are in deficit. As it stands now, in the event of a bankruptcy, retirees are last in line.

What does the government intend to do to better protect pension plans?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question about pensions.

We have implemented emergency measures and an economic plan to help Canadians in the current pandemic. We will be looking ahead to see how we can continue to support Canadians and retirees in the coming weeks.

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

Mr. Speaker, if there is one thing that the pandemic reminds us of, it is that when it comes to the economy, nothing is more important than protecting our people. Right now, workers and retirees are poorly protected. If a company goes bankrupt, the banks come first. Even the government comes before them. They risk ending up with meagre pensions even though they paid into them their entire lives. By the time the number of bankruptcies grows, it will be too late to do anything about it.

Is the government going to make pension plans priority creditors?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I thank my hon. colleague for his question.

For several weeks now, we have been working on implementing an emergency program, an economic plan that will help Canadians and businesses get through this crisis. We will continue to support Canadians and retirees.

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, the Chinese Communist regime repeatedly destroyed and falsified information about the spread of COVID-19, all the while imprisoning whistle-blowers. As a result, a regional health problem became a global catastrophe.

What measures is the government prepared to undertake to hold the Chinese Communist regime accountable?

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

Mr. Speaker, this is a global pandemic. That is why international co-operation and information sharing are absolutely essential. We can all help each other and save lives by gathering and sharing the most accurate information possible. Having said that, decisions about Canada are made by Canadians based on the advice of Canada's world-renowned experts.

Finally, I think everyone in this House appreciates that democracies are transparent in a way authoritarian regimes can never be.

Committees of the House

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

Mr. Speaker, under normal circumstances, Commons committees have the power to summon witnesses or to send for documents, but the Liberal chair of the health committee has ruled that right now, when his committee needs these powers the most, these powers have been taken away under the terms of the special order adopted on April 11 in this House.

Given this interpretation, will the government amend the special order it is imposing today to allow all currently sitting committees, including the health committee, to have the full powers they normally enjoy?

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

Mr. Speaker, in a perfect world, the House would be full of MPs. We would be operating normally, and all committees would be operating normally. That is not the case. This is not a normal situation, and that is why we have taken very responsible measures that enable us to meet here from time to time, to continue sitting virtually, to ensure that House committees can continue to function so that my fellow MPs can ask the Minister of Health, the Minister of Finance and a number of other ministers questions, and to ensure that all MPs can keep doing their work.

Canada-U.S. Border

[Chris Lewis, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the essential service personnel crossing our land borders to deliver the products we need and provide much-needed health care, including in hard-hit areas like Detroit, Michigan, make us all proud of our fellow citizens. However, Global News has reported, and the CBSA union has confirmed, that there are no health officers monitoring these borders.

Testing must be done to ensure that those most vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19 have not contracted this disease. When will the Liberals send health officers to our land borders to stop the spread and protect all Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important question because the health and safety of Canadians, but also those men and women who protect our borders, are critically important to us.

I want to assure the member opposite that all steps are being taken to ensure, first of all, the protection of our border services officers so they have access to the personal protection equipment, in particular, that they need to do their job safely. At the same time, I want to assure him, for those essential workers who are crossing each and every day, we are making available to them adequate screening and support through personal protection equipment to make sure that they can do their job safely. I take this opportunity to thank them for their dedication to serving their fellow humans.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Ken Hardie, Liberal, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it has been over a month since the world has become deeply engaged with this global health emergency. This government has demonstrated great leadership in putting in place health measures to protect Canadians. We know, though, that these health measures have been difficult on workers and have caused economic uncertainty for Canadian families across the country.

Can the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development update this House on how many Canadians the Canadian emergency response benefit, CERB, has been able to help since its launch two weeks ago?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to salute the work of the member of Parliament for Fleetwood—Port Kells. As he said, millions of families and workers across Canada are feeling the pain and the suffering that this emergency situation is bringing, and that is why we have also implemented emergency measures. One of them is the Canada emergency response benefit.

I am pleased to report that as of today, a total of 6.7 million Canadians have applied for the Canada emergency emergency response benefit, for a total of 8.7 million applications. Of them, 8.4 million have been treated already.

Regional Economic Development

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, businesses in the north have a very different need from the rest of the country. With a shorter business season and industries like junior mining and exploration, it is clear that the government's one-size-fits-all approach to emergency business measures has, sadly, done little to support our northern economy. The Yukon Chamber of Mines and the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, as well as other northern businesses, have said programs like the Canada emergency wage subsidy will not work for the north.

Will the government listen to these leaders and make changes so that our businesses in the north have a fighting chance to survive?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, those businesses indeed are really important to the communities in the north, and indeed to the Canadian economy. This is why we have introduced a number of measures, and one of the measures that we announced just the other day is support through the regional development agencies that will help those businesses in the north, support them in this very difficult time and get them on the road to recovery when it is safe to do so.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Mr. Speaker, earlier the Prime Minister said that students would be eligible for CERB if they made $5,000 in the last year. However, to be eligible they would also have to have lost a job due to COVID. The vast majority of students had not started summer jobs when the crisis hit, and as a result are not eligible.

Why did the Prime Minister say that these students would now be eligible? Can the government confirm now that it is going to expand CERB for the benefit of all students?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for highlighting the very difficult times that Canadians, and students in particular, are going through. That is why we have reacted quickly by extending, for instance, student loans for at least six months, removing all interest and all capital payments; that is why we have also introduced the wage subsidy, so that many employers will be able to hire or re-hire students; that is why we also introduced the Canada emergency response benefit, which is helping many students at this particularly difficult time; and that is why we will continue to work very hard to support our students.

[Doug Shipley, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, during this difficult time, Canadians are reaching out for answers, clarity and reassurance. My office is receiving hundreds of calls and emails daily with enquiries about government programs. Canadians are very frustrated at not being able to get through on phone lines, and if they do get through, they can be on hold for hours. With enhanced safety measures, grocery stores, pharmacies and banks all remain open to serve Canadians.

Why, during the most needed time, do Service Canada locations remain closed?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, we took the decision to close in-person Service Canada centres for the safety of the public in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and also for the safety of our staff. However, we have enhanced and redeployed staff to make sure that there are many alternative modes of service, including online and telephone; we have dispatched community liaison officers to the most vulnerable communities in Canada to assure them that we will be there to serve them through other modes of service, as well as through trusted intermediary organizations; and finally, for folks who are not able to fill out those forms even with phone assistance, we will make the extraordinary attempt to have appointments in person.

Canadian Heritage

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

Mr. Speaker, now more than ever, Canadians and the people of Orléans are realizing that art and culture are an integral part of their lives. It is at times like these that Canadians need art and culture the most to lift their spirits during isolation.

Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage tell the House about measures the government has taken to ensure that our artists, our creators and our athletes can continue to inspire us and bring us together even while we are apart during this difficult time?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Orléans for her question.

Even though we must all keep our distance from one another, I know all Canadians understand that our creators and our athletes keep us united and strong at home.

On Friday, I announced a $500-million investment to support organizations in the arts, sport and culture during this difficult time by meeting their distinct financial needs. Our government is making sure that more jobs are protected, fewer people are left behind and organizations can keep contributing to the sector after the pandemic. Our goal is to make this money available as soon as possible.

I hope to have more details for you soon.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Corey Palmer is a small business owner in London, Ontario. Crane Wise Inc. is Corey's brand new business, and he employs five people. Through the pandemic, Corey is keeping his employees on payroll, but because of the overly restrictive rules in the Liberals' wage subsidy, Corey and his employees are being left behind. Universal benefits would help Corey, his staff and so many others. Why will the Liberals not make the CERB universal for everyone in Canada and open up a wage subsidy to help small business owners and their employees through this pandemic?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, that is a very important question. However, we made the CERB decision for two reasons: the first was to get money quickly to Canadian workers and families, as they need it immediately, and the second was to get more money in the hands of those who need it, as opposed to sending a small amount of money to everyone.

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

Mr. Speaker, will the government implement an emergency guaranteed livable income so that no Canadian is left behind in this COVID-19 crisis?

My inbox is full of messages from constituents who are not eligible for the programs that have been put out, such as students who are not eligible for these programs and seniors and people on disability who are dealing with a spiked increase in the cost of living. Small business start-ups are not eligible for any of the business programs. Farmers are not eligible for any of these programs. Some restaurants that have just started up are not eligible. I have people who were on sick leave last year who are not eligible for this program because they were not working and did not earn $5,000.

I have a lot of people who need help and I am wondering when the government is going to help with a guaranteed livable income to help all the Canadians affected by this crisis.

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that yes, a lot of Canadian families, workers and students are facing difficult times in the context of COVID-19, but our government is steadfast in making sure that we deliver help to everyone who needs help, whether through the Canada emergency response benefit, which will enable many workers who have lost their jobs or who have been laid off as a result of COVID-19 to get the help they need, or through the wage subsidy, which will help many businesses keep staff and rehire laid-off staff. As well, there is the help we have already delivered for students, as well as more that we can do as necessary to fill the gaps.