Debates of July 21st, 2020

Ethics

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth]

Mr. Speaker, our focus remains on ensuring that Canadians have the programs and resources that they need.

I will remind the member that there are offices of Parliament. They are independent agents that do important work. We have the utmost respect for offices of Parliament to do that important work.

We have been clear that we will work with this office to ensure that he has the answers he needs. He also knows that committee members, members of all parties, asked me to appear at the finance committee. I was there providing answers. They asked for officials to appear, and officials were also appearing.

Child Care

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

Mr. Speaker, there is no economic recovery without child care. Women and parents cannot return to work if it means leaving their kids home alone. The Liberals missed the mark on their agreement with provinces and are treating child care as a nice-to-have instead of a must-have.

Experts, businesses, economists and parents are clear: To go back to work, families need safe, reliable and affordable child care. Will the Liberals invest the $2.5 billion required this year to finally build a universal and affordable child care program?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for the important question.

We are continuing with our investments in the amount of $7.5 billion over the next few years to continue to create safe, affordable, quality accessible child care. We have created over 40,000 affordable child care spaces for the most needy families in the country. We are going ahead with our bilateral agreements in the amount of $400 million to provinces and territories, and as part of the safe restart agreement, we are transferring $625 million to provinces and territories for a safe restart of the child care sector.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Mr. Speaker, women play an extremely important role in the Canadian workforce. However, many women are struggling to go back to work while they continue to assume the responsibility for child care. We understand that if women do not return to work there will be no recovery after the pandemic.

What is this government doing to support the availability of safe and affordable child care services that would allow Canadian women to return to work?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands the immense pressure that COVID-19 is putting on Canadian families, and especially on women and parents. That is why we are investing more than $1 billion in child care this year. Over the next ten years, we will invest more than $7.5 billion in early childhood education and child care.

Public Safety

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the national PPE stockpile has existed since at least 1952. It holds ventilators, blankets, towels, PPE, antibiotics and other essentials. Now, for security reasons, the Liberal government says that we are forbidden from knowing how much PPE it had between 2016 and 2020 before the viral pandemic. I did not realize it was a national security risk to ask the government how many towels it had in 2018.

To the health minister, what is the security reason for not disclosing the past PPE stockpiles?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, our government's record on PPE has been unequivocally clear and strong. The health and safety of our front-line health care workers is our top priority.

We have been working with the provinces and territories, industries and suppliers and with other partners to ensure we have enough PPE in Canada to protect health care professionals. The PHAC has issued guidance, informed by front-line health care workers, on when a health provider may need an N95 mask.

While it is up to each province and territory to provide instruction on the use of specific PPE, our guidance empowers workers to ask for the PPE they need to stay safe at work.

Veterans Affairs

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Veterans Affairs depends on our legions to help with the transition of veterans. Legions also coordinate school visits, teaching our children about the cost of our freedom. For many, legions are a safe place to find community.

There are 157 legions facing a risk of permanent closure due to restrictions on their fundraising efforts and there has been no flexibility to include them in the COVID-19 economic response plan.

The Minister of Veterans Affairs says that he hopes to have more on this shortly. When did the minister begin to think about the impact of the pandemic on Canada's legions?

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

Mr. Speaker, we fully understand the vital role legions play in supporting our veterans and small communities across the country. Some of them have qualified for the emergency community support fund, but we know that not all of them do.

As the Prime Minister indicated quite clearly, we are working on a solution to this and I hope we will have something to share very soon.

Government Programs

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a constituent of mine works in an essential service every Sunday, unless there is a fifth Sunday in the month. If she works that, then she has to sacrifice her whole CERB payment because she will be paid a whopping $2 more than the earning limits allow. That is just a dumb system.

The Conservatives believe that people should always be better off when they work, so we have proposed a plan that would truly support Canadians as they get back to work. Why will the government not implement our common sense plan to support Canadians?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I take issue with characterizing the CERB as a “dumb system” when it has helped over eight million Canadians make sure they have money to pay their rent and buy food.

We have worked extremely hard to evolve the CERB with the evolving state of this pandemic. We are continuing to do so. We are absolutely committed to making sure all Canadians have the support they need during this crisis.

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, business owners and employees in my riding are spending time and money every day juggling hours and changing schedules to accommodate CERB. Employees are forced to choose between working full time, taking a pay cut or continuing part time to keep their CERB. Business owners cannot find enough staff to reopen or even stay open.

Why will the government not stop disincentivizing productivity and make the CERB more flexible by implementing the Conservative back-to-work plan?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, when the CERB came into effect, we were asking Canadians to stay home. We are now encouraging Canadians to go back to work. That is why when we added weeks onto the CERB, we created new language in the attestation where Canadians are committing to seek out work opportunities and take jobs when it is reasonable to do so.

I have a lot more confidence in Canadians wanting to work than clearly the other side does.

Ethics

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are in the midst of a health crisis, a global pandemic that needs to be addressed, and a potential second wave is looming on the horizon. We are all facing a global economic crisis and a public finance crisis. The last thing we need is a leadership crisis in this government.

For the benefit of all, will the Prime Minister allow the Deputy Prime Minister to take over during the investigation?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has the full confidence of the government and our entire caucus.

Together, we must work to make things better for all Canadians and to support people who have lost their jobs, people who are too sick, people who are caring for someone who is sick, seniors and people with disabilities. That is why we are here today, with the support of everyone. We are here to take real action on behalf of all Quebeckers and Canadians. That is what we should focus on.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is the height of the summer. Quebec is on its construction holiday. The House is having a rare summer sitting because the COVID-19 crisis requires us to adopt measures quickly.

However, we are faced with yet another Liberal scandal involving the Prime Minister who, out of a lack of judgment and ethics, is proving that he cannot be trusted.

Can the Prime Minister step aside until the Ethics Commissioner completes his investigation and thereby allow the House to refocus on the real issues related to the COVID-19 crisis?

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

Here are the real issues, Mr. Speaker. We were there with the Canadian army when the long-term care facilities needed it. We were there to take care of people who lost their job. We were there for our small businesses and providing the wage subsidy when they were unable to make ends meet. We are here today for people with disabilities. We were there for seniors.

Those are the real issues that the Prime Minister and the entire government are addressing.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on February 6, I sent a letter to the Minister of Immigration about the problems being caused by delays and red tape for foreign workers. I never got an answer. In committee on May 22, the minister told me that he would call me. I am still waiting for that call.

The pandemic has only made the situation worse. Fifteen businesses in my riding that are having problems with immigration wrote to the minister directly but did not receive an answer.

On July 7, I once again wrote the minister personally to request a meeting. I sent my request again on July 13. I was told that a meeting would be set up soon.

Can the minister tell me how I am supposed to interpret this lack of response?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to working with the Government of Quebec to find a way to recognize the important work on the issue of families. We have a very compassionate and principled approach. I am prepared to work with my colleague.

Business of the House

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I left Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce at four in the morning to get to Ottawa so I could work on moving an important bill for Canadian entrepreneurs forward for a vote.

To my great surprise, when I arrived, I found out that the Prime Minister, the person who convened the House, was taking a personal day. It is time for the Prime Minister to come back down to earth.

Can he tell us why he convened the House the same day he took a personal day?

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

Mr. Speaker, we convened the House to help people living with disabilities. We convened the House to help businesses via the wage subsidy. We convened the House to give the opposition a chance to ask questions about timely subjects such as what we are doing for seniors, children, families and people with disabilities. That is why we are here.

We were here yesterday, and we are here today. We will keep answering questions because we on this side are doing our job.

Ethics

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, federal government contracts of $25,000 or more have to be tendered. Last year, before the election, the Prime Minister's own Privy Council Office gave two sole-source contracts to WE Charity. One was in the amount of $24,996 and the other one was for just over $17,000.

What were those contracts for? Why did the Prime Minister not want Canadians to know about them? Did some of the money go to the Prime Minister's family or the finance minister's family?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth]

Mr. Speaker, as we are here responding to a global pandemic, which is impacting Canadians from coast to coast to coast, we will remain focused on Canadians.

When it comes to the member's question, I will make sure we get her that information.

Canadian Heritage

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the weeks following the tragic death of George Floyd, the words “Black Lives Matter” have galvanized millions of people seeking justice around the world and here in Canada. Our Prime Minister recently brought cabinet together to discuss this important issue.

Since this issue is vital to Canadians, can the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth please update the House on what Canada is doing to combat racism?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Châteauguay—Lacolle for her vision of a more inclusive Canada, a vision that is shared by this government.

Here are a few examples. In 2018, Canada recognized the International Decade for People of African Descent, and we have since been working to meet these objectives. We have launched a program to enhance community supports for black Canadian youth. In addition, through Canada's anti-racism strategy, we now have an Anti-Racism Secretariat, which includes anti-black racism.

Much remains to be done, and our government will continue to take action.