House of Commons Hansard #44 of the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was chair.

Topics

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:20 p.m.

Liberal

Harjit S. Sajjan Liberal Vancouver South, BC

Madam Chair, as I stated, we do not talk about intelligence reports, for obvious reasons. However, one thing I can assure the member is that we make decisions based on sound intelligence to make sure that we keep Canadians safe. We have done so. We have dealt with many crises since I started—

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Chair (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Liberal Alexandra Mendes

The hon. member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, with a very short question.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON

Madam Chair, there was a sole-source contract for $24,990 with WE Charity from the Public Health Agency during last year's election. What was it for?

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:20 p.m.

Waterloo Ontario

Liberal

Bardish Chagger LiberalMinister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth

Madam Chair, I believe that is the question the member asked yesterday. As I stated in the House, we will get the information and make sure the member has it.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:20 p.m.

Conservative

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

Madam Chair, I will be sharing my time with the member for Beauce.

The list of questions about the Liberal government and its relationship with the WE organization grows, and here is another one.

In 2017, the Liberal government paid over $13,000 to the WE organization to help secure the appearances of Canadian talent at WE California that year. One of the speakers at the event was Canadian Lilly Singh, who in 2015 called the Prime Minister her dashing Prime Minister on Facebook and proclaimed to have a #mancrush on Instagram.

This begs the question: How many friends of the Prime Minister have been paid by taxpayers thanks to his government's relationship with the WE organization?

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:20 p.m.

Waterloo Ontario

Liberal

Bardish Chagger LiberalMinister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth

Madam Chair, I am not sure where these questions are going. We will ensure that information will be made available. When I was at committee, I said that we would make as much information available as possible. The clerk was there yesterday. He also committed to making that information available.

However, let us talk about Canadians. Let us talk about our Canadian friends.

Since June 28, 8.16 million individuals have received the CERB; three million employees have received the CEWS; 3.7 million families have benefited from the CCB top-up of $300; 12 million individuals and families received the special one-time payment through the GST credit; and over $1.4 billion were given to over 6,000 students through the CESB.

We will deliver for Canadians during this—

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:20 p.m.

Liberal

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Conservative

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

Madam Chair, that was a question about WE, not about what the government was supposedly doing.

Airlines in the north provide critical services to remote fly-in communities, including supplying food and providing access to health services. To help ensure these services continue uninterrupted, the Northern Air Transport Association has recommended that the government suspend federal excise and carbon taxes.

Is the Minister of Finance considering this recommendation, which would help alleviate the negative financial impact the pandemic has on this vital industry?

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount Québec

Liberal

Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport

Madam Chair, our government has been working with the Northern Air Transport Association and all airlines that supply the north with vital supplies, including medicines, food and people to go up there and provide essential services. We will continue to do that.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Conservative

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

Madam Chair, the recently released Senate report on the federal government's COVID-19 response recommends that the government work with the territories to ensure that northern airlines have sufficient financial support and access to gateway routes.

Could the Minister of Northern Affairs please outline what further action the government will be taking to protect this vital transportation network, given this recommendation?

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Liberal

Marc Garneau Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC

Madam Chair, we have been working very closely with northern airline organizations and with the territories. We have already provided $17.3 million to the three territories, and we were working on finding solutions for the ongoing need to resupply the north.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Conservative

Richard Lehoux Conservative Beauce, QC

Madam Chair, my office is trying to help the largest possible number of businesses in my riding. However, the system for immigration and temporary workers is highly problematic. The labour market studies take far too much time. To my knowledge, these requests previously went directly to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Now, they also need to go through Employment and Social Development Canada.

I know that baseball training camps just started, but ministers should not just be tossing the ball around.

Seriously, how does the government explain the delay in processing applications, and what does it intend to do about it? I am looking for meaningful action, not just rhetoric.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Eglinton—Lawrence Ontario

Liberal

Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Immigration

Madam Chair, I would like to start by correcting my colleague. Unfortunately, we are not playing baseball.

To answer his question, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada continues to process work permit applications, prioritizing resources to high-demand occupations, such as agriculture and food. As for temporary workers who were already in Canada and have been affected by COVID-19, we already have additional strategies in place to address labour rights, restoration of status, and time frames for documentation.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Conservative

Richard Lehoux Conservative Beauce, QC

Madam Chair, my question is for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Supply-managed farmers in Canada's agriculture sector have been waiting patiently for the compensation they were promised under previous international trade deals. The Liberal government included compensation for these farmers in its platform, as well as in the minister's mandate letter, to make up for its poor international negotiations.

Will we ever see an actual payment schedule that will enable these farmers to plan for the future and position themselves to kick-start Canada's stagnant economy? I want a date.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Compton—Stanstead Québec

Liberal

Marie-Claude Bibeau LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Madam Chair, members will recall that we committed to give dairy farmers $1.75 billion in compensation for the Europe and trans-Pacific deals. They have already received $345 million, and the second payment will be made this year. I can assure the member that we are just as strongly committed when it comes to the deal with the United States and other supply-managed sectors and processors.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Conservative

Gary Vidal Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK

Madam Chair, I will be splitting my time with my colleague from Yorkton—Melville.

Does the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion know how many jobs were denied across the country by the over-prescribed Canada summer jobs program in 2020?

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

York South—Weston Ontario

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen LiberalMinister of Families

Madam Chair, we are proud of the Canada summer jobs program. We know its value to young people. We are ensuring that more employers use it. We know the value it has for young people to obtain relevant experience to their future careers.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Conservative

Gary Vidal Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK

Madam Chair, does the minister know the overall monetary value of the jobs that were denied across the country in the Canada summer jobs program in 2020?

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON

Madam Chair, we have approved over 70,000 Canada summer jobs for young people this year. We are ensuring that more employers take part in the program. We know the value that program brings, not just to employers but, more important, to the young people who take part in it.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Conservative

Gary Vidal Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK

Madam Chair, I can answer that question for my riding in northern Saskatchewan: Nearly $1.5 million were left on the table. That represents hundreds of job requests to hire students through the Canada summer jobs program that were denied by the current government.

Instead of simply using a program already in place that not only helps young Canadians, but is a lifeline for struggling community programs, small businesses and not-for-profit organizations that do not hold investments in Toronto real estate, the government looked to politically benefit itself.

Let us think of all the jobs that could have been created for these students, the opportunity provided and the value added to their communities if the government had simply used the existing Canada summer jobs process instead of creating a sole-source contribution agreement that would have put more than $43 million into the pockets of the Prime Minister's friends.

Could anyone on that side of the House explain to my constituents why cabinet was prepared to pay students to volunteer at less than minimum wage, and yet the requests for the Canada summer jobs program by the people of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River were either denied completely or substantially underfunded?

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Chair (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Liberal Alexandra Mendes

We will have a short answer from the minister.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:30 p.m.

Waterloo Ontario

Liberal

Bardish Chagger LiberalMinister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth

Madam Chair, that is a really long question from the member.

What is clear is that we have put out a suite of programs to respond to the very challenging and unprecedented time. When it comes to the suite of programs for students, it is no exception. What we did with the student measures was to ensure they were stackable, recognizing that the expenses in the fall for post-secondary education were high.

Every step of the way, since we have been responding to this pandemic, we have continued to listen, engage and of course correct the Canada summer jobs program that has become a success. The changes our government made were to encourage employers to hire students. How did we encourage employers to hire students? By increasing the wages to 100%—

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Chair (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Liberal Alexandra Mendes

The hon. member for Yorkton—Melville.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

Madam Chair, on June 15, I asked the Minister of Veterans Affairs if he was aware of the practice of red-flagging the files of veterans and his response was, “I am not aware”. However, two weeks earlier, June 2, he signed a letter thanking veteran Shane Jones for emails that included ATIP information that confirmed he was having issues with VAC because of a red flag on his file.

Again, is the minister aware of the practice of red-flagging the files of veterans?

COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders

1:30 p.m.

Cardigan P.E.I.

Liberal

Lawrence MacAulay LiberalMinister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

Madam Chair, the focus of Veterans Affairs is, and always is, the care, compassion and respect for veterans and their families. I obviously cannot speak about specific issues, but I would be happy to discuss this with my hon. colleague at any time.