House of Commons Hansard #45 of the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was chair.
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
Mr. Chair, one of the reasons we put in place the CERB was that the EI system could not ingest the millions of people we knew would need help. We have been working since March 15 to address that and I am confident that, come the beginning of September, people will transition into EI seamlessly and without benefit disruption.
Dan Albas Conservative Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC
Mr. Chair, a massive EI change is fast approaching, with very little details, and the government also refuses to tell us what the status of the EI operating account is. I have asked before and the answer I got was that later this year we would learn how much money was in the account as of this March. We will not get an accurate COVID-19 status in the public accounts until 2021. This is ridiculous. That money belongs to Canadians, not the government.
What is the current financial status of the EI fund?
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
Mr. Chair, as I have explained for the member directly on a number of occasions, and I am happy to explain again, the EI account is tabulated based on premiums at the end of each fiscal year. That number is published in mid-fall, I believe. Again, I am happy to give him the same details I have given him on a number of occasions.
Dan Albas Conservative Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC
Mr. Chair, the minister said that she would get us at least a ballpark. Is it in deficit? Is it a major deficit? We get zero answers from the government. It is expecting to do a major transition to a new EI system and it is giving the Canadian public zero details as to the status of the fund. What is going on over on that side of the House?
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
Mr. Chair, my focus has been on transitioning people to the existing EI system. It is robust. It is ready to ingest the millions of Canadians it needs to. We are going to ensure that no one is left behind. We have started our process by creating a national, uniform unemployment rate so everybody has the same criteria for eligibility no matter where one lives in the country. That is huge, as EI regions do not necessarily match the phasing in of economic recovery throughout our country. We are confident that we will be there for Canadians.
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Cariboo—Prince George.
Thanks to the New York Times we know at least 17 manufacturers in China use Uighur forced labour to produce PPE. Despite having a budget that far surpasses the times, PSPC officials could not tell us if the government had purchased PPE manufactured by slave labour. Could the minister?
Anita Anand LiberalMinister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Chair, we in our contracting are ensuring the highest ethical standards for government procurement. When awarding contracts, we at PSPC require suppliers to agree to terms and conditions prohibiting these labour practices and we conduct an integrity check into the background of each of the suppliers.
I, like the member opposite, am very concerned about supply labour issues and am committed to ensuring we are on top of this issue.
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
Mr. Chair, those same officials have also informed us that in order to bid on procurement contracts these manufacturers must simply self-certify they respect human rights. A self-certification in this regard is as trustworthy as a pinky promise. When will the government get serious and ensure taxpayer money is not being used to support the enslavement of Uighurs?
Anita Anand Liberal Oakville, ON
Mr. Chair, I thank the hon. member for our mutual interest in this important topic. I want to emphasize that Canada remains deeply disturbed by the troubling reports she mentioned and we have voiced our concerns. We have taken action by publicly and consistently calling on the Chinese government to end the repression in Xinjiang, for example.
With regard to procurement, it is top of mind for me as minister and I will ensure our department is on top of this in our procurements.
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
Mr. Chair, in the previous Parliament, the hon. member for Scarborough—Guildwood introduced the modern slavery act to combat slave labour. It has now been introduced in the other place as Bill S-211. Will the government commit to supporting this bill?
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders
Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas Ontario
Liberal
Filomena Tassi LiberalMinister of Labour
Mr. Chair, forced labour in any form anywhere in the world is completely unacceptable. We are committed to being an international leader for fair and balanced labour rights. As the member is aware, when Canada enters into trade agreements with any other country, specific provisions obliging the parties to refrain from any abuse of child labour is included. We will continue to work on this very important issue.
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Chair, what is the Minister of Transport's plan to resolve the escalating labour strike at the port of Montreal?
Filomena Tassi Liberal Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON
Mr. Chair, we continue to support and have faith in the collective bargaining process. We know that the best deals are made at the table. The Minister of Transport and I have been in regular communication—
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Chair, under the watch of the Minister of Transport, the accident rate on Canada's railway system has surged by 42% over the previous decade's average. Why?
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders
Saint-Maurice—Champlain Québec
Liberal
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Chair, the Minister of Transport is looking at all these issues and will be happy to provide a more fulsome response to the hon. member.
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Chair, is Transport Canada currently conducting 737 MAX test flights, or are we once again relying on Boeing?
François-Philippe Champagne Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
Mr. Chair, the Minister of Transport will be able to provide additional details to the member in due course. The safety of Canadians in aviation is paramount in all our decisions as a Canadian government.
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Chair, VIA Rail received a 50% budget increase of $277 million from the Minister of Transport, and then laid off 1,000 employees less than a month later.
Why was that?
François-Philippe Champagne Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
Mr. Chair, all Canadians would appreciate that rail transport in Canada is paramount in a country as large as ours. We value the work of VIA Rail. We value the work of its employees. We will be happy to provide a more fulsome response to the member in due course.
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Chair, why did it take 197 days to implement temperature screening at Canadian airports?
François-Philippe Champagne Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
Mr. Chair, the safety of all Canadians is very important. It is paramount in all our decisions. I can assure the member that the Minister of Transport has been doing outstanding work with colleagues around the world to ensure the safety and security of all travelling passengers which are—
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Chair, has the Minister of Transport read the air passenger bill of rights, yes or no?
François-Philippe Champagne Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
Mr. Chair, the Minister of Transport reads all the briefings. I have no doubt that he would have been made aware of that and would have read that in detail.
