House of Commons Hansard #1 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pandemic.
Appointment of Assistant Deputy ChairCommittees of the WholeOpening Of The Second Session Of The 43Rd Parliament
The Speaker Anthony Rota
I am now ready to propose, for the ratification of the House, a candidate for the position of Assistant Deputy Speaker and assistant deputy chair of committee of the whole.
Pursuant to Standing Order 8, I propose Mrs. Mendès for the position of Assistant Deputy Speaker and assistant deputy chair of committee of the whole.
The motion is deemed moved and seconded. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
Appointment of Assistant Deputy ChairCommittees of the WholeOpening Of The Second Session Of The 43Rd Parliament
Some hon. members
Agreed.
Appointment of Assistant Deputy ChairCommittees of the WholeOpening Of The Second Session Of The 43Rd Parliament
Votes by Video ConferenceOpening Of The Second Session Of The 43Rd Parliament
The Speaker Anthony Rota
In light of the special order that was agreed to by the House earlier today, I would like to take this opportunity to share some information on the process for taking of recorded divisions that members may find useful.
As we learn to adapt to constraints brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that while many of the House's rules and practices can be adapted to allow for the remote participation of members, votes appear to require a departure from established practices.
At the request of each of the parties, the House administration conducted a simulation and, following comments received on the occasion, made a number of adjustments.
Applying certain rules and practices, such as ensuring that members hear the question and remain present until the result is announced, has proven to be challenging when used through virtual means. In addition, while every effort has been made to create a reliable and robust system, system and Internet connectivity issues beyond the control of the member or the House Administration can occur.
What happens when a member, for technical reasons, is unable to join the video conference in time, but hears the question through other means, such as CPAC or online webcasting, and is ultimately able to vote when his or her name is called? In such instances, the Chair has no way of determining if a member did indeed hear the question and would have great difficulty refusing a member's fundamental right to cast his or her vote.
In other instances, other members joining in virtually late after encountering technical difficulties would indicate that they did not hear the question and abstain from voting. Either affirmation would be accepted by the Chair, in keeping with the convention that the House accepts as true the word of the member.
In an effort to strike the proper balance between the integrity of the decision-making process and the participation of all members who wish to vote, and unless further decisions are taken by the House, the Chair proposes that votes proceed as follows:
When a question is put and a voice vote follows, we will not proceed with calling yeas and nays, nor will we require five members to ask that a recorded division take place. Instead, I will follow the normal process of reading the motion and ask if it is the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion. At that point, any one representative from a recognized party present in the chamber may request a recorded division. I will then call in the members or defer the vote, as the case may be.
All members will be admitted to the sitting by video conference at any given time, knowing that the Table will have the list of members who were in attendance when the whips take their seat;
Members on the list will then be called in alphabetical order, by party, to indicate how they are voting. I will intervene if we cannot see the member;
Once all the names on the list have been called, I will invite members whose names were missed or who encountered technical difficulties to identify themselves by using the “raise hand” feature. By then, IT ambassadors will have provided to the table a list of members who encountered difficulties and contacted the support team for assistance. As well, cameras must remain on during the duration of the vote.
It is possible that some members will be unable to connect and vote. In reading the special order, they would not be counted unless measures are taken to allow them to communicate with the Table before the end of the vote. I invite the representatives of the parties to carefully consider and perhaps provide some guidance to the Speaker on how best to address this issue.
Finally, decorum is certainly a challenge. I would ask that members uphold the dignity of the House when voting or participating in proceedings, including being judicious in the backgrounds they choose and how they dress.
In preparation for remote votes, members are invited to take part in a simulation of the voting process tomorrow, Thursday, September 24, at 7 p.m.
I want to thank members for their attention to this somewhat prosaic statement, as we navigate our new reality together. I believe it is important for us to acknowledge that the ongoing pandemic has altered the way we fulfill our role as members of Parliament. It is, however, equally important to take heart in the fact that we are adapting to those changes, and that our shared goal remains the same, to serve the people of Canada.
The House proceeded to the consideration of the speech delivered by Her Excellency the Governor General at the opening of the session.
Emmanuel Dubourg Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise to speak to the Speech from the Throne.
At a time when the world is beset by an insidious virus and our government is building the foundations of a response that is strong, bold and responsible, I would like to start by thanking all those who have been on the front lines during the pandemic and who are still working hard as we speak to save the lives of the most vulnerable Canadians.
This message is especially important to me, because many of my constituents are front-line workers, and quite a few of them are members of my own community. I honour them for their courage, their sense of duty and their compassion. I am thinking in particular of those working behind the scenes, who get up every morning and jump back into the fray, and who sometimes end up paying the price. My thoughts go out to all the Canadians who are hurting after recently losing a loved one. On behalf of our government, I want to extend our deepest condolences to these people and to their friends and families.
I salute all the people of the riding of Bourassa, which I have the great privilege of representing here in the House of Commons of Canada. Like us, they are fighting this pandemic. I would also like to thank community organizations, countless volunteers, the business community and of course elected officials for their efforts. We must continue to be vigilant and follow the guidelines.
I hardly need to remind anyone that our reality has changed. We have gone through some tough months, and now the second wave is upon us.
Let me paint a picture of the current situation. COVID-19 has killed more than 9,000 Canadians. South of the border, it has taken the lives of more than 200,000 people. Around the world, the death toll will soon surpass one million. Almost nine million Canadians have lost their jobs in the last few months. Some are back at work, but millions of Canadians are still out of a job.
Some groups of people are particularly vulnerable. The pandemic has hit racialized people very hard. It has hit parents and mothers, who are often torn between their families and careers; young people who have lost their jobs and are worried about their future; our elderly fathers, mothers, aunts and uncles, who know they are more vulnerable and sometimes live in fear and isolation; and the precarious, low-income workers we depended on in grocery stores, care homes and the service sector in general.
We have all been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and over the past few months, our government has been there for Canadians. The Canada emergency response benefit and the Canada emergency student benefit were brought in to quickly help Canadians who had lost their jobs. As we announced recently, those benefits will be gradually transitioned to the EI program in order to help the economic recovery. The Canada recovery sickness benefit will be available to Canadians who are unable to work because they are sick or must self-isolate due to COVID-19. Those last two measures should be implemented in the next few weeks.
We have also helped businesses get through this crisis. Our government's goal is to prevent layoffs, encourage businesses to rehire their employees and create new jobs. That is why we created the Canada emergency wage subsidy and why we have been improving it as we go along; it must meet the needs of businesses.
Lastly, our government has been there to support agriculture, agri-food, culture, heritage and sports, tourism and many other sectors. Moreover, we have also been there for the provinces during this crisis, providing support in various ways. Our government worked to ensure adequate supplies of personal protective equipment while bolstering the development of domestic production capacity. We also developed the COVID Alert app, which is now available and offers one more tool for curbing the pandemic.
I want to take this opportunity to invite residents of Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan to download the app and use it. Everyone can contribute. We invite the other provinces to follow suit.
We have secured access to candidate vaccines and therapeutics and are funding their development here in Canada.
At the request of certain provinces, the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed to long-term care facilities to help regain control of the situation.
Under the $19-billion safe restart agreement between the federal government and the provinces, we are contributing to all their efforts from supporting the capacity of our health care systems to the procurement of personal protective equipment.
The federal government has also invested $2 billion in the safe return to class fund. By all accounts, our government has not hesitated to be there for Canadians, businesses, and the provinces and territories, to ensure the health and safety of all Canadians.
Nonetheless, this is not over. We still have a lot to do. Our government is proposing four priorities.
The first, obviously, is to protect the health of Canadians. We must continue to ramp up testing and contact tracing across the country. Canadians must be able to access testing quickly. To that end, our government will establish a testing assistance response team to quickly meet urgent needs, including in remote and isolated communities. We will also continue our efforts to ensure that Canadians can get the protective equipment they need. We will keep Canadians safe, and we will create jobs in the process.
We will be there to financially support businesses that will have to close their doors to curb transmission on the advice of public health authorities.
We will continue to work on securing a vaccine and the therapeutics we need. In the long run, that is how we are going to get through this pandemic.
The second part of our government's plan is to continue to support Canadians and businesses. We will continue with what is working well. The Canada emergency wage subsidy will be extended until next summer. We will continue to work with business to ensure that this subsidy meets their needs.
We will continue the Canada emergency business account, the business credit availability program and further targeted assistance measures for industries, such as travel and tourism, hospitality, and cultural industries like the performing arts.
For young people, we will significantly scale up the youth employment and skills strategy, to provide more paid work experiences next summer for young Canadians.
We also believe that Canadians must work together to eliminate the remaining barriers between provinces to full, free internal trade.
Our objective is to create one million jobs to restore employment to pre-pandemic levels. We will increase investments in infrastructure and in the social sector. We will provide assistance to help workers skill up and return to work. We will implement measures to encourage employers to hire and retain workers.
The pandemic has hit women especially hard. That is why our government will put forward an action plan for women in the economy to help more women get back into the workforce.
Our government is drawing on Quebec's approach to make a significant, sustained, long-term investment in creating a Canada-wide early learning and child care system. We will also support parents and families by subsidizing before- and after-school program costs.
We will also identify new ways to tax extreme wealth inequality, such as by limiting stock option deductions and cracking down on tax avoidance by digital giants.
Third, we need to think about the future now, in order to build back even better. COVID-19 has exposed a number of vulnerabilities within our societies. What has happened to our seniors is one of the tragedies of the past few months. We will work with the provinces and territories and do everything we can to support seniors. First, we will amend the Criminal Code to explicitly penalize those who neglect or endanger any seniors under their care. We will set new national standards for long-term care. We will take action to help people continue to live in their own homes. We will look at various ways we can help personal support workers.
We also remain committed to increasing old age security. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that our seniors are safe and live with respect and dignity.
Canadians living with disabilities have also suffered. To rebuild and improve our social safety net, we will create a new benefit specifically for people with disabilities. We will begin setting the foundation for a universal pharmacare program, focusing first on rare diseases. We will work with the provinces and territories willing to move forward without delay.
To build back better, we are investing in public transit, energy efficient retrofits, clean energy and affordable housing. We are also making major investments in rural broadband service, as the past several months have shown how important it is for Canadians to have Internet access. We will accelerate the ambitions of the universal broadband fund to ensure that all Canadians, no matter where they live, have access to high-speed Internet.
Our government will ensure that those in Canada’s supply-managed sectors receive full and fair compensation for recent trade agreements.
Climate change will be central to our building back plan, which seeks to create a million jobs across the country. We plan to exceed Canada's 2030 climate goal and legislate Canada's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. To that end, we will launch a new fund to attract investments in making zero-emissions products and cut the corporate tax rate in half for these companies to create jobs and make Canada a world leader in clean technology.
The fourth priority for all our government's actions is to defend Canadian values and ensure that our efforts benefit everyone. It is important to acknowledge that the situation of French is unique. Defending the rights of francophone minorities outside Quebec and anglophone minorities in Quebec are a priority for our government.
Furthermore, there is clearly more to be done on reconciliation and the fight against systemic racism, and we acknowledge that.
First, we will accelerate work on the national action plan in response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' calls for justice and implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action. We will work with first nations, Inuit and Métis Nation partners to develop distinctions-based indigenous health legislation and a distinctions-based mental health and wellness strategy.
Finally, we will actively continue our efforts to close the infrastructure gap in indigenous communities. We will also introduce legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples before the end of the year.
Systemic racism is a lived reality for many Canadians, and I can attest to that. Our government will combat systemic racism. We will work hard to take action on online hate, go further on economic empowerment for specific communities and increase diversity on procurement. We will build a government approach around better collection of disaggregated data. We will increase representation in hiring and appointments, and in leadership development within the public service. We will take new steps to support the artistic and economic contributions of Black Canadian culture and heritage.
That is not all. We will introduce legislation to address the systemic inequities in the criminal justice system. We will enhance civilian oversight of our law enforcement agencies, including the RCMP. We will modernize training for police and law enforcement.
I am proud that our government announced in today's throne speech that it will ensure the health and safety of Canadians during the global pandemic. We will be here to keep Canadians healthy, protect their jobs and keep them safe. Yes, I am proud of our government. We will always be here to help our seniors, our young people, our families, and the most vulnerable members of society get through these tough times.
Therefore I move, seconded by the hon. member for Davenport, that the following address be presented to Her Excellency the Governor General of Canada:
To Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.
May it please Your Excellency:
We, Her Majesty's most loyal and dutiful subjects, the House of Commons of Canada, in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Excellency for the gracious speech which Your Excellency has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.
Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is great to be here today, to be back in Ottawa in Parliament getting back to work.
As we expected, the speech today had a lot of good lines and platitudes in it. However, as we speak, literally thousands of Canadians are standing in lines across the country and are being turned away because Health Canada has no plan or timeline when it comes to reviewing rapid testing options for them. Meanwhile, our allies are making good progress on it.
The United Kingdom, for example, has a home testing option that has been available for months. In Germany, its medical experts are months ahead with respect to approvals on more testing options.
The federal government should have known this by now. Its own co-chair of the immunity task force, Dr. David Naylor, has said, “It’s suboptimal for Canada to be heading into the fall without a suite of rapid-test options, and without clarity about use of test substrates other than nasal swabs.”
Today in Huntsville, Premier Ford of Ontario said this about Health Canada, “Health Canada, we need your help...I just can’t stress it enough, all I’m hearing is crickets from Health Canada right now on these saliva tests. These...tests make it easier to test people, especially kids.”
For the thousands of Canadians who are frustrated about the testing process, including some of our premiers, my question for the hon. member for Bourassa is this. Could he advise parents, children and people across the country of a specific date and timeline that we can expect the government to ensure that a full review process happens as fast as possible to help provinces and to help Canadians?
Emmanuel Dubourg Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
He was here to hear the Speech from the Throne. He is talking about health. We have taken numerous measures to support Canadians across the country. We recently rolled out the COVID Alert app, which several provinces are using. We have also allocated money to help the provinces.
We are talking about a $19-billion recovery plan. This is an unprecedented amount of money that we are transferring to the provinces so that the necessary steps can be taken to support seniors and all Canadians with all these measures. Screening, contact tracing, and providing PPE are all examples of measures that we have taken to ensure that Canada has everything it needs to get through this pandemic.
Luc Thériault Bloc Montcalm, QC
Mr. Speaker, my thoughts go out to all those who have been hard hit by COVID-19 and to all those who will be, the non-COVID patients. We need to learn from this health crisis. One of the lessons we need to take from this is that we do not need small measures and meddling from the government.
The member for Bourassa is a member from Quebec. We need sustainable measures and investments to get through this pandemic. One of the lessons that we learned is that we were not prepared. My grandmother used to say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but prevention fell by the wayside when the successive federal governments decided not to abide by the agreement to invest 50% in health transfers and payments.
The member for Bourassa, who is also a resident of that riding, must rise and tell us whether he will vote with the Parliament of Quebec, which is unanimously calling for $28 billion in catch-up payments and the indexing of health transfers to 6%.
Will he vote with the united front presented by Quebec and the other provinces? He is a Quebec MP.
Emmanuel Dubourg Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
In his question he refers to sustainable measures. We just delivered the throne speech, which sets out our vision and the direction we plan to take over the next few years. What more does he want in terms of sustainable measures? It talks about health, economic priorities, rebuilding and values. Yes, I am a member from Quebec. Yes, I am proud to be a Quebecker and a Canadian.
Not only is our government taking plenty of action to support Quebec, but the Prime Minister is also working with all the premiers of the provinces and territories to implement measures that will help everyone. That is becoming increasingly common during this pandemic. The Prime Minister has had, and continues to have, many telephone conversations with the premiers of the provinces and territories. We must continue to negotiate, but it must always be in the best interest of Canadians.
Mumilaaq Qaqqaq NDP Nunavut, NU
Mr. Speaker, the federal government failed Inuit before COVID-19 and continues to do so. Since the Liberal government has been in power, it talked about a distinctive indigenous housing strategy in 2017 and in 2019 about investing in more housing. We have yet to see these two items come into full action.
Last month I travelled to seven Nunavut communities, visiting over 100 homes. All homes I went to had mould and most of them were overcrowded. I also heard of parents losing their children to the foster care system because their homes were deemed unfit. I heard stories of parents finding their children hanging from the ceiling. I heard stories of elders forced to live with people who abused them.
The lack of basic human rights for indigenous peoples results in death. Inuit are dying, and were dying before this pandemic.
I did not have expectations of this throne speech. Since the day I was born, Inuit have heard promises of a good life, of positivity, of being able to contribute to society in a healthy way, of having basic human rights and we continue to have those promises broken.
I will start to have faith in the federal government once I see Inuit have the opportunity to live a life filled with dignity and respect. I will start to have faith in this institution once I see indigenous people have the right to self-determination.
When will the federal government stand up for Inuit and provide basic human rights, at least basic housing?
Emmanuel Dubourg Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her moving intervention. I invite her to work with the government to continue developing measures aimed at helping indigenous communities. We have two ministers addressing this issue.
Going off the speech I just read, I would remind my colleague that we are going to take a number of measures in response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' calls for justice.
As my colleague said, there is a huge amount of work to do on health care and housing. However, if we all pull together, we can build a better future for all indigenous communities and marginalized groups.
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Bourassa for his hard work.
My constituents know I have been a small business owner in the community of Surrey—Newton for many years. Thousands more Surrey residents have been able to take advantage of the wage subsidy that was provided.
How will this extension of the wage subsidy help thousands of small businesses in Bourassa, Surrey—Newton and all across Canada?
Emmanuel Dubourg Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am really pleased to answer my colleague's question.
In the second part of the Speech from the Throne, we talk about the economy. Among the measures we are taking, we will create one million jobs across Canada.
As my colleague points out, we said that the Canada emergency wage subsidy would be extended until next summer, as it has proven to be beneficial. From the beginning of this pandemic we have seen how hard it was and continues to be for businesses. We said we would be there for them. We have been there, we are there and we will be there. We will help these businesses create jobs, keep operating, and hold on to their workers, like those in the agri-food industry who make it possible for us to keep food on the table every day. We will continue to help businesses in order to help us get through this pandemic.
Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne
The Deputy Speaker Bruce Stanton
I am going to use some discretion to take just one more question, giving members a little latitude this afternoon on the Speech from the Throne.
The hon. member for Calgary Skyview.
Jag Sahota Conservative Calgary Skyview, AB
Mr. Speaker, it is nice to be back in this place while respecting social distancing of course.
I was honoured to be named the shadow minister for women and gender equality. I plan to draw on my experience in this role to showcase that women can see themselves in this party. Women have been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic.
We have heard platitudes time and time again from the government, with very little action. Women and Canadians deserve action, and they deserved it on day one.
What does the member have to say to the women and Canadians who have fallen through the cracks and have not received the support they so desperately need?
Emmanuel Dubourg Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. This is an issue that affects her personally.
The Speech from the Throne clearly acknowledges how much women have been affected by the pandemic. We have taken a number of measures that have benefited women, such as the Canada emergency response benefit, among others. In the throne speech, we also said that we were going to introduce a special plan to support women economically, in order to help them start businesses and to give them more opportunities to get back into the workforce.
We continue to move forward.
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Mr. Speaker, as the very proud member of Parliament for Davenport, it is an absolute honour for me to rise in this chamber today to second the motion of my colleague, the member for Bourassa, regarding the address in reply to the Speech from the Throne.
As members of Parliament, we are gathered at a time of great uncertainty and anxiety. We are living in a world that is gripped by the greatest public health care crisis of our lifetimes. It is a global pandemic that has changed history, and our country has not been immune to the consequences.
When it began, Canadians were justifiably worried about their own health and the health of the people they love. They were anxious about the economic fallout, whether they would keep their jobs and how they would pay the bills if that happened. Just a few months ago, months that somehow seem like years ago now, everyone knew that the spring of 2020 would be one they would never forget, but no one knew when the COVID-19 pandemic would finally end.
Of course, it has not ended, and we must all come to terms with the fact that this crisis is not over. There are more challenges for all of us to endure, and there is an ever-present need for us to continue to work together. Canadians have shown that when faced with a crisis, they can rise to the challenges that face them. I believe that they have done that this year, and I am confident that they will continue to do that together, united as one people.
As Canadians have done their part, so must we as parliamentarians. The people we all represent need their governments and their parliamentarians from all political parties to also rise to the occasion. They need their political representatives to lead.
Today, our government has come forward with a Speech from the Throne that does just that. We have before us a road map that provides leadership. There is leadership on how to fight the pandemic and save lives. There is leadership to support Canadian workers and businesses, and there is more leadership to build back our country's economy, strengthen the middle class and invest in critical infrastructure such as public transit and rural broadband. There are many critical social services on which Canadians urgently need action from their governments: child care, long-term care for seniors, pharmacare and affordable housing. We are providing action and leadership in each of these areas.
The throne speech also provides leadership to strengthen our core identity as a tolerant nation, with a commitment to fighting discrimination, standing up for gender equality and continuing on the road to reconciliation with indigenous people. Of course, we are also providing leadership on what we all know to be the critical challenge of our time: climate change.
This is a comprehensive and bold throne speech, fit for the times in which we live. There are many highlights in the speech, but I will do my best to draw members' attention to them in the limited time that I have.
Of course, our first priority is and will continue to be to protect Canadians from COVID-19. It has been our goal from the start to work relentlessly and non-stop with governments across the country at all levels and with all Canadians to beat this virus.
I am glad to say that Canadians have done their part. They have understood the need to stay at home. They know about and practise social distancing when they are not at home. They know the value of wearing a mask to help prevent COVID-19, and know, if they have it, to help prevent spreading it to others by staying at home.
Over the past several months, personal protective equipment, or PPE, has been shipped across the country and many members of our Canadian Forces were in long-term care homes to help our seniors. Throughout it all, Canadians have looked after each other in each of our communities from coast to coast to coast, and we are committed to continuing to look after each other.
In the first wave of the pandemic, testing for the virus and contact tracing were ramped up across the country. However, as we have seen far too much in too many news sources across the country just this week with all the many outbreaks, there is an enormous need for us to do even more.
Our federal government will help the provinces increase their ability to test Canadians so that the long waiting lines now occurring can be reduced. As well, we are pursuing every technology possible for faster tests. We have heard loud and clear, not only from the opposition but from Canadians, that everybody is looking for rapid tests to be approved. As soon as they are approved by Health Canada for safe use in this country, our government is committed to doing everything we can to see them deployed as quickly as possible.
Throughout this pandemic, our local public health authorities have been on the front lines, providing expert and authoritative advice and action. They have the best view on what is happening locally. As we move forward to prevent local outbreaks from becoming larger, it might be necessary for communities to enact short-term closure orders. If that happens, our government will provide targeted financial help directly to local businesses. We have already invested $19 billion in a safe restart agreement with the provinces and territories to help support areas such as health care and purchasing PPE. Just recently, we announced a further $2 billion to help with the reopening of schools, to help keep our students, their teachers and everybody who works within the school system safe.
However, as the throne speech notes, in the long run, the best way to end this pandemic is with a safe and effective vaccine. As such, our government has already secured access to potential vaccines. We continue to look at all the options and are devising a plan to distribute a vaccine once it is ready.
In addition to protecting the health of Canadians, we are committed to protecting their livelihoods. As we all know, this pandemic has hit the Canadian economy hard. Almost overnight, many Canadians found themselves out of work. Our government responded boldly and quickly with programs such as the Canada emergency response benefit, known as the CERB, and the Canada emergency wage subsidy, known as the CEWS.
As we move forward, there is so much more work to do because Canadians need jobs they can rely on. To make that happen, we will launch a campaign to create over one million jobs, restoring employment to levels prior to COVID-19. We will use a number of different tools to accomplish this, including direct investments in the social sector and in infrastructure, skills training for workers and incentives for employers to hire and retrain workers.
We will also extend the Canada emergency wage subsidy right through to next summer. As members know, the wage subsidy has been an absolute lifeline for businesses across this country and our economy. We are committed to working with businesses and labour in the months ahead to ensure that this program continues to meet the evolving needs of Canadians.
In addition to this, we will assist businesses by expanding the Canada emergency business account, which is our loan program, to help small businesses with their fixed costs. As well, we know there needs to be further support for hard-hit industries, such as travel and tourism, hospitality, and cultural industries like the performing arts.
I believe the Canada emergency response benefit has helped many Canadians at exactly the time they needed to pay their bills, but as the throne speech points out, with the economic restart now under way, CERB recipients should instead be supported by the employment insurance system. Therefore, for people who would not traditionally qualify for EI, we will create the transitional Canada recovery benefit. In the coming months, the EI system will become the sole way to distribute employment benefits, including for Canadians who traditionally have not been able to qualify for EI in the past, such as gig workers and short-term contract workers.
We have seen very clearly that the economic impact of this crisis has been particularly hard on low-income women. Many women have worked bravely on the front lines or have shouldered the responsibility of unpaid care work at home.
We cannot let this pandemic roll back the clock on women's participation in the workforce. As such, we will create an action plan for women in the economy to help more women get back into the workforce.
This pandemic has further exposed a critical truth that many of us have long known: Canada needs more accessible and affordable high-quality child care. Our government recognizes this, and we are committed to making a significant, long-term sustained investment to create a Canada-wide early learning and child care system. This will be a game changer, not only in terms of maximizing participation of Canadians in the workforce, but also for growth in our economy.
As we make these investments, our government's approach will be guided by values of fiscal sustainability and prudence. Our plan for stimulus and recovery will be responsible, and in the longer term we will focus on strengthening the middle class and generating economic growth. We will also look for ways to generate revenue by taxing extreme wealth inequity. That includes limiting the stock option deduction for wealthy individuals at large, established corporations, and dealing with corporate tax avoidance by digital corporate giants.
As we look back at the lessons we have learned in the last six months, one is that we sadly let down our seniors in long-term care homes where too many died from COVID-19. Our elders deserve to be safe and to live in dignity. The tragedy of recent months cannot be repeated. Long-term care falls under provincial and territorial jurisdiction, but our federal government intends to take action.
We will work with Parliament on Criminal Code amendments to explicitly penalize those who neglect seniors under their care. We will also work with the provinces and territories to set new national standards for long-term care. We need to take better care of our seniors, and these two measures will go a long way toward helping us to do so.
This unprecedented pandemic has also disproportionately affected Canadians with disabilities. We will bring forward a number of measures to support our disabled community, including introducing a disability inclusion plan that will include a new Canadian disability benefit modelled after the guaranteed income supplement for seniors. We will also introduce a robust employment strategy for Canadians with disabilities and a better process to determine eligibility for government disability programs and benefits.
There has been another pandemic under way across Canada. It has been around for a number of years, but it has accelerated during COVID. It is the opioid crisis, which has been ravaging our communities and creating a public health care crisis. We will continue to take action to address this crisis.
We will also continue to increase access to an area that has been under-invested in for too many years: the area of mental health. We will increase access to mental health resources in our country.
Finally, we strongly believe that it is the right time to ramp up our efforts to ensure that Canadians get the pharmaceutical medicines they need. Our government continues to be committed to a national, universal pharmacare program and we will take action to make sure that this happens. This means working with the provinces and territories, being willing to move forward without delay, and establishing a national formulary to keep drug prices low.
Canadians have a right to live in safe communities. Our government has banned assault-style firearms. We will continue to implement our promises in this area. We will give municipalities the ability to further restrict or ban handguns, and we will strengthen measures to stop guns from illegally entering Canada.
We must also work to ensure the safety of women in our communities. As part of that, we will accelerate investments in shelters and transition housing, and move forward with a national action plan on gender-based violence. In recent years the federal government has stepped up to take action on affordable housing.
Already, we have helped more than a million Canadians get a safe and affordable place to call home. Now we will add to our national housing strategy from 2017 by increasing investments in rapid housing and partnering with non-profits and co-ops.
I am also very proud of our commitment to eliminate chronic homelessness in Canada. This, to me, is one of the most ambitious and aggressive targets ever made around affordable housing by a national government.
As we look to the future, we must not take our eye off the immense challenge that faces us, our children and our grandchildren: climate change. We must continue to take action now to confront this threat to our planet. We do this to protect our way of life and to create new jobs.
The Speech from the Throne is clear. Our government will bring forward a plan to exceed Canada's 2030 climate goal and we will legislate Canada's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. As part of this plan, we will create new jobs retrofitting homes and buildings. We will invest in reducing the impact of climate-related disasters. We will make zero-emissions vehicles more affordable and put more charging stations across the country.
I want to point out that the throne speech highlights the fact that we believe that Canada cannot reach net zero without the expertise of Canadians in the energy sector. This means Canadians living in provinces such as British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador. Our government is committed to supporting the natural resource and energy sectors as they transform and transition to a net-zero future, a transformation that will create good, stable jobs.
We also recognize that farmers, foresters and ranchers are key partners in this fight against climate change. As we move forward, our government is steadfast in its resolve. We will continue our policy of putting a price on pollution, while also putting that money back into the pockets of Canadians.
As we press ahead with these policies, we will always remember the values that define us as Canadians. That means everything from welcoming immigrants with kindness to celebrating the contributions of those in the LGBTQ2 communities and embracing our two official languages.
We must never forget that much more needs to be done to work with indigenous peoples. We will do that on many fronts, from responding to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls to making more investments in clean drinking water. We will introduce legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples before the end of this year.
In recent months, many in our country have called for action to finally address the systemic racism experienced by indigenous people and Black and racialized Canadians. Our government is pledging to take action. We will also move to prevent online hate, further the economic empowerment of certain communities and increase hiring in the public service. Moreover, we will take action in the policing and justice systems. We will introduce legislation to address the systemic inequities in all phases of the criminal justice system, from sentencing to rehabilitation. We will modernize training for police and law enforcement, including standards on the use of force, and we will reform the RCMP with a shift toward community-led policing.
These are just some of the highlights of the throne speech. They reflect a government that is intent on working hard for Canadians as they face the challenges of the pandemic that has changed history this year. Our government is realistic about the gravity of these challenges, but we are confident that Canadians can emerge from these unsettling times stronger and even more united about what draws us together. Our government has a plan to put us on that road to recovery. I would ask all members of the House to support our plan.
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Mr. Speaker, there is another medical crisis happening at the same time as the COVID-19 pandemic. It is made far worse by the pandemic in major cities such as Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto, and in small towns and indigenous communities. I am talking about the opioid crisis.
In my riding, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, I have cried with parents and grandparents who have lost a beloved child. More than 16,000 people have died since 2016. In British Columbia, deaths due to overdoses are five times greater than deaths caused by COVID-19 this year.
What young and not-so-young drug users need is more than just a safe place to get help or access to clean drugs. What they need is hope, deliverance and a future. Here, in the nation's capital, Friday is Recovery Day Ottawa. We absolutely must make significant investments in healing and treatment.
Last week, I toured Hope for Freedom Society and Hannah House, which are recovery centres in Maple Ridge. I was deeply moved when I heard about men and women sharing their stories of deliverance, hope and freedom. There are not enough of these centres. They are private and lack funding.
When will the Liberals work with the provinces to help addicts obtain treatment?
When will we see real action to resolve these problems?
I am not talking about just some nice words buried in this throne speech.
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely heart-wrenching to hear these stories. We have heard, loud and clear, that there is another pandemic happening across Canada. We know it is killing many people. We know it has to do with the fact that literal poison is being sold on our streets. That is why I was very proud when our government announced two safe supply sites in the city of Toronto. That means that a safe supply has been provided to two key centres within the city of Toronto. The government has worked directly with the city of Toronto to be able to provide this as quickly as possible.
The Minister of Health has also started a 30-day consultation period to see how we could increase these pilot projects and what more we could to do to urgently tackle this other pandemic that is killing way too many across Canada.
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech.
I would like to hear her thoughts on the increase to old age security for seniors 75 and older, which was announced in the Speech from the Throne. This is a promise the Liberals made during the last election campaign. We also asked for an increase to the old age security pension for seniors, but seniors are still waiting.
I remember that on December 6, 2019, I asked the minister during question period why old age security was not going to be increased for seniors 65 and over, instead of 75 and over, to avoid creating two classes of seniors.
When we came back in January, we again asked for this pension to be increased for people 65 and older. Then the pandemic hit. Seniors' finances were hit hard by the health crisis. In response, the Liberals sent them a single $300 cheque, which represented an additional $200 for those receiving the guaranteed income supplement.
Today we are on the verge of a second wave. Seniors got one cheque, but they should have gotten a second. This brings us back to our demand.
When will the Liberals increase old age security for seniors 65 and older, instead of 75 and older?
Poverty does not wait until people turn 75. Rent increases do not wait until people turn 75. The rising cost of groceries does not wait until people turn 75. Rising drug prices do not wait until people turn 75. Senior women living in poverty cannot wait until they turn 75.
Why are they increasing old age security only for those 75 and older?
We are calling for an increase of $110 a month for seniors 65 and older.
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Mr. Speaker, we indeed need to focus on our seniors. I was very proud that, in our last mandate, we reduced the retirement age from 67 to 65. That had a huge impact on our seniors and it gave them sooner access to CPP. We also increased GIS, the guaranteed income supplement, for those seniors at the lowest end of the income scale. In addition, we made a commitment to those who reach the age of 75 and over that we are going to increase old age security by 10%. As well, we are looking at increasing the CPP for people who are widowed.
I would remind everyone in the House that we made a huge commitment around long-term care standards for our seniors, making sure that if they enter one of these homes, they are taken care of in a way that allows them to live their lives with dignity and a great quality of life.
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, I will start by saying how grateful I am to have the opportunity to be in the House once again, and what an honour it is to represent the people of Elmwood—Transcona, who, like everyone across the country and indeed the world, have been suffering and struggling through this global pandemic that we are experiencing.
I have to say, having listened to the Speech from the Throne, that I do not think it really justifies proroguing Parliament when we still had another summer sitting to come. With the expiration of CERB coming, we had an opportunity at the end of August to get together to talk about what would be replacing CERB. Now we are only days away from the deadline and we still do not have legislation tabled in the House. There are only just beginning to be conversations between the government and opposition parties, meaningfully, about the details of the replacement. It was shameful for the government to shut down Parliament when that important item was before us.
Now we have a Speech from the Throne with hardly anything new in it. I heard the hon. member mention some initiatives that the government is contemplating for people living with disabilities. Would it please just deliver on the payment that it promised people living with disabilities in the spring, on an emergency basis? Frankly, the government needs to get that done. I wonder why it is that people living with disabilities and seniors who have been promised things by the government are still waiting. Another repeated promise that we have heard again and again is raising the old age security supplement for seniors. It was promised again but not delivered.
Now we have new promises for people living with disabilities who are still waiting on the emergency promise that was made to them in the spring. When is that payment going to be made and when are the Liberals going to actually deliver on these promises, or are we going to be hearing about them in the next Speech from the Throne?
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Mr. Speaker, I too am anxious for some action. I am very proud of the Speech from the Throne. I do not think it is just words. We have made enormous commitments around key things that for too long we have not taken action on, such as in terms of child care and moving toward a national child care program. Long-term care standards for seniors are much needed and we are making a firm commitment on that.
We know how important it is to move forward on pharmacare. On affordable housing, we are making a historic promise to eliminate chronic homelessness in Canada. I am very proud of the promises and actions that we are committing to in this throne speech. I very much look forward to receiving support from everyone in the House so that we can get going on implementing each of these actions.
Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON
Mr. Speaker, I know that the member for Davenport feels very strongly about our environment and our commitments to making sure that we fulfill promises with respect to the environment. One of the things that I found to be quite promising in the Speech from the Throne was where it said the government will immediately bring forward a plan to exceed Canada's 2030 climate goal and that it will also legislate Canada's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Then it laid out a number of items as to how it will do that through a plan.
I am wondering if the member for Davenport could comment on how she feels about this, given her commitment to the environment and to making a better, greener future for generations to come.