Debates of Sept. 25th, 2020

Official Languages

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has literally wrapped itself in a fine speech, but concretely it has done nothing for francophones. That is not surprising, given that it gave a $1-billion contract to WE Charity, a unilingual anglophone organization. This not complicated. The one thing everyone is waiting for is the modernization of the Official Languages Act.

Can the Minister of Official Languages tell us when she plans to finally introduce legislation, as called for by all the organizations that advocate for francophones across the country?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague on his new responsibilities on the official languages file. I would be happy to review with him all the damage the Conservatives did to official languages. It has taken us five years to try to fix that damage, specifically in relation to the French-language university in Ontario and reduced services to francophones when it comes to court challenges.

That said, I am happy to be working with him on strengthening the Official Languages Act. I look forward to having productive discussions with him.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the minister that the reality is that the Liberals have been in power for five years, and nothing has been done. A few weeks ago, the Liberal government and the minister awarded a sole-source contract to Liberal cronies at WE Charity. Everyone here knows, and this has been documented, that this charity is not able to operate in French. This is a tangible issue that should have been addressed. This is about the WE Charity scandal, which the government is trying to cover up.

I repeat: When will the minister introduce a bill so that all organizations—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. minister.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that we have been cleaning up the mess that the Conservatives made of official languages. This was necessary not only at the federal level, but also at the provincial Conservative government level, including Doug Ford's government. We are now very worried that Jason Kenney is targeting Franco-Albertans with Campus Saint-Jean.

Will my colleague join us in condemning the cuts that Jason Kenney is making to funding for Franco-Albertans and Campus Saint-Jean?

Infrastructure

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, long before COVID-19, the Liberals promised to put people first by investing in public transit. Nowhere is the need greater than the Yonge subway extension. With 1.2 million residents and over 636,000 jobs, York Region is one of Canada's largest municipalities but still has no Yonge subway.

This is the top priority for the residents in my riding and for all of York Region, but the Liberals are not listening. When will the government deliver critical infrastructure funds for the Yonge subway extension?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, we have a bilateral agreement with Ontario that sees the federal government investing a historic $11.8 billion in Ontario over the next decade, including $8.3 billion for public transit.

We need to be working with the Government of Ontario and with local governments. We have asked the Government of Ontario to submit business cases on their major GTA transit lines, including the premier's preferred Ontario line, so that we can actually move forward and expedite funding decisions.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Ontario government has already committed to the funding for the Yonge subway extension.

The Yonge subway extension would create over 60,000 jobs and enable housing for 88,000 residents. It would drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by taking over 3,000 buses a day off the streets. York Region keeps asking but the government remains silent.

When will the government create jobs, protect the environment and fund the Yonge subway extension?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, it is always nice to hear Conservatives talk about the importance of protecting the environment. That is a top priority for us. That is why we are investing in public transit.

I would certainly encourage the Government of Ontario to bring a business case forward, because I know how much Conservatives care about taxpayer dollars. We need to actually have the details so that we can move forward on an important project that will create jobs, that will reduce congestion and that will improve the lives of people in Ontario.

Child Care

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we know that women's careers have been the hardest hit by this pandemic, which has been made worse by the Liberals' failure to follow through on their promises for a universal child care program, which they first promised in 1993. I am not going to hold my breath.

Will the minister tell us the implementation timeline for a universal child care program that properly supports early childhood educators, cares for kids with exceptional needs and helps parents who want to go back to work outside the home confidently go back to work?

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, we have made the largest single-year investment in early learning and child care in the history of this country this year, through this pandemic, with a $625-million investment to help get child care spaces secured, expanded and made safe for families right across the country. That was before the throne speech.

The throne speech has now committed to a new national program. We look forward to the NDP supporting it and not defeating the government like it did back in 2006. The critical issue now is to sit down with the provinces and expand the system, protect quality and make sure that child care workers are paid properly. That is the work we are engaged in and that is the work we will continue to move forward on.

Indigenous Affairs

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, from the Nuu-chah-nulth on the west coast to the Mi'kmaq on th east coast, the Liberals have spent millions on lawyers to fight indigenous fishing rights. Time and time again, the courts have upheld indigenous fishing rights.

Now the Liberals are talking out of both sides of their mouths, but by trying to play both sides, they are leaving DFO officials without a clear mandate and they are putting lives at risk.

Will the minister finally back up her claims that she supports self-determination by actually upholding inherent and constitutionally protected rights?

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, right now the government's number one priority is making sure people stay safe in southwest Nova Scotia, where tensions are quite high. We are working with first nations leadership as well as with industry partners in Nova Scotia. We believe that the best way forward is through respectful and collaborative dialogue. We are working to make sure that we uphold those treaty rights.

Infrastructure

[Lyne Bessette, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am in constant contact with constituents and business owners in Brome—Missisquoi, and I have witnessed their solidarity and resilience throughout this pandemic. As we prepare to restart the economy, our constituents are only asking for one thing: the creation of better jobs and increased investment in our infrastructure. Starting today, we are looking towards the future.

Could the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities tell us what she is doing to help communities?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Brome—Missisquoi for her question.

Every dollar invested by the federal government must grow our economy, create good jobs and improve quality of life. That is why the federal government is investing in upgrades to water mains in the regional community of Brome—Missisquoi, which will receive more than $5 million under the green infrastructure stream for five projects that will improve resilience and quality of life in those communities.

Housing

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Mr. Speaker, when the pandemic hit, financial institutions granted six-month mortgage deferrals to ensure Canadians would not lose their homes. By the end of June, more than 768,000 Canadians used these programs. Next week, those deferral programs end and mortgage payments are due. Economists suggest that 5% of mortgages could default. That is almost 40,000 homes.

Mortgages were not referenced in the throne speech. Why is the Liberal government okay with potentially thousands of Canadians losing their homes? Are we not in the second wave?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely committed to supporting Canadians and Canadian businesses throughout this crisis. The mortgage deferrals from our banks have indeed been very helpful to many Canadian families. This is an issue that we are going to continue to be working on.

I also want to point out that the extensive support we have provided to individual Canadians and to Canadian small businesses has helped Canadians get through so far. As we said in the throne speech, we are committed to continuing to be there for Canadians as we fight, as the member opposite points out quite rightly, the second wave.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' national housing co-investment fund was announced with great fanfare in 2017, but over the two- to three-year period it has delivered very little nationwide. Now the Liberals want us to believe they can build 3,000 homes in six months.

Will the government commit, here and now, to operate with transparency and provide a running list of projects as they are allocated funding with regional breakdowns, unlike the opaque approach to the national housing co-investment fund?

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, the rapid housing initiative announced this week with the billion-dollar investment in acquisition and construction of new supportive housing units is one of the most important investments this government and, in fact, this country has ever made in terms of battling chronic homelessness.

The throne speech now commits to ending chronic homelessness in this country. That is an ambitious but a massively necessary target. The issue that the member opposite raises is an important one. We need to show Canadians exactly where these units are landing and how people are being helped.

We will commit to working to make sure he gets the information he needs. I would caution, though, not to rely on some of the language coming out of newspaper articles. The investments in B.C. are 26.8% of the investments we have made. I have made several announcements of projects in B.C., and that is a good news story for people—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River.

Indigenous Affairs

[Gary Vidal, Conservative, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, during the pandemic, I have heard many stories of how the government has left out or left behind indigenous businesses. CEBA and CEWS are just two examples.

Last week, I attended a recovery forum hosted by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. Many there expressed frustration resulting from the government's failure to meet a target of 5% procurement for indigenous-owned businesses.

When will the government allow indigenous entrepreneurs to share in Canada's prosperity?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that indigenous business owners and their communities face unique challenges and have been disproportionately impacted by the current situation. That is why we took action to support indigenous businesses to respond to the hardships that have been amplified by COVID-19. This includes investing $423.8 million to support local businesses and ensure business owners have access to the support they need to get through this challenging time.

With this support, indigenous communities and business owners will have the flexibility they need to respond to their unique economic needs through this difficult time.

Northern Affairs

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government's throne speech was short on details for the north. Many Canadians in my riding, across the territories and in other parts of northern Canada struggle with housing shortages, transportation difficulties and higher costs of goods and services. The north needs serious upgrades to infrastructure and transportation routes to ensure food security and lower the cost of living.

Will the government finally step up and commit to those critical investments, or will it continue to leave northern Canada behind?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Minister of Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the support we have given northern Canada during these difficult times. In April, we invested $130 million for economic and health supports for all of northern Canada. We have also invested significantly in aviation support. Through these difficult times, our government will be there for all Canadians, including, of course, Canadians who live in the north.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is asleep at the wheel. The enemy it should be fighting right now is COVID-19, not Quebec, the provinces or the opposition parties. Controlling this public health crisis is the priority, the only priority.

By refusing to increase health transfers, they are single-handedly creating a political crisis instead of addressing a health crisis.

When will the government wake up? Health transfers need to be increased immediately.