Debates of Sept. 25th, 2020

Health

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we saw Mr. Trudeau being utterly condescending. Who does he think he is giving lessons to Quebec about the presence of the Canadian Armed Forces in the long-term care centres? Quebec taxpayers pay for the army and its members.

Why are we in this situation? The answer is that for 25 years, the federal government has been making cuts to health. The federal government is responsible for this situation, not the Government of Quebec. If the federal government had listened to Quebeckers and the experts, or if it had used common sense, it would have invested in health instead of giving lessons to others.

Why will the government not increase health transfers?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I know that we have been gone for a while. I just want to remind hon. members that when they refer to another member of the House of Commons, they must use the title of the person in question and not their name.

The hon. government House leader.

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, my colleague is trying to provoke a squabble between Quebec and Ottawa.

I repeat what I said yesterday, from the bottom of my heart: Seniors are not paragraphs or lines in the Canadian Constitution. They are not a jurisdiction. They are real, live human beings. Seniors have suffered more than anyone in this pandemic, and we will be there for them.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons left out a piece of the story. The federal government was doing the insulting yesterday, not the Government of Quebec or the Bloc Québécois. The federal government tried to lecture Quebec and brought up the notion of a blank cheque.

The government is going on about blank cheques, when it gave $900 million to WE Charity, his family's employer, in the middle of a pandemic. That is what you call a blank cheque.

Will the government increase health transfers, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, we made significant investments in health care and we will continue to do so, in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada.

We are talking about national standards and dialogue with the provinces regarding our common goals. Clearly, provinces manage their own health systems.

Once again, it is quite offensive to make seniors part of a constitutional dispute. They have the right to life, dignity and quality health care.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the Liberal government decided to prorogue government and in doing so had almost two months to plan for a second wave, which we knew was coming. Now we are in the second wave, and the government really has no plan to deal with the crucial questions that people are faced with right now.

What is the government doing to ensure people have access to testing? What is it doing to make sure people who need child care have access to it? What is it doing to make sure that our seniors, those who are at ground zero for COVID-19, are protected? Finally, how is the government going to ensure that it is not everyday families that pay the price for the recovery, but that it is those who have profited off this pandemic who pay the price?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I apologize for losing connection during the last question.

As the hon. member knows, we have been there every step of the way with Canadians, with provinces, with territories and in fact with local communities to make sure that we have a robust response to COVID-19, that we can work together to protect and save the lives of Canadians. We will continue that work in collaboration with all levels of government, and indeed with Canadians, because that is how we will get through this: Together.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government and the Prime Minister prorogued Parliament and in doing so the government has had almost two months to plan a response to the second wave, which we are facing right now.

What is the plan for solving ongoing problems, especially those with testing, long-term health care and care for seniors?

What is the government's plan for ensuring that those who profited, and not ordinary Canadians, will bear the cost of the recovery?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

We have worked hard with the provinces, territories and local governments.

We will continue to work incredibly hard with all levels of government, and indeed with Canadians, to ensure that we can respond to COVID-19 together no matter what the virus throws at us.

This is a rapidly evolving situation, as members know. Of course, the tools and knowledge to defeat COVID-19 continue to evolve, and we will be there for Canadians and for communities no matter what COVID-19 throws at us.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to report a million missing paycheques. That is the number of people who have lost their jobs since February and have not been hired back.

We have the highest unemployment in the G7. The U.S., U.K., France, Italy, Japan and Germany all have COVID too, but they have lower unemployment than we do.

When will the government recognize that its plan to impose austerity on private-sector mines and small businesses is not working?

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

Mr. Speaker, the economic support we have been providing to Canadians during the pandemic has not only prevented a great deal of human misery. It is also driving our economic recovery, and the member does not need to take my word for it. TD Bank economist Ksenia Bushmeneva said that the “...federal government income support programs...have so far been paramount for averting a delinquency tsunami” and protecting the economy.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Oh yes, Mr. Speaker, the bankers are very happy. They are making all kinds of money these days, but does the member know who is not happy? It is the million working-class people who no longer have jobs, who had to come home and sit at the kitchen table with their spouse and say, “Honey, I no longer have work or a paycheque and I don't know what we're going to do.”

No government program can replace the mighty force of our 20 million workers and the power of a paycheque. When will this government get out of the way and let our workers get back into jobs?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me remind the member for Carleton and all Canadians of what he said on March 8 when asked about what support the government should offer to those very Canadians hurt by the pandemic. He said: “...You might want to address [COVID-19] with big, fat government programs. We're Conservatives, so we don't believe in that.”

Our government chose to support Canadians, and we are proud of it. I hate to imagine what the Conservatives would have done had they been elected in 2019.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, well, there it is. They believe that big, fat government programs can replace the dignity and productivity of a job. Everyday Canadians actually want the opportunity to work. That is the only thing that will permanently put food on the table and provide the wealth necessary to fund our cherished social safety net.

This government has the worst jobs record in the G7, and one-third higher unemployment than across the OECD. When will the Liberals acknowledge that their plan is just not working?

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

Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member maybe does not understand is that, in fighting this pandemic, we have asked Canadians to make a really big sacrifice: We have asked Canadians to stay home. We are still asking Canadians to practice social distancing, because the best economic policy is to crush the coronavirus. To make it possible for Canadians to do that, our government is there for them, and we will continue to be.

Foreign Affairs

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have quite a story for you this morning.

The Prime Minister signed a vaccine development agreement between the National Research Council of Canada and the state-owned company CanSinoBIO. However, the Chinese government changed its mind and decided to scrap the contract.

I understand that the Chinese communist regime holds a special place in the Prime Minister's heart. However, what Canadians want to know now is how many millions of dollars we have lost to the Chinese regime.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, our government has been working closely with experts and industry partners throughout this pandemic, which has allowed us to take an evidence-based approach to vaccine research and development. In the context of our continued research and evolving evidence, the National Research Council chose to implement the revised expert advice of the Vaccine Task Force and pursue other vaccine candidates. We will continue to actively pursue every promising option for a COVID-19 vaccine.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am not satisfied with that reply.

Canada signed an agreement with a Chinese state-owned company, CanSinoBIO. The Chinese decided to quash the deal. That cost money. To make matters worse, Canadian biological patents were transferred to China. The government still does not understand that the Chinese are detaining our two Michaels, that they veto trade deals whenever they see fit, and, what is more, that they do not give a flying fig about human rights.

Now we would like to know what the Prime Minister thinks about this business.

How can Canada hand over its own intellectual property to the Chinese, knowing that they have no respect for anything?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome that question because, as everyone in the House knows, Canada has a complex and multi-dimensional relationship with China. Canada engages with China with our eyes wide open. Many of our international partners are facing similar challenges. We actively engage with them constantly to ensure that Canadian interests are upheld, human rights are spoken about and intellectual property is protected.

Our government has been clear about our principles, our commitment to the rule of law, our deep concern for our citizens, including Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor who have been arbitrarily detained, and our farmers and producers in Canada who seek markets. Canada will remain firm and resolute.

Ethics

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his diplomatic response, but the fact remains that our patents were stolen, we lost millions of dollars, and we trusted the Chinese regime even though we knew it was not to be trusted. That is pretty clear.

Yesterday, I asked other questions about committees here in Canada and matters that are usually under our control, such as the vaccine task force and the COVID-19 Supply Council.

Vaccine developer Gary Kobinger left the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, citing lack of faith in political leaders and experts and lack of transparency. Here is what we want to know.

Can the government confirm that none of the COVID-19 Supply Council members are in conflict of interest?

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives who defunded science, our federal government greatly values the work of top scientific and industry experts who are volunteering their time to help ensure sound evidence-based decisions, but let me be very clear. The Vaccine Task Force has a robust conflict of interest process in place that embodies international best practices, includes an online registry of declared interests and is consistent with the practices of other volunteer external advisory bodies.

Health

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government does not want to hand over a blank cheque.

Its leader says that they have the expertise. Ottawa's health care expertise is a joke. Just ask the first nations who do not have access to safe drinking water or the veterans who have fallen through the cracks.

When it comes to health care, the only expertise Ottawa has is its ability to undermine the system. The second wave is beginning. People are going to get sick. People are going to die. The government needs to stop talking about its expertise and transfer the provinces the money.

What is it waiting for?

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, our Bloc Québécois friends are trying to pick a fight and put Ottawa, Quebec and the other provinces at odds with each other over what they are doing. We have to look at all that.

The fight against COVID-19 is not about the efforts of one group or another but about everyone's efforts, including those of the House. It is about everyone's efforts, as a Parliament and as various governments, including the municipalities.

That is what the Bloc Québécois refuses to recognize. It does not want to recognize that because it likes to argue.

We are capable of working together and we will continue to do so.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Ottawa should figure out how take care of its own affairs properly before putting its nose in other people's business.

Quebec and the provinces are not responsible for the spread of the virus. There were no tests at the airports or the borders. There was no follow-up. Ottawa did nothing about it even though it was a federal responsibility.

Another federal responsibility that the government is falling down on is transferring our money for health care so that Quebec and the provinces can fight this pandemic.

Will it increase health transfers immediately?

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

Mr. Speaker, earlier I was looking at the Bloc Québécois' statutes and bylaws. The first item is: “1. The Bloc Québécois is a separatist party”.

I wonder if there is a connection between that and the fact that it is always criticizing Ottawa. It is always Ottawa's fault no matter what we do. We helped out the health care sector and the Red Cross. It is always Ottawa's fault. We know full well that the different levels of government can work together, do work together and will continue to work together.