Debates of Sept. 28th, 2020

Fisheries and Oceans

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, we have been having good conversations with first nations communities and with industry. I firmly believe that the best path forward, to make sure we are keeping people safe and make sure we are implementing the rights of first nations people, is through respectful and collaborative dialogue. We have been having those conversations. We will continue to do that, because it is imperative that we implement these rights.

Employment

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the one million Canadians who have lost their jobs and not gone back to work since February. COVID-19 is present in Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy and France, and yet all of those countries have fewer unemployed workers than here in Canada. In fact, our unemployment rate is 3% higher than the OECD average. Can the minister name one G7 country with a higher unemployment rate than Canada, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by pointing out just how much our government is doing for workers across Canada. Our government supported nearly nine million Canadians through the CERB; our government helped 3.5 million Canadians keep their jobs through the wage subsidy program; and our government helped 750 small businesses pay their rent. Clearly, we are here for Canadians, and we will continue to be here for them.

Foreign Affairs

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are horrified by the mass detention and slaughter of Uighur Muslims in China. Whenever he is asked about this issue, the foreign affairs minister has assured us that he is deeply disturbed by these events, but he has not committed to action. Canadians do not care how he feels; they want to know what he will do.

Will the minister understand that he has obligations under the genocide convention and therefore commit to Magnitsky sanctions against those criminals responsible for 21st century concentration camps?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague said, we remain deeply disturbed by the troubling reports on the situation in Xinjiang. As we should all do in this House, we have repeatedly voiced our concerns both publicly and privately, and I have taken action.

Canada recently co-signed a declaration on this important issue at the Human Rights Council. I have been engaging with my international partners, and more recently, I have engaged the United Nations high representative for human rights to see what more the international community can do together to uphold the human rights of Uighurs.

Seniors

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, no one in the Bloc believes that seniors are just a comma or a line in the Constitution. No one. However, for seniors the second wave means more health risks, more isolation and more anxiety.

Seniors have enough anxiety already without adding financial stress to the mix. The government can take care of its own jurisdictions. Will the government listen to seniors and increase old age security by $110 a month starting at age 65?

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

Mr. Speaker, seniors have been our number one priority from the start. That is why we brought in programs specifically for them. Our seniors are suffering the most from this pandemic. They are the hardest hit. They are the ones who built our country and our society, and we owe them everything.

When the Bloc Québécois brings seniors into a constitutional crisis—or so they call it—that bothers me. Seniors are the ones who have suffered the most, and we will be there for them.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, is the government trying to again tell us that the Quebec government is absolutely not responsible for seniors? The leader and the Deputy Prime Minister said so, as though they had discovered the one talking point that would silence us. I have news for them: We are going to keep talking about seniors.

Quebec is responsible for CHSLDs, our long-term care facilities. Ottawa is responsible for old age security. The federal government should start minding its own business, rather than meddling in the affairs of others. Will it now increase the old age security benefit for all seniors at age 65?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see that the Bloc Québécois recognizes that the federal government has a say in matters pertaining to seniors.

The point is that we can and must work together for our seniors and for society as a whole. We are in the middle of a second wave. This is not the time to quarrel, to be divided or to look at who should do what. Let's work together and pool our resources. Let's do that.

The government has a responsibility towards society and our seniors, as do opposition parties. We were all elected by the people and our shared responsibility is to work together for the well-being of all Canadians.

Public Safety

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the middle of a pandemic, the government announced policy without a plan. It systematically prohibited some firearms on the basis of appearance, but the Liberals have no plan on how to buy back the firearms or even a budget to pay for them. They tried to purchase a plan but have cancelled the tender.

When will the minister admit he has no plan for the firearms he prohibited and agree to withdraw the order in council?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has a very strong plan. We are going to strengthen gun control in this country. We have begun by prohibiting a number of weapons that were designed and have been used to kill large numbers of people. They are now prohibited.

We are absolutely committed to continuing with the strengthening of gun control measures, including taking steps to secure our border so that guns will not be smuggled in and dealing with those who steal guns or otherwise divert guns into the hands of criminals.

We are working for the safety of Canadians. The opposition will weaken gun laws; we intend to strengthen them.

Employment Insurance

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the repercussions of the Liberal government's lack of vision are reverberating through the entire Canadian economy. While some companies are shutting down for lack of business, others are cutting back on production for lack of workers.

While the Liberal government is developing the criteria for the new EI programs, will it take into account that companies are having serious difficulties recruiting Canadian workers?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure every member in this House that we are taking robust steps to make sure that everybody is encouraged to work when it is safe for them to do so, that when they are available to work they take job offers and that they are put in a position to work in healthy and safe work environments.

Quite frankly, Canadians want to work, and we are doing everything we can to put in place circumstances so they can do so safely.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has spent more than any other country in the G7 and has the highest unemployment rate.

Meanwhile, in the midst of our economic recovery, small businesses in Quebec keep looking for workers but are unable to find them. This means that even with the billions of dollars of deficit off-loaded to our children, the Liberal government's measures are not working. What is worse, it did not present any kind of economic recovery plan in the throne speech.

Can the Prime Minister tell us when he will present a real economic recovery plan to everyone?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.

Our economic recovery plan is working. Members do not need to take my word for it. I want to read a quote from Lucy Iacovelli, Canadian managing partner of KPMG's national tax practice. She said, “Our clients have told us that the federal wage subsidy program is helping them not only to retain their employees, but also to cope with pandemic-related costs and rehire workers who have been laid off”.

Canadian Heritage

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Wednesday is Orange Shirt Day. I invite all to wear orange, to help raise awareness for this important day, among their friends, their families and within their communities.

In our last mandate, we made significant progress in supporting self-determination, improving service delivery and advancing reconciliation. Moving forward on reconciliation with indigenous peoples is a priority to this government. We still have work to do; reconciliation is an ongoing process.

Could the minister update the House of Commons on the government's intention to respond to call to action number 80 regarding a national day for truth and reconciliation?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, there is no relationship more important to us than the one with indigenous peoples. Implementing the Truth and Reconciliation report's call to action number 80 to establish a statutory holiday remains a top priority for our government.

Thanks to the important work being done with our partners among the Inuit, Métis and first nations, as well as the Orange Shirt Society, we will be tabling a bill to make September 30 a statutory holiday.

Natural Resources

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Speech from the Throne was nearly 7,000 words long. Energy is Canada's leading export and supports 800,000 jobs, yet there was not a single mention of oil, gas, pipelines or energy workers. Nor was there any mention of a plan to expedite the approval process of more than 20 billion dollars' worth of job-creating energy projects currently stuck in the regulatory queue.

My question is simple: Why not?

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, let me quote from the Speech from the Throne. It was mentioned, “The Government will: Support manufacturing, natural resource, and energy sectors” and that “Canada cannot reach net zero without the know-how of the energy sector...including people in places like British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador.”

We have supported our energy sector throughout this pandemic. We will continue to support it and rely on our workers as we build back better.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, thousands of men and women depend on Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore industry to provide for their families, but the government's announcement on Friday left them behind once again. After suffering six months of job losses, this is the latest in a growing list of failed government approaches to the oil and gas industry, with no specifics, no timelines and none of the supports that industry has been asking for.

When is the government going to arrive at a plan that actually provides the assurances workers in the oil and gas industry need that their jobs will survive this downturn?

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to the successful and sustainable co-management of our offshore under the Atlantic accord and have taken action to support the people and economy of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Our government has announced a $320-million transfer to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to support jobs and to ensure a sustainable, long-term, low-emitting future for our offshore. This agreement will allow the province to invest in activities to create jobs, such as safety improvements, maintenance and upgrades of existing facilities, and research and development. We believe in our workers, and we will always have their backs.

Telecommunications

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, cell and Internet connections are slow or non-existent for millions of Canadians. They have less opportunity for working or learning from home. It is also a public safety issue, especially in rural areas. My constituent Mark had his combine catch on fire, and he had to drive 20 minutes just to be able to call 911.

Five years ago, the Liberals promised to connect Canadians. Five months ago, the Minister of Rural Economic Development said the government would accelerate broadband funding. Five days ago, the Liberals recycled an empty promise to accelerate connectivity. When will they actually get it done?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, since day one, we have worked to connect over a million households to high-speed Internet, and that work is far from over.

Access without high-speed Internet and cell service is difficult at the best of times, but because of COVID-19, hardships, frustrations and challenges have increased. Our government is aware. We are accelerating our plans. We are adding ambitions to those plans. We will do everything we can to connect every household to high-speed Internet, because economic recovery for Canada begins with rural broadband.

Health

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Ontario reported a record 700 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon, and 104 of those cases are from the Peel region. These trends are extremely concerning.

Last week, the Minister of Health was in the Peel region to meet with public health officials. She also joined the Brampton South Youth Council to encourage young people to download the COVID-19 alert app.

Could the Minister of Health inform the House about ongoing work with the provinces to address rising cases in hot spots like Brampton? Could the minister also update Canadians about the latest in vaccine development?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, yes, indeed, it was my pleasure to meet with Dr. Loh and all of the hard-working officials with Peel Public Health just last week, to talk about what other supports we could provide to the region as it tries to combat COVID-19 in its own jurisdiction.

This is the approach that we have taken: supporting provinces and territories to enable them to have robust testing and contact tracing systems, but also working with local public health units and regions to ensure that we understand what more we can provide at the federal level.

We need to work together on COVID-19, whether it is at the local, provincial or federal level.