House of Commons Hansard #4 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was hybrid.
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
Mr. Speaker, sectors across Canada are grappling with labour shortages.
A BDC report has found that 64% of companies say that difficulties finding workers is limiting their growth. RBC reported that over one-third of businesses are having problems finding employees, resulting in 870,000 vacancies across Canada. Businesses need workers to make money.
What is the minister doing to resolve these labour shortages?
Carla Qualtrough LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, some sectors in Canada are actually outpacing their ability to find workers, and that is because of the strength of our economy. That is why, through budget 2021, we made the largest investment in training for workers in Canadian history to help them reskill to meet the needs of employers.
Moving forward, we have a plan to address these labour shortages by welcoming talented workers to Canada, keeping experienced workers in the workforce, boosting the participation of diverse Canadians in the skilled trades and addressing the specific needs of evolving sectors.
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, this week I listened to, read and re-read this Liberal government's Speech from the Throne.
Unfortunately, it does not mention the labour shortage that is plaguing all of Quebec, including my hard-hit region, Chaudière‑Appalaches. That is a veritable scandal, especially after we held an election for absolutely nothing.
Will the government commit to working with the Conservative members from Quebec to find solutions to the labour shortage for our Quebec businesses?
Carla Qualtrough LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, we understand that some industries are unable to find workers.
We have a plan to address the labour shortage by welcoming talented workers to Canada, keeping experienced workers in the workforce, boosting—
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
I am sorry to have to interrupt the minister, but I cannot hear her.
I would ask the minister to start over so I can understand everything she says.
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
Mr. Speaker, we understand that some sectors are unable to find workers.
We have a plan to address the labour shortage by welcoming talented workers to Canada, keeping experienced workers in the workforce, boosting Canadians' participation in the skilled trades and addressing the specific needs of evolving sectors.
Mario Simard Bloc Jonquière, QC
Mr. Speaker, it was bad enough that the United States was imposing duties on our softwood lumber, but now Washington is thumbing its nose at us by doubling its already unfair duties.
Ottawa was supposed to get the United States to eliminate duties altogether. Amazingly, the opposite happened: Washington doubled them.
This is utterly appalling, especially since Quebec's forestry industry has been an exemplary trading partner and the United States has no quarrel with our producers.
What is the government doing to protect Quebec's forestry industry? Does the government understand that it cannot let itself be bullied like this?
Mary Ng LiberalMinister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is absolutely right. This is a very important sector to Canada and to Quebeckers. I want to assure him, I want to assure forestry workers and I want to assure the forestry industry that we will continue to defend them. These duties are unjustified, they are unfair and they do hurt workers on both sides of the border. I have communicated this to my counterpart.
We are going to continue to stand up for the Canadian forestry sector, and we are going to keep doing this work.
Mario Simard Bloc Jonquière, QC
Mr. Speaker, since I am absolutely right, I will go on. I hope I will be absolutely right again.
What is going on in the United States is very worrisome. Ottawa was supposed to get rid of softwood lumber duties. Washington's response? Double those duties. Ottawa was supposed to lobby for exemptions to protectionism in the electric vehicle sector. Washington's response? Add another layer of protectionism.
In the space of one week, our main trading partner behaved more like an adversary twice. The government used to blame it on Trump. Now that Biden is in office, whose fault is it?
I have to wonder if the problem might be the Liberal government.
Mary Ng LiberalMinister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, let me answer the other question that the hon. member raised with respect to electric vehicles. This was very much a top priority in the discussions we had with Washington last week. The Prime Minister has had them as have the Deputy Prime Minister and myself, along with colleagues.
We are going to continue to find solutions that work for Canadians. Whether it is on the EV issue or on the softwood lumber issue, we are going to be there every step of the way. We are going to work to find solutions that are going to be acceptable to Canada, to our industry and to our workers.
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Mr. Speaker, in October, Pollara Strategic Insights reported on systemic racism throughout the IRCC. The report highlights the mocking of racialized employees, calling a department known for having a lot of ethnic employees as “the ghetto”, and references to certain African nations as “the dirty 30”.
What faith can anyone have in the new immigration minister to solve issues of racism in IRCC and its toxic workplace when he could not even stand up to the Prime Minister for doing racist black face?
Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Immigration
Mr. Speaker, on an issue as important as addressing systemic racism in the public service, we need to ensure that we behave like adults when we are having conversations. I thank the hon. member for the very responsible conversation that we were able to have just a few hours ago, where it was not framed in necessarily quite the same way.
The reality is systemic racism is a real threat, not only to the victims who are subjected to that racism but to the ability of the government to perform at its full potential. I intend to follow through on the IRCC's plans to implement an anti-racism task force. I will make sure that this is not just window dressing but provides everyone with a safe and effective place to come to work.
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Mr. Speaker, as a new mom, I am very well aware of how expensive having a baby can be. The cost of many items, like diapers, is getting more expensive under the Liberal government.
Ever-increasing inflation is making life more expensive, from gas to groceries and everything in between. When will the Prime Minister recognize the inflation crisis and help the many families that are struggling today?
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Families
Mr. Speaker, first of all I would like to congratulate my new colleague who I know is a new mother. I am looking forward to working with her to make life more affordable for families.
In fact, I am really pleased to announce in this House that just a week ago we were in Alberta to announce $10-a-day day care. Not only are we working to make life more affordable for families in that member's riding, but as of January 1, they are going to see a reduction of 50% in fees. Here is to fighting inflation and working for families.
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Mr. Speaker, universal child care is a promise that has been made and broken by Liberals since I was in grade school. Forgive me for not necessarily trusting the Liberal government.
The cost of necessary everyday items, like diapers and formula, is rising. Affordability in child care is a priority for many working families, but so is feeding their children and keeping the heat on.
Will the Prime Minister at least acknowledge these massive increases to the cost of living are being caused by your government's policies?
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Families
Mr. Speaker, let us just reflect on the fact that, as of January 1, an agreement between the Province of Alberta, Premier Kenney, and the Government of Canada is going to bring a 50% reduction in fees for families in Alberta.
For some families in Alberta that means an additional $600 or $700 a month. That is going to mean a lot for their bottom line, to give their children the things they need today and into the future.
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
I just want to remind the hon. members that when placing a question or even answering one to place it through the Chair, not to the Chair. I assure you that I have no government here.
The hon. member for Acadie—Bathurst.
Serge Cormier Liberal Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Mr. Speaker, the tourism, arts and culture, and hospitality sectors are key economic drivers in my riding, Acadie—Bathurst. They create thousands of jobs and contribute to the local economy. They also allow people from across the country and around the world to see why I and so many others are proud to live there.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly difficult for these sectors. That is why the work our government has done to keep them afloat has been so critical to their workers.
Can the Minister of Finance tell us about the ongoing support we are providing to those sectors in my riding and across the country?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Acadie—Bathurst for his work and for this excellent question.
Thanks to the hard work of all Canadians, we are on the road to economic recovery, but some regions of the country still need targeted support. That is why we are proposing the new tourism and hospitality recovery program, which will provide support to hotels, tour operators, travel agencies and restaurants through wage and rent subsidy programs.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the finance minister on her flip-flop today. She had said that deflation was a bigger risk to Canada than inflation. Now that Canada has the second-highest inflation rate in the G7, higher than the eurozone and higher than most of our competitors, and the second-highest housing inflation of any country on earth, she has admitted that we have an inflation crisis. I congratulate her for finally waking up to that.
Will she acknowledge that this inflation is, in fact, a homegrown problem?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I know that Canadians understand that inflation is a global phenomenon, and here are some numbers to back that up. Inflation in Canada in October was 4.7%. In the United States is was 6.2%. In Mexico it was 6.2%. In New Zealand it was 4.9%. The G20 average is 4.6% and the OECD average is 4.6%. This is a serious global challenge, not a made-in-Canada problem.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, let us just see about that. Land does not have a global supply chain. It was supplied by geological factors many millions of years ago, and yet land prices in Canada have gone up by 20% in one year, giving Canada the second-highest real estate inflation on planet earth. It is ahead of every other nation on earth, except for New Zealand, a phenomenon that really kicked off after the finance minister began flooding markets with cheap cash and ballooning prices.
Is that not a homegrown problem?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives may not want to listen to me about inflation, but I suspect they read the National Post, so let me quote what a Post columnist had to say this week: “inflation is ... a global phenomenon. It is being influenced by external factors like supply kinks and global bond yields.”
The National Post was likewise unimpressed by the antics of the member for Carleton, describing him as “charging out of his corner, arms wind-milling.” I suspect that will be the judgment of most Canadians, including the conservative readers of the National Post.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, it would be impossible to listen to what she has to say about inflation, because before today, she had not even mentioned the word. She suggested that we would have deflation. As for the claims of her Liberal media friends, they are disproven by the fact that countries all over the world, including five of the other six G7 countries, have lower inflation than Canada, and every country on earth has lower housing inflation than Canada except one.
Given that we are doing so much worse than our competitors, will she finally admit it is a homegrown problem?