Debates of Dec. 1st, 2021

Seniors

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the poorest working seniors have been plunged into poverty by Ottawa. Those who lost their jobs during the pandemic and who had to apply for CERB ended up having their guaranteed income supplement cut because CERB benefits are treated differently from work income, even though the benefit is designed to replace work income. For example, a worker who earns $10,000 in income would normally lose $100 of their guaranteed income supplement, but someone earning $10,000 of CERB loses $400. That is $300 less every month.

Will the Prime Minister correct this injustice?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have been promising Canadians since the beginning of the pandemic that we would be there for them as long as they needed and that we would do everything we could to help them. That is exactly what we are doing. We have always prioritized helping the most vulnerable. We created CERB to help people during the pandemic, and we know that this benefit has repercussions for some of the most vulnerable Canadians. The ministers are working on this issue to find the best solution and support Canadians. We will always be there to protect our seniors, and that includes the GIS.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not what we are talking about.

The Bloc Québécois alerted the Minister of Seniors and the Minister of Finance months ago, and nothing has been done. We need the Prime Minister to get involved. The CERB should be treated like employment income and seniors need to be able to have their benefits recalculated based on their current income. It is simple. This administrative mess is plunging people into poverty and some are suffering a decline in their health. Some seniors are having to choose which of their medications to skip because they can no longer afford them.

Is the Prime Minister going to take charge of this matter?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have always been there for our seniors and we always will be. I can assure the House that we are working on this issue and we will resolve it very soon.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister cannot get his priorities straight.

Last week, he again approved the entry of illegal migrants at Roxham Road, but, in the meantime, he is unable to follow through on his commitment to bring 40,000 refugees from Afghanistan to Canada. He can do whatever it takes to encourage illegal migrants, but, when it comes time to bring over those who helped us in Afghanistan, we must wait.

Can he tell us when this matter will be resolved?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we stand in solidarity with the Afghan people, as we always have. We will be there to welcome the 40,000 Afghan nationals and refugees. As the hon. member knows very well, the challenge is that the Taliban has blocked access to the airport and the border, and so it is not safe for people to leave.

We will continue to work with our partners in the region and our international partners to welcome Afghan refugees, because Canadians want to do more. We will be there to help these Afghan families.

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

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Prime Minister is saying that there are complications and that things are not easy on the ground, but at the same time, when a promise is made it is nice to have a date and real action.

Can we have an idea of how long this will take? How will it be done? Can these people who are at risk of being killed by the Taliban on a daily basis still believe that Canada will take care of them?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canada will be there for them. In fact, we are once again proving the extraordinary generosity of Canadians who want to welcome people who are dealing with atrocious and horrific situations for themselves, their families and their daughters. That is why we are working with our partners in the region to exert pressure on the Taliban to be able to send refugees to Canada. We are more present than almost any other country in the world when it comes to welcoming refugees. It is thanks to the generosity and openness of Canadians, and we can be proud of that.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat my question.

Could the Prime Minister be more specific about how long that will take? Can we get a timeline? At this point, can he tell us how many of those refugees have already come to Canada and how many have yet to be resettled?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has welcomed thousands of refugees, but we still have a lot to do. That is why we continue to work with our international allies to exert pressure on the Taliban to let people leave Afghanistan and come live in countries like Canada that want to welcome them in large numbers. We will be there to take in 40,000 refugees. That is what Canadians want, and that is what we will do together.

Employment

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our economic recovery is going well thanks to our high vaccination rate and the support measures put in place by our government. I am thinking of the Canada emergency wage subsidy, the Canada emergency business account, and many more. We are seeing the effects of that today with very robust economic growth in the third quarter.

Would the Prime Minister like to enlighten members of the opposition on the current state of the economy, and the latest employment numbers in particular?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I commend the member for Outremont on getting re-elected. She has asked an excellent question.

COVID-19 had a significant impact on Canadians and our small businesses across the country, but our approach to fighting the recession caused by COVID-19 is working. Canada has recovered 101% of the jobs lost, compared to only 81% in the United States.

We will continue to support our workers and small businesses to finish the fight against COVID-19 and ensure a strong recovery for our economy.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban earlier this year, thousands of Afghans who worked alongside our troops were led to believe by the Prime Minister that Canada would keep them safe. National Defence has received over 23,000 applications from Afghan interpreters and support staff who served with us, yet Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is only processing 14,500 applications. That means that over 9,000 Afghan interpreters and support staff have not been invited to apply.

When will the Prime Minister bring to Canada the 40,000 Afghan nationals he promised?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canada remains firm in its commitment to welcome 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada. We are working tirelessly to stay in support and contact with those who remain in Afghanistan and wish to resettle to Canada.

IRCC has mobilized its entire global network to process visas and issue them on an urgent basis. We will continue to do everything we can to help the people of Afghanistan, not because this government wants to, which we do, but because Canadians expect us to. That is exactly why we are doing it.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell the Prime Minister that Canada's veterans have stepped up and done more than their share to protect their Afghan friends who were left behind. They set up safe houses to protect hundreds of Afghan interpreters and their families, but when these veteran-operated safe houses came to the government and asked for $5 million, the Liberals said no. Our Afghan friends were forced to leave, and now they are trying to escape the clutches of the Taliban.

I will ask the Prime Minister again: Can the Prime Minister tell the House and the 40,000 Afghan refugees exactly when they can expect to come to Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the largest and most difficult hurdle in getting people out of Afghanistan remains the lack of safe and secure routes out of the country. We will continue to do everything we can for the people of Afghanistan.

I want to recognize and thank all of those organizations, including veterans' organizations and NGOs that have been there to support Canadian troops on the ground, and the IRCC officials who have been there to support Afghans as they get out of the country.

We will be welcoming 40,000 Afghans to Canada. We are going to keep pushing on the Taliban to ensure that people have safe access out of the country.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, our veterans and all of those non-governmental organizations had to step up because this government did not. Our Afghan interpreters and support staff have been left behind to face the brutality of the Taliban who are hunting them down as we speak. Our veterans are doing everything in their power to get people out of harm's way, including chartering their own planes to take them to safe third countries, but it seems the Prime Minister only cared about this when it was happening during the election.

On behalf of our veterans, on behalf of members of the Canadian Armed Forces and on behalf of the 40,000 Afghan nationals he promised to bring to Canada, on exactly what date will the Prime Minister bring these Afghans to Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are working tirelessly to bring those 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada as quickly as possible. We are working with the international community to put pressure on the Taliban to allow for more safe routes out of the country. We have demonstrated our ability to welcome them in.

I would remind the hon. member, who was around for the election of 2015, that when his government turned its back on Syrian refugees, Canadians stepped up and brought in 40,000 Syrian refugees in those first months of 2015-16. That is why we stepped up, and we will do exactly the same right now for Afghanistan. I will take no lessons from the Conservative Party.

Disaster Assistance

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this past summer, my province of British Columbia was hit by devastating wildfires. In recent weeks, heavy rains have brought flooding and landslides to communities across the interior and Fraser Valley. This has taken the lives of at least four people and damaged countless homes, businesses and family farms.

Can the Prime Minister update the House on what our government is doing to support the people of British Columbia during this difficult time?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for Surrey—Newton for the question and for his hard work in supporting his colleagues in British Columbia.

British Columbians can be assured that we will always be there for them in the face of devastating natural disasters, such as the recent flooding. Canadian Armed Forces are on the ground, and we are collaborating with the B.C. government on the immediate response and eventual rebuilding. Alongside the province, we are further matching every dollar donated to the Red Cross, turning every dollar Canadians donate into three.

Our government remains committed to helping the people of B.C. through the immediate response to this crisis and into recovery. We will be there for British Columbians.

Health

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today is World AIDS Day, and I think about so many Canadians who have lost loved ones and people close to them to HIV/AIDS. What is worse is that we have all the tools right now to completely eradicate HIV/AIDS. What we are lacking is a plan that particularly addresses the barriers faced by the most vulnerable people.

Why does Canada not have a plan to completely, once and for all, eradicate HIV/AIDS?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, a number of years ago, we signed on to the global compact to eliminate HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. We are working internationally with colleagues and partners to do just that, even as we continue to step up our efforts at home to ensure that we are supporting people living with HIV/AIDS and preventing further tragedies and challenges around that.

We have come a long way as a country in fighting the stigmatization around HIV/AIDS. We have come a long way from the first time we were celebrating December 1.

I am glad to see so many members of the House standing as allies alongside not just the LGBTQ2 community, but others who are suffering the impacts of HIV/AIDS.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

That is all the time we have for oral questions.

The hon. member for Montarville on a point of order.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I believe you would find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion: That the House congratulate Barbados on renouncing the British monarchy.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

This being a hybrid sitting of the House, for the sake of clarity, I will only ask those who are opposed to the request to express their disagreement.