Debates of Dec. 2nd, 2021

The Economy

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question about Canada's big cities.

Inflation and the cost of living are not priorities for the Liberal government. During the election campaign, the Prime Minister even said, and I quote: “you'll forgive me if I don't think about monetary policy.”

Canadians and Quebeckers are tired of living paycheque to paycheque. When will this Prime Minister decide to truly help Canadians make ends meet?

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

Mr. Speaker, allow me to read the list of the 11 least affordable cities in the world according to The Economist: Oslo, Seoul, Tokyo, Vienna, Sydney, Melbourne, Helsinki, London, Dublin, Frankfurt and Shanghai.

What do those 11 cities have in common? None of them are in Canada.

Forestry Industry

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last February, when the Prime Minister met with Joe Biden for the first time to plan a common course of action, they must have spoken about fifty or so files.

However, they did not talk at all about softwood lumber. They obviously did not discuss getting rid of the tariffs, which is a priority, and they definitely did not talk about separate treatment for Quebec.

It was in May, when Washington decided to double the tariffs, that the Prime Minister woke up and remembered that there was a trade dispute.

It is always the same old story with this government. We are always waiting for something to be done. If we do not tell the Liberals what to do, when to do it and how to do it, they do nothing.

When will this government stand up for Quebec's forestry industry?

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

Mr. Speaker, I know that I cannot win a war of words in French with my hon. colleague from the Bloc Québécois.

However, I hope that he understands that our government sincerely wants to work closely with him for Quebeckers.

Softwood lumber is a very important file for me and for our government. We are working closely with the unions and the industry.

We will continue to defend the interests of Canada and Quebec, as we did in the case of aluminum.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec is the main target of the United States in this new chapter of the softwood lumber dispute.

Ottawa is not standing up to the Americans to defend our industry. Ottawa should have made the Americans understand that Quebec has a completely separate forestry regime that must be examined separately from that of the rest of Canada, since Quebec's regime complies with the North American trade regulations.

Today, the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development is in Washington to talk about softwood lumber. Will she demand separate treatment for Quebec?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very familiar with Quebec's softwood lumber industry. I know the union representatives and the industry leaders. All Quebeckers and all Canadians should be proud of the softwood lumber industry in Canada and Quebec.

I promise all Canadians and all Quebeckers that we will continue to work hard to defend this important industry.

COVID-19 Response Measures

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are deeply worried about the omicron variant. They are worried about their families. They are worried about their communities. Canadians understand that it is important to take precautions for travel with appropriate safety measures, but these safety measures and precautions have to be clear and consistent. That has been the ongoing critique of the government: Canadians do not know what the rules are and when they are going to apply.

Will thePrime Minister deliver a clear plan of what the rules are so Canadians who are travelling know what to do?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think we agree with the leader of the NDP and his party that the fight against COVID is the single most important health and economic policy in our country, and we sure agree that vaccination is an essential tool in that fight.

When it comes to the new measures that we are putting in place to deal with the omicron variant, I would really like to thank Canada's public health authorities for responding with such swift action. I want to say to all Canadians that this is a circuit breaker to give us time to be careful.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the omicron variant is a real source of concern. People are afraid for their families and communities, but they understand the need to have health restrictions in place to prevent the spread of this variant.

However, we need clear and consistent measures. This Liberal government continues to be criticized for its lack of clarity and consistency in health restrictions, particularly those related to travel.

Is the Prime Minister prepared to lay down a clear and consistent plan to help Canadians know what to do if they decide to travel?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the NDP leader for his question.

I agree with him that fighting COVID-19 remains the most important policy for the economy and, of course, for the health of Canadians.

I really want to thank all the officials at the Public Health Agency of Canada and our border services for responding so quickly to defend us all from the omicron variant.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, fishermen saw their income drop drastically in 2020 due to COVID. Thousands of Canadian fishermen received special COVID benefits because they are paid a share of profits, not a weekly wage. This year the government flip-flopped and demanded money back for the benefits the government said they were entitled to.

Will fishermen who are paid a share of profits, not a wage, get the fish harvester benefit, yes or no?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I want to start by acknowledging the very important work that is done by fishers on all of our coasts in Canada, and how much their work means to their communities and to our government.

The fish harvester benefit was made available in two tranches. There were some estimates that had to be made regarding the wage reductions, which needed to be corrected when the actual numbers came in.

We will continue working with the fishers to make sure they are supported in every way possible.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the minister clearly does not understand that her government has sent out 5,000 clawback letters to fishermen.

Nova Scotia's winter lobster season started yesterday. Fishermen are in the frigid North Atlantic in the winter with the Atlantic Ocean crashing over them, risking their lives to catch the food we need. They should not be worried about paying back to the government the thousands of dollars in COVID benefits they were entitled to.

Will fishermen who are paid a share of profits, not a wage, be allowed to keep the fishermen's harvest benefit, yes or no?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, it is clearly the member opposite who does not understand the situation. When this benefit was first constructed, it was an estimate of the reduction in earnings the payments were based on. The following year, when those numbers were clear, it was then clear they were not eligible for that money. This is not a clawback, it was the arrangement. It was understood from the beginning that it would be based on the actual reduction and not the projected reduction.

I want to say that I support the fishers and their communities and we will continue working to do that.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last June, the government announced the Pacific salmon strategy initiative and talked about bold, transformative action. At the same time, the fisheries minister doubled down on the government's refusal to quickly mobilize proven actions needed to restore Pacific salmon. Five months have passed and the salmon populations are still in trouble.

Can the fisheries minister tell us what the five species of Pacific salmon are, and which are most at risk?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, the protection of wild salmon populations is a priority for our government, especially because there are complex challenges facing the species. There are runs right across our coasts that are in trouble, including all of the major salmon species. These fish are very important to British Columbians, especially our indigenous communities that depend on them for food, cultural and ceremonial uses. We are putting $647 million into a Pacific salmon—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Haldimand—Norfolk.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Marshall decisions are the most important Supreme Court rulings regarding indigenous commercial fishing rights.

The former minister of fisheries admitted she had not read the decisions, and recently the new Minister of Fisheries said she was only aware of key elements.

This is the government’s most important relationship with Canada’s indigenous peoples. Has the Minister of Fisheries read the Marshall decisions in their entirety, yes or no?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, what I do understand is that the conservation, protection and restoration of abundance of our stocks are of primordial importance to our communities, our fishers and Canadians at large. Everything we do at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans underpins that.

First nations have a Supreme Court-affirmed—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am going to interrupt the hon. minister.

[An hon. member]

Tell her to answer the question.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am having a hard time hearing the answer. I want her to start from the top so I can hear the whole thing, and maybe the sound will come down a bit.

The hon. minister.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would think that the Conservatives opposite would be interested in this answer, because it is important to all of us.

First nations have a Supreme Court-affirmed treaty right to fish, and our government has never stopped working to implement that right.

Everything we do at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is underpinned by conservation, protection and restoration of habitats and stock abundance. It is a priority to work with indigenous communities. My first trip was out to meet—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, understanding the Marshall decisions should be the minister's top priority given that this is the government's most important relationship.

The minister needs to know that the 1999 fisheries committee report clearly stated that the court confirmed the department's sole authority to regulate the fisheries and did not confer any right to a separate commercial fishery.

Will the minister abide by that decision when implementing any future decision regarding commercial fisheries, yes or no?