Debates of Dec. 3rd, 2021

Health

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, I am again very pleased to say a bit more on that.

We are delighted to work very well and very constructively with airports across Canada and with public health officials. I am also pleased to remind every Canadian that the best way to protect ourselves is by following public health measures and being vaccinated.

Talking about calls to action, what about the actions of Conservative MPs who have not yet been able to benefit from the 61 million doses already administered to Canadians?

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Speaker, let us talk about the government's foot-dragging. Everyone knows that, at the beginning of the pandemic, the Liberal government was slow to take action at the border and with regard to vaccines. Even today, nobody seems to know who will be administering screening tests to the passengers arriving at our airports.

On Wednesday, the health minister said that of course that will take time to implement. He actually said that. Here we are, 20 months later, and the Liberals still have not learned a thing. They do not understand that time is of the essence in preventing a fifth wave. Why are the Liberals so slow to take action?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, I am so happy to answer that question, because, a few months ago, my colleague and his colleague from Calgary Nose Hill said Canadians would have to wait until 2030 to get vaccinated and would be the last people in the world to get vaccinated.

I am delighted to remind my colleagues that we are leading the pack. How long will it be before all the Conservative members get vaccinated? Maybe 2030?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Madam Speaker, the Liberal government has failed to meet even one-tenth of the commitment of protecting Afghan refugees. The Liberals' continued insistence on layers of red tape has left tens of thousands of Afghans fleeing the Taliban unable to get to safety. With each passing day, Afghan collaborators, human rights advocates, judges, women and girls face heightened risks.

Will the Liberals simplify documentation requirements; waive the need for refugee status determination, as was done for the Syrian refugee initiative; grant temporary resident permits for those in need; and increase staffing for processing?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Madam Speaker, I want to begin by thanking my colleague for her advocacy on addressing the humanitarian crisis situation in Afghanistan.

Of course we express solidarity with all who remain there, and we are working day and night to continue to bring Afghan refugees to Canada. In fact, I am pleased to inform the chamber that just yesterday, we welcomed an additional 243 Afghan refugees in Canada. This is not to say that there is not more work to do. This government will do that work in partnership with everyone, including Canadians who wish to see us fulfill that goal.

Women and Gender Equality

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Madam Speaker, this week a PBO report showed that women are still not being paid equally in Canada and many will not see pay equity until 2029. That is eight years from now. Remember when the Prime Minister said gender equity was important because it was 2015? Six years later, women are still waiting for pay equity because of the Liberal government's failure to act. Incremental justice is unacceptable.

When will the Liberals correct course so women get pay equity?

[Marci Ien, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth]

Madam Speaker, I want to let the NDP critic know that we have women's backs and have had women's backs. We have seen the gaps in equity in real time. We knew that we had to act, and we did. We provided $100 million to shelter organizations because we knew that women were at risk. Women fleeing intimate violence were at risk, and that was what we did. When it comes to gender-based violence, $3.8 billion is going toward that. We have women's backs and will. I look forward to meeting—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Winnipeg South.

Regional Economic Development

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Winnipeg South, MB]

Madam Speaker, over the course of the pandemic, the economies of the prairie provinces, including my home province of Manitoba, have been some of the hardest hit. Because of the strong advocacy of our Manitoba caucus, a new regional development agency specific to the Prairies was announced by our government.

Could the Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada please update the House on how PrairiesCan has supported businesses throughout our fight against COVID-19?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Minister of Northern Affairs]

Madam Speaker, let me first congratulate the member on his re-election and the fine work that he has done, both in the city of Winnipeg and on the Prairies.

As noted by the member, PrairiesCan was created over the summer to address the unique needs of the Prairies and focus on local priorities. Through this pandemic, PrairiesCan has provided more than $461 million of new money, supporting close to 7,000 businesses on the Prairies. Additionally, through budget 2021, we have announced $360 million of new money to support businesses and workers on the ground. PrairiesCan will—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for South Surrey—White Rock.

National Defence

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Madam Speaker, Russia's foreign minister has just told our foreign affairs minister that the nightmare of military confrontation is returning. The Prime Minister has reportedly told Ukraine's president that Canada will use every single tool possible to deter Russia. With 115,000 soldiers and thousands of tanks and armoured vehicles at Ukraine's border, CDS Eyre said Canada would offer no CAF support.

I ask the minister again, as I did yesterday, who is in charge and how will Canada defend democratic Ukraine?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Madam Speaker, since 2015, under Operation Unifier, Canada has been steadfast in its support of Ukraine with troops on the ground undertaking training exercises day in and day out. We stand with our Ukrainian partners, as well as with our NATO allies, in terms of presenting a united front against unwarranted Russian aggression. We will continue to work on a multilateral basis to uphold the international rules-based order, peace and democracy.

Natural Resources

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

Madam Speaker, just last year the government said there was no path to net zero without nuclear, but when it comes to nuclear energy and SMRs the new environment minister is hiding, both virtually and in reality.

I would like to congratulate Ontario for selecting GE Hitachi as the design partner for SMRs. I would like to know if the new Minister of Environment will continue hiding from nuclear energy, or will he take the opportunity today to congratulate Ontario?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Madam Speaker, our government has developed an ambitious climate plan. It is one of the world's most detailed and concrete plans. In the transition toward a net-zero future, we must consider all non-emitting technologies, including wind, solar, hydro and yes, nuclear energy.

It is certainly an important part of the mix right now in this country, and we have been supporting the development and the assessment of small modular reactors. I had a very good conversation with my counterpart in Ontario, and I did indeed congratulate him on an important step forward in the development of this technology.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Madam Speaker, in a joint announcement with the Government of Quebec on August 6, the government pledged to reconsider its immigration regulations, especially with respect to temporary foreign workers. Businesses will now be allowed to increase the number of temporary foreign workers from 10% to 20%.

Businesses in my riding are tired of waiting for the government, which has dithered for exactly four months now. Will they finally do their job once and for all? Will that be implemented on Monday, December 6, after a four-month delay, yes or no?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. The federal government is working closely with the Government of Quebec, which has the power to make its own decisions about immigration targets. As for the percentage of temporary foreign workers, a pilot project is currently under way.

We will keep working with our Quebec counterparts, and we will do what needs to be done to ensure Quebec gets the immigration it needs.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Madam Speaker, the price of everything is rising under the inflationary policies of the Liberal government, and few have been harder hit than Canadian farmers.

The prices of fuel and drying grain have skyrocketed because of this escalating Liberal carbon tax. Now the Liberals are proposing a whopping 30% decrease in fertilizer emissions. We know the impact on farmers and families will be devastating: less food production and higher prices on the grocery shelves.

Why is the Liberal government deliberately undermining the food security of Canadian families?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, Canadian farmers are important stewards of the land. Yes, we have set a national target for emission reduction from fertilizer. The western producers conducted an informal survey about the 30% target, and they said, “We asked a dozen soil nutrition experts, including 10 retail, independent and federal government agronomists, who weighed in on this issue. Most agreed that Ottawa's emission reduction goal was achievable and does not require making do with less fertilizer.”

Seniors

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has been pushing the government since the summer to stop unfairly reducing the guaranteed income supplement paid to working seniors who were entitled to CERB. We were told that the minister is working on a solution, but that is taking far too long. The GIS is for poorest seniors. Every month, Ottawa is taking away hundreds of dollars from people who cannot afford to just put everything on a credit card until the feds get their act together. These people are making sacrifices and making increasingly difficult choices month after month.

When will the minister do something about it?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Madam Speaker, from the very beginning our government's priority has been to support seniors, especially those most vulnerable. That is why we worked extremely hard to strengthen income security for seniors, including their GIS.

We created benefits such as CERB to help people at the height of the pandemic. We know it is having an impact on some of our most vulnerable now, and I can assure the hon. member we are actively working on a solution to ensure we fight for those most vulnerable. We are always going to be there to support those most vulnerable seniors.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister told me on Wednesday that the minister was working on a solution to this injustice. That is great, but, today, seniors have a right to demand that the minister explain to them directly what concrete solutions she is supposedly working on. It should be simple. We just need to ensure that CERB is considered employment income for GIS purposes. Seniors must be able to request a reassessment of benefits based on their current income.

Will the minister confirm that that is what she is working on now? When will she finally come up with a solution?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Madam Speaker, as I mentioned, we are working to find the right solution to support seniors affected by the GIS and changes due to the pandemic benefits, but let me remind the hon. member of a number of things that we have done to help seniors. We have increased support, through OAS, for those 75 and above. We have strengthened GIS for vulnerable, single seniors. We provided one-time payments during the pandemic to help seniors afford the things that they needed.

We have an ambitious agenda for seniors, and we will always support seniors.

The Economy

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Madam Speaker, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Mexico, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, Argentina, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Ukraine and New Zealand, which is a country that the finance minister said is very much like Canada, all have the same thing in common: They have increased interest rates as a result of inflation.

What is the plan to protect Canadians when interest rates inevitably rise in Canada, or is it just interest?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Madam Speaker, it is quite a pleasure to see you again this morning.

I am happy to see that my hon. colleague wants to talk about geography. Let me mention a few countries: the United States, Mexico, Germany, the eurozone and New Zealand. What do they have in common? More inflation than Canada. The member will know that the latest inflation number for Canada was 4.7%.

What Canadians understand at home is that we have a plan to grow this economy, and that our plan is working.