Debates of Dec. 7th, 2021

Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Madam Chair, I agree with my colleague.

Of course, the Patriotes have often been considered great nationalists. I believe that was the case, but I also believe that, at the time, they called for ministerial responsibility. I thank them for the work they did, and I am pleased to be here on behalf of my government to answer my colleague's questions about foreign affairs.

The $375 million that my colleague referenced is indicative of our leadership and also our global approach, which seeks to provide equitable access to vaccines in different countries. At the bilateral level, we recently offered vaccines to several countries in the Caribbean. At the multilateral level, we are also participating in the COVAX initiative. Sometimes, we help establish a vaccine production facility, as is presently the case in South Africa.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Madam Chair, I applaud the government's efforts to improve access to vaccines in developing countries.

The omicron variant has shown us that, until the pandemic is under control in developing countries too, Canada is no safer despite its high vaccination rate, so I applaud the government's efforts.

Those efforts come with a hefty price tag. Would it not have been faster, cheaper and more efficient to just join the movement to waive patents? That would have made it possible to outsource vaccine production to many places around the world.

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

Madam Chair, my colleague said his questions were for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, so I am a bit uncomfortable answering him directly. However, I do want to give him my regards and congratulate him on being elected.

I would also like to tell him that there are many ways to make inroads against COVID‑19 globally. As he correctly pointed out, almost everyone in Canada is vaccinated, but many people around the world are not because of vaccine supply issues. That is why the 200 million doses Canada promised are extremely important. There are also vaccine transportation, storage and administration issues, and we are working on those issues with developing countries.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Madam Chair, I had hoped for a response on waiving patents to help outsource and ramp up the production of vaccines around the world.

Is it possible to get a response on that?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Madam Chair, we are indeed exploring that issue.

Experts on the matter say that there are methods and ways that will help us vaccinate even more people even quicker.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Madam Chair, it seems obvious that these methods have not produced the desired results.

In any event, a few moments ago, the minister noted that some vaccines had been given to certain Caribbean countries. What is more, vaccines were given to Egypt. I commended that donation, which is exceptionally positive.

That being said, what criteria does the government use to choose a country? We have expressed a desire for Taiwan, which is under pressure from the People's Republic of China, to have access to vaccines. We noted the situation in Palestine, where Israel is preventing the Palestinian population from accessing vaccines, even though the vaccination rate of its own population is extremely high. We have also expressed a desire for vaccines to be offered to Haiti.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, of course we want to work on several levels. Our main priority is multilateralism, because we know that this is the best way to provide vaccines quickly to several countries. That is why we were one of the founding countries of the COVAX initiative. We have committed to donating 200 million doses through this initiative. Canada is one of the top donors.

We have also decided to provide $1.3 billion to different countries for everything from screening tests, to vaccine treatment, to equitable access to the various treatment methods available through the ACT-Accelerator.

This is how the Government of Canada has put—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Montarville.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank the minister for her answer. Once again, I reiterate my appeal for the specific cases of Taiwan, Palestine and Haiti, and I hope the minister will be receptive to my appeal.

Now I want to talk about the $69 million or so earmarked for the Rohingya crisis. Obviously, no one could be against virtue and apple pie. We see this as a very necessary investment, given the serious situation facing the Rohingya population in Myanmar.

This government has even stated that no population, group or community should be persecuted because of its identity.

With that in mind, can the minister talk to us about the situation of the people who are currently being subjected to a veritable genocide in Tigray, while Ethiopia is the main recipient of Canada's international aid, and could she also talk about Palestine?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, coming back to the Rohingya, I want to mention that Canada was the first country to recognize the crimes committed against the Rohingya and to ensure that the situation was recognized as a genocide.

I think that I can commend the Prime Minister's leadership on that issue, and also that of my predecessors.

With respect to Ethiopia, I want to say to my colleague that the government has worked on this file on an ongoing basis. I have made it a personal priority. I have had the opportunity to speak to my Ethiopian counterpart. Furthermore, I raised the issue of Ethiopia at all my meetings, both with NATO and the OSCE, and during different telephone calls I made.

Given that the Prime Minister has a close relationship with the Ethiopian government and Prime Minister Abiy, I believe that Canada can play a special role in fostering a peace process to ensure that Ethiopia becomes a healthy democracy, which is currently not the case.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Madam Chair, I see that the minister is avoiding the question on Palestine.

A few days ago, at the United Nations General Assembly, Canada voted against three resolutions on Palestine. The first was on the peace process, the second was on the Syrian Golan, which is indirectly related, and the third was on Jerusalem. Each time, Canada was in the minority in the international community.

In the case of the peace process, Canada was part of a select group of nine countries. Other than Australia, the United States and Israel itself, there was Hungary, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau. We were in distinguished company with nine votes against 148 in favour of this resolution.

Since Canada is against the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, since Canada is against colonization and expulsions, since Canada is in favour of a two-state solution and since Canada condemns the attacks against civilians, including rocket attacks, what did Canada have against motion A/74/L.14, which was supported, I might add, by Norway and Ireland, which were elected to the Security Council?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, I am proud that Canada is one of Israel's biggest and strongest allies at the United Nations and in many international organizations. We also know that we are friends of the Palestinian people.

I want to inform my colleague that the government's policy on the United Nations and on votes related to the Middle East is clear. We are opposed to any initiative, within the United Nations and other multilateral forums, that is specifically aimed at criticizing only Israel, since we believe in a much more holistic approach. We therefore reject any unilateral resolutions from these forums that would politicize these issues.

It goes without saying that we expect the two parties to be able to work together through these admittedly difficult circumstances, to ensure lasting peace in the Middle East.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Madam Chair, I do not believe that going against the entire international community is in any way helpful to the peace process in the region.

I would like to point out that this resolution appeared relatively balanced to me because, among other things, it condemned the rocket attacks against the Israelis and sought to establish safe and secure borders for both countries, including Israel.

I therefore do not understand this situation or why Canada voted against the resolution. Canada voted against all three resolutions whereas, in committee, Canada had abstained on one of the three resolutions. That is rather surprising.

I would now like to address the situation of the daughter of one of my constituents, to whom the minister made a public commitment on the show La semaine des 4 Julie. I would simply like to know what is new in the case of Natalie Morin, who wants to leave Saudi Arabia with her children. She was very clear about that, and she is simply waiting to be given the opportunity to finally leave that country.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, it goes without saying that I am deeply concerned about Nathalie Morin. That is why I had the opportunity to speak directly with her mother and with my colleague on this matter.

This is obviously a priority for the government. It goes without saying that Ms. Morin must be allowed to return to Canada. She is a Canadian citizen who is currently in Saudi Arabia. Her children are there as well. She must be allowed to return to Canada with her family.

I would be happy to work with my colleague on this matter.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Madam Chair, I am sorry, but I must insist. Could the minister share any new developments in this case since our last discussion?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, since this is a consular case, I cannot speak about it in detail in the House.

I know that Ms. Morin has authorized my colleague to speak to me directly, and I would be happy to discuss her case with him in private.

I do want to say that I brought this matter up with Bob Rae, our ambassador to the United Nations. It is obviously important for us to be able to speak to our Saudi Arabian counterparts about it.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Madam Chair, the minister and I discussed the Beijing Olympics, which are scheduled to open in a few weeks, and she told me what was reiterated in the House today: The government of Canada's decision about whether or not to participate in the games will be made in concert with its allies.

We know the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the United States have announced a diplomatic boycott. What is Canada waiting for? When will it follow suit?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, I share my colleague's concerns about the Winter Olympics.

We were informed yesterday of the United States' intention not to send diplomatic personnel to Beijing for the Winter Olympics.

Naturally, I share my colleagues' concerns about allegations of human rights violations in Xinjiang. I have been discussing these issues with several colleagues around the world.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Madam Chair, can the minister offer any information about what the Government of Canada is doing to get Canadian children stranded in refugee camps in northern Syria out of there?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, the plight of children is always close to my heart, but I am particularly concerned about the children who are in this Syrian detention camp.

It goes without saying that this is a priority, but I remind my colleague that their parents decided to leave Canada to join a terrorist organization.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Madam Chair, I would first like to acknowledge that we are on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

I rise in the House to talk about what Canadian Heritage has been doing to support the culture, heritage and sport sectors since the beginning of the COVID‑19 pandemic.

The culture, heritage and sport sectors are crucial to Canada's social and economic vitality, contributing about $63 billion to our economy as well as more than 772,000 jobs prior to the pandemic. In fact, many artists and creators in Canada have gone above and beyond over the last two years finding new and innovative ways to deliver quality entertainment, enriching cultural experiences and meaningful connections that have helped us all to cope with the isolation and stress of life in a pandemic.

They have done all this despite the fact that when the full force of the COVID-19 pandemic hit Canada in March 2020, the culture, heritage and sport sectors took many of the first and hardest blows. Concerts, festivals and sporting events were cancelled. Theatres, museums and cultural spaces were closed. Restrictions on public gatherings made events and celebrations of heritage and culture impossible. Production shut down for many creative works. Financing, distribution and dissemination became much more difficult.

The damage caused to these sectors due to the pandemic has been significant. Between the first and second quarters of 2020, culture sector jobs fell from 656,956 to 530,801, with a fall in sectoral GDP from $14.04 billion to $11.9 billion. As of quarter four of 2020, the jobs total and the sectoral GDP figures had still not fully recovered, tallying 596,281 and $13.3 billion respectively, down 9% and 5% against quarter one 2020 figures.

From the beginning of the crisis, the government knew it had to provide assistance immediately. In April 2020, the Prime Minister announced a $500‑million investment in the emergency support fund for cultural, heritage and sport organizations to counter the devastating effects of COVID-19.

Despite the difficult circumstances that made everyone's work harder, the Canadian Heritage team worked diligently to maintain normal operations, streamline procedures and expedite payments through its existing funding programs, in addition to deploying much-needed support through the emergency fund as quickly as possible.

According to a survey of emergency fund recipients, Canadian Heritage met its objectives. It helped companies stay in business and maintain jobs.

Seventy-seven per cent of respondents indicated that the fund helped them a great deal or moderately to stay in business. The vast majority of respondents, 95%, expressed satisfaction with the speed with which they received funds.

Implementing the emergency support fund in such a tight time frame was a massive undertaking that relied heavily on the collaboration and commitment of all organizations across the heritage portfolio, thousands of partner organizations and tens of thousands of stakeholders. If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we are at our best and our strongest when we all work together.

Only by continuing to work together can all sectors move towards a full recovery and a more prosperous future.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Canadian Heritage has maintained a close relationship with the cultural, heritage and sport sectors in order to respond to their needs and understand their most pressing concerns.

Additional support measures were initiated, including a $50-million short-term compensation fund administered by Telefilm Canada to help our film and audiovisual industries resume production activities, and more than $181 million for the support for workers in live arts and music sectors fund as was announced in the 2020 fall economic statement.

In the fall of 2020, the department organized a series of town hall and round table meetings where roughly 4,000 participants shared their ideas about how the government could work with them and better support them.

For 2020-21, the government also waived CRTC licence fees for all broadcasters to provide financial relief in response to the impact of COVID-19 on advertising revenues.

After such a long time, the recovery is finally in sight. Since the majority of Canadians are now adequately vaccinated, many want to safely resume their cultural and sporting activities. Nevertheless, we know full well that the culture, heritage and sport sectors were the first ones to be hit hard by the pandemic, and they will also be the last to fully recover.

The road ahead may be bumpy. New variants are emerging, and the number of cases is fluctuating. The Canadian culture, heritage and sport sectors will still need us on the road to recovery.

That is why budget 2021 included an unprecedented investment of $1.93 billion through the Department of Canadian Heritage and its portfolio organizations. These funds will be used to promote the recovery and growth of these sectors now and in the future.

This commitment includes the $300-million recovery fund for arts, culture, heritage and sports sectors, which will help organizations still struggling with the pandemic, and help to build resilience and promote innovation. A $200-million reopening fund will also help Canada's festivals, cultural events, outdoor theatre performances, heritage celebrations, local museums and amateur sports events to restart and re-engage with their communities and return to welcoming visitors from all over Canada and the rest of the world.

Some other examples of the many cultural initiatives named in budget 2021 are $66 million in emergency support to Canada's six national museums and to the National Battlefields Commission to address the ongoing financial pressures of COVID-19.

An additional $15‑million investment in the Canada cultural spaces fund is provided for to help arts and heritage institutions upgrade their facilities to meet public health guidelines. Note also the extension of the short-term compensation fund and the increase in funding to $149 million to continue supporting audiovisual productions.

By all accounts, we have a long way to go before we can celebrate the full recovery of Canada's culture, heritage and sport sectors and say that the COVID‑19 pandemic is definitely behind us, but we have many reasons to be happy. Thanks to the efforts and collaboration of Canadian Heritage and its portfolio organizations, partners and stakeholders, we are on the right path.

This is why the government is continuing to work with these economically and socially important sectors to ensure that their future is inclusive and sustainable. Canada's cultural offerings are among the most vibrant and diverse in the world, and I am proud of our government's efforts to lift up these sectors during this critical period. We will continue to be there for them.

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Questions and comments. The hon. member for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Madam Chair, we make better decisions when employees look like the communities they serve. More than 25.2% of Canadians identify as having a disability. It is important that more Canadians with disabilities be represented in the public service.

What will the funding that the government is requesting for the Office of Public Service Accessibility be used for?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Madam Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for asking this very important question.

Accessibility in the public service means ensuring that all employees have the tools they need to do their best at work and to succeed in their careers.

This involves identifying and eliminating barriers that prevent people from participating, as well as guaranteeing access to all devices, services, programs and information.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Madam Chair, the next question is for the Minister of Tourism. As we know, tourism is very important for our culture and our communities.

Can the minister explain the importance of tourism?