Debates of Dec. 7th, 2021

COVID-10 Economic Measures

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure everyone in the House that we have been unwavering and continue to support workers throughout this pandemic. That is why Bill C-2 talks about continuing the Canada recovery sickness benefit and the Canada recovery caregiving benefit. That is why we are creating the lockdown benefit. That is why we are continuing with support for businesses to hire workers and to provide rental support.

There is a lot we are doing for workers and businesses, and as the Deputy Prime Minister has said, we have regained 106% of the jobs we lost during the pandemic. Our unemployment was down last month again, for the sixth month in a row. We are within 0.4% of our record high in February 2020.

Health

[Brendan Hanley, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, last week we were shocked to learn that the Yukon's rate of opioid fatalities is Canada's highest. While this toxic drug crisis has been addressed with many interventions in recent years, we are painfully aware that there is still much to do. Safe supply, supervised consumption, better access to treatment, effective prevention and decriminalization are all approaches that can help prevent more deaths.

Can the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions update the House on how the federal government is working in partnership with the Yukon to stop this ongoing tragedy?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his extensive work on this issue as medical officer of health for the Yukon and for joining me last week for the discussions with Yukon ministers and first nations leadership.

Our hearts are with the families, loved ones and communities of those we have lost to the overdose and toxic drug supply crisis. Our government is working in partnership with the provinces, territories, municipalities, indigenous communities, experts and those with lived and living experience to consider all proposals to implement innovative bottom-up solutions to this crisis.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as an MP with four border crossings in my riding, I can tell members that the ArriveCAN app has been a real mess. Take the example of Bernadette in my riding. She was forced into a 14-day quarantine when she is double vaccinated and had a booster. She is now receiving threatening phone calls harassing her to complete her testing requirements or face jail time and/or a $650,000 fine. She is 75 years old.

When will the Liberal government fix the mess it created at the borders and rescind this unnecessary quarantine order against my constituent?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure all members that we are never going to hesitate on this side of the House to introduce the public health care measures that are necessary to protect the health and safety of all Canadians, especially now that we are dealing with a new variant of concern in omicron. The ArriveCAN app is a useful and essential tool in understanding—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

I will have to interrupt the hon. minister. I am trying to listen, but the yelling in my left ear makes it very hard.

I will ask the hon. minister to start from the top so I can hear the whole answer, please.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, this government will never hesitate to introduce the public health care measures that are necessary at the border, and the ArriveCAN app is one of the tools in the kit that we are using to ensure that we screen returning Canadians who are vaccinated. This has been a mandatory requirement since the beginning. We will continue to communicate and will introduce flexibility at the border where we can, but at the end of the day, we have to ensure that we are doing everything we can to protect against the new variant of concern in omicron.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is just not listening. One of my constituents, Allan, crossed the border with his wife to attend a matter in Washington state and returned an hour later. The government announced a 72-hour exemption, but despite being fully vaccinated, Allan and his wife, because he does not use a smart phone, were told their documents were not acceptable and they would have to quarantine and send in virtual tests or face a $5,000 fine.

Will the government quit discriminating against people like my constituents for not having a smart phone and immediately rescind this unfair quarantine order?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague just acknowledged, this government has already introduced flexibility at the border to ensure that we are facilitating the arrival of Canadians, including the 72-hour exemption rule particularly for those Canadians who are going back and forth across the border and need essential goods. However, we will not compromise when it comes to health and safety. That is the reason we are requiring those returning from the United States to be fully vaccinated. That is why we use the ArriveCAN app. It is to ensure the health and safety of all Canadians, particularly now as we are dealing with a new variant of concern in omicron.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the horror show of Liberal quarantine hotels has returned. There are five-hour waits in crowded airports, buses to hotels at secret locations and people served food described as cold gruel.

An Edmonton woman with celiac went 40 hours without food that she could eat safely. Babies are going without milk and diapers. Some people do not have hot water or heat in their hotel rooms. It is almost like jail, but at least in jail people get hot meals, fresh air and care packages from home. “This is not Canada,” one man told us yesterday. He is right. Where is the respect and dignity Canadians deserve?

“Shame on the Canadian government” is what we have heard repeatedly from Canadians. When will the Liberals end this inhumane treatment and for once treat Canadians with dignity and respect?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we made a commitment to Canadians to do everything we can to protect their health and safety. We are also protecting our economy. Canadians, over the last year and a half, have sacrificed a lot. We need to be vigilant at the border to ensure that we mitigate the arrival of omicron.

However, I have a question for the Conservatives. Last week they said we need more measures. Today they are saying we need fewer measures. I am not really sure what they are asking for. We will follow the advice we received from public health experts.

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

Mr. Speaker, we need the right measures.

It is not just the airports that are a mess. Liberal ministers have once again lost control.

The Minister of Health keeps saying that the measures will take a few days to implement. The Minister of Transport says that the measures may still change. The Minister of Public Safety is doing nothing. The conditions at the quarantine hotels are appalling.

Who is telling the truth? This morning, Paul Arcand said that the programs were a mess.

When will the ministers act for Canadians, not against Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to speak to this issue. He knows as well as I do how important it is, with the new omicron variant, to protect people's health and safety. He knows very well that these measures take some time to implement.

By the way, I would like to thank all our partners, including our airport partners. I would like to thank public health, obviously, and all the experts telling us that we must be careful and vigilant right now. That is what we are hearing from all the experts, and I would be curious to hear what our friends in the opposition think about it, too.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week it appeared as though Ottawa was being proactive at the border, but now we see that it just bungled things up more quickly.

The government decided to require COVID-19 tests for passengers arriving by plane even though it knew that some airports were unable to provide these tests. People are confused and they are worried about having to quarantine somewhere while they wait for a courier to pick up their test. No one knows who will have to quarantine or for how long.

What is the government waiting for? When will it straighten out this troubling mess?

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

Mr. Speaker, this gives me the opportunity to say hello to and congratulate my colleague since we have not spoken since his election. I also commend him for his concern for the health and safety of Canadians during these very troublesome times.

We are getting the right things done quickly. We are quickly putting measures in place. People know that the border measures changed a few days ago and that they will continue to evolve in the coming days. As everyone should know, COVID-19 is not over and we need to keep a close eye on this variant and disease in the coming days and weeks.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the COVID testing chaos at airports is straight out of the permit A38 scene in The 12 Tasks of Asterix.

Quebec families who have gone through this airport fiasco will surely think of the minister when they watch Ciné-cadeau during the holidays.

How is this government going to stop the chaotic management of testing from being “the place that sends you mad”?

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

Mr. Speaker, the reference to the upcoming holidays is indeed a good one. People know that, over the next few weeks, things are going to change. People are going to be interacting more indoors.

I think that Canadians, and Quebeckers in particular, understand the importance of following public health guidance in uncertain times. I think that people have so far made the right choices and will continue to make those right choices over the coming holidays.

Telecommunications

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, constituents in my riding of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex and many rural Canadians are unable to access fibre Internet because large ISPs will lay down the backbone but fail to finish the important last mile. Although the universal broadband fund supports the last mile, many of the ISPs are not taking advantage of it and are simply leaving Canadians not connected.

What will the government do to ensure that all rural Canadians receive last-mile connections?

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, since 2015, we have approved programs and projects that are going to connect 1.7 million Canadian households. By 2026, we are going to connect another 1.2 million Canadian families with better, faster Internet. By then, 98% of Canada will be connected. Connecting every household, every business and every community is how we are going to build back better.

The Economy

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the cost of living has been dramatically increasing since the Liberals formed government in 2015. It is much more challenging now to keep up with the rising prices on literally everything, but especially the essential items.

Jennifer, a single mother from my riding, told me that she cannot afford the basic needs for her kids. She often finds herself having to choose between buying clothing and putting food on the table. This is not just inflation.

When is the Liberal government going to stop printing money to cover up its economic mismanagement?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me share some more good economic news, as the Conservatives seem determined to talk down the Canadian economy. The OECD, in its economic outlook for December, noted that not only does it expect our recovery to be the second fasted in the G7, but our net debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to decline and remain the lowest in the G7.

Canada is recovering and Canadians should be proud of it.

[Rob Morrison, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, labour shortages in the Columbia Valley are tied directly to issues with the temporary foreign worker program and the lack of affordable housing. Our economic recovery in Kootenay—Columbia depends on the government doing more than talking when it comes to fixing these issues for tourism and hospitality operators like Pavi Khunkhun in Golden, British Columbia.

When will the government stop talking and start fixing the problems that make it impossible for the tourism and hospitality sector to succeed?

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

Mr. Speaker, I can say one thing that all members of the House, including the members opposite, could do this week for the tourism and hospitality sector. That is to help us pass Bill C-2. This legislation is there to help precisely those tourism businesses.

We understand that omicron is here. We understand those businesses need support. However, what I do not understand is why the Conservatives, who allegedly care so much about these vital small businesses, do not want to actually help them.

Small Business

[Emmanuel Dubourg, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the pandemic is hurting not only Canadians, industries, and small businesses, but also community organizations. Our government has supported them by quickly rolling out programs such as the Canada emergency response benefit and the Canada emergency wage subsidy.

We have also created a more targeted program, the Black entrepreneurship program, which is very welcome in the riding of Bourassa.

Can the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development elaborate on this program that supports Black entrepreneurs?