Debates of Dec. 7th, 2021

Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, again, President Biden released reserves of oil and gas to lower gas prices and asked the OPEC nations to supply more fuel. Why would he not turn to Canada, our best friend, to get those resources?

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

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague has not raised it yet, but the question of Line 5 is also very important. That is why we have started negotiations with the United States under the 1977 treaty.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, that is a great point. That was not even mentioned in any of the briefings while we were in Washington last week. In fact, we did not even talk about Line 5. This is a line that involves tens of thousands of jobs in Sarnia and it was not even on the agenda.

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague did not talk about Line 5, but I did.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, let us back up. Congressman Young from Alaska asked the minister last year about the issue with cruise ships going up the west coast. The Jones Act requires them to actually stop in Vancouver and then move on to Alaska. All they wanted to do was tie up for 10 minutes, not leave the boat and proceed on.

Why did the government not answer his call?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, I would be more than glad to provide an answer for that. At this time, I do not have one.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the honesty from the minister. However, this is actually a foreign affairs question, because it was foreign affairs and GAC that did not relay the information. Now what has happened in that sector is that this congressman has put forward legislation that, in the future, would bypass Victoria and Vancouver and all the cruise ships that are now required to stop there.

What would the impact to the tourism industry be in Vancouver if they did not stop?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the former tourism minister, I know that this is a very important industry to Canada. I also know that we have been there to support the industry, particularly with help for its workers and also for many businesses, the small ones and the big ones, which have had access to COVID measures throughout the pandemic.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the United States is leading Canada on so many things throughout the world, and one is reshoring companies back into North America. Just yesterday, there was a $240 million investment in Virginia by Toyota. A couple of weeks ago, there was a $17 billion investment by Samsung in Texas. We were not even in the running.

What is the minister's plan to actually bring business into Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, our employment numbers are even better than those of the U.S. My colleague should look at the figures.

At this point, we have been able to get 106% of all the jobs back since the beginning of the pandemic. That is because we have a great environment for investment in our country and we are also able to attract many companies to invest.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the minister understands that the $17 billion investment in one project in Texas is more than all of Canada's investments in the manufacturing sector last year. She must have a strategy for bringing investment into Canada.

What is that strategy and what is she putting forward in resources in our trade commissioner service to do exactly that?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think the numbers show themselves. The employment sector right now is stronger in Canada than in the U.S. and many other countries. I also know that many companies are willing to invest in Canada and have been doing so. Six months ago, I was with the Prime Minister talking with the aerospace sector, and billions of dollars are being invested across the country in this sector.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, again, the U.S. has a reshoring program in place. It is actively going throughout the world to shore up their supply chains and bring back the critical manufacturing goods into the U.S. When we talked to members of Congress and the Senate, they would love to include Canada. In fact, we talked about critical elements and the development of them. They do not want to buy them from China; they want to buy them from Canada.

However, the reality is that all our critical elements are in the ground and the only way to get them out of the ground is to go through the same requirements as our oil and gas sector.

Therefore, what will the government do to see that critical elements can be developed in Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, we did raise the question of critical elements with the Biden administration. It is very important. It is important that, throughout North America, we believe in the importance of the auto sector and its supply chain, which goes to the critical elements sector. Of course, we will make the right investment to make it happen. Canada can be extremely proud of having these resources in our ground and also the right workers to extract them.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, in promising these critical elements to our best friend and trading partner, the military in the U.S. definitely wants them. They want to work with us, yet there is no game plan in Canada to make it achievable.

What is the game plan moving forward to actually join our supply chains and do things like critical elements together so that North America can benefit?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Innovation is in Detroit right now to talk about just that. We believe that we need to invest in critical elements and we need to make it part of our industrial policy.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am certainly very grateful to have the opportunity to address the committee of the whole this evening.

I would like to begin with a brief update on the COVID-19 situation in the country, a matter of concern to many Canadians.

As members know, the new COVID-19 variant, omicron, is now circulating in Canada and in many other countries. Early data suggest that omicron may be more transmissible, but evidence is limited at this time. Data are being gathered and shared around the world to determine how this variant affects the severity of illness and vaccine effectiveness.

As a precaution, the Government of Canada rapidly implemented new measures at the border. In addition, the medical, public health and research communities in Canada and elsewhere are actively evaluating omicron, just as they did the previous variants, to understand the potential impact on transmission, clinical presentation and vaccine effectiveness.

Like everyone else, we have to learn to live with the virus and its variants. One recent decision will definitely help us keep up the fight against COVID-19 in Canada. Of course I am talking about Health Canada's authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged five to 11.

I am confident the vaccine will help significantly reduce the number of cases in this younger population.

It will protect Canadian children from this virus, and it will also help to further reduce the number of cases nationwide. However, as our chief public health officer, Dr. Tam, said recently, we are not out of the woods yet. We must remain vigilant and continue to meet the challenges of COVID-19 and the new omicron variant.

As the pandemic has evolved, so has our response and the budgetary requirements of the health portfolio. Let me take a moment to provide my hon. colleagues with a financial overview for 2021-22, as outlined in the supplementary estimates (B).

At this time, we are requesting $185.7 million on behalf of the health portfolio, which includes Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. This increase over the 2021-22 main estimates and supplementary estimates (A) will complement work already under way in a number of important areas.

As always, our focus is on protecting the health and safety of Canadians.

This means that we must ensure that our health care systems are fully prepared to take care of Canadians for the duration of the pandemic.

From day one, the Government of Canada has been there to support the provinces and territories in their fight against COVID-19. More than eight dollars out of every $10 devoted to the fight against COVID-19 were invested by the Canadian government. These investments will help our health care system provide Canadians with the procedures and treatments they need to stay healthy despite the backlog over the past few months.

Health Canada is requesting an extra $181 million to react to the pressures associated with Canada's fight against COVID-19, as well as to address the health care problems that are suffering the consequences of the pandemic.

I would remind hon. members that over the past year, Health Canada has played a key role in the immunization campaign against COVID-19, the biggest campaign in Canada's history. So far, Health Canada has authorized the use of four different COVID-19 vaccines. The Government of Canada has invested more than $9 billion to procure vaccines and treatments, as well as to provide international vaccine aid.

Last week, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, or NACI, updated its recommendations for the use of booster doses. NACI has made a strong recommendation that the COVID-19 booster dose should be made available to adults over 50 years of age and further recommends that it may be offered to persons 18 to 49 years of age with consideration of individual risks and where they live.

As the Prime Minister said, we have a secure supply of vaccines in Canada and we will receive more early in the new year. The provinces and territories will easily have access to vaccines and booster doses when they are needed.

In the supplementary estimates (B), the Public Health Agency of Canada is transferring $12.4 million to the Canada Border Services Agency for the ongoing development of the ArriveCAN app. This service helps travellers crossing the border comply with COVID-19 public health measures before, while or after crossing the border, for example by storing proof of vaccination.

In addition, the Public Health Agency of Canada is transferring $7 million to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to expand research that will lead to an understanding of the nature of immunity following COVID-19 infection and vaccination.

Finally, for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, I am asking for approximately $23.7 million in voted items and $495,000 in statutory credits in the supplementary estimates (B).

These amounts will be used to create the Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies and to provide training for its highly skilled staff, which will conduct research on pandemics and health emergencies.

The centre's mission is to protect the health of all Canadians by developing and mobilizing research for pandemic and health emergency preparedness, prevention, response and recovery.

In conclusion, I am immensely proud of the careful and coordinated actions of all governments in Canada, which have taken place to protect the health and well-being of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am also proud of how Canadians have responded to public health advice, of the sacrifices they have made and of the resilience they have shown.

As I said earlier, this difficult situation is not over. Canada has confirmed new cases of the omicron variant, and we must continue to monitor the situation closely.

I remind the House that vaccination, in combination with public health measures and personal protective measures, help stop the spread of COVID-19 and its variants in our communities.

My colleague and I would be happy to take questions from members.

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport]

Mr. Speaker, I thoroughly enjoyed the minister's speech and I look forward to supporting his work, of course, as his parliamentary secretary.

Earlier today, I stood up in the House of Commons for an S.O. 31 to highlight some of the work being done by my alma mater, McMaster University. It is establishing Canada's global nexus for pandemics and biological threats. It is especially significant work in this day and age and it is so important to ensure that all of the experts in Canada and around the world are focused on ensuring the protection and resilience of our countries against emerging variants.

I was wondering if the minister could talk a little bit about whether the COVID research fund could support this initiative and how the research of our universities and institutes of higher learning has been tremendously valuable throughout this pandemic.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am so glad to take this opportunity to thank my parliamentary secretary, the member of Parliament for Milton for agreeing to work with me over the next while, I hope, in order to protect the health and safety of Canadians, in a science-based context. I appreciate very much his question. I think he is right on.

Science and scientists have guided us throughout COVID-19. This was a pandemic health crisis never seen in the last century in Canada, so we had to do things very quickly. With the tremendous investments and support of scientists and health workers across Canada and with the resilience and hard work of Canadians, we have been able very successfully, relative to many other countries, to go through this crisis.

I look forward to working with the hon. member on the issue that he has raised and on many others where he is extremely capable of contributing to this file.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I know that in Brampton East our frontline heroes were at the front in supporting our community, from our taxi drivers to our truck drivers, nurses and grocery store clerks. They were incredibly gracious with their time, putting their families second and the community first.

I would really like the minister to talk about the importance of our frontline heroes and the value that we place as a government on our frontline heroes.

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Brampton East is right. Without the hard work of hundreds of thousands of health workers over the last 20 months, we would not be in the current situation. This includes those working in the typical health care system but also in long-term care, mental health and community centres.

It also includes the scientists and the other workers who were there to provide health advice, and all those who vaccinated the now over 80% of Canadians of all ages who have been vaccinated at least once. This is among one of the highest rates of vaccination in the world.

I repeat that, because we can be extremely proud of what health workers and Canadians have done. We are a country at the top of the league in terms of vaccination. Knowing vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic, we can be extremely proud of what we have done.

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my constituency youth council has identified mental health supports as a key concern and priority for youth in our riding but also for all Canadians. COVID-19 has certainly created anxiety and led to an increased incidence of depression and anxiety, for good reason.

Can the Minister of Health give us an update on initiatives and essential investments the department is making to address the mental health concerns of Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Whitby is right. We obviously are mindful of the physical impact of COVID-19 in Canada and the fact that almost 30,000 people in Canada died of COVID-19.

If I may open a brief parentheses, I mentioned earlier the fact that comparatively speaking we have done quite well. If we would have had the same rate of deaths as we observed south of the border, we would have ended up in Canada with 60,000 more deaths. Thirty thousand is many people, but we would have ended up with 90,000 people dying of COVID if we had followed the pace and the rate we saw south of the border.

This was obviously a big impact on physical health, but also a big impact on mental health. The member is correct. We will need to invest resources, time and care looking after the people of Canada, those who have suffered mentally.

I think in particular of younger Canadians such as children, students and families. I know for children and students it has been a very hard time mentally speaking as well, so we will need to work together to repair the damage and to build for the future.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, one of the things the Prime Minister, many ministers and our colleagues often talked about was building back better and what we have learned from the pandemic. One of those issues is the issue of mental health.

This government has made great strides in recognizing the federal government does have a role to play in the mental health of Canadians. Could the minister responsible for health provide his thoughts on the importance of the issue of mental health today, especially when he reflects on what has taken place during the pandemic?

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

Mr. Speaker, we all know mental health affects not only the person but also the family and the community. It also has an impact on productivity and the ability to participate fully in the community and the workplace. It has huge impacts from physical, economic and social perspectives. The member is so right in signalling that we need to invest, in partnership with provinces and territories.

We did that in 2017 with the first-ever investment directed to mental health, a $5-billion investment, which we are going to renew the terms of with provinces and territories in the next few months. As well, we have added significant long-term investments in the campaign, and I look forward to working with my colleague, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, to do that.