Debates of Dec. 7th, 2021

Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for her excellent question.

Tourism, which represents 2% of our GDP, was slashed in half during the pandemic. It is important to know that 56% of all tourism jobs are created by and for people in rural communities. This is a very important sector for us, and we will support it.

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

Madam Chair, I would like to follow up with the minister. Could he please explain to the House if there will be anything special for Quebec when it comes to tourism?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Madam Chair, hundreds of millions of dollars will be distributed across the country, and Quebec will get its share. That money will flow to the tourism and culture sectors. Canada's economy cannot fully recover until the tourism sector does.

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

Madam Chair, what has FedNor done to support jobs and growth in southern Ontario? As we know, without jobs, the economy suffers. Can the minister provide more details?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Madam Chair, it is important to note that, a few months ago, FedNor became a stand-alone agency in northern Ontario. This will enable us to keep increasing the number of jobs in the north and support small and medium-sized businesses that have a lot to offer in northern Ontario.

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

Madam Chair, I would like to ask the Minister of Health a question. As we know, vaccination is going to help our country keep moving forward. Could he explain to us what the plan is in the upcoming months, especially with these variants that we continue to face?

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

Madam Chair, vaccination is key to exiting definitively from the COVID-19 crisis. We are very proud that 77% of all Canadians of all ages have now received two doses and 80% of Canadians have received at least one dose. We look forward to vaccinating many children between the ages of five and 11 in the next few weeks.

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

Madam Chair, I have another question for the Minister of Health.

We know that some people's mental health has really deteriorated during the pandemic. Can the minister explain what the government's plan is for the future?

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

Madam Chair, all members have witnessed the serious negative effects of the pandemic on mental health in their ridings. We will be making several investments in the coming weeks and months. Unfortunately, I do not have time to say more.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Madam Chair, I will splitting my time tonight with the member for Calgary Nose Hill.

It is about priorities, and Arctic sovereignty is a priority for our party. We talked about a recent buildup of Russian presence in eastern Europe tonight, as was mentioned by my colleagues from Wellington—Halton Hills and Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, but we have also seen a rise in Russian ambitions in the Arctic, as Marcus Kolga mentioned in a recent article. He wrote:

Over the past few weeks, the Russian president’s ambitions have converged in the Arctic, challenging Canadian and allied interests and dropping the threat of conflict with the Kremlin directly on our northern shores. Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, recently warned Canada and other Western allies that all the resources beneath the melting ice in the Arctic Sea belong to the Russian government.

Does the minister recognize our claims to the Arctic and the Arctic border and refute the Russian claims?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Madam Chair, when my colleague looks at the throne speech he will see there is a clear mention of the importance of the Arctic as one of the key regions we want to make sure we invest in for different reasons, not only because there is the growing influence of China, but also because we know we have to work with the Scandinavian countries, as well as like-minded countries to ensure that we protect our Arctic sovereignty. That is exactly what I will be doing.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Madam Chair, what is the Minister of Foreign Affairs doing to assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic physically?

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

Madam Chair, we know that the Canadian military is often in the Arctic. We also know that we have Canadians who are also living in the Arctic and—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Madam Chair, one thing I will say about our previous Conservative government is that we showed up. Our previous Conservative prime minister went to the Arctic many times to assert our presence physically in the Arctic. What is the Minister of Foreign Affairs doing to assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic diplomatically?

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

Madam Chair, as mentioned in the Speech from the Throne, obviously the Arctic is a priority. We will deepen our engagement. We will make sure that we have an Arctic strategy.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Madam Chair, to which countries specifically has the minister reached out to assert our claims?

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

Madam Chair, I have reached out to Norway, Denmark, Sweden, as well as Russia directly, and I have obviously had conversations with the U.S. on this issue.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Madam Chair, frankly, talk is cheap.

My colleague from Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman stated in a recent article:

“The Russian government is opening military bases in the Arctic and the Chinese Communist regime is expanding its Arctic naval fleet beyond the capabilities of Canada and the United States combined,”....

The article continues:

[The member] slammed the federal government’s “naïve and dangerous approach to Arctic sovereignty,” accusing the government of mismanaging the Nanisivik project, which he says remains vital to Canada’s security in the Far North.

Has the minister spoken with the Russian and Chinese foreign ministers to discuss their growing presence in the Arctic?

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

Madam Chair, I have talked to Lavrov, who is my Russian counterpart, on this very issue.

I think my colleague should stop reading his notes, because diplomacy is about talking to people and making sure that we reach out to others to really try to assert our different interests, including Arctic sovereignty.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Madam Chair, the minister just referred to speaking with her Russian counterpart, but I have not heard about her Chinese counterpart. When will that be?

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

Madam Chair, my colleague raises a very important point. In my view and the government's view, we need to be able to talk to everybody, including Russia and including—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Madam Chair, we are not only being affected by our Russian and Chinese colleagues across the way, it is also affecting our relationship with our North American colleagues, namely the U.S.

In another article, dated December 1, 2021, U.S. General Glen VanHerck stated:

The commander of the North American Aerospace Defence Command says China and Russia are developing new ways to attack the continent as he waits for political direction to modernize NORAD’s outdated early-warning system.

What message does the minister think it sends to our allies when the government continues to not treat our Arctic border seriously?

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

Madam Chair, it is not because my colleague continues to read his lines that he necessarily is following what I am saying. I said we would be developing an Arctic strategy. I said we would be asserting Arctic sovereignty. As for NORAD, yes, we will proceed with NORAD modernization, and we have increased the budget.