Debates of Dec. 7th, 2021

Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Chair, the government has not put a plan in place to address backlogs. There is a backlog of 1.8 million immigration applications in Canada. Now the wait time for truckers to get U.S. visas is going beyond 12 months.

What is the government doing to work with the U.S. to speed up the process for essential work visas, such as those needed for truckers?

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

Madam Chair, we know, and my hon. colleague knows also, that the pandemic has brought new challenges to our immigration system and we have faced them head-on. We are acting quickly. We are moving from paper to digital, extending visas and adding resources where they are needed most. We have welcomed nearly 100,000 new Canadians—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

A very brief question, nine seconds.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Chair, will all 40,000 of those refugees be brought into Canada?

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

Madam Chair, we are working very hard to get to that objective and all together we will be able to get there.

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Resuming debate. The hon. President of the Treasury Board.

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

Madam Chair, today I am pleased to table the Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22.

The ability to exercise oversight is one of the most important roles parliamentarians can play on behalf of our citizens. In fact, accountability is predicated on parliamentarians knowing how public funds are being spent, so they can hold the government to account for its actions, which is why our government will continue to make every effort to ensure that parliamentarians have access to accurate, timely and understandable information about government spending.

The supplementary estimates are part of a wide array of reports that provide Canadians and parliamentarians with information about expenditure plans and results. Departmental plans, the financial review, the departmental results reports and the public accounts are just some of these reports.

This information is also found in GC InfoBase, an interactive tool that provides a lot of data in a visual form. This tool contains the estimates and other data pertaining to finances, people and federal government results. The publication of the estimates data set with digital tools is essential to providing parliamentarians and Canadians with more information about the allocation and investment of public funds.

I would now like to turn to the supplementary estimates in more detail. The supplementary estimates present information to Parliament on spending that was either not ready for inclusion in the main estimates or has since been refined to account for new developments in programs and services.

With the supplementary estimates (B) for 2021-22, the government is seeking Parliament's approval of funding to address matters of importance to Canadians. This includes the government's ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as infrastructure and services to address the specific needs of indigenous communities.

The health, safety and well-being of all Canadians are of the utmost importance to the government, which is why approximately $1.2 billion of proposed bonus spending is for the government's ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canadians care about each other and they also care about those less fortunate outside our borders. That is why budget 2021 announced funding to help some of the world's poorest countries access the tools they need to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

In these supplementary estimates, the government is requesting $375 million to follow through with the commitment to support developing countries' access to vaccines, treatments and diagnostic products.

I mentioned that these supplementary estimates seek Parliament's approval of funds to respond to the needs of indigenous communities. I would like to draw your attention to some of the main voted items.

The 2020-21 budget provided funds for the government to accelerate efforts to close the infrastructure gaps in indigenous communities, which will help create good jobs and build indigenous communities that will be healthier, safer and more prosperous in the long term.

These supplementary estimates fulfill that commitment with $725.2 million to support the construction, renovation, operation and maintenance of housing, schools, health care facilities, water and waste-water systems and other community infrastructure.

This funding will also support the transfer of infrastructure to indigenous-led organizations and will fund the operation and maintenance of indigenous-owned infrastructure. These estimates also seek $412.2 million for the specific claims settlement fund, which provides compensation to first nations in accordance with negotiated agreements, as well as $361.3 million to fund prevention and protection services to support the safety and well-being of first nations children and families living on reserve.

To ensure indigenous people can access high-quality health care, budget 2021 announced several measures, including one in these estimates of $332.4 million to ensure continued high-quality care through the non-insured health benefits program. This program supports first nations and Inuit people with medically necessary services that are not otherwise covered, such as mental health services, medical travel, medications and more.

Another budget initiative that is presented in these estimates is funding to help people on reserve, and status Indians in Yukon, transition from income assistance to employment and education. Specifically, $308.7 million is sought to assist eligible individuals and families with basic or special needs, case management and pre-employment measures designed to increase self-reliance, improve life skills and promote greater attachment to the workforce.

In Canada, we are lucky to have Canadian Forces personnel to defend Canada and its interests and to step in during times of crisis, be it the devastating floods in British Columbia or a pandemic.

The supplementary estimates request $327.7 million for a salary increase for Canadian Armed Forces personnel in accordance with the settlement of collective bargaining for the core public administration.

The funds will also support the restructuring of pay and allowances for certain occupations within the armed forces, as well as the extension of the allowance paid to personnel deployed to support Canadians during the COVID‑19 pandemic.

I would like to draw the attention of the House to the part of the supplementary estimates that relates to my department, although a very small amount of those funds are for the Treasury Board Secretariat itself.

As part of the compensation adjustments vote, we are asking Parliament to approve $1.5 billion. These funds will be used to compensate organizations affected by wage adjustments resulting from recently negotiated collective agreements and other changes to terms and conditions of employment. It will also compensate employees for damages related to the Phoenix payroll system and for delays in the extended implementation of collective agreements in the 2018 round of collective bargaining.

That concludes my presentation of some of the major voted items in these supplementary estimates, and I am pleased to report that parliamentarians have online access to even more detailed information than I have had time to present today. We will continue to make that information available because of our belief in Canadians' right to know where public funds are going and how they will be invested on their behalf.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Madam Chair, the pandemic has had tragic impacts on public health. Almost 30,000 Canadians have died due to COVID-19, over 1.8 million have been infected and everyone's mental health has been impacted. To finish the fight against COVID-19, protect people at work, ensure businesses can get back up to speed and, most importantly, make sure our kids can safely return to school, we need to do everything we can to keep public spaces safe.

The Government of Canada is the largest employer in the country and has taken a leadership role by requiring vaccinations across the public service. Can the President of the Treasury Board provide an update on the requirements for public servants to be vaccinated?

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

Madam Chair, I want to start by thanking all the public servants who stepped up and got vaccinated to make sure we could continue to fight through this pandemic, and to make sure that the health and safety of Canadians was our first priority.

Over 95% of public servants have received both their vaccines, and over 98% have received their first dose. This is a great demonstration that we are moving forward with a policy that works for all Canadians.

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

Madam Chair, it goes without saying that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to succeed, and that means paying women equally for work of equal value.

Based on the most recent data in Canada, for every dollar earned by a man, a woman earns 89 cents, as measured in hourly wages for full-time and part-time workers.

Can the President of the Treasury Board answer how the funding for public service job classifications improves equity?

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

Madam Chair, we all know women should receive equal pay for work of equal value, and proactive pay equity legislation will address the systemic undervaluing of work performed by women.

For the public service, we will work with bargaining agents and employee representatives to identify gaps between positions held mostly by women and ones held mostly by men that have work of equal value. Once pay equity plans are in place, we will systematically close any pay gaps. We are committed to creating a more inclusive federal public service.

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

Madam Chair, I know the minister and the Prime Minister have been very strong advocates for indigenous communities, and that building and establishing a more positive relationship has been a priority for this government since 2015. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report is very important, and we committed to all 94 of its recommendations.

The minister made reference to the millions of dollars being spent to support things in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report. I am wondering if she could provide her thoughts on the importance of truth and reconciliation, or more importantly, her thoughts on the indigenous initiatives the government is taking.

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

Madam Chair, the hon. member's question is one of exceeding importance in the House, particularly as we reflect on the last four months with the discoveries and rediscoveries of unmarked graves. Obviously this is a sober reminder to all of us, and to those in indigenous communities for whom it is a trigger of immense trauma, that truth comes before reconciliation.

It is in and around the events of Kamloops that, as a government, we realized the funds that had been allocated toward continuing to support communities in their search for truth were insufficient. We have deployed over $320 million that has been allocated to assist communities, at their pace and on their leadership, in getting to the bottom of this terrible chapter, and to the ongoing, unwritten chapter of trauma in our collective history.

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Madam Chair, the Conservatives botched the Phoenix pay system from the start by choosing a high-risk cost-cutting route, causing real suffering for tens of thousands of public servants. Over 100,000 public servants suffered personal or financial hardship because of Phoenix, including some financial costs.

While the government has put in place compensation for current public servants, when will former public servants affected by the Phoenix pay system be compensated?

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

Madam Chair, we recognize that the implementation of the Phoenix pay system has had an impact directly, or even indirectly, on many current and former employees, and damages agreements have been reached with all bargaining agents to compensate employees for general damages and severe impacts caused by the pay system. Claims processes are in place for most of these agreements, and we are working closely with the Public Service Alliance of Canada to implement the remaining element of that agreement by the end of this year. We will continue to work very hard on this file.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Madam Chair, I want to inform the government members that my questions will be primarily for the President of the Treasury Board and the Deputy Minister of Finance, who is also the Minister of Tourism. I also want to say that I do not need the timing of questions and answers to be precise but that I hope that the government will try to respond within a reasonable amount of time.

My first question is for the President of the Treasury Board. Again, I congratulate her on her speech and on her appointment to this important position.

When the House passed Bill C‑30, the budget implementation bill, in the spring, she decided to slash the budget of the Canadian Securities Transition Office in anticipation of its closure. Senior officials told the Standing Committee on Finance that it would be shut down very soon.

Six months have passed and the supplementary estimates do not contain more funding for the office, and I understand that it is set to close. My question is the following. Has the Canadian Securities Transition Office closed down in accordance with the legislation passed by Parliament? If not, when will it close down?

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

Madam Chair, I will make the necessary inquiries, with my colleague's permission. Things are happening right now, and I want to make sure I have the right answers. I should be able to get that answer to the Speaker of the House shortly.

I would just like to say that this evening is really important for us to be able to do our job as parliamentarians, because the Supplementary Estimates (B) are a very important part of our budget cycle. I will continue to answer questions throughout the evening.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Madam Chair, my next question could be handled by the Associate Minister of Finance.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the House has passed a number of bills to provide income support to workers, including the self-employed, and to businesses affected by the pandemic.

The House is currently considering legislation that would extend the Canada emergency wage subsidy and the Canada emergency rent subsidy, subject to certain changes in the selection criteria.

My question to the minister deals specifically with self-employed workers in the cultural sector, who are not getting any support under the bills currently before us. I would like to ask the minister what the government plans to do to support these people who cannot be left behind.

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

Madam Chair, as my colleague knows, I once served as parliamentary secretary to the minister of Canadian Heritage. Workers in the cultural sector, which is included in the tourism sector, are very important to us.

It is clear that the Canadian economy will not recover without the tourism sector, and we will do everything we can for all workers in the tourism sector, including those in the cultural sector.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank the minister for his answer. I would like to point out that the Bloc Québécois is calling on the government to make a public and formal commitment to support self-employed workers in the cultural sector and to not leave them behind. A few years ago, we asked the government to distinguish between employed and self-employed workers. In Quebec, this is what we see in most cases. It is such an important sector that we think it is absolutely necessary to protect it and to help people get through the pandemic in order to preserve their expertise.

There is something else to consider in terms of supporting businesses and workers affected by the pandemic. In the bill currently before us, there is special concern for the tourism and hospitality sector, which includes the entire cultural sector. This is a well-defined initiative and we welcome it. However, we do have some concerns about other sectors that are very important to us and that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. I will give a few examples.

Looking at the figures published by manufacturing associations, we see that the aerospace sector has a long way to go before it gets back to pre‑pandemic revenue levels. A number of other manufacturing sectors are also struggling, including the many companies that are facing a shortage of semiconductor‑based chips. They are struggling and facing cash flow and labour retention problems. They have skilled labour, and they do not want to lose it.

My preamble was long, but here is my question. Currently, these sectors do not have the same support as the tourism and hospitality sector. Today, in committee, senior officials confirmed that the Governor in Council has the power to amend such legislation by regulation. Will the government commit to doing so if there is a demonstrated need?

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

Madam Chair, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his question.

We recognize that the aeronautics and aerospace industry and its workers have been particularly affected by the pandemic. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry has been in continual contact with key stakeholders in the sector. We have always stood up for Canada's aerospace workers, and we will continue to do so. By working together, we will find solutions so that this sector can continue to grow in our country in the years ahead.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank the minister for her answers.

Once again, we in the Bloc Québécois expect a formal commitment from the government to be prepared to step in and amend by regulation the parameters of the upcoming bills passed to support the sectors most affected. As a society we cannot afford to turn our backs on them. The purpose of assistance programs is to collectively support these strategic industries so that they can get through the pandemic. That is really important to us.

Now I would like to point to another situation. Since the summer, we have all heard from seniors in our ridings who are experiencing really terrible financial hardship. Some are in disastrous situations, for example working seniors who receive the guaranteed income supplement. When the pandemic kit, those who had to stop working were told to apply for the CERB. However, the benefits they receive are taken into account in the calculation of the guaranteed income supplement they are entitled to. The government is telling them that they received too much money, that either they pay it back or their guaranteed income supplement will be clawed back.

Among the points I would like to raise, I wish to touch on three issues concerning the Canada emergency response benefit and the guaranteed income supplement for seniors. First, the Bloc Québécois is asking that CERB payments be considered employment income for the purposes of calculating the GIS, so that recipients are not penalized as much. Otherwise, seniors will fall well below the poverty line and will be unable to make ends meet. The criteria were poorly explained, which has caused a lot of problems.

Second, the guaranteed income supplement should be recalculated immediately, regardless of whether seniors dealt with Service Canada or the Canada Revenue Agency. At first, depending on the agency, applications could not be made. Now, any applications are systematically rejected, as though by a computer.

Third, it should be possible to make repayments over three years, rather than over the current year. Some seniors earning $1,500 a month have to pay back $800 or $900 a month, which leaves them with just $600 to cover rent and living expenses. That is an impossible situation.

Is the government committed to correcting this injustice? If so, how, and when?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Madam Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for giving me the opportunity to lay out the real facts about everything that has happened in our economy since the pandemic hit.

I want to emphasize that the Canadian economy has almost fully recovered. We have recovered 106% of the jobs lost at the height of the pandemic. Earlier this week, we learned that 154,000 jobs had been added to our economy. That points to one very important fact I want to stress this evening: We rebuilt our economy rapidly after the recession. This is the shortest economic recovery in Canadian history. I think it is very important to point out how entrepreneurs across the country and our government set the stage for such a strong and powerful economic recovery.

To answer my hon. colleague's question, we know how difficult the pandemic is for seniors. I have spoken about this with my constituents. I spoke to people who voted for me, for us, and they are asking for our help. That is why we worked very hard during the campaign. We stated very clearly in our platform that we are here to improve seniors' lives, and that is why we worked hard to improve seniors' income security, including the guaranteed income supplement, or GIS. We created the CERB to help people at the height of the pandemic, and we know that some seniors who usually receive the GIS are facing certain challenges today because they received the CERB. Resolving this problem is a complex task, but we will do it because we are up to the challenge. We are making a solemn promise to seniors across Canada.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank the minister for his response. We obviously expect the government to take quick action to rectify the inequity associated with CERB and the GIS. This is essentially a humanitarian issue. Some seniors in my riding say they are no longer able to pay for medication, even though Quebec has pharmacare. They are therefore choosing to go to the hospital, since that is the only place where they can get their medication covered.

One of my Bloc Québécois colleagues told me about a woman who was no longer able to pay rent, so she had to sell her furniture and move into a friend's room. Once she is able to pay her debts, she will not be able to find housing comparable to what she had before, given the rising cost of rent. She will have to buy new furniture and settle in a new place. These are dire, urgent situations. I am pleased to hear the minister make some commitments.

I have one last question and the government can use the remaining time for its response. The provinces pay around 80% of health care and the federal government pays around 20%. When will the federal government commit to funding 35% of health care spending?

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

Madam Chair, I am obviously very happy to answer that question, because I was just talking to my provincial and territorial colleagues about that issue a few days ago.

We will talk again tomorrow about how we are going to get out of the COVID‑19 pandemic and the new variant crisis together. We have worked together a lot over the past 20 months. This has demonstrated the strength of federalism and, above all, the strength of solidarity and working together.