Debates of Dec. 8th, 2021

Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Madam Chair, again, that is the purview largely of the Minister of Indigenous Services.

It is my responsibility with respect to self-governing nations as well as the Inuit, with the territorial government. We have begun that process. It is a process that needs to be done in detail over a span, to the best of my recollection, of the next 18 months, to quantify that gap we all lament in Canada.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Madam Chair, other than COVID-19, what has been the delay in starting the drafting of the strategy, which was promised two years before the COVID pandemic started?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Madam Chair, one, there is no excuse. Two, it has largely been due to COVID.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Madam Chair, by how much will the minister increase short- and long-term federal investments in housing in Nunavut and indigenous communities now and in the future?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Madam Chair, as I said previously, there are those amounts that have been announced for Inuit Nunangat, of $500 million and $300 million respectively. Within Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations, there is a sum of $6 billion that has been earmarked for infrastructure writ large. Again, this investment does span across departments, including the ministry of housing. There have been rapid housing initiatives, but this is a whole-of-government approach, including Infrastructure and other departments, as well as territorial and provincial governments.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Madam Chair, still related to housing but more focused on seniors, what investments will be included for long-term care homes in Nunavut, first nations, Métis and Inuit communities in Canada?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Madam Chair, clearly we have heard that need. One of the biggest concerns we heard, particularly as we saw seniors being heavily affected, especially in my riding, was the concern in indigenous communities. We heard a need for more long-term care homes. One of the initiatives we faced was to reach out to them directly to make sure everyone was safe, but what we heard as well was that there is a need to have more people, and seniors in particular, able to age in their own communities. That is something we are working on.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Madam Chair, the minister did not answer my question, but I will move to the next question.

What investments will be made to ensure that first nations, Métis, Inuit and Nunavut communities can take care of their own elders in their own home communities?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Madam Chair, in addition to the capital requirements and investments that we will be working with communities to effect, we want to be in a position to empower communities to ensure their own are able to age in their own communities. That work is ongoing and needs to continue.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Madam Chair, will these investments be made?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Madam Chair, again, these are investments that need to be worked with in the priorities expressed by the communities we serve. Clearly, we have heard that need, and it is something we are working to fulfill.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Madam Chair, I am going to turn now to the next set of questions, regarding energy.

All 25 of the communities in my riding run on diesel. The Qulliq Energy Corporation is eager to explore renewable energy production across Nunavut. In the 2019 election, Prime Minister Trudeau committed to moving all Inuit communities off diesel power to clean energy by 2030.

Nunavut has yet to see any significant investments toward this goal to date. Iqaluit has plans on the shelf for a hydroelectric dam.

My first question is: When will these investments begin?

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

This will be the hon. member for Nunavut's last question, because we are out of time.

Also, I will just remind the member that we cannot use the names of current members in the chamber.

The hon. minister has the floor.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Madam Chair, I cannot commit to a current timeline. These are projects that we want to prioritize, but they have to be done in partnership with the communities. Obviously, that commitment of the Prime Minister was to get the communities off diesel. It is extremely difficult in the north, but we believe it is a challenge we can face together.

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Madam Chair, I am pleased to participate in tonight's debate on the supplementary estimates (B).

Tonight's debate comes at a key moment for Canada and its recovery. Bit by bit, businesses are safely reopening. Employment has recovered to prerecession levels.

All of the 3 million jobs lost when the crisis was at its peak were recovered faster than in any previous recession. Canada's economic recovery is on the right path, and the pandemic's impact on our economy is fading away.

This has been possible because our government was there to support Canadians and Canadian businesses through the worst of this pandemic. Programs such as the Canada emergency response benefit, the Canada emergency wage subsidy, the Canada emergency rent subsidy, lockdown supports and the Canada emergency business account kept businesses from closing their doors and kept Canadians from losing their jobs.

At its height in the spring of 2020, the Canada emergency wage subsidy supported 27.6% of all employees. Our performance was better than almost every other country's.

Thanks to our solid policy and support, we recovered all the jobs. We recovered the 3 million jobs lost during the crisis. Just last week, we got great news: 154,000 jobs were created in November.

According to the OECD, Canada was one of the first countries to recover all of its hours worked by March 2021.

As good as all this news has been, we know there is more work to be done. We know that not all sectors have fully recovered, and we know that risks remain from new variants of this disease.

Before the House are two key matters to help get us through the end of this pandemic. The first is tonight's supplementary estimates and the second is Bill C-2.

Through the supplementary estimates, the government is seeking parliamentary approval for $8.7 billion in new voted spending. Approximately $1.2 billion of the proposed voted spending in the supplementary estimates (B) is for the government's ongoing response to the COVID‑19 pandemic.

This is so we can continue the work we have been doing since the start of the pandemic.

Federal support also included significant financing for the provinces and territories through top-ups to the Canada health transfer as well as through the safe restart agreement, the safe return to class fund and the essential workers support fund. All told, more than eight dollars of every $10 spent to fight COVID‑19 and support Canadians has come from the federal government.

As outlined by the Minister of Health last night, 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, during or after crossing the border by storing proof of vaccination, for example.

In addition, the Public Health Agency of Canada is transferring $7 million to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research so it can support additional research to better understand the nature of immunity after an infection and a COVID‑19 vaccine.

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

As I pointed out earlier, the economic recovery is uneven, and public health measures, although essential to our health and safety, continue to restrict some economic activities.

In budget 2021, the government promised that if additional flexibility was required based on public health considerations later in the year, it would continue to do whatever it takes to be there for Canadians. That is why in October we announced the Canada worker lockdown benefit, which I would like to spend some time on in my remarks.

This proposed new measure was first announced on October 21 and is part of the legislation we are debating today. To ensure that workers continue to have support and that no one is left behind, this benefit will provide $300 a week in income support to eligible workers should they be unable to work due to a regional lockdown until May 7, 2022, with retroactive application to October 24, 2021 if required. It will continue to offer support to those who still need it if the pandemic requires further public health lockdowns in any part of the country, including workers who are both eligible and ineligible for employment insurance.

Assistance would be available in all regions of Canada designated by the government for the duration of the lockdown. This measure could be obtained quickly to support affected workers in the event of a lockdown in the region where they work.

Temporary lockdowns are still a possibility in the months to come. While the government hopes it will not be needed, the Canada worker lockdown benefit offers peace of mind and some economic certainty in these uncertain times.

With children aged 5 to 11 now eligible to get vaccinated, we know that this increased immunization coverage brings us one step closer to a situation where restrictions and closures will no longer be necessary.

Further down the road, we are also looking forward to loosened restrictions on hospitality, travel and tourism, and arts and culture. This new measure and the other targeted supports, such as the tourism and hospitality recovery program and the hardest-hit business recovery program proposed in the bill we debated today, will help bridge Canadians to full recovery in hard-hit sectors.

Canada is now well on its way to economic recovery. Thanks to one of the most successful vaccination campaigns in the world, many businesses are safely reopening. Employment in November was higher than it was in February 2020, prior to COVID-19.

In the coming months, Canada's economic recovery will continue, because our vaccine successes and the safe reopening will allow Canadians to return to what they have been missing most for almost two years.

However, we must remain vigilant, especially with the arrival of the omicron variant, which we continue to monitor.

I am therefore asking everyone to help the government in this fight. Canadians across the country expect no less.

I would now like to ask a question.

Prescription drugs are not always affordable for Canadian families, especially those affected by rare diseases. Can the Minister of Health inform the House of the work that is being done to help these families and their loved ones?

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

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for the question. I appreciate her.

This is part of the national pharmacare challenge, to find a way to reduce the cost of and increase access to drugs, for rare diseases in particular.

In this context, we have announced that we will develop a strategy to combat rare diseases with an annual investment of $500 million in the coming years.

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Sherbrooke, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank the minister for his answer.

Our frontline workers and first responders are the real heroes in this crisis. While they help Canadians stay healthy or regain their health, what is our government doing to ensure that these health workers are getting the help they need when they need it?

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

Madam Chair, I did not mention it, but I am very pleased that my colleague is now the parliamentary secretary to my colleague, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Taking care of our health care workers helps them take care of us and those who need it. With the $55 billion in investments that the Canadian government has made in the context of COVID‑19, we have been able to support these workers, whether they provide long-term care, work in a medical setting, or are working on the ground administering vaccinations, performing tests or enforcing health measures. It is very important to do this, and I thank my colleague for giving me the chance to remind everyone of that.

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Sherbrooke, QC]

Madam Chair, this past year, the awful reality of the systemic racism that still pervades our institutions was brought to light.

As we know, tragedies such as the experience of Joyce Echaquan are not isolated incidents. Indigenous people across the country are fearful and reluctant to seek health services because they are afraid of encountering discrimination that can sometimes turn deadly.

The minister was frank about the need for change. Could he tell us more about the work that the government is doing to address systemic racism in health care? How is the government ensuring that indigenous people, in particular indigenous women, have equitable access to health care?

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

Madam Chair, as we know, with the tragic death of Joyce Echaquan, indigenous peoples dread having to use health care services across the country.

We know that the federal government has a moral duty to outline the state of affairs. Systemic racism exists right across the country, from British Columbia to Quebec. It is everywhere. I am forced to acknowledge it so we can make the necessary investments to ensure that people get the first-class service they deserve.

In the 2020-21 budget, our government invested $133 million to provide funding for indigenous people to bring along an advocate to ensure they receive high-quality care. The federal government's role is to approach provincial governments and to work with the territories to ensure that this serious problem is eradicated once and for all.

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Sherbrooke, QC]

Madam Chair, while COVID-19 was raging, another pandemic was occurring across Canada. Although it was somewhat overshadowed, it was just as significant. The opioid crisis has affected the entire country, especially the province of British Columbia.

What is our government doing to help key organizations that are working on the ground during this crisis that is occurring at the same time as COVID-19?

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

Madam Chair, my colleague is right to bring it up.

For some time now, an average of about 20 people a day have died due to the opioid crisis across the country. That is almost the same number of people who are dying from COVID-19 at present. The crisis has been growing for years.

Fortunately, there are ways to deal with this crisis and to treat people, including through supervised injection sites. Approximately 700,000 people use these sites every year. Thus, thousands of Canadians are protected.

Naturally, there are protocols in place to ensure that the drugs that these people temporarily need are provided in a safe, regulated manner, and to ensure that appropriate services are provided in safe facilities. Community services are offered so they can have the best possible life and make a complete recovery.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Madam Chair, I congratulate my colleague on her appointment as President of the Treasury Board

Six hundred billion dollars was spent, with little or no oversight from the government. The Public Accounts should have been released in October, but still nothing from the government. When will the Public Accounts be tabled?

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

Madam Chair, I want to thank my hon. colleague and my critic for his great words. I have said that our government has been committed to financial transparency, including for COVID-19 spending response—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Edmonton West.