Debates of Feb. 23rd, 2021

National Defence

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I completely disagree with the member's assertions. I can say with the utmost confidence that I took the appropriate action, because I have absolutely no tolerance for any type of inappropriate sexual misconduct regardless of rank or position.

Maybe the member opposite would like to answer what he knew when he was the parliamentary secretary of national defence during the time when the former chief of the defence staff was being selected.

International Trade

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Biden administration has now stated that no changes are anticipated for its buy American policies, which will hurt Canadian businesses and affect jobs. It is crucial that Canada receives an exemption.

The Biden election platform policy fulfilment should not come as a surprise to the Prime Minister. What is the Prime Minister's specific plan to get an exemption for Canada, just as we have had before with the former U.S. administration?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the hon. member and all Canadian workers and businesses that our government will always stand up for Canadian businesses and our workers.

The U.S. and Canada have agreed to consult closely to avoid any measures that could constrain our bilateral trade and economic growth between our two countries. We have worked with the administration and will continue to work with the administration while standing up for our Canadian workers.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, thousands of Canadian jobs were lost due to the cancellation of Keystone XL, thousands of jobs are under threat due to the buy American policies and the livelihoods of thousands of farmers are on the line due to U.S. investigations of our produce and dairy sectors. Canadian workers need a victory, not more talking points.

On his call today with President Biden, will the Prime Minister stand up for workers who rely on trade with the U.S. and get a commitment for a buy American exemption?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, at a time when our economy and the global economy are facing significant challenges from COVID-19, we all know the importance of maintaining market access to our closest trading partner.

Our government will always stand up for Canadian businesses and Canadian workers. The Prime Minister, in his conversation with the President and the vice-president, and indeed our entire government, is seized with working with the American administration to ensure we stand up for our Canadian workers and businesses.

Taxation

[Julie Vignola, Bloc, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 140,000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada were victims of the Phoenix pay system. Some were not paid for months. Some lost their homes, their mental health, their lives.

To make up for this fiasco, the government announced $2,500 in compensation. Now we are learning that it wants to tax this amount. Compensation is supposed to be a financial apology to honest workers who went through hell for four years. It is not income.

Will the government change course and pay these employees the full amount?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes that the Phoenix pay system issue left many public servants in financial difficulty.

Some parts of the compensation agreement are subject to income tax and other deductions pursuant to the Income Tax Act and the Pension Act. The same is true for other compensation agreements with employees in various sectors across Canada.

[Julie Vignola, Bloc, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, public servants already pay taxes on their wages. The compensation they are getting for the Phoenix fiasco is not wages, a bonus or a promotion.

They are being compensated because the federal government failed to pay its own employees and caused them hardship for years. The government should be ashamed for even thinking of taxing this money.

Will the government change course on March 3 and pay its employees every cent of the $2,500 they deserve?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, our government recognizes that the Phoenix pay system issue left many public servants in financial difficulty.

In addition, I pointed out that some parts of the compensation agreement are subject to income tax and other deductions pursuant to the Income Tax Act and the Pension Act. The same is true for other compensation agreements with employees in various sectors across Canada.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

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

Mr. Speaker, Ontario vegetable growers recently sent an urgent letter to the Minister of Agriculture asking her to implement agrirecovery to offset losses from the pandemic.

There are vegetable farmers who have lost millions of pounds of fresh food. There are other farmers across the country who also are hurting from COVID-19 production losses.

Will the minister immediately implement agrirecovery to help Canadian farmers with their catastrophic losses due to COVID-19—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Could I ask hon. members to mute their microphones. There was a disruption there. If the hon. member does not mind, I will ask that she ask her question again and then we will get an answer to the question, just to avoid any confusion.

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

Mr. Speaker, Ontario vegetable growers recently sent an urgent letter to the Minister of Agriculture asking her to implement agrirecovery to offset losses from the pandemic.

There are vegetable farmers who have lost millions of pounds of fresh food. There are other farmers across the country who also are hurting from COVID-19 production losses.

Will the minister immediately implement agrirecovery to help Canadian farmers with their catastrophic losses due to COVID-19 before the next growing season begins?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, agrirecovery is one of the important business risk management tools that we have to support farmers. The way it works is that the province has to make the request to the federal government and then we will evaluate this request together.

I can assure my colleague that we are very open to support farmers in need, and this is exactly why I have made the proposal to my provincial counterparts to improve agristability by $170 million. I am waiting for a response from some of them.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, dairy farmers and processors have been waiting for months to get the compensation that the Liberal government promised them to make up for the market share they lost as a result of the free trade agreements signed with our trade partners.

Will the government provide some predictability and, most importantly, will it do so before March 31, 2021? Could the minister confirm that?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to confirm to my colleague that we have committed to providing $1.75 billion to dairy farmers for the first two agreements with Europe and the trans-Pacific region.

We are ahead of schedule on these payments. The vast majority of farmers got their second payment in the last few weeks, and they already know how much they will get next year and the following year. In addition, I will soon be announcing the details of the $691-million compensation package for poultry and egg farmers.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on Canada's Agriculture Day, we recognize the immense contributions of our farm families. One in eight jobs is related to agriculture, so our Canadian egg industry will be vital to our economic recovery. Unfortunately, the government has restricted the ability for agriculture to prosper, due to its rising carbon tax, limits to market access and failed trading relationships.

How can Canadian agriculture reach its full potential when the government will not let it?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, we are actually supporting the agricultural sector much more than the previous government did.

We have reinvested in science and innovation significantly. I have just proposed to my provincial counterparts to improve the AgriStability program by $170 million. We have delivered on compensation for the supply management sectors. Last year was a record year in terms of exports, with $74 billion in exports of Canadian food.

Aerospace Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, last week, the international community watched with admiration as the Perseverance rover landed on Mars. Dr. Farah Alibay, an aerospace engineer from Quebec, played a key role in this mission and received high praise for her innovative work at this historic moment.

Can the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry give the House an update on the measures the government has taken to support space exploration?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my excellent colleague for her question.

I am well aware of how important the space exploration sector is for the people of Longueuil, particularly since the Canadian Space Agency is headquartered there.

Our government proudly reinvested in this vital sector, with $2 billion for a national space strategy. Canadians were inspired by the Perseverance's historic mission and Dr. Alibay's work. I myself had the opportunity to speak to her. She is an inspiring leader of whom we are all extremely proud.

Foreign Affairs

[Kenny Chiu, Conservative, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Chinese ambassadors have a history of degrading our nation, from accusing Canada of white supremacy a couple of years ago to now calling Canada's declaration against arbitrary detention no different than a thief shouting to catch a thief, calling us hypocritical and despicable.

Why does the government consistently refuse to refute these blatant fallacies and allow these so-called emissaries to trample on Canada without rebuke?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Canada always remains firm and resolute in defending our rights at home and abroad and the rights of Canadians at home and abroad. Canada has a complex and multidimensional relationship with China. It presents challenges for us, our international partners and people all around the world.

Our policy here and abroad is based on Canadian interests; fundamental values; our principles, including human rights; and a strategic understanding of the way we impose international rules-based order. We are firm and we are smart in this approach.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, Immigration Canada is reporting an increased number of visa applicants who are expressing thoughts or intentions of suicide because of processing delays. We have repeatedly heard heartbreaking testimony from separated families of the hardships they are facing due to these ridiculous delays. Parents are missing their child's first words, their first steps and, in some cases, even their births.

The minister is a father just like me. Let us show some compassion and let us clear up these backlogs. How long will the Liberal government stall families from reuniting with each other?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, it has been a challenging time for loved ones and that is why we have reunited tens of thousands of families, notwithstanding the pandemic. This progress is the function of a carefully executed plan that has added resources to the border, introduced effective health protocols and created new pathways for unification. When it comes to our service standards, not only are we keeping our 14-day turnaround for complete applications, we are exceeding it.

It would be inappropriate to comment on any individual case but, of course, I am happy to work with the member, as we have done for quite some time to work through any problematic cases.

Health

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, more than a year ago we started asking questions about COVID, but a year into the crisis, on almost every front, Canada has fallen behind. Yesterday the U.K. laid out a strategy to reopen. Israel has vaccinated 80% of its population, and the U.S. is vaccinating more Americans daily than the total number of jabs received here. Canadians are falling behind. They are unemployed and desperate for hope.

With failures stacking up, can the government finally admit and at least be honest with Canadians about when we can expect a return to some level of normalcy in this country?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way Canada has used science and evidence to respond to COVID-19. We have worked with provinces and territories. We have given billions of dollars to provinces and territories to help them in their health care responsibilities. We have funded research. We have acquired vaccines. In fact, as my hon. colleague mentioned, we acquired 650,000 this week alone.

We continue to be there for Canadians with financial supports. We will get through this together. I thank all Canadians who are working so hard during this difficult time.