Debates of Feb. 24th, 2021

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, like I said, we take the privacy of applicants very seriously. All third party contractors undergo rigorous screening. Officials regularly carry out thorough inspections and audits to ensure compliance with Canada's privacy standards. A number of countries also use the local company, including many of our Five Eyes allies. We will continue to do everything necessary to ensure the safety and integrity of our visa application system.

Natural Resources

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after the Liberals said Line 5 was “critical to Canada's energy and economic security”, the Prime Minister did not even raise the topic with President Biden yesterday. How are we supposed to rebuild a relationship with our most important ally when the PM cannot even raise the most pressing issue, while 50,000 jobs on both sides of the border are at risk?

How can Canadians believe the Prime Minister when he is no talk, no action?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to correct the hon. member and point out that, yes, indeed, in our extensive bilateral conversations with the Americans yesterday, we brought up Line 5 because it continues to be an important issue for people in Ontario and Quebec and, indeed, across the country. We spoke yesterday about how Canada is a reliable source of energy contributing to U.S. energy security and economic competitiveness. Ambassador Hillman and our Detroit consul general are strongly advocating for Line 5's continued operation and our government continues to engage at the highest levels.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, “Build back better together” is a nice slogan, but on day one, the Biden administration let thousands of Canadian families down with the cancellation of Keystone XL.

Yesterday 30,000 families were expecting the Prime Minister to bring up the situation personally with Line 5, because a decision has to be made in May. Michigan declared an energy emergency, and it does not seem to be urgent to this Prime Minister, despite the fact that workers, families, farms and communities across Ontario and Quebec are worried about Line 5.

The Prime Minister's language was very specific: “We” raised it.

Did the Prime Minister personally raise Line 5 with President Biden?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday Canada and the United States agreed to an ambitious roadmap partnership. We will work together to beat COVID-19 and ensure that everyone, everywhere, has access to a vaccine. We will also fight climate change and accelerate clean growth. We will create jobs, we will grow the middle class, and we will address systemic racism.

We are each other's closest allies and most important trading partners. Yes, we talked about energy security and about cross-border flows, and yes, we raised Line 5.

Health

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the hotels designated for mandatory quarantines for returning travellers are in a state of chaos. People are spending up to 28 hours on the phone to find a room where they can self-isolate, only to then find themselves crammed into lobbies with no physical distancing and no way to get a decent meal. Worse still, the physical safety of travellers is not even assured. The Prime Minister has simply dumped the quarantine problem onto the hotel sector, without any oversight.

When will he finally show some leadership and take charge of the mess he has created?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the safety of Canadians is always our top priority. That is why we have imposed some of the toughest measures in the world on travellers entering Canada. We will continue to keep Canadians safe by implementing those measures.

We are aware of the delays involved in accessing the reservation system. We thank Canadians for their patience as we implement these new public health measures.

We are deeply concerned about the allegations of sexual assault, and we will ensure that the proper authorities follow up appropriately.

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister must take responsibility.

His government failed every step of the way with the quarantines. He was unable to ban non-essential flights at Christmas or to impose hotel quarantines when they were needed, which was during the holidays. He was unable to set up a hotline or even to ensure that the people he is responsible for are safe and receiving services. He is blaming travellers and hotel operators for all the problems with the quarantines.

He is the one responsible for the chaos. When will he fix it?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way, we have taken measures to keep Canadians safe, and we will continue to do so.

We have some of the strictest measures for travellers of all allied countries. We will continue to examine additional measures that may be required to prevent these variants from spreading across the country. We will always do what we can to meet travellers' needs, but, at the same time, our priority must be the concerns and safety of Canadians who are not travelling and who are vulnerable to the variants. We will always do what is necessary to protect people.

Human Rights

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Parliament has recognized the Uighur Muslim genocide in Xinjiang. Upholding the rules-based international order means upholding treaties like the 1948 genocide convention. Article I of the convention clearly establishes Canada's obligation to prevent genocide, even if it is extraterritorial. This obligation is binding and is the norm of international law.

What action is the government taking to fulfill its obligation under the genocide convention and international law?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have always and we will always stand up for human rights around the world. We are deeply concerned by reports of human rights violations in China against the Uighur minority, including significant and serious reports of genocide.

We recognize that the vote in Parliament ensured that every member could make a determination based on available evidence. We welcome parliamentarians working together and debating this critical issue. As the government, we have a responsibility to work with others in the international community in ensuring that any such allegations are investigated by an independent international body of legal experts.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 20% of the world's cotton is produced in Xinjiang, where half a million Uighurs are forced to pick cotton in a coercive state-run system.

The measures announced last month on imports from Xinjiang are not enough. Does the government realize that these measures will not work, and will it impose better measures, such as banning imports from Xinjiang?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have always stood up for human rights around the world, and that will not change. We are deeply concerned by reports of human rights violations in China against the Uighur minority and other ethnic minorities.

Canada is taking a comprehensive approach to defending the rights of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities, including by advancing measures to address the risk of goods produced from forced labour, from any country, from entering Canadian and global supply chains, and to protect Canadian businesses from becoming unknowingly complicit. We will of course continue to work with all of our partners to adopt more measures if necessary.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this House spoke with one voice this week: There is a genocide happening in Xinjiang.

Canada has a responsibility to act. There is a bill in the Australian Senate that will ban imports from Xinjiang because of Uighur forced labour. Legislation is being introduced in the U.S. Congress to do the same.

Will the Prime Minister commit to a law to ban the import of products made from forced labour in western China?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is adopting a comprehensive approach to defending the rights of Uighurs with measures to address the risk of forced labour from any country, including China, from entering Canadian and global supply chains and to protect Canadian businesses from becoming unknowingly complicit.

We take this extremely seriously. We have brought measures in and we will look to bring in more measures in partnership with the international community, because that is how we can have the greatest impact and protect the situation for the Uighurs and other ethnic minorities.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, during their first virtual bilateral meeting yesterday, our Prime Minister and President Biden talked about the work to be done in the coming years. Our two countries agreed on a roadmap for a renewed U.S.-Canada partnership that prioritizes the fight against COVID-19, economic recovery and the global climate threat.

Would our Prime Minister tell the House about the joint commitment to fighting climate change?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for that important question and for her work.

President Biden and I agreed to launch a high-level climate ministerial to coordinate co-operation between the United States and Canada.

We also agreed to take a coordinated approach to accelerating progress towards sustainable, resilient and clean energy infrastructure. We are committed to working with others to increase the scale and speed of the fight against climate change.

National Defence

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the defence minister has repeated over and over that he informed all proper authorities about the serious allegations of sexual misconduct by the former chief of the defence staff, but the minister refuses to tell Canadians who those authorities are or even acknowledge that he received the complaint back in 2018, as reported by media.

Was the Prime Minister briefed by the defence minister on the allegations against General Vance when he first received them in 2018?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every person deserves a safe work environment. I first learned of allegations against General Vance in Global News reporting.

We have no tolerance for any form of sexual misconduct. When such allegations are brought to the attention of the Minister of National Defence, he has always taken them seriously and reported to appropriate authorities. We have launched an independent investigation and we have confidence it will go under way appropriately.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, allegations of sexual misconduct by our country’s top general were shared with the Privy Council Office, which advises and briefs the Prime Minister on just about everything. We know from news reports that the Privy Council Office received information regarding the allegation of sexual misconduct against General Vance back in March of 2018.

On what date did the PCO brief the Prime Minister about this allegation, and did he instruct his defence minister to launch an investigation or did he tell him to just look the other way?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as the prime minister and as the leader of a political party, I have always taken immediate action and taken very seriously any allegations brought to my attention.

As I just said, I first learned of allegations against General Vance in the Global News reporting. We have no tolerance for any form of sexual misconduct and will ensure that all appropriate steps have always been, and will always be, taken.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, jarring testimony levelled abuse of authority and sexual misconduct allegations against Canada's former top soldier and other senior officers. More officers were implicated as complicit through their silence.

The defence minister had a duty to investigate and suspend General Vance, but he did nothing. Men and women in uniform have lost confidence that the minister will bring senior officers to justice.

How will the Prime Minister regain the trust of the members of our military when they do not trust the defence minister who failed to protect them?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as a government and as a political party, we have always taken allegations extremely seriously and always followed necessary procedures. When such allegations are brought to the attention of the Minister of National Defence, he has always taken them seriously and reported them, as appropriate, to the appropriate authorities. The steps need to be taken and have been taken. We will continue to ensure that everyone in this country, whether in the military, the public service or anywhere, works in a safe work environment.

Health

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last fall the opposition leader claimed that Canada was at the back of the line for vaccines and that 2.5 billion people would get vaccinated before Canadians. This was on top of the claim by his health critic that we would not get vaccines until 2030.

The leader of the Conservative Party has been deliberately misleading Canadians at a time of a national health emergency solely to advance his political aims. He is questioning a plan that is clearly working. Starting this past Sunday, over half a million doses of vaccines began arriving.

Can the Prime Minister update us on how this sound procurement plan has ensured we are on our way to delivering six million doses to Canadians by the end of March?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country for his question and his extremely hard work.

There are 643,000 doses of vaccines arriving in Canada this week, with another 400,000 doses arriving next week. By the end of this week, 2.5 million doses will have been delivered, with another 3.5 million arriving in the month of March.

That is our plan and has been our plan for months. We will make sure that all Canadians who wish to be vaccinated are vaccinated by September.