Debates of Feb. 24th, 2021

Regional Economic Development

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, then let us talk about the present. These revelations have revived questions about federal support for Quebec's leading industries. Ottawa is abandoning our aerospace sector, since Canada is the only major country without a strategic policy for this sector. It is abandoning Davie and our shipbuilding expertise. Although Quebec is a pioneer in the electrification of transportation, the government is investing $300 million to develop batteries in Ontario. The list goes on. What looks like a definite trend today, to put it mildly, was a deliberate strategy under Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

Now more than ever, the Prime Minister must explain why he has neglected our leading industries. Will he do so?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, since the start of this pandemic and since taking office five years ago, we have been investing for Quebeckers and for all Canadians.

We are investing in new technologies. We are working with our partners in Quebec and across the country to invest in aerospace and electrification. We will continue to make investments.

I know that it upsets the Bloc to see a federal government that is very present in people's lives and helping Quebeckers and Canadians every day, but that is exactly what we are doing.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have put Canada months behind the rest of the world in getting vaccines. It is troubling that yesterday the government said that even with mass vaccination, COVID restrictions may continue.

More public sacrifice and lockdowns were the response to the second wave, and the government's projections say that this clearly did not work. If the government is now saying vaccines will not lift all restrictions, what is the Prime Minister's plan B, or does he plan on keeping Canada under COVID restrictions forever?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am not entirely sure what the opposition health critic has been watching, but we have seen, over the past many weeks, the numbers decline because of the significant public health measures that Canadians have been engaged in and the sacrifices people have been making. The provinces have led the way in bringing in the right kinds of restrictions over the past number of months. We have seen this working.

As vaccines are arriving at the same time as we are seeing a danger of variants, we need to remain vigilant, get as many people vaccinated as possible and continue to keep ourselves safe from the threat of a third wave.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I watched Theresa Tam's press conference on Friday and it had a violently high hockey stick projection of what the third wave could look like because the Prime Minister has not produced vaccines for Canadians. Virtually no one can get one, but, again, the health officials said that even with mass vaccination the government might not recommend opening up the country. People are losing their lives, their mental health and their jobs. We need certainty and a plan to move forward.

Is the government now saying that a fully vaccinated population will not end lockdowns, and if so, what will?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way during this pandemic, we have made our decisions based on the best recommendations of science and scientists, comparing data from around the world and moving forward in ways that have kept Canadians safer than those in many countries. At the same time, we have seen too many tragedies.

We will continue to move forward in ways that minimize the spread of COVID-19 and maximize the speed with which vaccines arrive. We will work hand in hand with the provinces and territories on the public health measures that are necessary to see us through this pandemic and out the other side in the best shape possible.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the best way to get back to something close to normal in Canada is to vaccinate people.

Great Britain has come up with a four-step plan to lift its lockdown restrictions. It is vaccinating 400,000 people a day.

Canadians are realizing that we are really behind, and it is the Prime Minister's fault.

What is the Prime Minister's plan to make up for lost time?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are starting to receive hundreds of thousands of vaccines a week, and we will be receiving millions in the coming weeks.

We know that we are going to speed up the vaccination process, but we need to continue to be vigilant against the variants that are coming in from places around the world.

We will overcome this crisis thanks to the support our government is providing to small businesses and families and thanks to the health measures that people are taking and the sacrifices that everyone has unfortunately had to make this winter. We will keep going and overcome this crisis together.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to the Prime Minister that Canada is still ranked 53rd in terms of the total number of doses administered. All of the other G7 countries are doing far better than us. The problem is that we need a plan.

If the Prime Minister is so confident about the vaccines, can he tell us when we will be able to end the lockdown and get back to normal life?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We have a point of order for a technical issue.

The hon. member for Hamilton Mountain.

[Scott Duvall, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am hearing the interpretation in English and French at the same time, and the French version is coming in louder than the English interpretation.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to thank the hon. member for Hamilton Mountain. We will take a look at that and make sure it gets corrected. I just ask for a little patience with that one.

Is everything corrected? I will speak in English. Everybody is hearing in French.

Can everyone hear the interpretation properly now? Has the problem been resolved?

We are not hearing anything.

The hon. member for Hamilton Mountain, is everything clear? Is it working out well?

[Scott Duvall, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it seems to be now, yes.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

That is good. We will start over. I will ask the hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles to repeat his question, for continuity.

The hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our technical problems make me think of the technical problems we are having managing the vaccines, since Canada still ranks 53rd for the total number of doses administered to our citizens.

Canadians are tired and fed up with living with uncertainty, a situation that could have been avoided. They do not want to hear any more platitudes.

Can the Prime Minister tell us whether he has a plan? Can he tell Canadians when we will be able to get back to a normal life?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we all want to know when life will get back to normal.

We all want this pandemic to be over, but in the meantime we will continue to vaccinate more and more people. We have to continue keeping certain public health measures in place and we will evaluate them at each stage.

We will reassess according to the situation, according to the variants coming in, according to local situations. We are working with the provinces and territories. We are working with public health experts and we will do everything we can to keep Canadians safe, for their own well-being and for the strong economic recovery afterward.

Pharmacare

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, during this pandemic, universal pharmacare is needed more urgently than ever. Ninety percent of Canadians support it. Millions of Canadians cannot pay for the medications their doctors prescribe, and hundreds die every year.

The Hoskins report stated that it was essential that the principles of universal health care apply to universal pharmacare.

The vote on the Canada pharmacare act is in an hour, and Canadians want to know the following. Will the Prime Minister betray today his election promise for public universal pharmacare?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we agree that no Canadian should have to choose between putting food on the table and paying for their medications.

That is why we remain committed to national universal pharmacare. Though we welcome debate on this private member's bill, any actions must be taken with provinces and territories, and not unilaterally imposed upon the provinces and territories.

Now is the time to work with provinces and territories, as we are, to provide all Canadians access to affordable medication.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the facts are clear. The reality is that millions of Canadians today have to choose between paying their rent and getting the medications their doctors prescribe. Many are getting sicker and even dying from this lack of basic health care.

Canada is the only country in the world with universal health care that does not cover prescription drugs. The truth is that drug prices have risen every single year under the Liberal government's mandate. The truth, as well, is that the NDP bill would work exactly the way our public health care system does, allowing provinces and territories to participate if they wish.

Will the Prime Minister stop his hollow excuses and vote for pharmacare as he has promised, and finally deliver universal pharmacare to every Canadian who needs it?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have been working since day one as a government to reduce prescription drug prices in this country. We have done more to reduce prescription drug prices than any other government in history. Yes, we know there is more to do.

That is why we have rolled up our sleeves and are working on national universal pharmacare in partnership with the provinces and territories. The NDP are pulling a political stunt to try to demonstrate that they could do it with the wave of a magic wand.

We work in the real world here. We work with the provinces. We work within the Constitution. We will deliver national pharmacare for Canadians.

Canada-U.S. Relations

[Raj Saini, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister and President Biden met to ensure a coordinated approach to our shared priorities. Our two countries have agreed on a road map for a renewed U.S.-Canada partnership, which prioritizes the fight against COVID-19, economic recovery following the pandemic strains, and the global climate threat.

Can the Prime Minister please update the House on the joint Canada-U.S. build back better together plan?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Kitchener Centre for his question and important work to strengthen Canada's most important relationship.

The Canadian and U.S. economies are deeply interconnected. Yesterday, President Biden and I discussed our shared vision for a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery, which ensures that people will have good jobs and supports middle-class prosperity on both sides of the border. We agreed to build back better together in a way that addresses the disproportionate impacts on women, youth, under-represented groups and indigenous peoples, and we will continue to work together.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, the Beijing visa office is being run by a company owned by Chinese police, and the Liberal government does not seem concerned. The government and VFS Global say that people's information is protected from the entry point onward.

People are entering information into those computers physically. How can the data processed by that centre be considered secure when it is being inputted by people hired by a Beijing police-owned company?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that, like our allies, including the U.K., New Zealand and others, we take extremely seriously the security and privacy of people applying for visas. That is why we work very closely with the companies and the contractors involved to ensure that all privacy regulations and security protocols are being met. There is ongoing work to ensure that remains always the case.

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

However, Mr. Speaker, it was reported by the Globe and Mail that members of the Chinese Communist Party work in the visa office. State-owned companies with a specific number of party members have to follow rules that allow the Communist Party to influence management. This is extremely concerning.

Why is the Prime Minister willing to risk having our visa office influenced by the Chinese Communist Party?