Debates of March 23rd, 2021

Opposition Motion— Plan for Reopening the Economy

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

Madam Speaker, I rise to speak on a very timely motion moved by my colleague, the member for Calgary Nose Hill. Today I speak on behalf of my constituents of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, and as the official opposition shadow minister for agri-food and agriculture.

My office has received hundreds of calls and emails from constituents who feel abandoned by the Liberal government. Their concerns, interests and livelihoods have been sacrificed by waves of lockdowns. Canadians watch as countries around the world are safely reopening without seeing an end in sight to the heavy-handed restrictions we have here at home.

How much longer will Canadians have to wait to access COVID-19 immunizations? They need a concrete plan from the Liberal government on when and how COVID-19 restrictions will finally be safely and permanently lifted.

One year ago, on a public health directive, the federal government began locking down public places, the U.S.-Canada border, airlines, businesses, restaurants, schools, hospitals, assisted living and extended nursing facilities, churches and even family homes.

We have seen the consequences for businesses and people's livelihoods. These include cross-border tourism business in stores and restaurants in resort towns. As well, it has been difficult to get farm machine parts, and the technicians who service the machinery, across the border. The consequences have affected young people's educations and the relationships, family lives and personal well-being of the young and the elderly.

Let us look at some of these consequences in more detail. In March 2020, when the lockdown began, Canada's GDP started to decline rapidly. Our unemployment rate rose immediately. Canadians began losing their jobs en masse as businesses were forced to close their doors. Sales at restaurants went down by 46% in March 2020, and by more than 56% in April. When restaurant sales are down, it creates a domino effect on the whole supply chain including farmers, food importers and wholesale food distributors. Families' entire life's work of building and running businesses has either been completely wiped out or, if they are fortunate, they may still be hanging on by a thread.

Mass economic lockdowns should never have been viewed as a long-term measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Lockdowns and restrictions were put in place to buy governments time to get permanent solutions, such as vaccines, rapid testing and variant testing. These tools now exist, so where is the plan?

Last year air travel plummeted, and travel to Canada was practically shut down. This is important to note, because most Canadians do not realize that their fresh produce in the winter, particularly tropical fruit, is imported as air cargo on commercial passenger planes. When commercial planes do not fly, importers are forced to pay a higher fee for air cargo. That cost is passed on to the consumer, which means higher grocery bills or having to forgo buying a favourite fresh produce.

These are some of the economic activities that have been affected, but how have the COVID-19 lockdowns affected Canadians' sense of well-being? As one might imagine, the segment of Canadians who rate life satisfaction as “high” fell from 72% in 2018 to 40% in June 2020. Young Canadians have experienced the greatest decline in mental health. Pre-COVID-19, 60% of young Canadians reported excellent or very good mental health, but by July 2020, that had fallen to only 40%. This is tragic.

Since the COVID-19 lockdowns began, parents' concern for their children's well-being has skyrocketed. Children are spending hours a day in front of screens with limited interactions with their friends. They are suffering from loneliness due to forced isolation.

Let me add that in rural Canada, as in much of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, high-speed Internet access and the cost of cellular data are very real and ever-present challenges. These are real-life problems that cannot be ignored.

The consequences for the mental health of Canadians are significant. Prolonged lockdowns across Canada have led to increases in domestic violence, opioid deaths, mental health crises, business closures and mass unemployment.

These are real-life consequences of the COVID-19 government lockdowns. They are not nameless statistics. These are Canadians whose quality of life has been sacrificed for long enough. Canadians need hope. They need a clear, permanent path out of the lockdowns to preserve their mental health, and they need a plan to save their livelihoods while using any and every tool available to prevent COVID-19 deaths.

People need to live in order to live. The government's failure to approve and distribute rapid tests early on, its failure to secure reliable contracts and its inability to come up with a plan to get the country back on track are costing Canadians dearly.

I am going to shift my focus now to the consequences for the thousands of Canadians involved in agriculture supply chains. Let me speak first to the agriculture sector I know best, from personal experience. I grew up on a potato farm in Lambton—Kent—Middlesex. My family grew and sourced potatoes for domestic and U.S. markets, so I have personal knowledge of fresh table food production in Canada. Even before the COVID-19 lockdowns, fruit and vegetable producers faced labour shortages. These producers cannot find enough willing Canadians to help plant, tend and harvest crops of fruits and vegetables. That is why Canadian farmers bring international workers to Canada, under the temporary foreign worker program and the seasonal agricultural worker program, to help with the growing season from January through harvest. They are critical to Canada's food sovereignty.

Last year growers near my riding lost millions of pounds of fresh produce that was nearly ready for harvest because of COVID-19. About a year ago, I began flagging to the government potential consequences for the 2020 season of fruit and vegetable production but, sadly and largely, it was to no avail. Last November, I asked the Minister of Health and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food how they planned to handle the entry of thousands of international farm workers for the 2021 season. I asked them for their rapid testing plan. All I got was radio silence.

As recently as the weekend before last, I heard from producers who were attempting the impossible: to comply with unworkable regulations from the government on quarantine for workers entering into Canada. For example, farm workers who only speak Spanish are required to phone nurses who speak only English or French. Employers have been required to forward test samples by Purolator courier from places where there is no Purolator service. Mixed messaging, excuses and shirking responsibility are not what Canadians expect from their government in a time of crisis.

Beef, pork, chicken, turkey and egg producers and processors have also been affected by COVID-19. Capacity on these processing lines has been severely reduced by social distancing measures and temporary plant shutdowns. This has led to weeks of backlogs. Beef and pork producers' capacity has been significantly impacted. At times, this has risen to a level of crisis for producers and processors.

Canadians have questions and, after a year of putting up with restrictions and lockdowns, they deserve answers. Any restrictions on Canadians' charter rights and freedoms must be demonstrably justified, meaning that the burden of proof is on the government to prove that the limits it has imposed are reasonable. Canadians know this is not happening.

We have heard, over and over again, from the Liberal government and its leader that these are unprecedented times. Though this statement rings true, it has been used and misused to justify the worst behaviour unbecoming of any government in a western democracy. It is time for the government to make Canadians' freedom its priority. Abraham Lincoln famously said, “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts...”. It is time for the government to stop treating Canadians like children in need of a caregiver. They want their lives back. They want to start earning paycheques and stop receiving government cheques.

In conclusion, Canadians want and deserve a clear plan that shows a path and a timeline to end the lockdowns. By now, Canadians should know when things are going to get better and what metrics their government is using to determine the timeline for reopening. They deserve a clear, data-driven plan to support safely and permanently lifting COVID-19 restrictions. The Liberal government cannot keep asking Canadians to sacrifice more without being clear about when the restrictions will be lifted. The Prime Minister needs to lay out a plan that will give Canadians a clear expectation of when life and business will return to normal.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

There has been a lot of discussion today, Madam Speaker, about which jurisdictions these matters fall within, whether provincial or federal. The member and I are both from ridings in Ontario. The Ontario solicitor general, who I would add is a Conservative, recently weighed in on this. She must be paying attention to what we are doing here. She said, “It is not the role of the federal government to advocate for or against lockdowns.”

I am curious. Does the member agree with the Conservative solicitor general in Ontario, or does she think that she is wrong?

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

Madam Speaker, I am hearing from my constituents that if the government had procured vaccines, if it got the contracts right in the first place and if it had not waited on things, we would see places opening. Why should grandparents not be able to hug their grandchildren? Why should my sister-in-law not be able to say goodbye to her father as he was passing away? Why should my other family members not be able to celebrate the life of the father they lost last month? The Liberals have failed on vaccines, and it is their responsibility to lay out the plan for Canadians to get their vaccines so we can reopen.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Madam Speaker, I have often wondered if Twitter would have a negative impact on politics and I certainly thought I heard that today. I know the Conservatives do not believe that climate change is real. Now they believe the pandemic is not real. I could go on about the Liberal government endlessly. As much as I would blame the Liberals for everything, I cannot blame them for the fact that we cannot visit relatives because we are in the middle of a third wave of a pandemic. It is a scientific fact. It is a reality.

I know the Conservatives are more upset about Bigfoot than they are about science, but there is this idea that there is some kind of plot out there to stop people from visiting. The plot is the new variants coming out that have to be addressed.

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

Madam Speaker, the government has not shown us any scientific data for a plan. If it showed us the data, we could have a plan, but we have no plan on rapid testing across the country. We had no plan on how we were going to get the vaccines here. We are still waiting for vaccines to come. Canadians deserve a plan from the government, and they need it to be data-driven. They deserve a plan that supports gradually reopening our economy.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, to the hon. member for Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, I hate to be a pedant on this point, but Abraham Lincoln never said the quote that she put forward. It is not her fault. It is often misquoted. What Abraham Lincoln said, which is useful in this moment in time, is, “We must not be enemies.” We must listen to the better angels of our nature, which I think requires that we be less partisan in this place.

I have read the Conservative motion carefully, contrary to what the member for Calgary Nose Hill inferred. I have read the motion. It does not use the word “benchmarks”. It does not use the word “indicators”. I find myself unable to vote for it, although there are many sentiments being expressed by Conservatives, New Democrats and Bloc Québécois members in this place with which I completely agree. We all want more certainty, but we are in a race now between vaccines and variants, and the risk remains real.

Are the Conservative Party members on the floor of this place inventing words into their motion to make it one that we could vote upon?

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

Madam Speaker, what my constituents of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex have been asking me for months is to have the government show them a clear plan. They tell me the government has failed on securing rapid testing. It has failed on plans such as getting the vaccines here. We have farmers who cannot get their machinery fixed right now because they cannot bring in the technicians from overseas who are the only ones who know how to repair them. They cannot get them to come fix their machines.

We are in the middle of the start of the growing season. Asparagus farmers and other farmers in Norfolk county are out today protesting these restrictions and the convoluted rules for workers coming into Canada to help with the harvest. They say it is worse this year than it was last year. The government has had one year to get a plan together to make sure that we could reopen safely and get through this. However, we still have seen no data. We have seen no plan, and it is—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise today. I will be sharing my time with the member for Newmarket—Aurora.

I do want to address this motion. I am glad that the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands asked a question last, because she hit on something that hit a nerve this morning, and rightly so.

The member for Calgary Nose Hill, who moved this motion, said that this motion was about benchmarks and establishing various different degrees by which things should occur, but it is not. The motion does not talk about that at all. We can have all the preamble that we want in the “whereas” clauses, but the only thing that matters is the “resolved” clause in a motion. In a properly written motion, we should be able to strip away the preamble and just use the “resolved” clause to give the direction that it needs.

The “resolved” clause says that “the House call on the government to table within 20 calendar days, following the adoption of this motion, a clear data-driven plan to support safely, gradually and permanently lifting COVID-19 restrictions.” There is nothing in the motion about establishing benchmarks.

I want to spend some time talking about the confusion within this motion. There are really two parts to this, because this motion is not completely within the provincial jurisdiction, in my mind. There are some aspects that fall within the federal government and some that fall within the provincial government. I will start by talking about some of those that I see as falling within the federal government but that I find very problematic in terms of the way the motion is set up.

The member for Calgary Nose Hill mentioned a couple of things in her opening remarks, borders and the airline industry, that are good examples of things over which the federal government has jurisdiction. The federal government has jurisdiction over the matters that are constitutionally given to it and that are set up through the practices of our country since Confederation.

The reality is that for something like borders, there is a role for the federal government, but the question is whether the federal government should be required to come back to this House in 20 days and say, “This is how we will open the borders. This is the timeline.” That could only ever be the situation if we were able to know not what the results of the variables would be but what the variables are, and the reality is that we do not.

When we talk about opening a border between Canada and the United States, we have to realize that so much of it is heavily dependent on what they do in the United States, what action they are taking and where their numbers are. If we do not have the ability to influence that variable, how would we ever be able to say what the exact plan will be for how things will reopen? It just cannot be done.

The Conservatives talk about putting together a plan. I happen to think that it is a pretty good system that is in place. It is reviewed on a monthly basis by the Minister of Public Safety. He reviews it with the expert advice that he has, and he decides whether or not to extend it for another month. If the U.S. situation improves dramatically and the expert advice is that we should open that border, I am sure the minister will take that very important advice under consideration.

The same can be said about airlines. Canada is only half of the equation for international flights. Where are the flights going? Where are they coming from? So much of it depends on that and those other variables, so it is very challenging.

Let us turn to the other part of this, which is the discussion about provincial jurisdictions that has been coming up quite a bit today. Notwithstanding the fact that the member for Calgary Nose Hill and other members have stood up and said Liberals are just going to say that they cannot do anything because it is not their jurisdiction, in fact some things are not our jurisdiction, as is constitutionally afforded to the two different levels of government in this case.

When I think of some of the things that have happened in my riding, of the lockdowns that have come into place and how they have been lifted, I have an incredible amount of respect for Dr. Kieran Moore, our chief medical officer of health, who has steered our community through this wave. It has been incredible. We have had only one COVID death in our health unit in Ontario, and a lot of that has to do with the incredible work of our local medical officer of health, who is of course empowered by the provincial government. I think to myself, “Why would we think we have some kind of jurisdiction over our local medical officers of health and the jurisdiction to close businesses?” We do not regulate how businesses open and close. It is not within the purview of the federal government.

I quoted Sylvia Jones, the Ontario solicitor general, to the member for Sarnia—Lambton. The solicitor general said that it is not the role of the federal government to advocate for or against lockdowns and went on to say that the Ontario framework is working very well. I thought this was a pretty good quote, so I took this quote and I tried to tweet it to the member for Calgary Nose Hill. What happened? She has blocked me. The member for Calgary Nose Hill has blocked a member of the House on Twitter, and when I raise this concern, other members from the Conservative Party are chanting “Hear, hear.” Are they even really interested—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Go on, go on. Do you have more to say? Please, keep digging—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

On a point of order, the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I am trying to follow my hon. colleague's meanderings. Is he actually weeping in the House that people are blocking him because of his incoherence at times? Did he say “blocking”? I was not sure if I heard correctly. Maybe it is a question of people having very wise judgment in that.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

I am not sure that is a point of order. It is more a point of debate.

The hon. member for Kingston and the Islands.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, the member for Timmins—James Bay and the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan did a lot better in trying to interrupt everything when they were together in the House, as opposed to doing it when they are present virtually.

My point is that the member for Calgary Nose Hill has blocked me on Twitter because she is obviously afraid that I am providing her with information that she does not want to see. What kind of elected official is it that actively goes out and tries to silence the members from other parties? How are we supposed to collaboratively get along in this place when the member for Calgary Nose Hill is blocking other MPs on Twitter? I just do not understand it.

Normally I think I would wear that as a badge of honour, but given the circumstances today and the fact that I want to give her meaningful information that she can use for this debate, I find it very troubling.

With that, I want to quickly read that quote again, because the member has blocked me. I want to make sure it gets through to her. Sylvia Jones, the Ontario solicitor general, has said that it is not the role of the federal government to advocate for or against lockdowns.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Speaker, I want to start by expressing my sincere condolences to the member for Kingston and the Islands for having to go through the experience of having someone block him on Twitter. I cannot imagine what that feels like and I know the hearts of members in the House really go out to the member. We are having a debate on lockdowns, and he spent about half of his speech sharing from his heart what that was like.

I wonder if he could further share with the House on that point, but also if he would note that it is the responsibility of government to put in place economic policies with respect to rules and the responsibility of the federal government to lead in establishing a framework. Would he not agree that the federal government can work constructively with the provinces on these issues?

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, I certainly appreciate that sentiment and I believe it comes from the heart. I do not think it would bother me so much, except for the fact that we are supposed to be sharing information around here so that we can work together. There is clearly a non-interest from the member for Calgary Nose Hill in doing that. She has taken her position on this issue. She seems to be entrenched in it. She does not seem to be interested in what other members of the House have to say to her. Therefore, I can only imagine that there is no sense of willingness to compromise or look for some common ground.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Madam Speaker, like my colleague from Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, I was also very touched. My goodness, I am still moved. I immediately did something about it and followed my colleague from Kingston and the Islands on Twitter. However, I should warn him that I will block him the first time he tries to give me any information. I certainly do not want to be influenced in any way.

My question is a little more serious, because we are discussing relaxing certain measures and presenting a plan for getting back to normal. I would like to know what my colleague thinks of the intentions expressed in the House over the past few days and weeks to encroach the provinces' jurisdiction over health care. I want his opinion. I know very well that he will tell me that the federal government has a responsibility and so on and so on. Above all, I would like to know if, in the many debates on the provincial jurisdiction over health care, the government is actually telling the provinces that they are not doing a good job and need to be told how to do it properly.

Is that the message the government is trying to send?

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, the only thing more predictable than the member for Calgary Nose Hill blocking somebody she does not like is the Bloc Québécois getting up at every single opportunity on every single motion or bill before this House to talk about transfers to the province. Whether it is yesterday's or today's opposition day motion, it does not really matter what they are about, as the Bloc is here to talk about health transfers.

The reality is that we need to make sure we allow the proper jurisdictions to implement and release those lockdowns based on the expert advice they get. There is a role for the federal government to play as it relates to its measures with respect to border security, which I addressed during my speech, and those should be done based on the advice being received by the minister responsible.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, I lament the fact that things descend into the partisan. We are still in a pandemic. We still have variants. We may indeed be in a third wave. I do not believe we are in a position to demand that we have a plan by any particular number of days, but it is more than fair and reasonable to ask for more transparency about when we might be able to see recovery.

I fear very much that we make mistakes in this place by being partisan. I recall that in late January or early February of 2020, the Conservatives were angry at the government for not doing enough to get Canadians out of Wuhan and repatriated to Canada. They have now forgotten that and think we should have closed our borders sooner.

All of us are doing our best. Is it possible we can try to set aside the partisanship and work to know when we can get people vaccinated and make sure the communications are clear? We are still at risk here. We must not push reopening when the variants are in the midst of our population.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, I wish this member could bring forward opposition day motions, because I know they would work toward a purpose and not be politically driven.

This motion is completely politically driven. The Conservatives want us to vote against this so they can say the Liberals do not want to reopen things.

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to contribute to the debate on the motion before us today.

I will start by acknowledging that it has been a very difficult year for all Canadians. Everyone has been affected by this pandemic in some way or another. In Newmarket—Aurora, we have shared in the suffering from the loss of life, fears for the future, the impact on mental health, the loneliness, and the challenges faced by small businesses, their owners and employees.

Let me assure all Canadians that the government remains committed to doing whatever it takes to help Canadians and Canadian businesses survive through this crisis.

To quote Martin Luther King Jr., “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

From day one, this government has been there with a comprehensive and fiscally responsible support package to help Canadians and businesses of all sizes weather the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, we have been able to respond from a position of strength. Canada entered this crisis in a strong fiscal position, allowing the government to take decisive action to provide the support that was needed to weather this storm.

We started with a low debt position and have been able to maintain that advantage relative to our peers, and with historically low debt servicing costs, the government has been able to afford to take on debt so that Canadians do not have to. Federal debt servicing costs relative to the size of our economy are at a 100-year low, and we are locking in these low costs by issuing more debt in longer-term instruments at historically low rates.

The federal government has provided more than eight out of every 10 dollars spent in Canada to fight COVID-19 and support Canadians. These investments represent Canada's largest financial response since the Second World War. The International Monetary Fund in its recent staff report for the 2021 article IV consultation estimates that without Canada's COVID-19 economic response plan, real output would have declined by an additional 7.8% in 2020 and the unemployment rate would have been 3.2% higher. By providing Canadian businesses and families a financial lifeline to pull them through the crisis, the government has helped Canada avoid widespread business and personal bankruptcies and the possible negative impact of that for generations of Canadians.

However, it is not just support programs that the government has deployed. In fact, the very first thing the government and its partners did at the start of the crisis was to make sure that businesses had access to credit. Indeed, the first coordinated package of measures supported financial sector liquidity, the functioning of markets and continued access to financing for Canadian businesses. This included the business credit availability program in which the Business Development Bank of Canada and Export Development Canada have cooperated with private sector lenders to make financing and credit insurance available to Canadian business.

An important part of the program is the Canada emergency business account, which provides small businesses with access to interest-free loans of up to $60,000, one-third of which is forgivable if repaid by December 31, 2020. After listening to Canadian business owners, the government modified or expanded the program several times, making it available to self-employed business owners and also increasing the maximum loan by $20,000. As of March 11, more than 846,000 businesses have been approved for loans, for a total of more than $44 billion.

The government has also provided $306 million in short-term, interest-free loans and non-repayable contributions through aboriginal financial institutions, which offers financing and business support services to first nations, Inuit and Métis businesses.

Furthermore, the government deferred the collection of income and sale taxes from businesses, freeing up valuable short-term cash when they needed to cover other costs.

This comprehensive package of support has helped ensure that Canadian businesses were able to continue to pay their employees and their bills during a time of uncertainty.

Fighting COVID-19 and getting the economy back on track is not infinite. Once the need for support throughout the crisis has passed, the time-limited measures will be prudently withdrawn.

As government supports transition in the next few months from mitigation to recovery, we will draw upon the lessons learned from the experience of many countries following the 2008-09 financial crisis and during recoveries from earlier deep recessions. This experience suggests that most economies that withdrew fiscal support too quickly experienced slower growth afterward, and Canada will follow the advice of the International Monetary Fund and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that governments maintain substantial fiscal support through the crisis and over the recovery phase.

As we normalize our fiscal position in the wake of the virus, we will once again do so from a position of strength. While the federal debt is significantly higher than in recent years, it will be far more manageable than at its historic peak in the 1990s.

When the virus is under control and our economy is ready for new growth, our government will deploy an ambitious stimulus package over three fiscal years to jump-start our recovery to support and grow the middle class. This additional spending has not been formally included in the government’s fiscal framework yet, as the ultimate size and timing is highly dependent on the evolving health and economic situation.

Therefore, to ensure that Canada is prepared, our government is planning for four different scenarios regarding the timing, size and profile of the stimulus spending. The growth plan for strong recovery will take us toward an economy that is greener, more innovative, more inclusive and more competitive. The government has been working with Canadians to plan and prepare our investments for when the virus is under control. The key to this plan will be smart, time-limited investments that act fast while also making a long-term contribution to our shared prosperity, competitiveness and our green transition.

Despite recent encouraging signs of recovery, we have not yet turned the corner. About one million Canadians who had a job before the crisis are still out of work or working sharply reduced hours, and many small businesses continue to be greatly impacted by the crisis. The Government of Canada will continue to deploy the necessary fiscal firepower to fight the pandemic and then for us to recover strongly, while continuing to manage its finances prudently, retaining its low-debt advantage among G7 peers. The government’s strategy will be implemented responsibly, with a sustainable approach for future generations.

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Madam Speaker, I have been listening to this debate carefully today, and government members consistently say there are jurisdictional issues and that we should not be telling the provinces what to do, because the provinces will have to decide what to do, and we should not be interfering in provincial jurisdiction; hence, the government cannot have a plan at the federal level. That is essentially the message.

I was just looking on Joe Biden's website, where he posted a plan called “The Biden Plan for an Effective Reopening that Jumpstarts the Economy”. The United States is a republic. It has 50 states with different jurisdictions. It has a federal government that has its own jurisdictional issues as well. If a country like the United States can do it with 50 states and other territories, why can Canada not publish a plan just like President Biden did?

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Madam Speaker, one of the things I have taken a considerable pride in is the way that the federal, provincial and municipal governments have been able to work collaboratively in response to the urgency of the situation. In large measure, that continues. It is my genuine hope, as I heard from other members, that we can go forward without salting this down with partisan motives and objectives.

There need to be a lot of conversations with the municipal and provincial parties so that we can go forward, but we need to remember that this is an evolving situation. There are so many changes. For example, we can look at the variants of concern and how they are impacting us or the province of Ontario, and how we are still at a very high level of infection. These things need to be considered so that we can be strategic, surgical and direct in the solutions that we—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Hastings—Lennox and Addington.