Debates of March 23rd, 2021

Health

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, “hand in hand” might be a bit of an exaggeration, but spring has brought with it some lovely surprises, including one or two collaborations between the federal government and Quebec, such as $500 million for high-speed Internet in the regions of Quebec, an amount that will be transferred to Quebec by 2022. My goodness, that was in the 2019 Bloc Québécois platform. We are delighted.

Could this wonderful and emerging openness be extended to health transfers, which were called for by a unanimous vote of the Quebec National Assembly as well as the Premier of Quebec and all Canadian premiers?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, from the outset of the pandemic, we have been working hand in hand with the provinces, with the required investments and spending to get through the pandemic. Tens of billions of dollars have been transferred to the provinces and territories to help them ease the pressure on our health care system.

We will continue to be there to work with the provinces and to protect Canadians across the country. Once the pandemic is over, we will enter into discussions to determine how we will increase health transfers to ensure that Canadians are well served in the future as well.

Canadian Heritage

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what makes sense is more money for health care during the pandemic, not after the pandemic. Nevertheless, it is spring, and things are looking up.

Yesterday, along with Premier Legault—who was accused of being a white supremacist—the Prime Minister condemned Quebec bashing. That is great, truly. Now what? What can he do to walk the talk? How can he signal to the rest of Canada that Quebeckers are no more racist than the Prime Minister of Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I want to respond to what my hon. colleague said at the beginning of his question, which is that the provinces need money for their health care systems now, not in the future, because we are in a crisis now. That is what we have been saying and doing since day one.

We transferred tens of billions of dollars to help Quebeckers and all Canadians deal with this challenge to our health care system. We will always be there for Quebeckers and Canadians, now and in the years to come. That is a promise.

National Defence

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after learning about complaints of sexual misconduct against his former chief of the defence staff, the Prime Minister not only increased his salary, but extended his contract.

This sends a clear message to women in the Canadian Armed Forces that they are not safe and they are not taken seriously. Will the Prime Minister apologize and ensure that this never happens again?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as the government, we always take all allegations seriously and ensure they are followed up by the appropriate independent authorities. That is exactly what happened in this situation.

After the ombudsman reported his concerns to the Minister of National Defence, the minister referred the ombudsman to the independent authorities mandated to follow up on serious allegations. It is not up to politicians to make these decisions and conduct investigations; it is up to the independent authorities, and that is exactly what happened in this situation.

Health

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, real leadership is about finding solutions, not looking for excuses. If, as a nation, we took the approach of the Liberal government looking for excuses, then we would have never had universal health care.

We know this pandemic has disproportionately impacted seniors, who were the hardest hit, particularly in long-term care, and we know that for-profit long-term care had the worst conditions.

Will the Prime Minister show leadership and support our New Democratic opposition day motion to remove profit from long-term care so our seniors are cared for with respect and dignity?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, all Canadians in the House and across the country can agree that we need to ensure our seniors are getting the care, treatment and dignity they so richly deserve. That is something on which we are committed to working with the provinces and territories.

Unlike the NDP, we understand and respect the Constitution of Canada that designates certain areas of jurisdiction as being provincial authority, but we will work hand in hand with the provinces and territories to ensure that right across the country all seniors get the top quality of care. It is something we all want. It is something we are going to work together on, in partnership, to deliver.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, a year of lockdowns has had devastating mental health effects on Canadians. Too many have said their final good-byes to a parent or a grandparent through a window, or not at all. We have missed too many funerals and too many weddings.

However, two weeks ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that vaccinated grandparents in the U.S. can spend time with their grandchildren. Here in Canada, grandparents are looking for some hope too. Will grandparents in Canada who have been vaccinated get to see their grandchildren?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way, Canada's response has been guided by science and evidence and has been done in partnership and collaboration with provinces and territories. The member of the opposition knows that it is provinces and territories that set the public health guidelines. In fact, it is local public health officials who work to protect all Canadians in their jurisdictions.

We have been there for Canadians and the provinces and territories. We will continue to be there for them.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is abdicating its responsibility by refusing to make recommendations on this, and the Liberals need to acknowledge that.

For many Canadians, spiritual and mental health are linked. Gathering with people of the same faith and belief has been vital to freedom of worship and good mental health. With suicides and overdoses increasing, people have fewer places to go for help. For most of the last year, more Canadians could go to Costco than to their temple or their church.

Will vaccinated Canadians be able to attend their church, synagogue or temple? We are asking the federal government for direction on this.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, again, the member opposite knows that those decisions around public health measures are related to the public health leadership in that jurisdiction, whether it be provincial, territorial or local. We want to thank all the hard-working health care professionals who are protecting all of us during this very difficult time.

It is encouraging, though, to hear the member of the opposition talk about harm resulting from overdoses. I certainly hope it reflects a change in stance by the Conservative Party in its opposition to having compassionate harm reduction care.

The Economy

[James Cumming, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, last week at FINA, I asked Philip Cross, who was the chief economic analyst at Statistics Canada for years, if he saw anything in Bill C-14 or the fall statement that would give him comfort that there is an actual plan on growing our way out of this crisis we are in today. His answer was a flat out “no”.

After 422 days of small business shutdowns and sector collapses, can the government tell us today what its plan is for economic recovery?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome that question because it gives me an opportunity to share some good economic news with this House. Last week, ratings agency DBRS Morningstar reaffirmed Canada's AAA rating and wrote as follows:

Canada’s AAA ratings are underpinned by the country’s considerable fundamental strengths, including its sound macroeconomic policy frameworks, large and diverse economy, and strong governing institutions.

I thank Canadians for working so hard to get through this global pandemic.

[James Cumming, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about underpinnings. The Parliamentary Budget Officer said himself, “I haven't seen anything yet, at least, from the government on recent measures”, when questioned if the government had any outcome-based analysis when allocating government spending.

There are no metrics on productivity, growth rates or spending efficiency. If the government is not leading its decisions on economic recovery through traditional metrics, can it explain exactly what type of tea leaves or crystal balls it is consulting when determining its spending allocations?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, when the chips were down, our government was there for Canadians, and the results show it. Last week the IMF published estimates showing that without our government's economic response, real output would have declined by an additional 7.8 percentage points last year, and the unemployment rate would have been 3.2% higher. Our government stood by Canadians, and as a result of that support and the resilience of Canadians, the IMF projects our GDP will grow this year by 4.4%.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the Minister of Health if fully vaccinated seniors can hug their grandchildren. Today my colleague, the deputy leader, asked her a very similar question, and she said it was the jurisdiction of the provinces to make that determination. I am wondering if she and her department are planning on issuing any guidance on what vaccinated Canadians will or will not be able to do.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I will remind the member opposite that unlike the party opposite, we believe in science and evidence, including the evidence that climate change is real.

I will also remind the member opposite that it is in fact our work with the provinces and territories that results in national guidance. The guidance that has been developed with all provinces and territories is posted on our website, and I encourage all Canadians to check it out.

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

Mr. Speaker, at a time when we should all be working together to encourage Canadians with regard to vaccine uptake, the federal health minister should be starting to tell the Canadian public what she and her department are doing with regard to setting benchmarks on advice for what vaccinated Canadians can and cannot do.

I will ask her again, because she did not give an answer. Is the minister planning on issuing, on the advice of her department, any guidance on what vaccinated Canadians can or cannot do, or is she planning on completely abdicating this to the provincial governments?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, since the member opposite is talking about vaccine hesitation, I will say this. What I am confident in is the safety of the vaccines that have been approved by Health Canada to save the lives of people, so it is really important that Canadians accept vaccination when it is their turn and that they talk to their health care provider if they have any questions.

We know without a doubt that vaccinations are saving lives and we will continue to be there for the provinces and territories as they deliver those vaccinations into arms.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec and the provinces are calling for increased health transfers in order to deal with the pandemic, but especially because the cost of health care keeps rising, whereas the federal share of the funding keeps going down, causing Quebec and the provinces to go into debt.

Yesterday, in an internal document obtained by La Presse, the deputy minister of employment warned that the “trajectory of provincial net debt is unsustainable”.

This confirms that what Quebec and the provinces are saying is true and that the federal government knows it. Why is the federal government refusing to increase health transfers?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister has been very clear. We have been there for the provinces and territories throughout this pandemic, whether it is through billions of dollars in direct financial support, purchasing of personal protective equipment, providing additional personnel to help in prevention and to support people experiencing tremendous outbreaks in their regions, ensuring that we have access to vaccinations or paying for all those vaccinations.

We will continue to be there for provinces, including Quebec and Quebecers throughout this pandemic and beyond.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the deputy minister is proving that the government is well aware that, despite the deficit from the pandemic, Canada's debt-to-GDP ratio is the lowest in the G7 while Quebec and the provinces are going in debt because of skyrocketing health costs.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer already confirmed it; the Conference Board as well, as did the Council of the Federation and the National Assembly of Quebec. Today, we have confirmation that the government knows that all those people are right.

However, it chooses to continue to starve the health networks by refusing to increase health transfers. Why?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, despite what my colleague might say, the Government of Canada is collaborating with the Government of Quebec. We are there when it comes to health and we have been there from day one of the pandemic, bringing in testing, providing personal protective equipment and procuring vaccines.

We will continue to collaborate with the Government of Quebec in the future. We will always be there for Quebec.

Ethics

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when it came to light that the Prime Minister approved a half-billion-dollar grant to a group that had paid his family half a million dollars, he said, “Listen, this thing was just dropped on the cabinet table, and I knew nothing about it.” Is it really believable that the Prime Minister would know nothing about a half-billion-dollar cabinet submission?

Well, actually, yes, it is, but people should see this email that was sent to his top adviser from Craig Kielburger: “Hello Ben, Thank you for your kindness in helping shape our latest program with the government.”

What role did the Prime Minister's top adviser play in setting up this half-billion-dollar handout to the Prime Minister's friends?