Debates of March 25th, 2021

Labour

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yet there is no resolution.

On Sunday, Port of Montreal longshoremen completely rejected the collective agreement proposal, and a strike at one of our most vital ports is looming. Our rail lines are reducing service, ships are being rerouted and we could see some major delays in receiving essential goods. Our reputation as a reliable trade partner is in serious jeopardy.

Will the minister start taking Canada’s supply chain seriously and ensure our port system remains open for business?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, we absolutely recognize the central role of the port and we are aware of the uncertainty that the current situation is creating. There is a great of deal anxiety in supply chains across the various sectors, and it has the potential to cause significant reputational damage and economic harm across Canada, particularly in Montreal, in Quebec and in Ontario. We are absolutely fully on top of this situation. We are providing the supports. The mediators have been at that table for almost two and a half years. We will continue to monitor the situation and we strongly encourage the parties to come to an agreement at the table.

The Environment

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today's Supreme Court ruling is good news. Canadians are concerned about the climate crisis, but they are also concerned about the Liberals' lack of action.

Canada has missed every single climate target. The Liberals continue to hand out billions of dollars to big oil companies instead of putting that money into transit, energy-efficient homes and clean energy, and good jobs for workers in the low-carbon economy. They failed to deliver on their promise of a just transition act.

When will the minister stop treating the carbon tax as a silver bullet, stop leaving workers behind and stop subsidizing big polluters?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, again, I am very pleased to speak to the climate issue on a day when the Supreme Court reaffirmed the federal government's ability to ensure that we are pricing pollution in every part of this country. It is an important component of a comprehensive climate plan that is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building an economy that will drive prosperity in what will become an ever increasingly low-carbon universe of the future.

Certainly Canada has a climate plan. It has perhaps one of the most detailed climate plans in the world. We announced that plan in December. It demonstrates to Canadians very clearly how Canada will not just meet but will exceed the targets that it has established—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for South Okanagan—West Kootenay.

Public Safety

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, The Globe and Mail reports that Canada's nuclear safety regulator gave a 10-year licence extension to the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, despite inspection data that government experts said appeared to defy the laws of physics. The concern is around the aging pressure tubes holding the nuclear fuel bundles. A tube failure could result in a billion-dollar repair bill, at best, and a catastrophic Fukushima-like meltdown at worst.

Why does the government taken this hope-for-the-best approach to nuclear safety?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, protecting the health and safety of Canadians and the environment are our top priorities when it comes to nuclear energy. Canada has a comprehensive and robust regulatory framework for nuclear safety, one of the best in the world. We are committed to continuous improvement. We are working closely with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and we welcome all its recommendations.

Diversity and Inclusion

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Mr. Speaker, representation matters. All aspects of our society and our institutions, including the justice system, must reflect the diversity of Canada. After introducing critical reforms in 2016, our government has made the appointment process more open and transparent, leading to the appointment of more than 400 highly meritorious jurists.

Could the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada update the House on ongoing efforts taken by our government to increase diversity on our bench?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Bonavista—Burin—Trinity for his advocacy.

Yesterday our government announced the historic appointment of the first indigenous judge to the B.C. Court of Appeal, Justice Leonard Marchand, and also filled all vacancies on the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court. This shows our commitment to diversity on the bench. More than half of all judges appointed by our government are women, and appointments also reflect increased representation of visible minorities, indigenous people and LGBTQ2+ Canadians. Our courts must reflect the diversity that makes Canada great, not only because it is right but because it makes our justice system better.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, all military members need to be able to report abuse of power and sexual misconduct, confident in the knowledge that they will not suffer further abuse or reprisal. The passing of Bill C-77 in 2019 ensured that the privacy and security of victims within the Canadian Armed Forces was protected in law. However, this key legislation has not been implemented or enforced. Those who come forward still suffer. Why has the defence minister failed to implement the charter of victims in the armed forces?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, we as a government are working to provide support for victims through the ombudsman for victims in our country. We have funded a number of different programs across this country specifically targeted to victims. I can cite, for example, the family liaison units that came about as a result of MMIWG.

We look at all aspects of Canadian society in order to ensure that victims are accompanied in their dealings with the criminal justice system, and we do our best to treat them and support them with the respect and dignity that they deserve.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians continue to learn that far too many military members who have experienced sexual assault and misconduct remain trapped in a culture where their voices go unheard. Bill C-77 protects in law the anonymity and security of victims and witnesses in these cases, but failure to implement this critical charter has allowed serious allegations to be ignored, investigations to be shut down and charges to be dropped.

Why has the defence minister, for two years, failed to ensure that the charter of victims in the armed forces is enforced?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated in my previous answer, we take victims' rights seriously across all aspects of Canadian society, and that includes the military. I will come back to the member with a specific answer to her question that focuses on the military.

International Trade

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

Mr. Speaker, we recently learned from a senior government official that the Liberals were not pursuing a complete exemption from President Biden's buy American policies and are only looking at sector-specific exemptions. The Conservatives negotiated a full exemption back in 2009.

Did the Minister of International Trade push for a complete exemption for Canada from buy American during her call with the U.S. trade representative on March 22, or is the government's position now just settling for second best?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, buy America was raised directly during the bilateral meeting with President Biden. As Ambassador Hillman confirmed under testimony before our committee, the issue of buy America is consistently raised in almost every meeting between almost every minister and their U.S. counterparts.

We will continue to engage actively with our business community here in Canada, the business community in the United States and all levels of government in order to get a successful outcome to this issue, just as we did in our concerted effort to successfully conclude the new NAFTA.

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

Mr. Speaker, strict buy American policies would be devastating to the Canadian economy and impact our integrated supply chains if the Liberals fail to get a full exemption. The government would be handpicking which sectors and perhaps which businesses will succeed or fail if it is seeking only a partial exemption.

If a full buy American exemption is not granted to Canada, what is the Liberals' plan to stop good-paying, middle-class Canadian manufacturing jobs from packing up and moving south of the border?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite should know, Canada already benefits from a complete exemption from the Buy American provisions that the United States put in place.

As I mentioned earlier, we continue to work at all levels in order to gain an exemption to buy America. This is just as much in the interest of the United States as it is in Canada's. We are all looking for a strong economic recovery in North America, and we will work with the Biden administration to get there.

Health

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today, the Auditor General confirmed that the management of our borders during the pandemic was a complete failure.

The federal government was unable to find out whether 66% of travellers coming to Canada were in fact complying with the quarantine rules. That means that two out of every three travellers who came to Canada slipped right through the cracks.

How is it possible to lose track of two out of three people when the health of the population and the lives of seniors are at risk?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as of March 8, two million verification calls and over 70,000 in-person visits had been made to verify traveller compliance, and 1.2 million referrals had been made to law enforcement since April 1, 2020. There had been a 96% quarantine compliance rate since April 1, 2020, and a 98% quarantine compliance rate based on law enforcement activities. We have worked with partners across the country to make sure that people quarantine when they are required to do so by law.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Jonquière on a point of order.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

We did not see the member for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques the entire time he was asking his question. There was only the visual. I would like to know if he can start again.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We will allow the member to repeat his question.

The hon. member for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today, the Auditor General confirmed that the management of our borders during the pandemic was a complete failure.

The federal government was unable to find out whether 66% of travellers coming to Canada were in fact complying with the quarantine rules. That means that two out of every three travellers who came to Canada slipped right through the cracks.

How is it possible to lose track of two out of three people when the health of the population and the lives of seniors are at risk?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois needs to make up its mind.

Millions of Quebeckers are in the red zone and cannot see their parents or grandparents, Quebec has a curfew, and we fear that a third wave is coming based on the variants, but the Bloc Québécois is telling us that it wants to eliminate the hotel quarantine for snowbirds returning home.

That would mean easing restrictions. Now it is saying the opposite. It needs to make up its mind. Does it want fewer restrictions or more restrictions?

We put in place one of the strongest systems in the world, and we will continue to do so.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we can see that the government is confused. It just gave two different answers to the same question.

Not only was the federal government unable to make sure two out of three travellers were actually quarantining, it was not even able to loop in the proper authorities to help.

The federal government gave law enforcement the names of only 40% of the people at risk of violating quarantine. Ottawa let the majority of the people who crossed the border go unmonitored, without even notifying Quebec. Now it wonders why the variants are spreading all over the place.

Does the government realize that it committed gross negligence?