Debates of March 9th, 2021

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, on March 1, 2018, the former ombudsman of the Canadian Forces, Gary Walbourne, met with the Minister of National Defence to inform him of allegations of sexual misconduct involving General Vance. Mr. Walbourne wanted to share evidence with the minister, but the minister refused.

In response, the minister said that he disagrees with parts of Mr. Walbourne's testimony, without specifying which parts. What is more, he said that he looked forward to providing his version of the facts in committee. Why wait to testify in committee? Why not speak up now?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated, I disagree with the testimony by Mr. Walbourne. I look forward to testifying at committee.

No politician should be in charge of any type of investigation. What needs to be done here, as always, is that information be passed on to the appropriate authorities, as should have been done by Mr. Walbourne. By Mr. Walbourne's own testimony, the PCO followed up with him immediately.

I look forward to testifying at committee as soon as possible.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals like saying that they are always there for the advancement and protection of women. We have a flagrant case that was brought to the attention of the Minister of National Defence. The defence minister says that some of the former ombudsman's assertions are erroneous.

Why is the minister unable to tell us here in the House what statements he disagrees with?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to testifying at committee, but one thing we can agree on is that we do need to do more to make sure that we create an inclusive environment for all in the Canadian Armed Forces, especially when it comes to sexual misconduct.

We have passed Bill C-77, the declaration of victims rights. We have an independent justice review that is ongoing. We also have an independent panel looking at systemic racism and gender bias. We have a lot more work to do, and we are going to continue with that progress.

Public Services and Procurement

[Chris d'Entremont, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, last spring the federal government faced a PPE shortage and desperately needed to respond to Canada’s demand due to COVID-19. Last month, the Liberal member for Cumberland—Colchester stated on social media that her government had invested $27.9 million to enable Stanfield’s in Truro, Nova Scotia, to manufacture PPE for front-line workers. The fact is that no such investment exists.

Can the minister elaborate on what the member for Cumberland—Colchester falsely conveyed to Stanfield's and her constituents?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, as a person born and bred in Nova Scotia, I believe in Nova Scotia industry and its hard-working people. I want to also thank the member for Cumberland—Colchester for her hard work and advocacy on behalf of her constituents and all Nova Scotians throughout the pandemic.

Since day one, our government has focused on efforts on expanding domestic manufacturing of PPE, including investing over $27.9 million in Stanfield's Truro plant. On this side of the House, our government remains focused on helping small businesses that seek to retool to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Chris d'Entremont, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, not a cent went to Stanfield's, but it stepped up and made sure there was domestic production of PPE. It invested in itself and upgraded its facility to participate in making sure Canadians were not caught off guard again. It was assured by the local MP and others that procurement was interested in a more collaborative approach to domestic production of PPE. This also turned out to be false, as no contract was awarded to an Atlantic Canadian company.

Could the minister tell us why Atlantic Canada was left out of the most recent procurement of PPE?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, domestic manufacturing capacity has been a core element of our government's plan throughout the pandemic, with PPE produced locally being used to protect front-line workers throughout Canada. I find it interesting that the opposition raises this now simply because the facts are that our government has invested over $27.9 million in Stanfield's Truro plant.

Again, on this side of the House, we are supporting small business. We are supporting Canadians across the country and, indeed, 40% of our PPE contracts by dollar value are with Canadian businesses.

Pensions

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Bloc Québécois convinced all opposition parties that seniors' pensions must be increased.

For the first time, the House of Commons voted to demand that the government increase pensions by $110 a month for seniors aged 65 and up. The House recognized that seniors are hit the hardest by the pandemic and that we are indebted to those who built Quebec and Canada.

Will the government undertake to comply with the demand by the House and increase pensions of those 65 years of age and up starting with the next budget?

[Deb Schulte, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind my hon. colleague, as I said yesterday, that the Bloc motion failed to recognize the full range of challenges that seniors face and that we have been supporting seniors with direct financial support and enhanced programs. Our government recognizes the pressures on older seniors. As seniors age, their financial security often decreases and their needs increase. That is why our government recognizes this need and will help address it by increasing old age security by 10% for seniors aged 75 and up.

We have taken significant actions to support seniors, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we will always stand with seniors.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government must stop mixing up one-time support provided during the pandemic and ongoing assistance that seniors have been waiting for since the last election campaign.

Old age pensions must be increased at age 65, not 75, because we do not have two classes of seniors. People aged 65 and up are just as affected by the pandemic as people aged 75. They are experiencing the same isolation, the same price increases, the same deterioration of mental health. They are also affected by the virus.

Every opposition party understands what seniors are going through at this time. Will the Liberals finally understand and increase pensions for all seniors 65 and up in the next budget?

[Deb Schulte, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, I just want to address my hon. colleague's premise. She is also mixing up pandemic relief with future pensions for seniors. I want to identify that older seniors have different needs. They are more likely to outlive their savings. They have disabilities. They are unable to work and may be widowed, and all the while their health care costs are rising.

Of seniors, 57% are women, four in 10 are widows and 59% have incomes below $30,000. Our plan will help address these pressures by increasing old age security by 10% for seniors age 75 and up. This will be the first permanent increase to the OAS pension since—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Parry Sound—Muskoka.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government took two months to rollout the badly needed HASCAP to businesses in the hardest-hit sectors. As if this long delay was not bad enough, businesses such as Deerhurst Resort in my riding are being denied emergency support funds now that applications are finally open. The government's job is to help those who need help most, those like Deerhurst, their 600 employees and so many other tourism businesses that need help now.

Will the government actually make HASCAP accessible for the hardest-hit businesses?

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

Mr. Speaker, I must be honest, it is hard to take my Conservative colleagues at face value on the importance of helping small businesses considering their weeks' long blockade and vote against Bill C-14, which would provide additional relief for our small business owners. It is hard to take them at face value when they refuse to work through the evening to debate and pass important legislation.

The member, for example, for Kildonan—St. Paul, the critic for future workforce development, said herself that it was of the essence to pass Bill C-24 very quickly and yet that message has not gotten to the Leader of the Opposition.

Airline Industry

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the aviation sector employs hundreds of my constituents and is a key economic driver. This sector is hemorrhaging, and B.C. residents are concerned that remote communities will lose the airports they rely on to transport people and critical supplies. Canadian airlines need a consistent and transparent recovery framework from the government. They need clarity to plan their offerings and seat sales.

When will the government scrap its failed mandatory hotel quarantines and implement an evidence-based post-arrival testing regime?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, a strong airline sector is vital for Canada's economy and the well-being of Canadians. I know the hon. member agrees with me that now is not the time for Canadians to travel. However, we know that the airline sector has been hit hard by the pandemic, and we must do whatever we can to help key players remain resilient and strong for the recovery phase.

This is why our government will invest more than $1 billion to support those key players, such as airports and regional airlines, and we are currently in the midst of discussions with major airlines for a customized aid package.

Women and Gender Equality

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has presided over the largest decline of female workforce employment and has set us back 30 years. There are 500,000 women who remain out of work. In fact, 10 times as many men than women have re-entered the workforce during the pandemic and 100,000 women have stopped looking for work all together because there are no opportunities available to them.

It has been a year since the pandemic began, yet the Liberal government has failed to provide a plan to Canadian women. Where is the plan for jobs, and where is the plan for economic recovery?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to hear the Conservatives focusing on a central preoccupation of our government, which is the uneven impact of this pandemic on women. That is why I was so delighted to announce yesterday with my colleague, the Associate Minister of Finance, the creation of a task force on women and the economy that will focus on precisely this issue.

Let me say to the member opposite, if she is sincerely concerned, as I hope and believe she must be, about Canadian women in this pandemic, I hope she will join us in voting for Bill C-14, which provides essential support to small businesses, workers and families.

Health

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for months, the Conservatives have been trying to score political points by claiming that Canada has no vaccination plan and that we are at the back of an imaginary line.

Our priority on this side of the House is to serve and protect Canadians, not to scare them. That is what real leadership is all about. My constituents in Vimy want the facts, not Conservative talking points.

Could the minister set the record straight on our plan and on how many vaccines we expect to get in the coming months?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Vimy for her question and for her hard work.

Thanks to our government's aggressive procurement strategy, we have enough vaccines to vaccinate every Canadian who wants to be by the end of September, if not earlier.

We will be getting a total of eight million vaccines by the end of March, which is two million more than expected.

Since our agreements came into force, we have managed to move up delivery of about 14 million doses of the approved vaccines during the second quarter.

The Economy

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, “Canada is back” under the Liberals. Yes, Canada is back with deficits, a debt of over $1 trillion and the highest rate of unemployment.

We just saw it. The Liberals are bragging about what they have done, but they are lagging behind because they dragged their feet on vaccines.

We, the Conservatives, are proposing a recovery plan to support workers who have been affected by the pandemic and to help businesses.

When will the Liberals present a real economic recovery plan to get Canada back on track?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are talking here about masters of obstruction.

My colleague said quite seriously that he wants to help Canadians. To help Canadians, we need to pass bills. However, day after day, the Conservatives are filibustering. All they do is obstruct.

They need to stop playing this game. We need to support Canadians. I am reaching out to the Conservatives and all the parties in the House so that we can pass these bills as quickly as possible. Let us do it for Canadians.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Tako Van Popta, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

Mr. Speaker, $1 million is what gets pumped into Vancouver's or Victoria's economy every time a cruise ship stops by on its way up to Alaska, but the government’s outright, year-long ban will kill all of that. Right now Americans, who are miles ahead of us in vaccinating their citizens, are planning a workaround to avoid Canadian ports all together.

Does the minister recognize the government’s botched vaccine plan could do permanent and serious damage to British Columbia's tourism sector?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as we have stated before, we remain focused on the health and safety of Canadians. Our government has announced a prohibition of cruise vessels in Canadian waters until February of 2022. With these prohibitions in place, public health authorities will be able to continue focusing on the most pressing issues, including the containment of COVID-19 and its variants.

We understand the impact this has on the sector. Our top priority is to continue to make decisions that are based on science and data.