Debates of April 12th, 2021

Ethics

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we wanted to hear from the minister responsible, not Minister “I don't know”. That is what we got from him. He did not know any of the facts. We asked question after question, and he broke the Guinness Book of World Records for not having answers and, to his credit, openly admitting that he did not know any of the answers.

If he does not know any of the answers, can the Liberals send another minister, who can explain why the government gave a half-billion-dollar grant to a group that had paid the Prime Minister's family half a billion dollars?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows the answers. There is nothing new there. He read from a document where the answers were already there. The problem for the Conservatives is that they are trying to say, “Aha, there's something new here”, when there is absolutely nothing. All the questions have been answered.

We are defending ministerial responsibility, just as the member who just spoke defended it for a very long time until he changed his mind. I wonder why.

National Defence

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals at the defence committee just shut down the investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against General Vance. The Liberals are preventing key witnesses from appearing before committee and they are covering up what the defence minister knew about these serious allegations three years ago.

The self-proclaimed feminist Liberal government wants to bury the truth rather than stand up for the brave women in uniform who serve us.

Why did the Liberal government shut down the defence committee investigation that was trying to protect women in the military? What is it trying to hide?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will always respect the work done by colleagues at the committee. In fact, I have worked with the national defence committee on this matter quite extensively. I appeared at the committee three times for more than six hours. I repeatedly have stated at each of those appearances, and in many times in the House of Commons, that our government, and I personally, will not stand for any form of sexual misconduct and that we will take strong action on this.

I look forward to the recommendations of the committee when they come out.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister never did accept any responsibility. In fact, that is again another attempt on his behalf to cover up the sexual misconduct allegations he hid for three years.

The Liberals say that they want answers, but they shut down the very committee investigation that was trying to get to the bottom of them. If the government truly cared about our women and men in uniform, they would be supporting the work of the defence committee. Instead, they are trying to stop us from hearing from key witnesses, key Liberal witnesses, so they can cover up their failures.

When will the defence minister take responsibility for his inaction and stop his minions at the committee from obstructing the truth?

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

Mr. Speaker, the committee makes its own decision, but I absolutely disagree with the member's assertions. We have taken strong action. In fact, we took strong immediate action when the information was provided and the PCO followed up the next day. I took the time, at every opportunity, to appear at committee to answer questions, in fact, for over six hours.

I look forward to its recommendations on how we can stomp out this inappropriate behaviour inside the Canadian Armed Forces.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, speaking to the CBC, a senior bureaucrat revealed how Ottawa really sees its relationship with Quebec. When asked about interference in areas under provincial jurisdiction in the budget, this source stated, “The feds have the spending power. If we set out the terms and the money, the provinces who want to be early movers on this will come on board. Those that don't will have to reckon with their electorate.” In other words, we have the cash, and if Quebec wants any of it, it will have to accept our terms. How cynical.

We are in the midst of a public health crisis. Is it not time to work together?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am a bit surprised to hear the Bloc member talk about working together, because what he is trying to do with that question is pick a fight. That is the opposite of working together.

What my colleague is saying is that one of the things Ottawa wants to do is impose its vision on Quebec, but the facts show that we work very well together. We are getting through the pandemic together. We are supplying vaccines, and Quebec is distributing them. We are doing all this together. We just addressed the issue of Internet access in the regions. We did that together. My colleague should at least have the decency to acknowledge that Ottawa and Quebec work very well together.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is doing what the Liberals did all weekend long, that is, claiming that the Bloc wants to pick a fight. However, the rumours being leaked by the government leading up to the budget suggest that picking fights is precisely its strategy. Its senior officials are not even trying to hide the fact that they will interfere in Quebec and provincial jurisdictions, set the terms, and threaten to take away funding from governments that stand up for themselves.

We are in the middle of a health crisis. Is this really the time to engage in such petty blackmail?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows very well, because I know him to be very well informed, that we have transferred roughly $7 billion in additional funding to Quebec, without any conditions or anything else, purely in the spirit of goodwill and collaboration.

That is what we have been doing from the beginning. We have taken a very pragmatic approach, like Quebec, to emerge from this crisis as strong as possible, to protect the health of all Quebeckers, to solve the issue of Internet access in the regions, to invest in aerospace and to invest in Quebec society as a whole.

The Bloc Québécois does not like this, because they become weaker when Canada is doing well, and that makes them unhappy.

Health

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, instead of trying to interfere in Quebec's jurisdictions, Ottawa should look after its own.

Had it managed the borders as everyone had been asking it to do since the start of the pandemic, our schools might not be overwhelmed by the variants right now. Had it been quicker and more efficient at procuring vaccines, we might not be in the dark red zone today. We are paying dearly for this government's failures with respect to vaccine access and border controls.

What makes it think it is in a position to lecture us today?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is going to have to make up its mind.

Two weeks ago, just before the break, the Bloc wanted to exempt all snowbirds, all of them, even those who had been vaccinated, from quarantines. Now, all of a sudden, it is saying that we must have more stringent border controls. We cannot do both. Which one is the Bloc supporting?

The Bloc must at least be clear about that. We have been clear from the outset. We established strict rules at the border, among the strictest in the world. Why? It is because our priority is the health and safety of all Quebeckers and all Canadians.

Foreign Affairs

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, reports indicated the government threatened to cancel funding for the Halifax Security Forum if it awarded the John McCain Prize to Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen.

The government’s attempt to silence those critical of China is shameful and it is counterproductive because it plays right into the hands of China.

Will the government reverse its position, speak out for human rights democracy and the rule of law and support the John McCain Prize for President Tsai Ing-wen?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we will always be there to defend human rights. We have been there.

In the case of China, very recently we imposed sanctions on the individuals who were identified with respect to the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang. We have always spoken up very clearly, whether it is in China or in other countries, to defend the human rights of people living in those countries because it is part of our fundamental values.

Health

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, determining the origin of the coronavirus is essential for preventing the next pandemic.

However, we still do not know the exact origins of COVID-19, because Chinese leadership is obstructing the investigation by the WHO.

Will the government acknowledge that the WHO caved to pressure from China, and will it work with our allies in calling for an overhaul of that organization?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we very clearly acknowledged in a report we worked on with other countries that more needs to be done to better understand the origins of COVID-19.

The report that was submitted by the World Health Organization has gaps, and more information is needed to truly understand the situation.

Canada, along with several other countries, has recognized that fact, and we encourage the World Health Organization to go further to gain a better understanding of the origins of this pandemic.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Taiwan’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most successful in the world. With a population of only 23 million, Taiwan has only had about a thousand coronavirus cases and 10 deaths.

In May, Canada along with other countries, will be participating in the meeting of the World Health Organization, but Taiwan has not been invited even though it had observer status until 2017.

Does the government support Taiwan’s participation at next month’s meeting?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I want to pick up on what my hon. colleague said and very clearly state that Taiwan has been extremely successful in handling the COVID-19 pandemic within its own country. There are things to be learned from its experience. We feel that dealing with the issue of the pandemic is something that should involve all those who have been forced to handle this very difficult situation.

The Environment

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the St. Lawrence River is one of our most precious assets. It represents hundreds of kilometres of rich biodiversity.

The NDP supports the proposal of the International Observatory on the Rights of Nature and is calling for the St. Lawrence River to be granted legal personhood to protect it, because it is at risk. Unchecked industrialization is jeopardizing many species. The port of Montreal expansion project in Contrecoeur, the Laurentia project at the port of Quebec and the threat of the GNL Québec project are just a few examples.

Will the overhaul of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act include recognition of the rights of nature before it is too late?

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to protecting fresh water and to ensuring a safe and secure supply of water for generations to come. We have a strong and comprehensive approach and we have taken concrete and measurable actions to protect our water. That includes investing $31.5 million over five years to implement the St. Lawrence action plan.

We are protecting the St. Lawrence though science, partnership, including with indigenous peoples and community initiatives.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was quick to say that the Conservatives were out of touch when they voted against acknowledging climate change at their convention. However, this weekend, 70% of Liberal delegates voted against ending fossil fuel subsidies to big polluters.

The last time I called on the Prime Minister to end fossil fuel subsidies, he said that his government was on track to phasing them out, but recent reports show that is just not true. Not only are we not on schedule, but Canada has actually increased these subsidies year after year.

If the Liberals know there is a climate crisis but refuse to take the necessary action are they really that different from the Conservatives?

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I know the report the hon. member is quoting includes money that the NDP has voted in favour of to clean up abandoned orphan wells. We are working on ending fossil fuel subsidies and we have taken real action on climate change and will continue to do so.

I hope members of the NDP continue to push forward for real action and help us move Bill C-12 through Parliament and into committee.

Health

[Lyne Bessette, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the beginning of 2021 has brought its share of challenges and anxiety, but Canadians can take great comfort in the results of the government's vaccine procurement efforts.

Not only did the government meet its objective of six million doses by March 31, but it exceeded its target by 3.5 million doses, which is a tremendous success.

Can the minister give the House an update for this week, this month and this quarter that will reassure Canadians and help them keep their hopes up?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.

She is right, we do have more good news for the second quarter. We will be getting five million Pfizer vaccine doses sooner than expected. To date, Quebec has received over 2.4 million doses. Another 400,000 doses will be delivered to Quebec this week.

Canada is now on track to receive a total of 44 million doses by the end of June. We are well on the way to meeting our objectives by the end of the summer.

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

Mr. Speaker, across Canada, given frequent recent changes in advice from the federal government, people are asking questions about the AstraZeneca vaccine and about vaccine dosing interval advice in Canada. Some of this might have been alleviated if the media had access to the process by which the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, or NACI, develops its advice and how that is being used by the government.

Most other developed nations have given the media access to their version of NACI. Why has Canada's Minister of Health not done the same?