Debates of April 14th, 2021

Health

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is concerning but also symptomatic of the Conservative Party of Canada that they would pick someone to be their health critic who then gives a question listing a whole bunch of facts that are simply not correct.

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

Mr. Speaker, CNN's Jake Tapper just called that type of spin, “Tru-Anon”. I really hope that sticks.

Canadians deserve better. There are zoo animals being vaccinated in the United States while Quebec is reporting a wave of femicides because women are locked down with their abusers. The variants are spreading across the country. If we had had vaccines in January and February while the rest of the world was rolling them out, we would not be in this situation.

Does the Prime Minister really think that this is going to cut it, and that Canadians will keep allowing him to pass the buck while people get infected with variants and ICUs fill up?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have worked closely with provinces and territories across the country to manage the pandemic. Yes, there have been provinces that are harder hit than others. The member opposite's province is one notable challenge and has faced issues recently, but we have consistently been there to support those provinces, to help people with direct aid for families and to help small business owners to get our economy roaring back. We have continued to hit our milestones in terms of vaccines, and surpassed them, because we need to deliver for Canadians, which is exactly what we are doing.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, quarantines for temporary foreign workers are a fiasco. Having already abdicated all of its responsibilities toward farmers, the federal government hired Switch Health to manage the mandatory day-10 COVID-19 tests. As a result, francophone farmers are wasting days trying to get service from a anglophone company that cannot keep up with demand. Some workers are being forced to remain in quarantine for up to 25 days before they get their results.

The UPA and FERME Québec have solutions. Will the Prime Minister listen to them?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we will always support our farmers, whom we have relied on so heavily during the pandemic and at other times. We recognize that there are challenges regarding temporary workers, testing and vaccination. We will continue to work with Quebec and the relevant organizations to ensure that we overcome these challenges, and we will always be there to keep supporting our farmers and the essential work that they do.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on top of the company being unable to serve francophones, there are big delays in the process, which is costing farmers. The season is just beginning, with 500 to 600 temporary foreign workers, and Switch Health is already overwhelmed. Imagine what will happen when there are 14,000 workers. This same company will also be responsible for processing everyone entering the country and administering all of the tests.

Can the Prime Minister provide assurances that agricultural workers will not have to quarantine for longer than necessary because of administrative delays?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I share the hon. member's grave concerns.

We are working to ensure that our farmers get the help they need to carry out the essential work they are doing this year and every year. We will be there for our farmers as we have always been.

Ethics

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, was the Prime Minister looking in the mirror when he said, “It’s hard not to feel disappointed in your government when every day there is a new scandal” ? That is the MO of this Prime Minister. He breaks the law, he gets caught, he deflects and then he covers it up, time and again. Canadians deserve good, ethical governance, but that will not stop this Prime Minister from doing whatever it takes to save his own political skin.

When will this Prime Minister start putting the needs of Canadians ahead of his own?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, while Conservatives focus on personal partisan attacks, we are focused on Canadians.

I made a straightforward promise to Canadians at the very beginning of this pandemic that we would have their backs for as long as it takes with as much as it takes, and that is exactly what we have done every step of the way. We continue to work hard, day and night, to get more vaccines into Canada. We are continuing to support small business owners and workers across the country, as well as families, seniors and young people. We know we need to get through this pandemic as quickly as possible and bring the economy roaring back. That is exactly what we are focused on, here on this side of the House.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

There we have it, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister has no intention of cleaning up his act. He is fine with being a global laughingstock and punching bag. He blocked investigations by law enforcement, by officers of Parliament and by parliamentary committees. Whether it is at the ethics committee or the defence committee, once the opposition starts asking tough questions he denies and deflects. When he does not get his way, he shuts down Parliament.

What will it take for this repeat offender to get the message that the laws apply to him?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives continue to focus on me, while we focus on Canadians. We are going to continue to be there to support Canadians through this pandemic with direct supports, with supports for businesses, with more vaccines, with more rapid tests and with more contact tracing. We are going to continue to focus on the things that matter to Canadians as we get through this pandemic and as we build back better for a greener, more prosperous and fairer Canada. That is exactly what we are focused on. The Conservatives can continue to play politics if they want.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, every day, Canadians are shocked by the Liberal government's creativity when it comes to helping out its buddies. As we saw with the WE scandal, when the time comes to return favours, the Prime Minister can be extremely generous.

Spending on management consultants has increased by $6 billion over the last six years. Spending on legal fees, consultants and others has never been so high, and this is all coming out of Canadians' pockets. Could the Prime Minister tell us how much of this money has gone into the pockets of his friends?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as a government, we have always relied on facts and science when fulfilling our mandate in the service of Canadians. We can see that this has worked over the last number of years.

Whether it is the millions of Canadians that we have lifted out of poverty, including 300,000 children, or the million jobs we have created through our work of the past five years, we are here to meet the expectations of Canadians and we rely on the guidance of experts. We will always listen to those who have ideas to share.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a leopard does not change its spots, and the Prime Minister will not answer the question.

An additional $6 billion in consulting fees is a lot of money. This Prime Minister will stop at nothing. This was also apparent in the SNC-Lavalin scandal, when his buddies once again came out ahead. Meanwhile, the first woman minister of justice and attorney general of Canada found herself booted from cabinet. That is significant.

Was the WE Charity scandal merely the tip of the iceberg? Does the Prime Minister realize that the stink of the sponsorship scandal is beginning to hover over his Liberal government?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is a shame that the Conservatives are so keen to make personal attacks and that they forget that the first woman justice minister was Kim Campbell, who was also the first woman prime minister of our country. It is sad that the Conservatives forget the past.

We will always be there to defend women and to recognize our country's historic events.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I would like to remind members that, when they ask a question, they should listen to the answer.

It is a good measure if we do not all speak together. I just wanted to remind everyone.

The hon. member for London—Fanshawe.

Post-Secondary Education

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Laurentian University is a valued community hub in Northern Ontario. It is Canada's sole university with a tri-cultural mandate to support French, English and indigenous communities. Deep cuts and layoffs were announced this week. These threaten francophone and indigenous education, courses on violence against women, in-demand bilingual midwifery training and world-class research. The government talks about supporting education, research, women and reconciliation, but when it comes to taking action it is absent.

Will the government help to save Laurentian University?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are deeply concerned and are following the situation at Laurentian University very closely. We are in direct contact with the province on this issue. Our thoughts are with all of those who have lost their jobs and all of the employees and students who are facing this difficult situation. We will continue to support post-secondary institutions because the futures of our two official languages depend on them. We are prepared to work with our colleagues in Ontario to achieve this, as education falls under their jurisdiction.

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

Mr. Speaker, the lobbying registry shows that when the financial crisis hit Laurentian University, it lobbied the members for Sudbury and Nickel Belt numerous times and nothing was done. The Prime Minister used Laurentian University as a political backdrop when he visited Northern Ontario. Now this institution, which has provided education to generations of francophone, indigenous and working-class youth, is being torn apart and stripped through the use of the Bankruptcy Act, and the government is sitting on the sidelines.

Will the Prime Minister commit to working with us? What steps will he take to keep Laurentian University from being ripped apart?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, just as we stood up for the francophone university in Ontario a few years ago when there were concerns about its future, we will be there to defend and support Laurentian University as an important institution for Franco-Ontarians and, indeed, for all Canadians with our official languages. We have reached out to the Ontario government to hear what its plan is for how we are going to move forward. We are there to be partners on ensuring that this important institution does not falter. That is a priority for us. We will continue to work with the province on this issue.

Italian Canadians

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has over 1.6 million Canadians of Italian origin. Ours is one of the largest Italian diasporas in the world.

During the Second World War, hundreds of Italian Canadians were interned for the simple reason that they were of Italian heritage. Parents were taken away from their homes, leaving children without their fathers in many cases and families without a paycheque to put food on their table. Lives and careers, businesses and reputations were interrupted and ruined, and yet no one was held responsible. Italian Canadians have lived with these memories for many years and they deserve closure.

Can the Prime Minister provide an update on a formal apology on behalf of the Government of Canada to—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Alfred-Pellan for his question and his work with the community.

Canadians of Italian heritage whose immigrant stories are so familiar have earned the respect of a grateful nation, but Canadians of Italian heritage deal with ongoing discrimination related to mistakes made by our governments of the past that continue to affect them to this day. I am proud to stand up and say that our government will right these wrongs with a formal apology in the month of May 2021. We thank them for choosing Canada as a place to call home.

National Defence

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the two Canadian female soldiers who filed sexual misconduct complaints against the chief of the defence staff were exceptionally courageous.

What we saw Monday from the Liberal Party and the Bloc Québécois was anything but courageous. At the defence committee, the Liberal Party and the Bloc Québécois colluded to shut down, cancel and extinguish a parliamentary committee that was studying this difficult issue. Maybe some people think that is okay, but the victims sure do not.

Why do the Bloc Québécois and the Liberal Party not want to get to the bottom of this issue?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is well aware that committees are independent and do important work. That is why the Minister of Defence participated in the Standing Committee on National Defence's study. He spent six hours with the committee for that study alone.

As we have said, our government will not tolerate any form of sexual misconduct. The time for patience is over. Now it is time to act.