Debates of April 15th, 2021

Education Professionals

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize the work and dedication of front-line workers, especially teachers, specialized educators and education professionals during this extremely difficult pandemic period.

Every day, I witness the hard work of a dedicated teacher of young people with autism who are eager to learn and who must navigate an intermittent world between the face-to-face and the virtual. I am talking about my wife Mélanie who, since the beginning of the pandemic, has worked even harder to ensure that these children get the best possible education under the circumstances. She can count on a top-notch team with Natacha and Didier, without whom the goals could not be achieved. This means many extra hours of preparation, communication and planning for these education professionals.

On behalf of all these children with special needs, I thank the parents and education staff who are supporting them on their educational journey during this difficult time.

Sexual Misconduct

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, the Liberals adopted a motion Monday at the Standing Committee on National Defence to end its investigation into sexual misconduct in the highest ranks of the Canadian Armed Forces.

What is behind this alliance between the Prime Minister and the Bloc Québécois leader, to the point that they want to shut down important testimony that will shed light on the matter?

The House will recall the moving case of former CAF member Stéphanie Raymond, who had to fight for 10 years to get justice for the crime committed against her.

At a time when women need to be protected more than ever, we do not understand why the Bloc Québécois would be complicit in a conspiracy of silence that prevents Parliament from acting to protect the safety and integrity of Canadian women.

Carbon Pricing

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we have seen in a recent survey by MNP Ltd. that 53% of Canadians have said that they are $200 or less from not meeting their monthly bills or debt obligations. Meanwhile, the Liberal government is increasing costs on Canadians: a carbon tax; a second carbon tax; alcohol escalator taxes; increased business taxes; elimination of family tax credits, and the list goes on. With $170 carbon tax, I hope the Prime Minister knows that he will force those 53% of Canadians to choose between heat and feeding their family.

The government claims that it wants to get Canadians back to work, but has proposed a tax that is projected to kill over 200,000 jobs across Canada. The Liberals' tax increases disproportionately impact lower and middle-income households, single mothers, pensioners and immigrants.

If the Prime Minister cares so much about middle-class prosperity, why is he trying so hard to push Canadians into poverty?

Fire Keeper Patrol

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

Mr. Speaker, the fight against opioids, fentanyl and homelessness has been a grim experience for people in the north, and every day we are losing people to overdoses. However, I want to speak of an incredible initiative that is bringing hope and saving lives.

The Fire Keeper Patrol is a mobile team working 24/7 on the streets of Timmins to help the indigenous homeless who all too often fall through the cracks. The fire keepers are acting on an initiative of the Mushkegowuk Council, working in partnership with the City of Timmins, Living Space, DSSAB and the front-line workers who have been keeping people alive through this crisis.

I was approached by the fire keepers about making their dream a reality, so my office got down to work. We got them the funding so we could get the resources deployed on the streets of Timmins.

We have a long way to go in dealing with the nightmare of opioid addiction and homelessness. We need more treatment facilities. We need the feds to actually put in place a national housing strategy.

However I want to thank the members of the fire keepers because their work will keep people alive and they will keep the citizens of Timmins safe. That is really important at this time.

Michel Louvain

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec is mourning the death of a Quebec music legend.

Michel Louvain charmed several generations with his warm voice and love for his audiences. His songs named for women made Sylvie, Lison, Louise and Marie popular names in Quebec. There was also La dame en bleu, whose great success was the subject of a documentary.

Quebeckers have had a love affair with our crooner for more than 60 years. He was awarded many prizes and received national recognition, which culminated with the opus Ils chantent Louvain when his artist friends and the Orchestre symphonique de Québec interpreted his biggest hits.

In 2014, he was awarded the Félix Hommage by the Association québécoise de l'industrie du disque. He was going to go on stage in the fall of 2021 at the age of 84. His friends speak warmly about him, remembering his professionalism, class, generosity and his legendary zest for life. It was said that he had stars in his eyes.

On behalf of the Bloc Québécois and all of Quebec, I offer my condolences to his wife, sisters and family.

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

Mr. Speaker, today Quebec and Thetford Mines are mourning the loss of a larger-than-life legendary performer, who was nonetheless down to earth.

The humble Poulin became the great Louvain. He made thousands of women swoon and dance and sing. Many men would sing his songs under their breath. We have all said, “Buenas noches mi amor”. We have all sung, “La dame en bleu”. Michel Louvain earned many titles, won countless awards and received the most prestigious honours.

Nothing made him happier than the applause from his audience. His greatest fear was that his audience would no longer like him. He took care of his fans. He was always elegant, respectful, and meticulously dressed. On stage he wanted to please his audience above all else. He was planning another tour. At 83, he still had a lot of energy to share.

I will close with these words by Michel Louvain: “I miss the stage, the audience, my musicians, my backup singer, and my technician. I miss my people. They are my world.” We will miss you, Michel.

To his spouse, his sisters, his admirers and his fans, I offer my deepest condolences.

Buenas noches, Mr. Louvain.

Elmira Maple Syrup Festival

[Tim Louis, Liberal, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House and recognize the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival, the world's largest maple syrup festival.

The festival is a local tradition, dating back to 1965. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of guests from all around the world have visited Elmira to celebrate.¸

This past weekend, we celebrated the 56th annual and first virtual festival, featuring an online sugarbush tour, virtual taffy demonstrations, contests and sales of pancake boxes featuring local syrup Producer of the Year, Hoover's Maple Syrup.

The food, the entertainment and the sense of community that the festival builds is due to the tremendous dedication of the many volunteers who make this annual event possible. Since the inception, over $1.7 million in proceeds have been returned to our community to charitable and not-for-profit organizations.

I congratulate the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival volunteers for their milestone anniversary, their resilience and their success.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister.

After over 23,000 deaths, tens of thousands of businesses closed, people's jobs and livelihoods lost; after drug overdoses, suicide and mental health crises at an all-time high; people being locked in their homes, away from their families; and a third wave of COVID upon us, could she explain why she thinks the pain and suffering that COVID has caused is a political opportunity, as she said last week, and not an absolute tragedy?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, with great respect, all members of the House, regardless of party, appreciate the nature of the immense tragedy that has fallen across Canada and impacted families and communities from coast to coast to coast.

When we look forward to what may come out of this pandemic, we have the opportunity to make investments to cure some of the social deficits that we have been living with for generations. From the very outset of this pandemic, we made a decision to support households and businesses and to invest, most important, to protect the health and well-being of Canadians.

We will continue to do so until this pandemic is over, no matter what it takes.

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

Mr. Speaker, that was a really ridiculous thing for the Parliamentary Secretary to Deputy Prime Minister to say. The fact is that the Liberals have messed up so many things in their response to COVID, but they will not admit, they will not learn from it and they will not change it.

Today, we have learned that Moderna vaccines scheduled to arrive mid-April are being delayed yet again, which means provinces are forced to close vaccination clinics and people are not getting their shots. That means higher case counts and more lockdowns.

Responsibility for the third wave is the Prime Minister's. How many more Canadians will be infected with COVID because of the government's disastrous vaccine rollout?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way, we have been there for Canadians. We have been there for provinces and territories in delivering on the things that we know are saving lives.

This is a difficult time for the country. It is a difficult time for all Canadians. It is a difficult time for the health care workers, the lab workers, the front-line workers and the essential workers, who are all trying so hard to support each other and care for each other.

We will be there for Canadians, whether it is with personal protective equipment, testing equipment, human resources and, indeed, vaccines.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's failed vaccine rollout and spin is actually making international headlines.

This morning's cover of the Daily Mail asked if our Prime Minister was jealous of Britain's vaccine delivery. It pointed out that Canada had four times as many new cases per day as the U.K. Prime Minister Johnson said that he did not have a response to our Prime Minister's comments, but that the British case data spoke for itself, because their vaccine rollout is months ahead of ours.

Could the Prime Minister admit that he is not only failing Canadians, but he is making an international fool of himself?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, it is really important that all of us work together now to save lives. It is important that we see cohesion in our messaging. I surely hope that the member opposite is not working in any way to discourage Canadians from taking vaccination when it is their turn.

Let us be clear that every step of the way, we have given Canadians the information they need. We have supported Canadians with financial measures. We have been there for provinces and territories to deliver on their health care responsibilities.

Surely the member opposite would encourage the people in her riding to accept vaccination when it is their turn.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the Liberal government, with the help of the Bloc Québécois, decided to shut down the parliamentary investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct against General Vance. Ultimately, no one took responsibility and no one apologized. We will not be able to get to the bottom of this matter, which is shameful, yes, but more importantly, it is an insult to the women who had the courage and dignity of speaking out during a difficult time.

Why are the Bloc and the Liberal Party refusing to get to the bottom of this matter?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will always respect the work done by colleagues at committee. In fact, I worked with the national defence committee on this matter quite extensively. I appeared before the committee three times, and for more than six hours.

I have repeatedly stated at each of these appearances and many times in the House of Commons that our government, and me personally, will not stand for any type of sexual misconduct and that we will be taking more action.

I look forward to the committee's report on this matter and the substantive recommendations that will be coming.

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

Mr. Speaker, of course the Minister of National Defence testified. There were other people it would have been worth hearing from. Unfortunately, the Liberals, with the help of the Bloc Québécois, stopped us from getting to the bottom of this matter.

We know that the government has some serious ethics problems. It is no coincidence that the Ethics Commissioner found the Prime Minister guilty on two occasions, and there is a third report coming out soon about the issue of sexual misconduct among the highest-ranking military officers. The Liberals and the Bloc Québécois identify as feminist, but they are shutting down an investigation involving these women.

What message does this send to the women in our military who have been the victims of harassment?

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

Mr. Speaker, the work the committee does, and the experts they were talking to, can be extremely important. This is why I value their opinions. We need to figure out exactly what needs to be done. All options are currently on the table. I look forward to those recommendations, because we agree with all members of the House that more needs to be done, and more will be done.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

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

Mr. Speaker, it is a second hellish year for farmers when it comes to quarantines for temporary foreign workers. It was already hard enough for them to shoulder the entire burden of the quarantines, but now the problems with the new border measures are making things even worse.

From a public health perspective, the federal government has an obligation to ensure that the quarantines are respected, but it also has an obligation to ensure that tests are accessible and the results arrive quickly. Right now, workers are spending over 25 days in quarantine before they can get out in the fields. This is an administrative foul up. The crops will not wait while Ottawa gets things sorted out.

What is the minister going to do?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, we have worked with other federal departments to expedite the process and simplify the arrival of foreign workers as much as possible. We know that there have been delays in receiving test results. The Public Health Agency of Canada and Service Canada have been in regular contact with Switch Health, the employers and industry associations to resolve these issues.

We take these issues very seriously, and we will continue to work with Switch Health.

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

Mr. Speaker, when the government hired Switch Health to handle COVID-19 testing, it did not make sure the company had the resources to serve Quebeckers in French. Now farmers have no choice but to use Switch Health, even though its services are inadequate. Once again, Ottawa unilaterally gave a contract to a company that cannot serve Quebec. Our farmers are paying the price.

The minister is responsible for making sure the services available to Quebeckers are just as good as those available to Ontarians. What is she going to do?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, we are of course working very closely with the provinces, and we know that workers in Quebec have the right to be served in French. That is why we are working so closely with the provinces, and we will continue to ensure that Quebec workers receive the services they are entitled to in French.

Taxation

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the third wave of COVID-19 is hitting hard. This is a difficult time. On top of this third wave, tax season is upon us. People need help, as they risk losing the benefits they need. We need to help people.

Will the Prime Minister commit to giving Canadians more time to file their taxes, as he did in the first wave?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands that this tax season is stressful for Canadians. We will continue to be there for them every step of the way.

In February, we announced that recipients of the emergency and recovery benefits would be eligible for interest relief if they filed their 2020 tax returns. The Canada Revenue Agency has also put in place robust taxpayer relief provisions that grant them relief from penalties or interest incurred for reasons beyond their control.

These measures ensure that Canadians who need help during tax season will get it.

Public Services and Procurement

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear the lack of vaccine supply has resulted in thousands of vaccination appointments being cancelled and a slower rollout of the vaccination program across the country. This is directly the responsibility of the federal government, and it has failed. It gives me no pleasure to say this, because Canadians want to get vaccinated, but they simply cannot because there are no doses available.

Will the Prime Minister admit that his government's failure to ensure we could produce the vaccines here in Canada is what led us to this mess?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to emphasize that all Canadians at this time need to pull together to get through this third wave.

For our part, the Government of Canada has already delivered 12.7 million doses to Canada. We have 8.9 million doses that have been administered in this country. We have accelerated 22 million doses from later quarters to earlier quarters. We are now third in the G20 in terms of the percentage of people with at least one dose.

We will continue to pull in millions of vaccinations. We will provide them to the provinces and territories and assist them in whatever way we can, including with the low dead-volume syringes that we have procured for the benefit of all Canadians.