Debates of April 22nd, 2021

Public Services and Procurement

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' historical account omits some very key facts. First of all, the entire production base for vaccines was ramping up in January and February. The United States' production line is much different from Canada's.

We in Canada actually exceeded our targets in the first quarter by 3.5 million vaccines. We are in the top three for administering vaccines in the G20. Indeed, I would like to suggest it takes a multipronged approach to combat the virus. Vaccines and public health measures must go hand in hand.

[Doug Shipley, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, two days ago, the chief medical officer of health for Simcoe Muskoka stated, “[Vaccination] is a challenge at this time. We’ve had Moderna being delayed and reduced in half and now the AstraZeneca postponement”. He went on to say, “We look forward to the day we get much bigger volumes, but we don’t know when that will be.”

Vaccinations save lives, but only 2% of Canadians are fully vaccinated. A year into this pandemic, why does our chief medical officer of health have to guess about vaccine supply, and why did the Prime Minister not get us vaccines in January when we could have prevented the third wave?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to make some numbers clear for the opposition. First of all, we have distributed 13.7 million doses to the provinces. Second, 11 million doses have been administered, and third, in terms of supply, we have Pfizer delivering two million doses a week through May and 2.5 million a week through the month of June over five weeks. That is going to lead us to the larger part of between 48 million and 50 million doses by the end of June. That is transparency. We are saying it now, and we will continue to bring vaccines into Canada for all Canadians.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Gardner also said controlling COVID is limited by a lack of vaccine supply. He said that with delays of Moderna and the postponement of AstraZeneca vaccines, only half the local capacity to vaccinate is being employed.

Dr. Gardner is not just talking about a third wave. He is concerned there may be a fourth wave without adequate immunization. Public health officials should not be left guessing about vaccine supply a year into the pandemic.

The Deputy Prime Minister admitted earlier that she knew the third wave was coming, so why did the Prime Minister not get us vaccines in January and February to stop this devastating third wave?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have said it already in this question period, but I will say it again. The entire world was ramping up in terms of achieving a vaccine supply through January and February. Despite the global supply chain challenges faced by the entire world, Canada was able to secure 3.5 million more doses than originally targeted.

In addition to that, we have accelerated 22 million doses into earlier quarters. That is going to mean all Canadians who want access to a vaccine can be fully vaccinated prior to the end of September, if not sooner. We will continue bringing vaccines in for all Canadians, and we will provide transparency directly to the provinces and territories—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Louis.

The Environment

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, climate change is top of mind for Canadians and for my constituents in Lac-Saint-Louis.

We know that we need to do more. I was happy to see the Prime Minister announce our new climate targets today to Canadians and to countries around the world.

Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs update us on this important development and on the measures we are taking to combat climate change?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Lac-Saint-Louis for his important question and for his commitment to protecting the environment.

Climate change is real, and Canadians deserve a credible climate plan. Today our government committed to enhancing its emissions reduction target by 40% to 45% below 2005 levels by 2030.

We have made it clear that we will be a leader on climate action. We will invest in a cleaner future and a stronger economy.

Public Services and Procurement

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Corrie is a Port Moody business owner with 30 employees all under age 30. With severe lockdowns it has been too hard to operate, so he is moving his business to the U.S. Sadly, many businesses have been devastated by roller-coaster lockdowns, but because of the Liberals' vaccine failure provinces have to impose tougher restrictions for a prolonged time. The economy suffers and businesses have to shut down or move. We are now facing a third wave lockdown.

Why did the Prime Minister not secure enough vaccines in January and February to prevent this third wave?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have reiterated in the House, the global supply chains for vaccines were ramping up in January and February. That is a historical fact.

Another fact is that, despite this global supply chain difficulty, Canada has been extremely aggressive in procuring more than 3.5 million doses than originally planned in the first quarter. We are going to be at 48 million to 50 million doses at the end of June and 110 million prior to the end of September. We have millions of doses running into this country from multiple suppliers. J&J next week—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry.

Taxation

[Eric Duncan, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Mr. Speaker, millions of Canadians are at risk of having their benefits cut off this July because they have not been able to get their taxes done by going out. They are not able to do their own taxes at home and they rely on tax preparers. We are talking about seniors, parents, those with disabilities and those on a fixed income. We need compassion during these challenging times.

Let me ask a question of the minister responsible. If the government can take two years to prepare a budget, why can Canadians not get an extra two months to file their taxes when they are being told they must stay at home?

[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 emergency response and recovery benefits would be eligible for interest relief if they file their 2020 tax returns. The CRA also has strong taxpayer relief provisions in place through which taxpayers can be relieved of penalties and interest if these are incurred for reasons beyond their control.

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

Official Languages

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

Action, Mr. Speaker. Our francophone communities demand action. The federal government has the duty and power to take action.

Our leader made it clear that a Conservative government will increase funding for post-secondary education in francophone minority communities, but the minister keeps making excuses instead of taking action now.

When will the government take immediate, concrete action for our francophone universities, schools and communities?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to answer my colleague, for whom I have such great respect.

I wonder if he has read the budget, which allocates $120 million to supporting post-secondary education in French in Canada. I would be happy to work with him to explain exactly how we plan to distribute the funds. Communities know they can count on us. We will be there to support francophones across the country because we know post-secondary education is important, whether it is in northern Ontario, Alberta or elsewhere in Canada.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I know we forget sometimes, so I would like to remind members to make sure they mute their microphone when they are done asking their questions and when they are listening to other people's questions and answers.

The hon. member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country.

The Budget

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is being hit by the third wave of COVID, and we know that Canadians need support now as much as ever. Programs such as the wage subsidy, the rent subsidy and the emergency business account have been a lifeline to Canadian workers, families and businesses, but they fear these will sunset by the summer.

Can the Minister of Finance please update Canadians on the support extensions or expansions announced this week in budget 2021?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his hard work for his community.

We know that Canadian businesses need our support as we all fight this third wave of the virus. That is why this budget extends the wage subsidy, the rent subsidy and lockdown support for businesses and other employers until September 25, and extends the CEBA loan application window until June 30.

We will do whatever it takes to support Canadian businesses, as we all fight COVID together.

Indigenous Affairs

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Speaker, York Landing is now in the fifth week of chronic water outages during a pandemic.

The first nation has been forced to declare a state of emergency because their “state of the art” water treatment plant is not working. The band is now paying out of pocket for proper testing and bottled water. The Liberals will say they are monitoring the situation, but band-aids will not cut it.

The government's lack of sustained funding is the problem. What is the federal government going to do right now to fix the water treatment plant in York Landing?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, as the member may well know from the fall economic statement, as well as from the budget that came out on Monday, there are sustained investments for water across the country in indigenous communities and in York Landing. We will continue those.

No nation should go without secure and safe access to clean water. We will continue working on it. When we took power, there were 105 long-term water advisories in effect. We have lifted 106. That work will continue. We will continue to sustain those critical assets throughout the lifespan of the asset.

Health

[Derek Sloan, Independent, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the health minister has previously questioned my concern for science, and today I return the favour.

At least 75 recent studies have shown that optimal vitamin D levels significantly reduce susceptibility to COVID-19 and significantly improve health outcomes if people do get infected. It has been documented for decades that Canadians have sub-optimal vitamin D levels, especially during winter.

Could the minister explain why Health Canada's website states that most Canadians are getting enough vitamin D, and does not actively recommend supplementing?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the member opposite to not fall prey to the myriad of fake news articles that are circulating around the Internet about ways people could protect themselves from COVID, and trust that the Public Health Agency of Canada only puts science-based credible documents up, guided, of course, by our Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Tam and the many scientists that work for us.

What Canadians need now is trust. They need to be able to trust in the information that their elected officials are sharing. I would urge the member to get his sources from credible sites.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

That is all the time we have today for question period.

We have a point of order.

The hon. member for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia.

Enhanced Border Security

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties, and I hope you will find unanimous consent of the House for the following motion:

That the House call on the government to immediately suspend non-essential passenger flights from countries with a high outbreak rate of COVID-19 variants, including India and Brazil, as Canada did in the suspension of flights from the United Kingdom on December 20, 2020.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.

I hear none. The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed will please say nay.

(Motion agreed to)