Debates of April 23rd, 2021

Health

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Ever since the pandemic hit, we have been advising against all non-essential travel. We adopted a multi-pronged approach to protecting Canadians' health and safety. We will continue to base our measures on the wise counsel of our public health officials. We will not hesitate to adjust our measures as needed.

Child Care

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Speaker, the government decided to create a Canada-wide child care program like the one we have in Quebec.

The problem is that the Prime Minister seems to be telling Quebec what to do with its share of the funding. His budget proposes to negotiate an agreement with Quebec that would allow for further improvements to its system.

Quebec has been operating its early learning centres for almost 25 years now. It does not need advice from the federal government. Will the government transfer the funds to Quebec unconditionally?

[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]

Madam Speaker, I would like to point out that for the first time in our nation's history, we are moving forward with a national plan to ensure that every family in Canada has affordable access to early learning and child care opportunities. We know from Quebec's leadership that this is going to not only improve the learning outcomes for young children in our communities, but allow more women to take part in the economy.

As we go forward, we are going to engage in a collaborative way with the provinces to ensure that this money is used in its most productive way so that more women can take part in the Canadian economy, as they have been able to in Quebec.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Speaker, I did not get an answer to my question.

As I said, Quebec has been operating its early learning centres for almost 25 years now. We invented the model. There are no federal day care centres right now. They does not exist. Based on what experience does the federal government think it can tell Quebec how to manage its share of child care funding?

The Prime Minister was needlessly vague when he was asked about this. I am simply looking for clarification, so as to avoid a pointless quarrel. Will the government commit to transferring Quebec's share of funding unconditionally?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois just missed out on a great opportunity to applaud the budget. This budget addresses Quebec's expectations, including things like aerospace, high-frequency rail in the Quebec City-Toronto corridor, culture and seniors.

As for the child care system, we are taking inspiration from Quebec because Quebec is a pioneer. It has a model that works extremely well, one that we want to export. This is a great way to showcase Quebec's expertise across Canada. This is all very positive, and the Bloc should be pleased.

Canadian Heritage

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

Madam Speaker, the Liberals are trying to convince us that they have become the champions of the French language when, in fact, they are not.

They are sticking with the same kind of reasoning used with the abysmal Netflix agreement. In their budget, the Liberals did not allocate any money specifically for the production of French-language audiovisual content. This sector was already on life support. Artists and artisans are worried. The pandemic has only placed them in an even more precarious situation.

Will the minister pledge to allocate funds for French-language audiovisual productions, a sector essential to the vitality of the French language, yes or no?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question and advocacy for the arts and culture.

However, I would like to remind him that, in our budget, we kept one of our election promises, which was to increase Telefilm Canada funding by $50 million. A good part of this funding will go to French productions, which Telefilm Canada has already planned. Therefore, there will be more money for French-language audiovisual productions.

Indigenous Affairs

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Madam Speaker, a “for indigenous, by indigenous” urban, rural and northern housing strategy has been in the minister's mandate letter since 2019, yet in budget after the budget the Liberals fail to deliver. The minister's lame excuse is that they are studying it.

The chair of CHRA's indigenous housing caucus said that the absence of such a strategy in budget 2021 is a disgrace. The president and CEO of the CAEH, who is also the co-chair of the government's national housing council, called it the most glaring disappointment.

Will the Prime Minister immediately amend the budget to include an urban, rural and northern “for indigenous, by indigenous” housing strategy?

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families]

Madam Speaker, it is critical to understand that there is a report coming out of Parliament right now that stresses the need to co-develop a strategy around urban, rural and northern indigenous housing. We are waiting for that report and will be acting on that report.

In the meantime, I would direct the member to the rapid housing initiative, which she scoffed at. It promised to deliver 3,000 units of housing. We have now more doubled that fund, and the program has delivered close to 40% of the units to indigenous housing programs.

Our government is serious about an urban, rural and northern indigenous program. She will see the results of the budget. She will see the results of this program. However, in the meantime, we have upped our game and are investing more than any—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Wellington—Halton Hills.

Foreign Affairs

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

Madam Speaker, yesterday the British Parliament followed this Parliament's example and adopted a motion recognizing the genocide of the Uighur Muslims.

The Uighurs are being forced to pick cotton and produce tomatoes. The measures the government put in place in January to ban these imports are ineffective. Other countries are using more effective measures.

Will the government bring in effective measures to ban these imports from China?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Madam Speaker, the member reminds us that the whole world is watching China, and our message to China remains clear: We are watching as well. More than ever, democratic countries must stand together to promote values of democracy and human rights, as must parliamentarians and parliaments around the world.

We welcome the decision by the U.K. Parliament. We understand it, and it is in a very similar situation to our parliamentary decision. We will continue to let China know that we are watching every human rights situation that is important to all Canadians.

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

Madam Speaker, countries around the world are waking up to the threats from China. The Canadian Parliament, the U.K. Parliament, the Dutch Parliament and the Biden administration have all recognized the Uighur genocide.

Yesterday, Australia cancelled two Chinese infrastructure agreements, both part of China's belt and road initiative. When will the government do the same and withdraw from another belt and road initiative? When will it indicate it wants to play no part in exporting China's authoritarian model and withdraw from the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Madam Speaker, as we have said repeatedly in the House, the relationship with China remains complex and multi-faceted. We will stand up for Canadian human rights and values around the world, including with regard to China. Every action that we take with China will be in the best interests of Canada and Canadians. We again remind the House that we are watching China on every aspect.

The Budget

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Madam Speaker, “A budget that needs 700 pages of [red] ink says a lot about government motivations. After doubling our federal debt in only six years, and spending close to a trillion dollars, not moving the needle on long-term growth would be the worst possible legacy of this budget.” Who said that? It was Robert Asselin, former top adviser to the Prime Minister and Bill Morneau.

If even Liberal advisers are starting to freak out about the forthcoming debt crisis, should Canadians not be concerned as well?

[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]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member seems to think that our pandemic response has been too expensive. I will remind him that one of the most important things we can do to contribute to a growth-oriented recovery is preserve the jobs that we have now.

If he thinks our measures are too expensive, I would like to introduce him to a small business owner in my community who was able to keep the doors open because they had access to the emergency business account. I would like to introduce him to classmates of mine from high school who have a job at a local manufacturing facility and were kept on the payroll because of the wage subsidy.

Our message to Canadian households and businesses is that we will be there for them no matter what it takes for as long as it takes.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would like to introduce the member to the 300,000 people who do not have jobs and the tens of thousands of small businesses that cannot operate because his government failed to close the border and keep the virus out, and failed to speed up and bring vaccines in. As one businessman said the other day, this government has first-world inputs, but third-world outcomes.

Why does the government think it can only judge success by how expensive it can be rather than by the results that Canadians experience?

[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]

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of small business owners who have done the right thing to protect the public's health by closing their doors when it was necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Indeed, that strong public health response is what will enable us to rebound successfully.

I will remind the hon. member that in the months of February and March, the Canadian economy added 259,000 and 303,000 jobs, respectively. As we continue to deal with the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, I expect businesses will continue to do the responsible thing. However, we will be there for them to ensure that they can contribute to the recovery when it is safe to do so.

National Defence

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

Madam Speaker, last night Major Kellie Brennan gave powerful testimony before the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

She told the committee that General Vance tried to intimidate her into providing false testimony. She said he bragged about having the military justice system under his control. He even boasted he had the Minister of National Defence under his control.

Why did the government ignore the allegations of sexual misconduct against General Vance for three years? Was the government also under his control?

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

Madam Speaker, that could not be further from the truth. We have absolutely no tolerance for any form of misconduct. I want to acknowledge the courage of those who have come forward.

We have always taken any allegations that were brought to our attention very seriously, and we have taken immediate action. We will ensure that a full, thorough investigation is conducted.

We know there needs to be a total culture change in the Canadian Armed Forces. That is why in budget 2021 we have committed $236 million to eliminate any form of sexual misconduct.

Health

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

Madam Speaker, it is all well and good to talk about millions of dollars, but I would remind the minister that leadership is just as important. My next question is about health care.

Experts are saying that we need to vaccinate at least 70% of the population against COVID-19 to reach herd immunity. Quebec's vaccination efforts are orderly, and the province is able to vaccinate more than 100,000 people a day. The same is true for Ontario and, at this pace, the province could have already vaccinated 10 million people, which is enough to reach herd immunity.

Will the Minister of Health admit that Canada could have already reached herd immunity if the Liberal government had provided enough vaccines on time?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, it is important to know that Canada is actually in the top three in the G20 regarding the administration of vaccines. It is also important to know that Canadians have worked hard to stop the spread of COVID. However, there is still more work to be done, which means we have to continue to follow public health measures to ensure that Canadians are kept safe.

In my home province of Ontario, we are seeing the spread of the variants, and I want to thank health care workers for the incredible work they do. We need to support them and ensure that Canada can get a hold on this crisis.

The Environment

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

Madam Speaker, in 2008, Stephen Harper's climate plan, entitled “Turning the Corner”, proposed three things: one, to get out of coal; two, to invest in carbon capture technologies; and three, to implement the fuel standard.

In the budget the Liberals presented this week, they proposed the following: one, to get out of coal; two, to invest in carbon capture and storage technologies; and three, to improve the fuel standard.

Ottawa is yet again trying to turn oil into a green energy. I am all for recycling, but at some point do they not draw the line at Harper's environmental policies?

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

Madam Speaker, we have a credible and tested climate plan that is already delivering results. We have made historic investments of more than $100 billion to build a cleaner, healthier economy with more good jobs for Canadians. This includes $17.6 million for climate and the environment in budget 2021, $15 billion through the strengthened climate plan, $15 billion for dedicated transit and $60 billion for the pan-Canadian framework.

We will continue to fight for climate change, invest in a cleaner future and create a stronger economy.

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

Madam Speaker, I am asking the question because Canada's strategy seems to be the same as the one Stephen Harper's government introduced 13 years ago, which did not work.

By trying to transform oil into clean energy, Canada failed to meet the Kyoto targets in 2012 and the Copenhagen targets in 2015. In 2020, it failed to meet the targets it set under the Paris Agreement.

How can the Liberals guarantee that they are going to achieve a different result with the same oil strategy?