House of Commons Hansard #87 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-21.

Topics

SeniorsStatements by Members

11:05 a.m.

NDP

Scott Duvall NDP Hamilton Mountain, ON

Madam Speaker, the government finally announced in its budget the help for seniors on old age security that it promised in the election. The problem is that it only applies to some seniors.

The proposal is a one-time payment of $500 in August of 2021 and an increase of 10% to the OAS going forward. The catch is that it is only for those aged 75 or older. There is no real justification for leaving out seniors under age 75.

The Liberals say, “many seniors have faced economic challenges as they took on extra costs to stay safe”, and ”After a lifetime of hard work, they deserve a secure and dignified retirement.”

Could somebody tell me why this does not apply to seniors ages 65 to 74? The government has created an apprenticeship program of “junior seniors” and “senior seniors”. This is ridiculous. The government must cancel this two-tier system and give the increase to all seniors of age 65 and older.

Canada Summer JobsStatements by Members

11:05 a.m.

Liberal

Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC

Madam Speaker, summer is a vibrant time in my community, Alfred-Pellan. Laval's young people certainly look forward to it eagerly, and so do our community organizations and businesses. Why? Because summer means the Canada summer jobs program, a vital program that makes a difference in my community.

This year, Canada summer jobs will invest close to $7 million in Laval, creating 1,618 quality summer jobs for Laval's youth. In Alfred-Pellan, 331 young people will get opportunities for real-life, rewarding work experience and on-the-job training with our local community organizations and businesses.

I encourage young people in Laval to apply for these jobs, which will make a difference for their future and support our local organizations and businesses.

Good luck, have a good summer, and thank you.

Kenny WilliamsStatements by Members

11:05 a.m.

Liberal

Ken McDonald Liberal Avalon, NL

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of Kenny Williams, who recently passed away at the age of 69 after a long dignified struggle with ALS.

Kenny was a son, husband, father, grandfather and a friend to everyone who knew him. However, most people knew him from his 30-years of service to the hockey community on the southern shore and throughout the province.

Kenny was a founding member of the committee that worked to get the Southern Shore Arena built in 1986 and worked as the stadium manager for over 30 years. He served on boards for minor, junior, senior and women’s hockey.

In 2005, he received the Gold Stick Pin for his years of service on the board of directors with HockeyNL. He was inducted into the Newfoundland & Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015. He became a life member of HockeyNL and received the Hockey Canada Order of Merit in 2017.

Kenny was passionate about hockey and about giving back to his community. I want to honour his legacy and thank him for a life service to his community and indeed our province.

Climate ChangeStatements by Members

11:05 a.m.

Conservative

Nelly Shin Conservative Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC

Madam Speaker, I am blessed to live in beautiful Port Moody—Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra, where we have mountains, dense rainforests and salmon streams.

Local first nations streamkeepers, Burke Mountain Naturalists, Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable, hatcheries and other community groups work hard to protect our environment, but with climate change, B.C.'s diverse biosphere is at risk.

A year ago, I asked the minister if Canada had a COVID-19 wildfire evacuation plan for communities. Lately, I have been monitoring local infrastructure, because sewage overflows from torrential rainfalls contaminate creeks inhabited by endangered species.

Climate change calls for stronger infrastructure and emergency plans. That is why I am pleased our party's secure the environment plan includes investing in technology to improve early detection of wildfires and better predict their behaviour. It also includes investing in the building of infrastructure that is extreme weather resilient and will help communities prepare for emergencies.

Women EntrepreneursStatements by Members

11:10 a.m.

Liberal

Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON

Madam Speaker, women entrepreneurs are crucial to Canada’s economic success, and supporting their innovation is key to ensuring a strong, inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month, our government provided $235,500 in top-up funding for Haltech Regional Innovation Centre in Burlington, which to support women entrepreneurs across Halton in navigating this crisis and to continue to grow their businesses. This funding is in addition to the Women entrepreneurship strategy funding previously provided to Haltech, for a total of $543,300.

Haltech provides important support to help a diverse group of women entrepreneurs to start-up, scale-up and reach global markets. Activities include training sessions through cohort-based programming and mentorship opportunities.

I am proud of the hard-working women supported by Haltech, led by Shann McGrail. These women entrepreneurs play an important role in stabilizing and growing our local and national economy.

SeniorsStatements by Members

11:10 a.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, last election we made a promise to seniors over 75. Budget 2021 proposes to introduce legislation that will increase regular OAS payments for pensioners 75 and over by 10%—

SeniorsStatements by Members

11:10 a.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

One moment, please. I did try to advise the hon. member that there was an issue with his mike. I see that the boom is down. Could he maybe plug it back in, and we will start over.

I would ask all members who are virtual not to turn their mikes at all, no matter what. It shows a lack of respect for the House. Unless members are being called on to speak, they are not to turn their mikes on.

The hon. member for Winnipeg North.

SeniorsStatements by Members

11:10 a.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, last election we made a promise to seniors over 75. Budget 2021 proposes to introduce legislation that will increase regular OAS payments for pensioners 75 and over by 10% in July 2022, and it will increase every year that follows. This August, a one-time $500 payment will be made to seniors 75 and older; 3.3 million seniors will benefit by the promise we made.

This budget also supports seniors by providing $3 billion over five years to ensure national long-term care standards. This is over and above previous commitments.

For example, we saw one-time payments to seniors over 65 last summer. Prior to the pandemic, shortly after our first election, we increased dramatically the guaranteed income supplement, which literally took hundreds of seniors in Winnipeg North out of poverty.

We care about our seniors.

ArmeniaStatements by Members

11:10 a.m.

Conservative

Bob Saroya Conservative Markham—Unionville, ON

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 106th anniversary of the Armenian genocide perpetuated by the Ottoman Turkish empire, where one and a half million Armenian men, women and children lost their lives.

One hundred and six years have passed since the horrific crime of 1915, yet Turkey continues to this day to deny its heinous crime. Turkey's continued denial of its history has fuelled its current regime to continue on a path intent on completing the Armenian genocide, which it was not able to finish in 1915.

Today, Turkey continues to use its massive wealth and military arms to put the security of Armenia and Artsakh under constant danger. We stay committed to all Armenians in Canada and around the world and their cause, and say “Never again”.

COVID Community ChampionsStatements by Members

11:10 a.m.

Liberal

Arif Virani Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON

Madam Speaker, throughout this pandemic, my constituents have consistently gone out of their way to help their friends, their neighbours and those who have been isolated by COVID.

We recently celebrated these COVID community champions at an event in my riding. The stories we heard were amazing: about church board members and nurses stepping up for parishioners; about gardeners tackling anti-Black racism and gardeners beautifying neighbourhoods; there were advocates for the elderly and advocates for tenants; journalists for newcomers; musical entertainers for seniors; people fighting the pandemic on the front lines; and those fighting for the rights of persons with disabilities.

Hearty congratulations to Mary Oko, Angel Beyde, Dmytro Ilchuk, Anne-Marie Mohler, Brian Traquair, Julia Stewart, Gezahegn Demissie, Stella Joseph, Deborah Gold, Cathy Brown, and the entire team of volunteers at Roncyworks and those fighting food insecurity at Feed It Forward. They are all COVID community champions. I can say with absolute sincerity that on awards night, they inspired me to work hard to be a better neighbour.

OpioidsStatements by Members

11:15 a.m.

Conservative

Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC

Madam Speaker, a pandemic that has taken more lives than COVID is ravaging British Columbia. I speak of the opioid crisis. More than 1,700 people have died from opioids. In Maple Ridge alone, 500 have overdosed.

Keeping people alive is critical, but helping them get a new life is so much better. That is what recovery is all about.

Despite a lack of federal leadership, there are still some excellent supports in my riding of Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge. InnerVisions has two facilities. Hannah House for women and Miller House for men have combined 80 beds. Hope for Freedom is seeing great results at its lodge. The Salvation Army has an excellent Genesis recovery program.

I want to recognize the staff and hard work being done at the Maple Ridge Treatment Centre. The One Way Club and Celebrate Recovery also help those struggling with addictions.

These organizations are mainly non-profits that need our support as they provide life-changing support for so many.

Tourism Businesses in Fundy RoyalStatements by Members

11:15 a.m.

Conservative

Rob Moore Conservative Fundy Royal, NB

Madam Speaker, my riding of Fundy Royal is full of great tourism operators. Some have opened their businesses over the past few years, while many others have been in operation for decades. They are struggling, under the current COVID restrictions, to remain afloat and get through to reopening. Many have received limited support so far and are skeptical that they will get any support from the federal government to get them through to this summer. I hear from far too many businesses that are frustrated by the inaction of the federal government and are worried about what the coming months may hold for them.

The Conservatives have called for the federal government to ensure our economy's future by securing stimulus measures that are targeted to sectors that are struggling, like tourism. Canadians deserve a plan to get the economy growing again so that we can ensure a prosperous future.

Rail SafetyStatements by Members

11:15 a.m.

NDP

Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Madam Speaker, in northwest B.C. the railroad tracks run through so many of our communities. Day and night, trains over a kilometre long rumble through residential areas carrying dangerous goods such as diesel, propane and methanol. If proposed terminal projects go ahead, the volume of dangerous goods will increase even further.

While these trains are integral to our economy, the increase has communities concerned. They see derailments occurring and worry about the risk of a major incident, like the one in Lac-Mégantic. They wonder about response times and evacuation plans. Most of all, they wonder if federal regulations are doing enough to ensure that a major incident never occurs in the first place. Recent reports from the environment commissioner and the Auditor General have shown their concerns are legitimate.

People who live in northwest B.C., including those who work on the trains, deserve a federal government that is doing everything in its power to protect communities, workers and our environment. We will not be silent until that basic responsibility is fulfilled.

Employment Insurance Sickness BenefitsStatements by Members

11:15 a.m.

Bloc

Sylvie Bérubé Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC

Madam Speaker, I want to pay tribute to my sister Nancy, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2019.

She received the diagnosis after having a mammogram and a biopsy. She was devastated. She was starting a new life with her spouse, she had a good job and everything was turned upside down. She had six months of chemotherapy and then, in May 2020, she had a partial mastectomy and 23 radiation treatments. Nancy had to stop working to take care of her health.

The 15 weeks of EI benefits she is entitled to are absurdly insufficient to help women who, like her, face the greatest challenge of their lives, beating cancer. The 50 weeks of EI sickness benefits we are asking for would really help these women and spare them unnecessary stress. They currently have to focus on fighting their illness and trying to survive, without having the peace of mind they deserve.

I am proud of my sister for her courage and strength. With all my love, I wish her good health.

Income Tax DeadlineStatements by Members

11:20 a.m.

Conservative

Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON

Madam Speaker, I rise to follow up on the upcoming tax deadline and my continued concern that millions of Canadians are vulnerable to losing the benefits being renewed this July because they have not been able to get their taxes done.

The government says it cannot do it, but let us take a look at last year. We were in a pandemic, we were under lockdown and people were asked to stay at home. The government said it would move the tax deadline to September and make sure there is a smooth transition of benefits. Let us fast-forward to this year. We are in a pandemic, we are in lockdowns because we do not have enough vaccines and we are being asked to stay at home. However, the government says it is not going to move the deadline.

The reason this matters is that there are thousands of people who cannot complete their taxes at home. They do not have computers, so they are not capable of doing that. I see that. Thousands of constituents were in my office this past year and they had to cancel this month because they were asked to stay at home and not get their taxes completed.

We need to help vulnerable people and we need to make sure there is a smooth transition. The government should be compassionate and reasonable, and extend the deadline two months to help millions of Canadians out.

The EnvironmentStatements by Members

11:20 a.m.

Liberal

Maninder Sidhu Liberal Brampton East, ON

Madam Speaker, on April 22, 1970, the very first Earth Day took place, bringing millions of people together as a way to create awareness surrounding the real and critical issues of climate change and global warming. Over 50 years later, we continue to educate and mobilize our efforts to help bring positive environmental change.

The federal government is taking the necessary steps to help bring meaningful change and reverse the effects of climate change. Here in Brampton and the Region of Peel, our federal government has invested in 43 new electric vehicle charging stations and most recently announced the single-largest federal investment in the history of my riding of Brampton East to help create Brampton's largest transit maintenance facility. This facility will be equipped to transition to a fully electric fleet and help Canada reach its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

We can all make a difference in protecting our beautiful earth when we unite together. Let us all do our part to protect our earth for this generation and many generations to come.

National DefenceOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

Madam Speaker, last night Major Kellie Brennan gave powerful testimony. She told the committee that she was intimidated by General Vance into give false testimony. She said he bragged about controlling the military justice system and that he was untouchable and had the Minister of National Defence under his control. This is shocking and deeply disturbing but appears to be true.

Will the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defence admit that they were complicit in covering up allegations of sexual misconduct and, in doing so, have failed women in the military?

National DefenceOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

Vancouver South B.C.

Liberal

Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of National Defence

Madam Speaker, limiting all forms of misconduct and abuse of power and creating a safe work environment for everyone on the defence team have always been a top priority of our government. We know that any organization, including the Canadian Armed Forces, must work hard to eliminate the toxic masculinity that creates an unacceptable culture.

All avenues to a safer future for women serving in the Canadian Armed Forces are going to be considered. More work needs to be done and more will be done.

HealthOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

Madam Speaker, that is not believable. Make no mistake. There are more questions to come for the minister.

Canada has been losing the fight against COVID-19 variants for months. Yesterday, the Prime Minister finally noticed, and he took some advice from the Conservative leader. However, once again, it is too late for many Canadians.

A Brazilian variant outbreak ravaged British Columbia and the Indian variant has been found in three provinces. How much longer will the third wave be in Canada because the Prime Minister was once again slow to act?

HealthOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

Pickering—Uxbridge Ontario

Liberal

Jennifer O'Connell LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health

Madam Speaker, when it comes to protecting Canadians, we have stepped up every single step of the way. We have taken measures to protect Canadians and put in place some of the strictest border measures around the world, and yesterday was no exception. This shows that we are committed to continuing to act, to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes. We are going to get through this third wave together because Canadians are committed to doing so.

HealthOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

Madam Speaker, a month ago, when the Prime Minister was asked if border measures worked, his answer was simple. He said no, they actually do not work, and then he doubled down on that. In fact, since January 2020, including yesterday, when we asked the Prime Minister if he would start to control flights coming to Canada, we got no for an answer. Yesterday, late in the day, the Prime Minister finally got a small ounce of what is common sense to most and suspended flights from India and Pakistan.

How many Canadians are going to be affected by COVID-19 because the Prime Minister was dreadfully late once again in making the right decision?

HealthOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Hochelaga Québec

Liberal

Soraya Martinez Ferrada LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.

On this side of the House, our government will always operate on scientific data, public health advice and the changing COVID-19 situation around the world.

We have indeed temporarily suspended travel from India and Pakistan as we monitor the situation in the region. Passengers must also receive a negative test at their last point of departure before they can fly to Canada. We continue to strongly advise against non-essential travel. The safety of Canadians will always be our priority.

HealthOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Conservative

Richard Martel Conservative Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC

Madam Speaker, it took every effort to get the Prime Minister to close the border last night to countries with severe outbreaks of variants.

It is unbelievable that it takes the government such a long time to make decisions. When it comes to public health, it is crucial not to take any risks. The Prime Minister has been exposing the public to serious risks from day one of his term. He is slow on vaccines, slow to close the borders and slow with rapid testing. Does he realize that he caused this third wave?

HealthOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Hochelaga Québec

Liberal

Soraya Martinez Ferrada LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

The measures that we have in place are the strictest in the world. While the number of cases of the coronavirus is rising around the world, we are taking the necessary steps to protect Canadians from COVID-19 and its variants. Yesterday, we temporarily suspended all commercial and private passenger flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days. We will continue to advise against all non-essential travel because the safety of Canadians will always be our top priority.

HealthOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Conservative

Richard Martel Conservative Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC

Madam Speaker, it is difficult to understand why the Prime Minister was once again slow to act given the experience he gained in managing our borders during the first wave. He is not learning from his mistakes.

It took pressure from the Conservatives, the provinces and the media for him to finally decide to close the borders and protect Canadians. The situation is deteriorating in other countries. Can the Prime Minister assure us that he will no longer jeopardize the health of Canadians by dragging his feet?