House of Commons Hansard #88 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was years.
Foreign AffairsOral Questions
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount Québec
Liberal
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I do not want to repeat myself, but we have always been unequivocal when it comes to the protection of women's rights around the world and we will continue to do so at all times. As members know, votes at the United Nations on these kinds of appointments are done by secret ballot.
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Speaker, on the day the inquiry into the death of Lionel Desmond and his family was announced, the Minister of Veterans Affairs pledged full co-operation to the Desmond family so members can imagine the surprise and anger that Lionel's sister, Cassandra, and the family felt when they found out that more than a year after the inquiry began, lawyers for Veterans Affairs told the inquiry it would not provide a crucial internal review of how Veterans Affairs had handled Desmond's case, despite the minister's pledge.
Instead of burying the report, why do the Liberals not want to help the Desmond family understand what went wrong to help prevent further tragedies?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalMinister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the families involved in this tragedy. We have always committed to co-operating fully with the inquiry launched by Nova Scotia. I would like to clarify that the review in question has been, in fact, provided to the inquiry for the judge's determination of whether it will be used or not used. This is a horrific tragedy and we will work together to make sure that it never happens again.
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Speaker, in fact, Cassandra came to Ottawa and called for a joint public hearing. The minister met with her and pledged full co-operation. Cassandra left Ottawa thinking that she had his word. If it had not been for a leaked email that the internal report existed, the Liberals would have buried it. The family wants answers, Canadian veterans want answers and it looks like the answers are in the internal review, but for some reason, the minister is covering it up.
Will the Minister of Veterans Affairs make the internal review a matter of public record so that the inquiry can consider it and make recommendations to prevent further tragedies like this?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalMinister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I can assure my hon. colleague we are always committed to fully co-operating with the inquiry launched by Nova Scotia. Again, I said we have provided this information to the inquiry for the judge's determination and that is the appropriate thing to do. This is a horrific tragedy and we will work to make sure this never happens again. We will work to provide everything we can to help in this inquiry.
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
Mr. Speaker, there is still one way to avoid enacting special legislation regarding the conflict at the Port of Montreal. The Minister of Labour has not fulfilled her duties. She claims that the government believes in the collective bargaining process, but that all other efforts have been exhausted.
That is incorrect. How many times since August has the minister personally engaged with all of the parties? Is the minister in the process of negotiating a way out of this crisis?
Pablo Rodriguez LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, let us tell it like it is. For once, the Bloc Québécois has the opportunity to make a real difference.
There is a consensus in Quebec. The Government of Quebec and the various sectors of the economy are calling for it. Montrealers and Quebeckers are suffering economically, and the Port of Montreal plays a key role. Rather than talking non-stop and asking questions, will the Bloc Québécois stand with us in supporting Quebec's economy?
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
Mr. Speaker, that is a master class in the art of evading basic questions.
The government needs to show leadership. No, we do not want to paralyze Quebec's economy, but we also cannot hand special legislation to the employer on a silver platter, since that means the employer no longer has any obligation to negotiate.
The government needs to use common sense and get the parties back to the table. Special legislation is not a solution, it is a sign that the federal government has failed. Is the Prime Minister on the phone right now to resolve—
LabourOral Questions
Pablo Rodriguez LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the government would always rather see a negotiated solution. We want both parties to continue to negotiate and discuss. It is important to understand that the Port of Montreal plays an essential role in the economy, not only of Montreal, but of all of Quebec and even of Canada.
There was the initial strike, plus COVID-19, the economic crisis and the railway blockade. These all have major consequences. For once, the Bloc Québécois can do something. Instead of standing up here to criticize and pick a fight, it could stand up and push for consensus in Quebec.
Richard Lehoux Conservative Beauce, QC
Mr. Speaker, Lucie Vachon, a tax preparer from Saint-Gédéon, reached out to me on April 19 and 23, 2021, regarding how impossible it is to speak with a Canada Revenue Agency employee. She is coming up against interminable delays, full voice mailboxes and dropped phone calls. This was already a problem last year, but it has gotten worse.
Tax returns are sometimes sent without obtaining any information for the client, which will result in subsequent adjustments, and therefore an additional workload. What does the minister have to say to my constituent and others in the same situation?
Diane Lebouthillier LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Revenue Agency appreciates all the work its call centre employees have done over the past year. Call volumes are up 83% since 2020 and show no sign of slowing as we head into next tax season.
Hiring an external firm to help manage call volumes during tax season is a temporary measure that will ensure quality service for Canadians. The agency is in the process of hiring more call centre employees in addition to introducing other client service measures.
Tako Van Popta Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
Mr. Speaker, it happened in broad daylight, right in front of the Langley Sportsplex where my grandkids play hockey, right beside a day care where moms and dads were dropping off their kids for the day. It was a gangland-style killing, the third last week in Metro Vancouver. Clearly, organized crime is not paying any attention at all to the government’s ban on firearms.
When will the minister shift his focus away from law-abiding citizens, hunters and sport shooters and get to work on the hard job of tackling gang violence and keeping our streets safe?
Bill Blair LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, we promised Canadians we would strengthen gun laws. One of the things we are doing is we have examined the three ways in which criminals gain access to guns. They are smuggled across our border, they are stolen from lawful gun owners or they are criminally diverted, where people buy them legally and sell them illegally.
That is why we have introduced Bill C-21, which would bring in new strong measures and new resources for law enforcement and for communities to prevent guns from getting into the hands of criminals.
Frankly, I would urge my colleague from across the aisle to stop advocating for those who manufacture guns and start concentrating on public safety.
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Mr. Speaker, two years ago, Canada lost its lead in carbon capture technology to the United States. My colleagues and I have been pushing the government to introduce a tax credit that will level the field with our U.S. competitors.
The Liberals responded last week when they included this environmental tax credit in their budget. However, they specifically excluded enhanced oil recovery, a strange approach trying to play catch-up and excluding a key piece of the successful part of the U.S. tax credit.
Could the government tell the House how its approach accomplishes anything?
Marc Serré LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, we are supporting oil and gas workers. They built the country and they have done the same to lower our emissions. These are the same people who built renewables, the same people who built climate targets. We are investing in them with the carbon capture utilization storage, $319 million of investment tax credit, accelerating adoption of the proposed technology. We are investing in clean fuels like hydrogen and biofuels, using the determination and skills of our oil and gas workers, and also $2 billion for workforce development programs, so we leave no energy worker behind.
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Mr. Speaker, a little over a month ago, the Minister of Official Languages shared her vision for modernizing Canada's official languages legislation. In the budget, this government announced plans to invest over a quarter of a billion dollars in our official languages.
Would the minister please tell us how these new investments will support the proposed modernization, strengthen our official language minority communities and set the stage for French and English across Canada for decades to come?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Economic Development and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her excellent question and especially for her great work on official languages, especially at the Standing Committee on Official Languages.
What we did recently in the budget is strengthen our vision for the official languages. We presented this vision in our blueprint a little earlier in this session.
We are investing in post-secondary education for our official language minorities, we are supporting French as a second language across Canada and we are creating more community space for our official language minority communities in Canada.
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
Mr. Speaker, recently the Blackfeet Nation in Montana set up a free mobile vaccination clinic for Canadians at a border crossing in my riding using its excess vaccines. In two days, over 450 people from the entire Cardston community went through the clinic, some even receiving their second dose that they could not get in Canada.
If the government's vaccine rollout is going as well as the Liberals claim it is, why are my constituents having to rely on the generosity of Montanians to get their vaccine rather than their own Prime Minister and his government?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, first, let me say how excited I am that the constituents of the member opposite have access to vaccinations and, indeed, with such a strong friend and partner in the United States.
This is how we get things done as the world. It is something that I think Conservatives fail to recognize. We work together with traditional partners and with non-traditional partners. When countries like Canada and the U.S. work together as long-standing friends and neighbours, that is how we best protect each other.
Tony Baldinelli Conservative Niagara Falls, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have been speaking with CBSA officers at the four border crossings in Niagara who have informed me that they still do not have access to vaccines. This jeopardizes the health of these essential front-line federal workers. Furthermore, an outbreak could shut down some of the busiest border crossings in North America and threaten our already fragile supply chain. This is yet another glaring example of the Liberals' failed vaccine program.
When will the minister take action to provide vaccines to these essential federal CBSA workers in Niagara?
Bill Blair LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, I would simply remind the member opposite that the Province of Ontario recently announced last week that it was going to now prioritize our border service officers. I would like to mention the excellent work done by the Windsor area health authority that began just last week ensuring that all the CBSA officers were vaccinated.
We have provided vaccines to the Province of Ontario and guidance on how they should be prioritized. We have advised it that we believe, very strongly, that CBSA officers should be prioritized, and the Ontario government has agreed to do that.
Kerry-Lynne Findlay Conservative South Surrey—White Rock, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have blamed everyone but themselves for their failed pandemic response. First it was the provinces, then it was former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who has been off the job for 28 years. The truth is that there is no one to blame but themselves: too slow to limit international travel, too slow to procure vaccines. With record cases in B.C., we are all paying the price with more lockdowns and more crippling stress.
Is the Prime Minister really sure he has no regrets about his pandemic response?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, what I can tell the member I have no regrets about is being there for Canadians and, indeed, for provinces and territories every step of the way.
No country has had a perfect pandemic. It is not possible. It is a global pandemic. People are suffering and people are struggling, but this government has been there for people. We have been there for workers. We have been there for workplaces. We have been there for provinces and territories. We have been there with therapeutics, with vaccines, with tests, with the devices that Canadians have needed. We will continue to be there no matter what COVID throws at us, because that is what a country does. It sticks together; it works together. We will get through this together.
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Mr. Speaker, economic recovery is tied to the vitality of our communities. However, certainly for the past year, for many communities like my own, town halls, main streets, hockey rinks and farmers markets have been quiet for quite some time as Canadians have taken precautions to stay safe.
Could the Minister of Economic Development provide further information on how budget 2021 will invest in these small but vital communities?
