Debates of April 27th, 2021

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Bob Saroya, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the recovery plan the Liberals put forward last week threatens Canada's future. Markham—Unionville residents are concerned that the Liberal plan will only make things worse. We need a new plan that will recover the million jobs COVID-19 destroyed, return transparency to Parliament, provide stronger consequences for corruption and tackle the mental health crisis the pandemic has created, something the Liberal plan shamefully ignores altogether.

Any recovery needs to include looking ahead. That means getting the supplies together to fight the next pandemic and getting our debt in order so that we have the resources to help Canadians in their next time of need.

The Conservative Party of Canada has a plan that does all this. It is a plan to secure jobs, accountability, mental health, the country and the economy. It is a plan that will secure the future.

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

Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc for over a year. Canada has now lost 24,000 people: loved ones, friends and community members. In our region there is a ray of hope as people aged 18 and over can get the vaccine. First nations have been leading the vaccine efforts here. I acknowledge the leadership of chiefs, councillors, front-line workers and MKO.

In December, I joined the MP for Vancouver Kingsway in pushing for urgent federal action to get vaccines to indigenous and northern communities. The vaccine is critical, but it is also not enough. We need paid sick days for all workers.

The death of 13-year-old Emily Viegas must be a wake-up call. Many working people in industrial workplaces who are racialized or immigrants have paid for this crisis first with their lives, and now their children's. Coming out of this we need a different world where the elderly, first nations and the working class are not exploited and marginalized: a world where lives matter before profit.

Loïc Tremblay

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to pay tribute to a young and unbelievably courageous constituent of mine.

When a fire broke out in a building in Sacré-Cœur on the evening of April 7, 15-year-old Loïc Tremblay courageously stepped up to save his neighbour, who has reduced mobility. The building was almost completely destroyed, but thanks to him, no one was injured.

It warms my heart to hear about such selflessness on the part of one of my constituents. These kinds of situations show just how devoted human beings can be to helping their neighbours.

Loïc did not hesitate to save a life in the face of a dangerous crisis. I sincerely congratulate him and thank him from the bottom of my heart. The people of the North Shore will always need courageous role models like him to help strengthen the bonds between us.

Loïc is a true hero.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the ongoing pandemic has been hard on my constituents in Kelowna—Lake Country and many Canadians.

Here in B.C., we are facing strong lockdown measures once again due to the Prime Minister 's failures to secure our borders from COVID hot spots and procure vaccines. B.C. is now home to the largest outbreak of the Brazilian variant of COVID-19, outside of Brazil itself.

For over a year, I have listened to distressed constituents who have not been able to get a vaccine, rapid test or COVID test in a timely manner. They have been laid off or are on the verge of losing their businesses. They are very concerned about isolation and continual lockdowns affecting their elderly parents or children. I have listened to heartbreaking stories of loved ones committing suicide. Many people have lost hope.

Conservatives will establish a Canada mental health action plan to increase mental health funding to the provinces and provide employer incentives for mental health coverage for employees. Canada's Conservatives have a recovery plan to secure mental health, secure our economy and secure our future.

Housing

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my start in politics was as a downtown Hamilton city councillor. It became immediately apparent to me that there was an affordable housing crisis. The problem dated back to a time when social housing and administration costs were downloaded by the provincial government. I personally met with constituents who were struggling to find housing, and those who were housed were often living in dilapidated unsafe units. This experience stayed with me.

Today I am proud to be part of a government that is making historic investments in housing across our country. Yesterday, we announced that Hamilton would receive $145 million to repair and renovate over six thousand units of social housing. This is further to the $97 million that will be used to create 1,942 units. These investments are city-changing, and are an example of how municipalities, provinces and the federal government can work together to change lives for the better.

National Defence

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence was aware of allegations of sexual misconduct against General Vance in 2018. The Clerk of the Privy Council knew. The Prime Minister's senior advisor knew. The Prime Minister's chief of staff knew.

Did the Prime Minister know?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I have been saying for some time now, yes, there was a complaint against General Vance. Nobody in my office or in the Minister of National Defence's office knew the nature of the complaint.

We clearly have to improve the process. We have to make sure we create an environment in which people who want to bring forward allegations feel supported. That is the kind of situation and the kind of system we are creating.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence was aware of sexual misconduct allegations against General Vance in 2018. The Clerk of the Privy Council was aware. The senior adviser, Mr. Marques, to the Prime Minister was aware. The chief of staff to the Prime Minister was aware in 2018.

Was the Prime Minister aware of sexual misconduct allegations in 2018?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, what the Leader of the Opposition is putting forward is simply untrue. While there was awareness that there was a complaint against General Vance, there was no awareness that it was in fact a #MeToo complaint of a sexual nature. These are issues that we have continued to work on seriously as a government.

I need to highlight that the leader of the official opposition had heard a rumour of misconduct back in 2015. He told his staff, who then told PMO, which told the Privy Council Office. It is the exact same process that played out in 2015 under the previous Conservative government as played out in our government, but we have taken far more actions to change the culture for the better of our military.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, let us explore those actions. For months, the Prime Minister has said he was not aware of specific allegations. Today, he just told the House that his office was not aware that they were of a #MeToo nature. The only trouble is, his team used the term “sexual harassment” in the emails about this incident in March 2018.

Will the Prime Minister be honest with this House, and with the women serving bravely in our Canadian Armed Forces, that he was aware and he failed them for three years?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as a government, we have consistently stood up for survivors. We have stood up against harassment and intimidation in federal workplaces across the country, and indeed in the Canadian Armed Forces. We have made significant investments in improving systems and accountability, and we will continue to do that.

In 2018, when a complaint came forward, we forwarded it to the Privy Council Office so it could do the follow-up necessary, but unfortunately the ombudsman was not able to reveal the full extent because he did not have permission. We need to create a system in which people feel supported to come forward.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is now using the term “we”, so I take it he was aware in 2018 that his office was emailing with Mr. Walbourne with respect to sexual harassment. Does the Prime Minister, in the House of Commons, suggest that when Canadian women use the term #MeToo, they are not referring to sexual harassment?

The Prime Minister and his team were aware. Why did he cover it up?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning of my leadership, from the beginning of my time as Prime Minister, I have consistently stood up to defend people who are facing situations of misconduct or sexual harassment. I have always done that every step of the way, and my office has always taken that just as seriously. We will always stand with survivors. We will always ensure justice and support for them every step of the way. One needs simply to look at our record, and we will continue to do even more to do just that.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I am looking at the records from his office, where the term “sexual harassment” was used, yet today the Prime Minister—maybe he has new notes now—is suggesting they did not think it was a #MeToo allegation. His own team was describing it as sexual harassment. The Clerk of the Privy Council knew. The chief of staff—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am going to interrupt. We will let the hon. member start his question over.

[An. hon. member]

The chamber is on mute. We cannot hear the chamber virtually.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Can everyone hear now? We will return to the hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with this cover-up, it seems the country has been on mute with respect to these allegations for three years.

The Prime Minister knows that his own office was using the term “sexual harassment” with respect to this allegation in 2018. All of the senior members of his office knew, and used the term “sexual harassment.” It is embarrassing to suggest that he was not aware that it was a #MeToo-style complaint.

The Clerk of the Privy Council knew. His senior adviser knew. The chief of staff to the Prime Minister of Canada knew for three years. Why did she lie to him?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, my office, and my chief of staff specifically, has, from the very beginning, always taken extraordinarily seriously any allegations of personal and professional misconduct, particularly allegations of a sexual nature.

We have consistently stood up in defence of survivors, consistently pushed back against cultures that tolerate and accept marginalization or diminishment of women or other minorities. That is something we will continue to stand up for. We will continue to defend anyone who comes forward with stories and allegations of misconduct. That is what this government has always stood for.

Labour

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying yesterday, special legislation is not the solution to the Port of Montreal problem, it is proof of incompetence. The Prime Minister could have spent five minutes on the phone and prevented the strike. The union made it clear that if the employer drops the shift changes imposed then there would be no strike.

The Prime Minister could have picked up his phone and told the employer to drop the shifts imposed or he would force them to do so through legislation, which he is not even doing. Can the Prime Minister pick up his phone to prevent serious economic losses to the Port of Montreal and avoid harmful special legislation?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we often see the Bloc Québécois members rise in the House to say that they will defend the interests of Quebeckers. This is an opportunity for Bloc members to put their money where their mouth is.

Will they support our bill to allow activities in the Port of Montreal to resume safely and to establish an impartial mediation and arbitration process that would resolve the disputes and lead to a new collective agreement? Will they accept it or not? Unfortunately, it seems like the answer is no and that they will not act in the best interest of Quebeckers.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, would it be possible to tell the Prime Minister that the question is about the Port of Montreal, not the Bloc Québécois or the Liberal party?

He could have picked up his phone. He could have taken the workers' interests in consideration before he decided to become a Conservative dressed in red. He could have picked up his phone and prevented a strike within five minutes. Although the strike has been going on for just three days, it may have cost users of the Port of Montreal anywhere from $30 million to $50 million. Why did he not call the employer?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, that is nonsense. For years now, we have prioritized negotiations, and we encourage parties to find a common objective and plan. They were unable to do so.

Our decision to intervene and force impartial mediation and arbitration so that both parties can find a solution was made as a last resort, given that we could soon see some significant damage to Quebec's economy and to Quebeckers.

The Bloc Québécois has the opportunity to take action by supporting this bill. Will it? It appears they will not.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the workers at the Port of Montreal want a collective agreement, and that is their right. Instead of helping them, the Prime Minister is going to force them back to work.

The president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees has written to the Prime Minister to point out that this kind of legislation will undermine workers' rights. Will the Prime Minister listen to the workers' demands and withdraw his back-to-work legislation?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, for years now, we have ensured that negotiations between employers and workers take place at the bargaining table. We have encouraged and enabled this process. That is the government's role, and that is what we have done.

Now we have reached a point where negotiations are no longer working. Not only is this putting the Quebec and Canadian economy at risk, but it is about to hurt thousands of Quebeckers and Canadians.

Yes, we are going to act, not by imposing a contract, but by allowing mediation and arbitration, an impartial process that will lead to a contract.