House of Commons Hansard #89 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was workers.

Topics

HousingOral Questions

3 p.m.

Spadina—Fort York Ontario

Liberal

Adam Vaughan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families

Mr. Speaker, the party opposite misunderstands identifying a problem with being happy about a situation. The issue was described as a serious issue, and it is in the budget we just tabled. We are taking steps to address it. We are also taking steps to address money laundering and to strengthen FINTRAC to make sure foreign speculation does not distort the housing market and protects Canadians.

Our job as a government is to build a housing system based on a human rights approach that gives Canadians the choice whether they want to rent or own, and to support the choice of programs that facilitate the realization of that dream. The party opposite was not only missing in action. It may want to take a look at its role in income trusts and the role they play in the distortion of the housing market. Jim Flaherty might have a few words—

HousingOral Questions

3 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

The hon. member for Kelowna—Lake Country.

The BudgetOral Questions

3 p.m.

Conservative

Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC

Mr. Speaker, exports are responsible for one in five jobs in Canada and nearly a third of our GDP. Robust trade not only provides economic security for families and businesses but will also help reduce our massive federal debt. Despite being critical to our economic recovery, trade appears to be an afterthought in the budget. This is not a surprise. The same government missed a deadline to implement the trade continuity agreement with the U.K. and has still not negotiated a buy America exemption.

Why did the government fail to make trade a priority in its recent budget?

The BudgetOral Questions

3 p.m.

Outremont Québec

Liberal

Rachel Bendayan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to take this question, because only a few weeks ago Canada ranked number two in the entire world in terms of foreign direct investment attractiveness. We take our exporters very seriously in this country. They are an integral part of our economy and will form an integral part of our economic relaunch.

We are certainly going to continue supporting our exporters, and when it comes to having their backs, this government has consistently been there for them, as we will continue to be through to the other side of this pandemic.

EmploymentOral Questions

3 p.m.

Liberal

Anju Dhillon Liberal Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC

Mr. Speaker, our government presented budget 2021 last week. This is one of the most significant budgets in generations. Our plan invests in those who are most vulnerable and in families from coast to coast to coast.

Can the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion tell the House about the work our government is doing to bring employment back to pre-pandemic levels?

EmploymentOral Questions

3 p.m.

Delta B.C.

Liberal

Carla Qualtrough LiberalMinister of Employment

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for the work she does for her community.

Our budget is a plan that invests in growth for all Canadians and an economic recovery that leaves no one behind. We are investing nearly $2.5 billion to help train workers while also helping Canadians transition to new jobs. We are creating 500,000 training and work opportunities, including 215,000 opportunities for youth.

We are also extending the wage subsidy and creating a hiring program for Canada's economic recovery. We are delivering on our commitment to create one million jobs—

EmploymentOral Questions

3 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

The hon. member for Chatham-Kent—Leamington.

The EconomyOral Questions

3 p.m.

Conservative

Dave Epp Conservative Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has stated that, because interest rates are low, Canada can afford this massive debt and enormous endless deficits. She seems oblivious to the fact that interest rates have nowhere to go but up.

Finance Minister Paul Martin stated, “The debt and the deficit are not inventions of ideology. They are facts of arithmetic. The quicksand of compound interest is real."

Future generations, who will have to pay off this massive debt, want to know if Paul Martin was wrong, or if it is the current minister who is wrong.

The EconomyOral Questions

3 p.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, there is no question the emergency measures we put forward to support Canadians during an unprecedented public health and economic crisis have been expensive, but doing too little would have been far more expensive. I point the hon. member to the report of the IMF, which indicates that, had we not put forward these measures, our deficit would be of the same scale, but our economy would have experienced economic scarring that would have hamstrung our recovery for a generation.

I point the hon. member as well to the recent reaffirmation of our AAA investment grade credit rating from the major credit rating agencies. It turns out those socialists at the credit agencies also believe that supporting families during their time of need and keeping workers on the—

The EconomyOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

The hon. member for Beauce.

Agriculture and Agri-FoodOral Questions

April 27th, 2021 / 3:05 p.m.

Conservative

Richard Lehoux Conservative Beauce, QC

Mr. Speaker, the government failed on another front: foreign workers. This government gave a contract to a sole supplier, a Toronto-based unilingual anglophone company, to handle all its COVID-19 tests.

One business in my riding is on day 19 of what was supposed to be a 14-day process. The business has been trying to get a hold of someone for five days now, but nobody is answering.

I know the minister will tell me they signed another contract, but that does not solve the problem for those who are still waiting on Switch Health. What does she have to say to businesses in my riding?

Agriculture and Agri-FoodOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Delta B.C.

Liberal

Carla Qualtrough LiberalMinister of Employment

Mr. Speaker, all federal departments worked together to expedite and facilitate the safe entry of temporary foreign workers into Canada.

On April 26, we announced a new partnership with Dynacare to provide specialized support for testing temporary foreign workers arriving in Quebec by plane. Starting April 28, Dynacare will be providing temporary foreign workers with specialized support in French, English and other languages. This agreement will help meet the increased demand for testing in the coming months.

Agriculture and Agri-FoodOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC

Mr. Speaker, incoming temporary workers are taking longer to get to Quebec farms because they are still waiting for the results of their supposedly rapid tests from a company that, in addition to being slow, operates in English only.

This is a waste of valuable time and a blatant lack of respect on the part of this government for our francophone farmers in Quebec. What will the government do to speed up the process for those who are already waiting and to better serve francophones?

Agriculture and Agri-FoodOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Delta B.C.

Liberal

Carla Qualtrough LiberalMinister of Employment

Mr. Speaker, as I just said, effective April 28, Dynacare will provide temporary foreign workers with dedicated support services in French, English and other languages.

This agreement will help meet an increased demand for testing over the coming months, support essential sectors like agriculture, and protect the health and safety of foreign workers and Canadians.

COVID-19 Emergency ResponseOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON

Mr. Speaker, Brampton has been one of the hardest-hit communities by the pandemic in Ontario. We have been on lockdown since November. Right now, we have a test positivity rate of 22% and the situation remains difficult. Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance tell this House how budget 2021 would help hot spots like Brampton get through the pandemic and help the community to recover once this pandemic is over?

COVID-19 Emergency ResponseOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her ongoing advocacy for the people of Brampton.

The uptick that we have seen in case numbers in her community and, frankly, across parts of the country is deeply concerning. I would point to the fact that we have invested billions of dollars now to expand EI sickness benefits and implement the Canada recovery sick benefit so families do not need to choose between earning a paycheque and protecting their health.

We have now implemented over 13.8 million doses of vaccines in Canadian communities, and we are continuing to make investments, like through the safe restart agreement with nearly $19 billion to make sure that Canadians can return to work. As we go forward, we are going to continue to support Canadians in their time of need and ensure that their health and well-being is our first priority.

HousingOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Mr. Speaker, the housing parliamentary secretary admitted that Canada is “a very safe market for foreign investment but...not a great market for Canadians looking for choices around housing”. He also said that Canada's housing market is “driven by speculation”.

The cost of housing in Canada has increased by 31% over the last year alone. This 1% vacant homes tax for non-Canadians living outside of Canada is not going to cut it. Will the government increase this tax, bring in a foreign buyers tax, and put in new money for the construction of social housing for those in core need?

HousingOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Spadina—Fort York Ontario

Liberal

Adam Vaughan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families

Mr. Speaker, having just heard the NDP House leader talk about solving the housing crisis with an $8-billion investment, I am a little reluctant to take the advice of the NDP on housing policy. After all, the New Democrats have already spent that money on pharmacare, fighting climate change and basic income. I am not sure how far one simple tax will stretch.

The issue is this. We are focused on delivering to Canadians housing that they can afford, is safe and is secure. We are working on rental housing. We are working on first-time homebuyers. We are working on making sure the market is regulated back to shape so that foreign investors do not find a home before Canadians do, because our goal is to get every Canadian a home. That is what the national housing strategy is investing in.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, climate targets are not about politics, they are about science, and even though Canada has improved our target last week at President Biden's climate summit, we are not aligned with the science. Speaker after speaker at that summit made it clear that we must achieve the bulk of reductions this decade if we are going to hold to 1.5°C.

Will the minister and the Prime Minister be open to changing Bill C-12 with a specific target due in 2025 baked into the bill?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

South Shore—St. Margarets Nova Scotia

Liberal

Bernadette Jordan LiberalMinister of Fisheries

Mr. Speaker, we support enhanced reporting to ensure we are on track to meeting our newly announced national determined contributions for 2030. To this end, we have proposed embedding Canada's new target for 2030 directly into the act, which is 40% to 45% below 2005 emission levels.

Climate change is an urgent issue and we must work together on it. We hope the Green Party will support the bill at second reading so that we can continue to work constructively to further strengthen the bill.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

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

The hon. member for Kingston and the Islands on a point of order.

Oral QuestionsPoints of OrderOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Liberal

Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Mr. Speaker, in our rules of order and decorum, they refer to Standing Order 18 and say, "Remarks...which question that Member’s integrity, honesty or character are not in order.”

During questioning of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, on a number of occasions it was referred to him as misleading the House. When someone accuses someone else of misleading the House, it certainly, at least in my opinion, would suggest that their integrity and indeed their honesty are being questioned in that regard.

I do not think it is necessary at this point to call out those members who were doing that, but it might be beneficial for you to remind members of that particular Standing Order 18 so that we can perhaps correct this moving forward.

Oral QuestionsPoints of OrderOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to respond to the point of order by my colleague and I do agree with him. I would suggest to him to talk to the Prime Minister because the member for Papineau is always using that kind of argument when we are asking questions. He did that today.

Oral QuestionsPoints of OrderOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

I want to thank the hon. members for bringing that point up. I do want to remind the hon. members that in the chamber we are setting an example for Canadians, for children, for anyone who is watching and we want to set an example where we are arguing the ideas, not calling names. That is something that the rules point out. I understand that sometimes we forget and get caught up in the moment, but I want to remind everyone that the respect that we have here is something that permeates throughout the country and it is important that we set the example.

Members' Participation in Oral Questions—Speaker's RulingPoints of OrderOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

I am now prepared to rule on the point of order raised on April 14 by the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, concerning the participation of independent members and members of non-recognized parties in Oral Questions.

Following up on the point of order that she raised on February 16, concerning their participation in Oral Questions on Wednesday, on which I ruled on February 23, the member focused on the number of questions allocated to them during each sitting week. Since the number of independent members and members of non-recognized parties has risen from four to eight since the beginning of this Parliament, she feels that the number of questions should also increase.

As the one responsible for keeping deliberations running smoothly, the Chair is aware of the number and distribution of questions allocated during question period. I should add that, while the member raised the question from a different angle, I am still obliged to reconcile the three fundamental elements to which I have already referred rather than to address it by limiting the matter to a simple mathematical formula.

The first element is complying with our established practice. In this case, that means the practice of allocating Oral Questions primarily on the basis of negotiations among the recognized parties in the House. I note that this practice has changed in recent years, which has made it possible to give independent members and members of non-recognized parties a larger share of the questions.

The second, and I find that this relatively recent development has certain limits, relates to the wording of Standing Order 30, since 45 minutes are reserved for question period. The Chair has to make every effort to ensure that this rule is respected as much as possible, similar to ensuring the rules of governing the management of speaking times during our deliberations are adhered to. Members have undoubtedly noticed, as I have, that for many years now, it has been difficult to respect this standing order to the letter.

The third is linked to my responsibility to protect the rights of all members and, as I stated in my ruling last February 23, to find “a balance between the rights and interests of the majority and of those of the minority. In doing so, the Chair must try to be equitable and fair, without tipping the balance too far on one side or the other.”

In keeping with my commitment as Speaker to encourage meetings to ensure that our institution has harmonious parliamentary procedures that are based on co-operation, and having always insisted on the importance of co-operation to improve the decorum, process and overall operations of the House, I encouraged the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands to continue her efforts. I continue to believe that this is the approach most likely to produce a solution. In the meantime, I cannot unilaterally alter the agreement and practices already in place, unless the groups concerned reach an agreement.

Because this question has been raised in the past, and given the parameters of the Chair's authority in the matter, I reiterate my request that the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs study the question.

I thank the hon. members for their attention.