Debates of April 29th, 2021

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have said from the beginning, I treat all cases of misconduct with the utmost seriousness and always followed all proper processes.

We saw the same process in 2015. Let us talk about 2015. The Harper Conservatives appointed General Vance while he had an active CFNIS investigation looking into him. Right after he was appointed, that investigation was suddenly dropped. Then the Leader of the Opposition passed along rumours of sexual misconduct that were supposedly looked into.

Perhaps the Leader of the Opposition knows more than what he has said so far.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Well, that was a ridiculous answer, Mr. Speaker.

The defence minister has lost complete control of his department. Yesterday we learned that a private Facebook group for military police posted disgusting attacks on one of General Vance’s alleged victims. The defence minister left General Vance in charge of Operation Honour for three years despite allegations of sexual misconduct, and now we are seeing the fallout.

Does the defence minister understand that his own inaction has inflamed the sexual misconduct and misogyny in the Canadian Armed Forces?

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

Mr. Speaker, since we are talking about 2015, when General Vance was appointed, the member opposite was parliamentary secretary of national defence at that time. We learned the troubling news yesterday that former Prime Minister Harper appointed General Vance in July 2015 even though he was under active investigation by CFNIS at that time. Now, did the member opposite also know, and what did he do at that time? Just days after the Conservatives appointed him, the investigation was suddenly dropped. According to an ATIP, the commanding officer said that he was under pressure, but by whom? Maybe it was the member opposite; we do not know.

The Leader of the Opposition said that he passed along sexual misconduct allegations about General Vance in July 2015, claiming they were looked into. How is this possible, if General Vance was appointed at the time and the investigation was suddenly—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the minister, who turned a blind eye and ran for the hills, Conservatives actually investigated.

Canadians are shocked to learn that a senior officer wrote a glowing recommendation to the courts in support of a soldier convicted of sexually assaulting a colleague. Appallingly, numbers show that at least 216 cases of sexual assault and harassment in the military were pleaded down to administrative charges under the minister's watch, a mere slap on the wrist.

Will the defence minister admit he failed to protect our women and men in uniform and was wrong to leave General Vance in charge of Operation Honour? Will the minister answer the question, no more rhetoric?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to take strong action, and that is exactly what today's announcement was about.

As I stated before, in July 2015 when an investigation was going on, why did they appoint General Vance at that time? The member opposite was the parliamentary secretary of national defence at that time. Talk about knowing something and then still appointing somebody.

At the end of the day, we are going to be focused on survivors, and that is what our announcement was about today.

[An hon. member]

Bettered his contract and gave him a raise. Kept him in charge of Operation Honour.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order, please.

I want to remind hon. members that when they speak in the chamber they can do it kind of anonymously because we cannot really point them out, but online they come out front and centre. I am sure nobody wants to draw attention to themselves for doing something that is incorrect in the chamber.

I will let the hon. minister finish. He has about six seconds left.

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, obviously the member opposite wants to [Technical difficulty—Editor], but one thing I can say with absolute certainty is that our government is going to be focused on the survivors and a way ahead to make this better. This is why we have launched an external review. This is why we are [Technical difficulty—Editor] in place and making sure that our budget represents—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We seem to be having a bit of a technical issue, but the time is up.

The hon. member for Saint-Jean.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Immigration promised to speed up the processing of applications to immigrate to Quebec, but the exact opposite happened in 2020.

Quebec's target was 44,000 immigrants, but the minister acknowledged that he let 17,000 fewer than that in. He also acknowledged that nearly 1,000 applications from workers already residing in Quebec could have been processed but were not. That means 10,000 people who are already here, already working, already assimilated into our language and culture and already integrated.

What steps will the minister take to get his department in order?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we are working closely with Quebec to make sure it gets the skilled workers it needs.

We have welcomed more than 7,000 new skilled permanent residents to Quebec, which is 56 more compared to the same period last year. Our government will continue to respect its immigration quota, thereby ensuring that Quebec gets all the skilled workers it needs.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, nearly 7,000 applications for permanent residence are waiting to be opened at Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada and have not even been acknowledged. This means 7,000 envelopes are gathering dust on a desk.

Everyone understands that an acknowledgement of receipt does not speed up the processing of files, but applicants do require an acknowledgement of receipt to access health insurance and to ensure that selection certificates do not expire. Quebec has implemented a temporary solution, but it was not up to Quebec to do the minister's job.

Can the minister guarantee that he will respond to the 7,000 families that are waiting and ensure that such a backlog never happens again?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we are seeing the effects in Quebec, which is facing a significant labour shortage in several sectors.

I was pleased to see that Quebec plans to increase its immigration levels in the coming years. This will allow us to welcome even more skilled workers, which Quebec needs.

I will continue to work with my Quebec counterpart to support economic recovery in Quebec and across Canada.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I truly commend the minister on his French. We only wish that the department had improved in the same way, but instead it has had its share of failures during the pandemic.

Unacceptable delays in granting work visas and permits are piling up. Applications for permanent residence filed in Quebec remain unopened, while confirmations of permanent residence were issued to people who were then denied entry into Canada. The temporary foreign workers file was mismanaged and the department missed its own sponsorship target.

Can the minister admit that when everything is falling apart, there might be more to blame for the problem than just the pandemic?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for complimenting me on my French. I will keep working on it.

Throughout the pandemic, we have worked in close collaboration with the Government of Quebec on determining immigration priorities. We have also put in place several innovative measures to process current applications as quickly as possible, moving from paper copies to digital and reducing the delays caused by COVID-19.

There is still a lot of work to do, but we will continue to work collaboratively to ensure that the immigration system continues to serve Canadians and Quebeckers.

National Defence

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, for three years the Minister of National Defence knew about sexual harassment allegations involving women serving in the military against Canada's highest-ranked general, and he did nothing. He even refused to look at the evidence and he never followed up on it. This is a woman's worst nightmare, to have the courage to bring forward something like this but then to be ignored and dismissed. To add insult to injury, the defence minister gave General Vance a pay bump and extended his appointment.

Will the Minister of National Defence apologize for turning his back on women in the Canadian Armed Forces?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Armed Forces members make enormous sacrifices to protect Canadians, regardless of rank or gender. They have an undeniable right to serve with safety.

It is clear that we have not lived up to our responsibility to protect our members from misconduct. That is why we announced today that Madame Louise Arbour will lead an independent, external comprehensive review into harassment and sexual misconduct in DND-CAF. We also named Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan as the chief of professional conduct and culture.

These are just some of the first steps that we are taking. We know we have much more work to do, and we will get it done.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we already have a report on this. Now is the time to actually act on that. The minister's announcement today, as he knows, has no timeline, no start date, no urgency.

Leah West was sexually assaulted by a senior officer while serving in our military and has said that not a single member of the Canadian Armed Forces, DND leadership or the government has reached out to her since then. She said that today's announcement “rings absolutely hollow”.

I really wish that the minister would show some humility, maybe pick up the phone and apologize to Leah West and the other women who have been harassed and assaulted. Will he do that?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have heard from survivors. We have conducted round tables with experts. The announcement today was about taking action on what we have heard, immediate action when it comes to providing greater support and peer-to-peer support. There are the announcements that we made in budget 2021 and the actions we have taken with the external review. It is going to be much broader, to make sure that we have an independent process.

That is going to give confidence to the women in the Canadian Armed Forces to be able to come forward. We owe it to them. We need to get this right, and we will.

Automotive Industry

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, generations of Canadian families have been supported by good jobs in the automotive industry, but this is all at risk because the auto sector has no plan.

The budget mentions electric vehicle battery research, but the Liberals continue to fail workers by not creating a national auto policy. Canada has fallen behind, and there is no better example than stalled production because we are dependent on foreign microchips. Furthermore, Ford and GM are creating production of batteries in the U.S., while Chrysler has brand new electric vehicle plants in Detroit, across from Windsor.

When will the government implement a national auto policy to protect and create these good jobs in Canada for Canadians and their families?

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows full well, we have partnered with various unions since the first day we were elected. We have had numerous consultations. We are very much focused on ensuring that the future of our auto sector is healthy and robust, and we are there for the workers.

Housing

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the PBO and housing policy experts like Steve Pomeroy have repeatedly criticized the affordability criteria in the largest part of the Liberals' housing strategy. For instance, they announced a project in Ottawa providing 65 units at only 21% of median income. This makes the housing sound affordable, but in reality, it is $1,900 a month, nearly 50% higher than Ottawa's average market rent.

The Liberals do not seem to have any idea what is affordable to everyday Canadians. Why is the government more concerned about programs that sound good than delivering truly affordable housing to Canadians?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, we know that every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Our long-term plan for a faster growing Canadian economy must include housing that is affordable for working Canadians. That is why in budget 2021, our government has a plan to invest $2.5 billion and reallocate $1.3 billion in existing funding to speed up the construction, repair or support of 35,000 affordable housing units. We will continue to remain ambitious as part of the national housing strategy.

National Defence

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, this is a very frustrating situation for all women to hear who have witnessed anything like this. The bottom line is that a woman came forward and the minister dismissed it. He did not take it seriously. He did not follow up in three years and now he is announcing a report. We have already had a report, yet nothing happened since then. We want to see actions.

Will the minister acknowledge his failure to act, the lack of courage he has shown to women in our armed forces and take real action and provide leadership? He was elected by the people. Where is the leadership?