Debates of April 29th, 2021

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, one thing I can assure you is that we took immediate action. The complaint was immediately passed on to the Privy Council Office, as I stated before, so that the Governor in Council appointment could be looked into, exactly the same process that the previous government had taken. I also announced today that we are creating a new internal organization that will be led by Lt. Gen. Jennie Carignan as the chief of professional conduct and culture. She will be tasked with unifying, integrating and coordinating all policies, programs and activities that currently address systemic misconduct and support a culture change across National Defence. We need to make sure that everyone who wants to come forward feels comfortable coming forward.

Public Services and Procurement

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, London North Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have met the challenges of COVID head-on, but remain concerned about the future. Over the last year, countless Londoners have told me about the CERB, wage supports for businesses, and other supports and how they sustained them during the pandemic.

Budget 2021 lays out a vision where women, men, families, small businesses and communities are able to plan with greater confidence, but vaccines are key to ensuring that confidence as well. Could the minister update the House on the vaccine doses we are receiving this year and into the future?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, it is true that we have been here for Canadians at every step. I am privileged to share that Canada is once again one of the first countries to sign an agreement for COVID-19 vaccines with a blue-chip supplier like Pfizer. There will be 35 million doses in 2022 and 30 million doses in 2023. We will also be receiving two million doses a week in May and 2.5 million doses in June, for a total of 48 million by the end of June.

To those who suggested that vaccines would not arrive until 2030, that we were not thinking of the future, that we had no plan, we do have a plan and it is working.

Canadian Heritage

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the heritage minister consistently tries to mislead Canadians by convincing them that Bill C-10 applies only to large online streaming companies. He even takes quotes from members of Parliament and experts and uses them out of context in order to try to prove his point. It is incredibly deceptive, sneaky, crafty and wrong.

The fact is that last week the Liberals changed their own legislation, Bill C-10, by removing the one section that would have protected ordinary Canadians from online government censorship. Why?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I am puzzled as to who is trying to deceive whom really. I have in front of me a press release from the Canadian Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which says, regarding Bill C-10, that these “characterizations [that this bill would somehow attempt to infringe on free speech] are both factually incorrect and dangerously misleading. They represent neither the text nor the purpose of Bill C-10.”

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would ask for the date of that quote because the justice department itself has said otherwise.

We are seeing the current government mimic behaviour that is consistent with a basic dictatorship. It is wrong.

With their transformational edit that they just made to Bill C-10, the Liberals are trying to give themselves the power to control what Canadians can read online, what they post on social media and the videos that they watch on YouTube. Again, it is wrong. Why is the government doing this?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, that press release was issued yesterday.

What we are seeing now is that these are big, powerful and, in fact some of the wealthiest corporations on the planet; clearly, the member opposite and her party are just afraid to stand up to them. Again it seems that the members of the Conservative Party are listening to the most extremist element of their party, as they have on very important issues such as climate change or women's right to choose.

Official Languages

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I just lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Official Languages about the Liberals' lax application of the Official Languages Act within federal departments and agencies, and in particular their obligation to submit a review of their compliance with the act.

In 2019, just 47 of the 89 reviews promised were submitted and just 24 out of 55 were submitted in 2020. If the two official languages are so important to the minister, why is she not enforcing the act within our own federal departments and agencies?

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Protecting our two official languages is obviously a priority for our government.

No matter what anyone says, official languages are and will always be a priority. The minister is well informed and is working hard to promote and protect our beautiful language.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Health Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the National Research Council, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Canadian Museum of History and even the Treasury Board are some of the federal organizations and departments that are not complying with the Official Languages Act.

Add to that WE Charity, COVID Alert texts sent in English only, English-only documents at committees, and so forth, and all during the last two years of a Liberal government.

Can the minister stop talking, show leadership and simply ensure compliance with the act?

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank my hon. colleague for his question.

Protecting the French language, and its use in our institutions, is and continues to be a priority.

The minister is working very hard and is very present. She will continue her work on this to ensure that French is used everywhere.

Health

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we still have thousands of COVID-19 cases in Quebec and in Canada, and let me say that it is because of the federal variant. Since the beginning of the third wave alone, the federal variant has allowed more than 2,000 new positive cases into the country, including hundreds of variants of concern, without appropriate quarantines for land travellers or monitoring of travellers after their three-day quarantine.

When will the government tighten up quarantines and properly monitor travellers arriving from abroad?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, it is important that when we talk about the border we stick to the facts. The member opposite knows that in fact we have some of the strictest measures in the world. The reason he has that data is that we do test, trace and isolate travellers through a variety of different measures and they are stringent. In fact, hundreds of tickets have been issued to travellers for failing to follow the Quarantine Act. Only 1.5% of all incoming travellers have tested positive upon arrival since measures started.

We are going to continue to work hard to ensure that travellers are supported to arrive here in good health; and, when they are not, take appropriate action to ensure that they get the services they need. It is important that—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for La Prairie.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, constantly repeating a lie does not make it true.

Between April 7 and 24, public health identified no fewer than 165 flights from 19 countries with at least one passenger testing positive for COVID-19. Radio-Canada reported that Health Canada cannot even say how many passengers tested positive after leaving hotel quarantine. There is no follow-up. They spend three days in a hotel and then it is thank you, good evening, and they are on their way. This is the federal variant that is undermining the work of Quebec and the provinces.

When will Ottawa finally get serious about managing quarantines?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that we have stopped at nothing to enforce quarantine, including working with our provincial and municipal partners, and we will continue to do that.

The reason the member has the data that he has is because we are indeed requiring travellers to submit to pre-departure tests, tests on arrival, sequence tests if they are positive, tests they get on day eight; and to remain in quarantine for 14 days. If they do not, there are penalties and we apply them.

Foreign Affairs

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians continue to raise concerns about the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region; Canadians like Professor Ann M. Fitz-Gerald, Canadians living in diaspora groups here at home and Canadian aid groups.

Over a million people have been displaced, and there are reports of ethnic cleansing and gross violations of human rights. The government has committed funds to support humanitarian efforts in the region. What other measures has the government taken to defend human rights and the people of this region?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, I share the hon. member's deep concern for the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia.

As the member mentioned, we have committed an additional $34 million for the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia to be used flexibly to address the crisis. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister and I have all spoken to our counterparts in Ethiopia. We are supporting the work of the UN Human Rights Commission to support the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to investigate human rights abuses, including abuses of sexual and gender violence.

Natural Resources

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the deadline for amicus briefs in support for Line 5 is May 11, which is less than two weeks away. A unanimous report from the Canada-U.S. parliamentary committee as well as the natural resources minister has indicated that they will send a brief to support the 25,000 Canadian jobs that will be impacted.

Can the minister update the House as to when in the next two weeks it will be submitted?

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, Line 5 is non-negotiable. People will not be left out in the cold.

I would like to thank the members of the Canada-U.S. special committee for their hard work on studying Line 5. We have received the report and will be reviewing it, but it is clear that there is no daylight between parties, between Canadians, on this issue.

Line 5 is essential to Canada's energy security. Line 5 is not just vital for Canada, not just vital for the United States, but it is also vital for North America. We will do all we can to make sure that this does not get shut down.

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Enbridge Line 5 has two weeks left in Michigan. If oil stops flowing, Canadians, particularly in Ontario and Quebec, will face fuel shortages and job losses.

A while ago, the Minister of Natural Resources said that he is “very confident” that this pipeline will keep running, but this week, reports are calling the government's diplomatic approach “frustrated”. With so much at stake and little time left, Canadians are beyond frustrated.

Can the minister be absolutely clear that this threatened shutdown will be averted by May 13?

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the House that we are looking at all options. We will leave no stone unturned in defending Canada's energy security. We are working at all political levels, the diplomatic level and the legal level. We are ready to intervene precisely at the right moment.

Line 5 is non-negotiable. We are standing up for energy workers and for Canada's energy security. People will not be left out in the cold.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, every year, our crops are planted, nurtured and harvested by thousands of temporary foreign workers. They are essential to our food supply.

The government is providing dedicated testing support for temporary foreign workers arriving by air, including those arriving in my region. How will the government respond to the increased demand for testing in the coming months when many temporary foreign workers are expected to arrive in Canada?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform by colleague from Châteauguay—Lacolle and farmers that Dynacare has recently taken over all COVID-19 testing for temporary foreign workers arriving in Quebec.

Dynacare is well-established in many regions of Quebec, and we are optimistic that the company will be able to respond to the demand in French, English and even Spanish via video conference and in person when necessary to administer day eight tests.

The Environment

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Safety Power is a great Canadian company that creates world-class clean tech to remove nitrous oxide from generators. We should be celebrating this homegrown technology, yet the government is about to put in new regulations, gazetted on March 9, 2019, that will literally shutter its operations here in Canada, driving away the very clean tech the Liberals like to say they support.

Why is the government refusing to listen to companies like Safety Power and stop these job-killing regulations?