Debates of April 29th, 2021

The Environment

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, certainly Canadian clean tech is an important part of a broad approach to addressing the climate issue, and Canada is very fortunate that the investments that have been made over the course of the past five years have resulted in Canadian clean tech leading the world. Over the last couple of years, Canada has had between 11 and 12 companies listed in the top 100 clean-tech companies in the world. We are very committed to working with the clean-tech sector to ensure that it can grow and thrive.

Health

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government awarded a $100-million contract to Switch Health to manage COVID testing for Canadians and travellers returning to our country. What has followed has often been chaos, with a completely unreliable testing system. No one answers the phones for days. Testing kits are being sent for analysis without supervision. There has been no accountability.

How many cases of COVID were allowed into the country thanks to this faulty testing process by a company that was approved by the Liberal government?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, yet again we see members of the opposition torquing the truth for their own benefit. In fact, none of the cases that came used Switch Health. It is not the provider that provides the day three testing. In fact, it provides the day 10 testing.

Indeed, we are working Switch Health, and we have added additional providers to make sure people can get the day 10 test back on time.

I would like to thank all Canadians for complying with our quarantine and testing requirements.

[Robert Gordon Kitchen, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Switch Health, a small start-up company the government hand-picked to manage COVID tests at the U.S. border, is severely overwhelmed, resulting in huge wait times and extremely slow service. Canadians are doing their best to comply with mandatory COVID testing rules, yet in one case my constituents waited 12 hours just to get a nurse on the line, and they are not alone.

Why is the government giving almost $100 million to a company that is unable to provide the services it is being paid for, or are we just looking at another WE scandal?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, yet again we see the opposition casting aspersions without any evidence.

I will say this. We have some of the strongest border measures in the world, including the requirement for a predeparture test, a postarrival test and, yes, a day eight test to ensure that people are not sick later on in their quarantine.

We will continue to add services and providers in this space to make sure that Canadians get the quality service they deserve.

Public Services and Procurement

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, Brampton is one of the communities hit hardest by the pandemic. We have been a COVID hot spot, with the highest test positivity rate in Ontario, where one in five people is testing positive. I have heard many questions from my constituents about vaccine supply, how many doses have arrived in Canada and when they will get their vaccines. These are important questions. Unfortunately, the facts often get lost in misleading partisan spins from the opposition.

Can the minister please set the record straight and provide clarity on our procurement plan from day one and for the future?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the House and all Canadians that we are managing the vaccine supply chain in an incredibly competitive environment, leading to the procurement of 14.7 million doses in Canada. About 31% of Canadians have received at least one dose, and we are third in the G20. In fact, the provinces are so confident in our supply that both Ontario and Quebec have announced that they will start booking vaccine appointments for all adults before the end of May. Before the end of June, we will have 48 million to 50 million vaccines in this country, and before the end of the summer, all Canadians who want to be vaccinated will be.

Infrastructure

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government promised that its infrastructure bank would get projects built and create tens of thousands of jobs for Canadians, but yesterday the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that the bank is failing Canadians. Projects are not getting built and jobs are not being created. The bank is actually a barrier to getting projects done, but the government keeps pouring more money into it, doubling down on helping private investors profit through the bank.

Will the minister scrap her privatization experiment and refocus on building projects that communities need?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, I am always delighted to talk about our infrastructure plan, which is building projects across the country and creating jobs.

There has been very positive progress over the past year at the Canada Infrastructure Bank. We brought in new leadership and established a new mandate, and it is implementing its new growth plan and moving forward with projects, from the REM in Montreal to the Oneida battery project in Ontario to the southern Manitoba fibre project to the Lake Erie connector. It is leveraging private and institutional capital, creating good jobs and getting more infrastructure built for Canadians.

In just over three years, the CIB has achieved more progress at a lower cost than its predecessor P3 Canada, and it is in a strong position to build the infrastructure needed to increase Canada's growth and competitiveness and accelerate our transition to a low-carbon economy.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order.

The interpreters do a wonderful job, but unfortunately, they were unable to properly interpret what the minister was saying because she was not wearing her headset with microphone. Would it be possible to remedy that situation, please?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I would ask the minister to repeat what she just said, while wearing her headset, if she has it.

Does the hon. minister have her headset with her?

While that is being taken care of, I want to remind all members that, in order to facilitate the work for our interpreters and everybody else who is listening, it is obligatory to have the headset that is commissioned by the government. A lot of thought went into this, and I want to make sure everything runs smoothly.

The hon. minister.

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am so sorry. I just forgot. I will repeat what I said in French.

There has been very positive progress over the past year at the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

We brought in new leadership and established a new mandate. The bank is implementing its new plan for growth and moving forward with projects ranging from the REM in Montreal to the Oneida battery project in Ontario to the southern Manitoba fibre optic project to the Lake Erie connector.

By leveraging private and institutional capital, creating good jobs and getting more infrastructure built for Canada—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. That is all the time we have for oral questions today.

Actually, I am being told it is not over. I am sorry. Some days are like that.

The hon. member for Fredericton.

The Environment

[Jenica Atwin, Green, Fredericton, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources said that affordable, safe nuclear power was key to reaching Canada's climate goals. It is the nuclear industry that carefully designed and continues to perpetuate that greenwashed illusion.

The reality is that competitive technologies like solar, wind and geothermal are operational today. Even when facing these indisputable facts, the government allocated millions of dollars to develop SMNRs, a hypothetical industry that relies strictly on massive federal subsidies and does nothing to resolve the problem of radioactive waste production. The risks are being ignored and the dangers trivialized.

In New Brunswick, nuclear is not a success story. After emerging from a $2.4-billion refurbishment, Point Lepreau is still losing $50,000 every hour on planned downtime—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. minister.

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, certainly in the context of the move to a lower carbon future, greening of the grid and reducing emissions associated with electricity generation are obviously a critical component, as is greening of the transportation network and a whole range of other things.

In that context, it is important that we are looking at the most cost-effective ways to do this, but also the most reliable. In that context, solar, wind, geothermal and a whole range of other technologies have a role to play. Small modular reactors may, in the future, have a role to play. In the context of looking at a climate crisis, we are looking at all non-emitting technologies.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot on a point of order.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties, and I think you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House recognize that U.S. economic policy, specifically with respect to the trade embargo against the Republic of Cuba, must in no way restrict the right of Canadian and Quebec companies operating in accordance with Canadian law to do business with their international partners.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

Use of Headsets

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, moments ago, during one of the last questions, you indicated it was, to use your words, “obligatory” that members use a proper headset. I am assuming you mean a House of Commons approved headset.

Earlier today during debate, your deputy allowed a member who was using earbuds to proceed. The rationale at the time was that it seemed to be acceptable for the translators. Could you, Mr. Speaker, confirm to the House if it is an absolute requirement to use that headset or if the requirement is that as long as it is sufficiently heard by the translators?

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to add to this as well.

It did in fact happen earlier today, and the chair occupant at the time ruled on this, The member for Vancouver Kingsway had technical challenges with his equipment and therefore he used his iPhone, or it was a phone anyway, along with the appropriate earbuds and microphone that went along with that phone. It was on the understanding that the technicians and the interpreters could be heard and understood, and it was allowed.

I certainly would suggest that circumstances like that can arise, and I think when members can be heard and that can be confirmed, they should in fact be allowed to speak. I hope this will be the ruling you will find, Mr. Speaker.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

That particular case was brought to my attention earlier and that is exactly what happened. The hon. member had to make a statement and the person in the chair at the time used his judgment. I have three amazing people who are taking those places and I put my faith in their judgment.

I believe it was the right thing to do, and it was done in coordination with the technicians to ensure the interpreters heard everything that was said. Again, everyone has to have their headsets. If there is something wrong, please make a case and hopefully we can work it out so everyone can be on the record.

Oral Questions

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, during question period, the member for Lethbridge said that the Department of Justice was against an amendment that was brought forward in the heritage committee on Bill C-10.

This is factually incorrect. It is a former employee of the justice department. I am convinced my hon. colleague did not intend to mislead the House and Canadians and I would like to offer her the opportunity to set the record straight.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We are moving into the area of debate, but I want to thank the member for bringing that up.