Debates of May 27th, 2021

Canadian Heritage

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-10 is a top priority for the government and the cultural industry.

We have brought it forward more than once and debated it in the House. We have done everything in our power to send it to committee as quickly as possible, but the Conservatives are holding things up. For their own reasons, the Conservatives are going against the consensus in the cultural industry in Quebec and elsewhere.

The cultural industry needs Bill C-10. My colleague, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, has done an extraordinary job in that regard, and I am asking the Conservatives to stop blocking this bill.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, he said it is a top priority. We will keep that in mind.

Not long ago on Tout le monde en parle, the Minister of Canadian Heritage seemed open to working with the Bloc Québécois leader to expedite passage of Bill C-10, but it has been radio silence since then.

The Liberals are refusing to discuss this issue with the Conservatives, and the cultural industry is paying a heavy price for their ideological unwillingness to communicate. It is paralyzing committee work. The committee wants two ministers to appear. One agreed to show up, but the other requires some arm-twisting. The committee called for a new Charter statement, but the Minister of Justice decided that was not really necessary. We are reaching out, but that arm is starting to get a little tired.

When the government tells the cultural sector that Bill C-10 is a priority, does it really mean that?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I am rather shocked by my hon. colleague's question. I did not hear the Bloc Québécois speak out in forums all across the country against the Conservative Party and in support of Bill C-10.

I spoke with over 4,000 artists from across the country over the last few months, and they told me they want Bill C-10 to be passed.

We are doing everything we can. Obviously, the bill is in the hands of the committee. We are working with a party that does not want to collaborate and that has said in the past that it did not want this bill to see the light of day.

There is a certain guile—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Wellington—Halton Hills.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in response to questions about China’s threats to Canada and the government’s Winnipeg lab, the Prime Minister suggested that by simply asking these questions, we were fomenting anti-Asian racism. Does the Prime Minister realize that when he conflates criticism of China with anti-Asian racism, he plays into Beijing’s propaganda? For example, China accused Canada and its allies of white supremacy simply for calling for the release of Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor two years ago.

When will the Prime Minister quit playing into Beijing’s hand and answer questions about the government’s Winnipeg lab?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has very clearly said, the employees in question at the Winnipeg lab are no longer there and we are not at liberty to provide any more details at this point.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister labels us as racists when we ask him a legitimate question on a serious national security issue because he is trying to evade the question.

His government was negligent in allowing scientists with ties to the Chinese People's Liberation Army to work in a Canadian laboratory with the intention of sending secret research information to the Chinese army.

If it was the Canada Public Health Agency that sounded the alarm and asked the RCMP to investigate this matter, will the Prime Minister also be calling that agency racist?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as I just explained in the other official language, the scientists in question who worked at the Winnipeg lab are no longer employed there and, as I said, we are not at liberty to provide any further details on this question.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister says he cannot provide the information, but his own parliamentary secretary is on the record disagreeing with him. His own parliamentary secretary voted to disclose these documents and said that the Public Health Agency and the justice department have it wrong here.

The Globe and Mail has reported that scientists from China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences were working openly in the lab. “Academy of Military Medical Sciences” should have set off alarm bells. We should not be co-operating on research with a foreign military that is committing genocide.

When will the minister listen to his parliamentary secretary, listen to the Liberals on the committee and support the disclosure of this document so we can get to the bottom of this grotesque failure by the government to protect national security?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as I will be saying for the third time, and I hope my colleague is listening, the employees in question at the Winnipeg lab are no longer employed there and we are not at liberty to provide any further details on this question.

Health

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Auditor General reported the government's mismanagement of Canada's emergency stockpile resulted in serious shortages of protective equipment for essential workers. She found the Public Health Agency failed to keep a proper inventory of PPE and ignored a decade of warnings. She questioned PHAC's governance and oversight saying, “You don't wait for a rainy day to rush out and buy an umbrella.” This is an inexcusable failure of emergency preparedness.

How does the minister explain her record of negligence that failed to keep Canadians safe at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, we thank the Auditor General for her report, and we are pleased to say that many of her recommendations are already under way.

Indeed, there was a scramble for personal protective equipment at the beginning of the pandemic. We worked with provinces and territories to understand their inventory, and when it became clear we would need volumes and volumes of PPE that were not in stock at any level of government, we went out and ordered that equipment. We are pleased that Canadian health care workers and others were protected throughout this pandemic, and it is because of the collaboration across all levels of government.

Diversity and Inclusion

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister likes to make symbolic gestures when it comes to fixing systemic racism in Canada. Last year he took a knee at a Black Lives Matter protest, then failed to follow it up with any real action. Yesterday Radio-Canada reported that a Black federal public servant was paid thousands of dollars in exchange for withdrawing her racial discrimination complaint.

The Liberals love to paint the picture that they are allies to racialized people, all the while erasing the stories that do not fit their narrative. When will they actually show up for Black Canadians and take concrete action to end systemic racism?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, we cannot ignore that biases, barriers and discrimination are an everyday reality for Black Canadians, racialized Canadians and indigenous peoples. The work of eradicating biases, barriers and discrimination, which have taken root over generations, demands an ongoing and relentless effort. We are committed to this effort, and we will continue to take deliberate steps to remove all discrimination from our institutions.

The Environment

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today the Prime Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources announced the launch of the Canada greener homes grant to enable Canadians to retrofit their homes for a low-carbon future. From the beginning, our Liberal government has said that economic growth and the fight against climate change must go hand in hand, and this announcement brings this policy into the homes of every Canadian.

Can the Minister of Natural Resources inform the House how this program will benefit both our economy and the environment?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to save money, and we are giving Canadians up to $5,000 to make their homes more energy efficient. This will lower their energy bills, and it will also lower greenhouse gas emissions, so climate action can start at home.

Retrofitting homes also creates jobs for energy advisers and local trades workers, as well as manufacturers of energy-efficient windows and doors, solar panels and heat pumps. The Canada greener homes grant is good for Canadians' wallets. It is good for our economy and good for our planet. Canadians will lead the way by taking part in net-zero solutions right from the comfort of their own homes.

Forestry Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade met with the U.S. trade representative last week. It was noted that she “reiterated that it was in the best interest of both countries to reach an agreement on softwood lumber.” Instead of coming out of that meeting with a win, such as making progress on an agreement, on Friday we learned that U.S. tariffs are set to double on our softwood exports.

On trade, every single file we have with the U.S. is getting worse. Why is the minister failing so spectacularly to manage the trading relationship with the new U.S. administration?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, we are disappointed by last week's announcement, but I want to reiterate that the duties imposed are unjustified. They hurt workers and businesses on both sides of the border. I have raised this issue at every opportunity, including with the president and, of course, with my U.S. counterpart in the U.S. trade representative.

Our government continues to press for a negotiated settlement. It is in the best interest of both of our countries, and we will vigorously defend our softwood lumber industry and our workers.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade has repeatedly assured our forestry sector that negotiating a softwood lumber agreement with the United States is a priority. However, U.S. trade rep ambassador Katherine Tai was recently quoted as saying, “In order to have an agreement and in order to have a negotiation, you need to have a partner. And thus far, the Canadians have not expressed interest in engaging”. Now the U.S. Department of Commerce has announced it will double tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber imports.

Why is the government refusing to come to the table to negotiate a new agreement?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's forestry sector supports hundreds of thousands of good middle-class jobs for Canadians in communities all across the country. We will vigorously defend their interests. I have had the opportunity to speak to the U.S. trade representative, and have reiterated that Canada is ready and interested in getting to a negotiated agreement. That is in the best interest of workers and businesses on both sides of the border, and I look forward to working with the United States on this very important issue.

Ethics

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this morning Mark Carney appeared before the industry committee and told the committee members that he has been advising ministers on climate policy. According to the blues, he said, “I have talked to some ministers about climate finance.”

We have seen that it is standard practice for the Liberal elite in this country to have unfettered access to ministers and even the Prime Minister. Will the government tell Canadians how many times Mr. Carney has lobbied, and for what?

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

Mr. Speaker, the government believes in consulting widely and listening to the perspectives and thoughts of Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Mark Carney is obviously an eminent Canadian who has deep experience with respect to issues around climate finance. In fact he is presently advising the Conservative Government of the United Kingdom with respect to climate policy and climate finance.

We certainly look to him, and to many others in many sectors across this country, to ensure that we are addressing the issue in a thoughtful and substantive way.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it looks like the Liberals are taking their marching orders from Mark Carney before he is even crowned, but based on his access to cabinet and top Liberals, that seems like a foregone conclusion here. The problem with the minister's answer is that Mr. Carney represents one of the largest renewable energy companies in the world, and, surprise, surprise, he is not registered to lobby.

How many times, and to which ministers, has Mr. Carney lobbied to date? I do not mean in the United Kingdom or in other countries, but here in this country where the Lobbying Act applies.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have conversations with Canadians from all walks of life, including many corporate people, people in the labour movement and people in the environmental community, about their ideas and suggestions on how we should think about climate policy going forward.

That is fundamentally what Canadians would expect their government to do, to be open to the ideas and the aspirations of Canadians across this country. That is exactly what I and my colleagues do each and every day.

Employment Insurance

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the House of Commons passed the Bloc Québécois's bill to increase special EI sickness benefits to 50 weeks. The bill is named after Émilie Sansfaçon, a young mother who was let down by EI while fighting cancer.

She has since passed away, but the government has the power to ensure that her nightmare never happens to anyone else. Will it give the royal recommendation to the Émilie Sansfaçon act to extend EI sickness benefits to 50 weeks?