Debates of May 28th, 2021

Public Safety

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, the scientists and researchers at the National Microbiology Lab play a vital role in Canada's response to COVID-19. We take threats to research security and intellectual property seriously. The NML is a secure facility. Everyone working at or visiting the NML must undergo security screening and adhere to strict security protocols, procedures and policies.

We will never put the health and safety of Canadians at risk, and the employees in question are no longer with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Canadian Heritage

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Madam Speaker, heritage department memos reveal that Bill C-10 has the potential to grant the CRTC regulatory powers to affect online services, including sports streaming, news sites, podcasts and apps. The Liberals are still pressing for the bill to be passed, which would cause tech giants to pass down the tax increase costs to my Bow River constituents by 50%, approximately.

Why did the minister ignore his department officials and proceed to present this destructive bill that will pick winners and losers based on unknown criteria?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Madam Speaker, once again, the Broadcasting Act has not been modernized in over 30 years. Bill C-10 is about bringing us that update, and it is an important update that will support Canadian jobs and Canadian creators.

If the member would like to, he can continue to follow the debate and work with us to help our creators, but the Conservatives have been vowing to block this law from going ahead since before it even went to committee. This is about web giants contributing to our creators. Why will the Conservatives not help us to make that happen?

Public Safety

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

Madam Speaker, Canadians were shocked to learn that two scientists at the National Microbiology Laboratory may have shared confidential information with the Chinese Communist regime. This is a serious attack on our national security, but the Prime Minister refuses to be transparent with Canadians and is failing to protect them.

Will the Prime Minister commit to terminating any co-operation between the Chinese Communist regime and our Canadian laboratories and universities?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, as I said before, everyone at the NML must undergo security screening and adhere to strict security protocols, procedures and policies. We take threats to research security and intellectual property incredibly seriously. That is why we have protocols in place. These people are no longer with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Canadian Heritage

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Madam Speaker, three weeks ago, I asked the heritage minister why he removed the clause in Bill C-10 that exempted what Canadians post online from government regulation. The minister's answer was that I should read the bill. Patronizing remark aside, that same minister has since admitted that Canadians posting online with enough views will, in fact, be regulated.

Which is it? Will Canadians be regulated online or not?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Madam Speaker, it is clearly stated in the bill that users are excluded from the Broadcasting Act. That is a specific exclusion within the bill. The Broadcasting Act modernization will apply to social media companies only and require them to report the revenues that they make in Canada, to contribute a portion of those to the creation of Canadian stories and music, and to make our creators more discoverable. That is important for Canadian jobs and Canadian creators. I hope that the Conservatives will choose to support us in that.

Seniors

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Speaker, seniors are not happy that the federal government is dividing them into two classes by increasing the old age security pension only for those 75 and up.

This week, FADOQ, the Canadian Association of Retired Persons and the National Association of Federal Retirees all condemned this move.

They note that financial insecurity can affect all seniors. Misfortune does not discriminate based on age. The only one trying to do that is the federal government.

Will the government stop discriminating and increase the pension for all seniors?

[Deb Schulte, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Madam Speaker, our government has delivered on its commitment to increase old age security by 10% for all seniors age 75 and up. We are helping address the pressures that are faced by more than 3.3 million seniors as they age, by giving them more financial security later in life. Older seniors face increased care expenses and are at greater risk of running out of their savings.

As seniors age, their health and home care costs rise. All the while, they are more likely to be unable to work, have disabilities or be widowed. The OAS hike—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Manicouagan.

Employment Insurance

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Speaker, the House voted in favour of increasing employment insurance sickness benefits to 50 weeks. For that to happen, however, the government needs to give a royal recommendation, and it refuses to do so.

People suffering from unforeseen illnesses, such as cancer, need 50 weeks to heal. The government's proposal of 26 weeks is just half of what the most seriously ill people need.

Does the government realize that people need support when they are at their most vulnerable and that it is abandoning people who are fighting for their lives?

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Madam Speaker, Canadians expect and deserve an EI system that is flexible and responsive to their needs. EI sickness benefits are an important support for Canadians who need to leave work because of illness or injury. Workers receiving important treatments or requiring a longer period to recover from an illness or injury sometimes face a stressful income gap before they are healthy enough to return to work. That is why budget 2021 extends EI sickness benefits from 15 to 26 weeks, providing approximately 169,000 Canadians every year with additional time and flexibility to recover and return to work.

There is more work to do, and we will continue working so that EI is there for Canadians when they need it most.

Seniors

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Madam Speaker, seniors have been coming to my office quite upset. The issue is that they have received a link for the census, but they have no ability to go online.

They are very capable of using computers, but they have no home Internet because they simply cannot afford it. They cannot make video calls to see their grandchildren, and they have been unable to visit during COVID. They cannot access free Wi-Fi because most of the places that offer it have been locked down.

This is not a luxury. It is basic connectivity, yet the Liberal government has done nothing to spur competition and make Internet rates more affordable.

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development]

Madam Speaker, in the best of times, living without high-speed Internet is difficult. During COVID, particularly for our elders, it has been incredibly difficult.

Our government continues to work to connect Canadians to this essential service, and it has been working on this since taking office back in 2015. I would say that tens of thousands of Canadians are already on their way to getting connected to this high-speed Internet service because of the investments we have made. We have made 10 times more investments in broadband than all other governments combined. We will not stop until—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Prince Albert.

Statistics Canada

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Madam Speaker, many seniors in my riding have called to ask why they have not received their census forms.

They are concerned that they will not be counted. The City of Prince Albert is concerned because our municipal financing depends on an accurate count. Seniors who have called the census hotline have been unable to receive any help.

Could the minister explain to those in my riding why the forms are missing, and what will be done to ensure they are counted?

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

Madam Speaker, we understand that the census is incredibly important. Canadians have come to appreciate how important it is as well.

It is important for my friend to recognize that we are there to assist individual Canadians. The census provides valuable information, and Canadians can also use the telephone to complete the census.

The Environment

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Madam Speaker, the government's decision to designate all plastic manufactured items as toxic is absurd. It is inconsistent with the government's own science assessment, and it threatens thousands of jobs.

Can the minister, with a straight face, tell the more than 100 employees at Pro-Western Plastics in St. Albert that the health and food plastic products that they manufacture are akin to lead, mercury and asbestos?

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Madam Speaker, perhaps the hon. member, like me, enjoys a soft drink or a beer, which contains carbon dioxide. That is also listed in the toxic substances. Canadians understand that, under the Environmental Protection Act, the term “toxic substances” has a specific meaning, and they can be used safely.

Canadians also know that plastics pose a significant danger to the environment and our health when they not used properly. That is why Canadians want us to regulate it, and that is what we are going to do.

It is unfortunate the Conservatives stand in favour of the plastics industry and what—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel.

Child Care

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Madam Speaker, we continue to hear from hundreds of women about the need for child care. The lack of child care services is a huge contributor to the gender pay gap.

We know that women are the ones who stay home to take care of their children, which limits their participation in the labour market. This also limits their access to education and skills training, on top of access to present and future financial resources.

Could the Minister for Women and Gender Equality tell the House how budget 2021 will help these women and help make the Canadian economy more inclusive?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for tenaciously defending women's rights.

This Liberal government is the only one to have a credible plan to help women return to work. We will do so by fighting the COVID-19 pandemic by administering vaccines. We will be providing affordable and universal day care services. We support women entrepreneurs and we provide support to victims of gender-based violence.

Our government will continue to work with all feminists—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Order. The hon. member for Sturgeon River—Parkland.

Health

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Madam Speaker, released documents outline how the Liberal government is funding the PMPRB to combat a so-called disinformation campaign by opposition MPs and cystic fibrosis advocacy groups. These families are fighting for their sick children to have access to drugs that are readily available in most developed nations.

Why is the Liberal government shamefully attacking the families of sick Canadian children, instead of working to get them the life-saving drugs they need?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, that could not be further from the truth. Our government has committed to a national pharmacare program with the precise objective of ensuring that Canadians no longer have to choose about putting food on their tables or affording the prescription drugs they need.

I find the Conservatives' questioning on this interesting, and I wonder if they will support a national pharmacare program so that we can ensure all Canadians have access to the critical medicines they need at an affordable price.