Debates of May 6th, 2021

National Defence

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has no regard for the well-being of women in the Canadian Armed Forces. Not only did General Vance continue to serve for three years after allegations were made against him, but his replacement is also facing allegations of sexual misconduct.

In the meantime, the women who suffered because of these men will have to live with the ramifications of these experiences for many years to come. What is the Minister of National Defence's excuse this time for abandoning the brave women serving in our armed forces?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that measures that we have already put in place have not gone far enough and we need to move faster and we will.

That is why in budget 2021, we are committing $236 million to eliminate sexual misconduct and gender-based violence in the Canadian Armed Forces. We are expanding the reach of the sexual misconduct response centre and we listened to our survivors and we are going to be adding online peer-to-peer support as well. All options to create a safer future for women who serve in the Canadian Armed Forces are going to be considered, to change the culture.

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

Mr. Speaker, the media has been unrelenting in its criticisms of the defence minister and the Liberal government for their cover-up of the sexual misconduct allegations in the forces. The Toronto Star editorial board said, “[T]he fact remains that [the Liberals] betrayed its own feminist principles. Most of all, it let down the women who serve in Canada's military.” And “what a failure.” Through this minister, the Liberal “government abandoned the woman who brought forward the allegation against Vance three years ago.”

Will the defence minister accept responsibility for his failure on this file and this unmitigated disaster?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would ask the member opposite to put the hyperpartisan politics aside and work together as parliamentarians so we can create the culture change that is needed for the Canadian Armed Forces. I look forward to the recommendations of the committee. As we stated, all options are currently on the table to make sure that we can take a much bolder step, because yes, we do owe it to our women in the Canadian Armed Forces to have an absolute harassment-free workplace in the Canadian Armed Forces, something we are absolutely committed to doing.

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

Mr. Speaker, the correct answer would have been yes, he is responsible. The Toronto Star went on to say, “The Liberals would have done themselves a favour by rotating [the defence minister] into another position some time ago. But it's too late for that now.” It also said that the minister's “credibility has been so thoroughly shredded by the sexual misconduct scandals paralyzing the Canadian forces that calling for his resignation seems rather beside the point.”

The minister only has himself to blame. Will the Minister of National Defence admit he is the architect of his own demise?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will let the member opposite continue down the mud-slinging partisan politics and I will always remain committed to the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces, something that I have been committed to from day one. When it came to our defence policy adding the funding that is absolutely needed, we made sure that we had a gender-based analysis plus conducted in everything that we do. Absolutely, we have a lot more work to do. We have not been able to go far enough to support the survivors, but we absolutely will and we will get this done.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, fraud victims should not have to pay the price for being defrauded, but that is exactly what the Minister of National Revenue is doing to victims of fraud involving the Canada emergency response benefit, or CERB. The minister is making them pay taxes on money they did not request or receive.

The Minister of National Revenue is telling them to pay now, that she will investigate and, if the victims are innocent, then she will pay them back someday. It seems to me that it should be the complete opposite. Can the Minister of National Revenue clearly tell victims to hang onto that money until the investigation is complete?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Bloc Québécois likes to stir up trouble and frighten Quebeckers. I would invite them to stick to the following facts: Canadians who receive a T4A for CERB payments that they did not request should contact the Canada Revenue—

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Manicouagan on a point of order.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to point out that the Minister of National Revenue did not have her microphone in place and it was hard to hear her, but I think she realized it at the same time.

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

I would like to remind all members to put their microphones in front of their mouths so everyone can hear them. We are all interested in what they have to say.

I invite the hon. Minister of National Revenue to repeat her answer.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Bloc likes to stir up trouble and frighten Quebeckers. I would invite them to stick to the following facts: Canadians who receive a T4A for CERB payments that they did not request should contact the Canada Revenue Agency as soon as possible. Victims of identity fraud will not be held responsible for any money paid out to scammers.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable. Why is the Minister of National Revenue unable to simply tell victims of fraud to hang onto their money until the investigation is complete? Why is it so hard for her to tell them not to pay taxes on income they did not receive and to wait for the outcome of the investigation?

Right now, the Minister of National Revenue's unclear messages are not being well received on the ground, nor by the victims, obviously. The minister must realize this. She knows that victims need to hear what she has to say, and she has to say it quickly and clearly.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Bloc Québécois suffers from Pinocchio syndrome.

Victims of identity fraud will not be held responsible for any money paid out to scammers. I encourage those who received a T4A slip to call the Canada Revenue Agency.

We will do everything we can to support them.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, it is very difficult to get someone on the line. Furthermore, this fraud is causing a second major problem that the Liberals do not seem to have seen coming.

People will lose government assistance because fraud increases their annual income in the eyes of the federal government. In this case, they could lose their child benefit payments or their GST credit, for instance. They are being doubly penalized. Ottawa is charging them too much tax and cutting their financial assistance. Once again, these people are paying the price for being defrauded.

What is the minister doing to ensure that no one loses their benefits because their income has been artificially inflated by fraud?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, for the third time, I would like to say that victims of identity fraud will not be held responsible for any money paid out to scammers, and they will not have to reimburse the Canada Revenue Agency.

I would like my colleague to encourage people to file their tax returns so that they receive the benefits and credits they are entitled to. That is important for the people who need it and for the most vulnerable.

Government Programs

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

Mr. Speaker, Sarah and her husband had been trying to have a baby for 15 years, and their first little one finally arrived in January. Carrie is expecting her first children, twins, in August. Samantha has two little ones at home and a third on the way. What do these women all have in common? Well, they all lost their jobs due to COVID.

Most are on EI now, but all will have their first year with their babies cut short because the Liberal government is forcing them back to work, some of them only four weeks after giving birth. Why is the Minister of Employment cutting maternity benefits short for Canadian women?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, since day one we have worked hard to improve and modernize the EI system. We have continued those efforts through budget 2021. We have introduced flexibilities into the EI system for last year and for another year, so women exactly like those referred to by the member can have easier access to maternity and parental leaves, as can all parents.

We know that there is more to be done on the EI file, and I look forward to working with my colleague on this effort, so every Canadian worker has access to better and more comprehensive supports.

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

Mr. Speaker, while I appreciate the minister's remarks, this is not the first time the Liberal government has done this. We know that in March 2020, they barred pregnant women from receiving CERB, forcing them onto EI months earlier than planned and cutting short their maternity leave, yet here we are again.

The Liberal government, we know, is really showering money on everyone at unprecedented levels except, it would seem, on pregnant women. These pregnant women are really being left behind, and there is nothing they can do about it except reach out to their MPs and pray for a solution.

Mother's Day is coming up this weekend. Will the minister support pregnant mothers and restore their full maternity leave?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question, and I wish all mothers and caregivers across the country a very happy Mother's Day this Sunday.

We have been working to modernize and make EI more equitable since the beginning. This includes giving parents the choice of taking either 12 or 18 months for parental leave. We have also supported parents who face unique challenges from the COVID pandemic by providing them a one-time credit, enlarging our flexibilities and extending them for another year, and setting a minimum benefit rate of $500 a week for claims after September 27, 2020.

Of course, there is more to do, and we will keep working so that EI will be there for all Canadians.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has repeatedly said that he will not let anyone down during this pandemic.

Unfortunately, he is letting down young mothers who cannot access the Canada recovery caregiving benefit, the CRCB, because they were unable to enrol their baby in day care between the second and third waves of COVID-19 so they could return to work. Creating a national child care system in 2022 will not solve this one-time problem.

Why is the Prime Minister, a so-called feminist, stopping moms from accessing the CRCB?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, we have worked tirelessly to ensure that our EI system and the temporary recovery benefits support and include as many Canadian workers as possible and, in particular, women. As we know, they have been hit the hardest with this pandemic. We have introduced flexibilities, which mean that a person will need fewer hours to qualify for both regular and special benefits. We have extended these flexibilities for a year. We have a minimum benefit rate of $500 per week for claims established after September 27, 2020.

We are there for all Canadian workers, women in particular, and we are committed to modernizing our EI system to be even more there for them.

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Jean on a point of order.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, during the exchange between the member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles and the member for Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, I was hearing noise in the background. Unfortunately, it was hard to understand what was being said.

From what I see on the screen, the member for Scarborough—Guildwood's mike is not muted.

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

Our technicians are telling me that the member's microphone is now muted.

The hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona.