Debates of May 7th, 2021

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, immigration is essential to the economic recovery in Quebec and all of Canada.

This year, we welcomed more than 7,000 new skilled permanent residents in Quebec, which represents a 54% increase compared to the same period last year.

We are on track to meet the immigration targets set by Quebec, including getting caught up on the 2020 files. We will continue to work with the Government of Quebec to support its economic recovery.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, some people really can make figures say anything.

Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, an immigration lawyer, stated this week to Radio-Canada, “In 2020, it was the federal government that was incapable of meeting Quebec's targets”. That is the statement of an independent observer.

Chambers of commerce and business people want Ottawa to clear the backlog. We certainly do not want any conflict between Quebec and Ottawa, and we certainly do not want to fight over the numbers. We want results.

What will the government do to clear the backlog of 51,000 immigration applications from people who are ready to be welcomed to Quebec, but who are being kept waiting?

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague knows very well that last year, we were in a global pandemic, but since then, we have added additional resources where they were needed the most and moved from paper-based applications to digital.

This has allowed us to admit over 7,000 skilled workers, an improvement of more than 56% compared to the same period last year. We will continue to work with our Quebec counterparts to support economic recovery in Quebec and across Canada.

Pensions

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, seniors are still angry about the federal government's decision to split them into two classes by increasing pensions only for seniors aged 75 and up.

The president of FADOQ, Gisèle Tassé-Goodman, pointed that out in an open letter this morning. She wrote that many people who are 65 have just as much trouble making ends meet as those who are 75, contrary to what the Prime Minister is claiming. She warned that this split would cause significant damage.

Will the government finally do the right thing as soon as possible and increase the pension for all seniors?

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, the 2021 budget is great news and will make a real difference for our seniors.

We kept our promise to increase old age security for Canadians aged 75 and up. We will be giving seniors a one-time payment of $500 in August 2021 and increasing old age security by 10% in July 2022, as we promised in our platform.

We are also creating a new age well at home initiative to fund services led by community groups that help seniors at home, and we will also invest $3 billion to help the provinces and territories—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The hon. member for Shefford.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals clearly do not get it. The move to create two classes of seniors is not going over well in Quebec. All seniors need to be supported starting at age 65.

This morning, the president of FADOQ put pen to paper to stand up for all seniors in Quebec regardless of their age. In the meantime, the Liberals in Quebec also put pen to paper, but to defend their government. I was dumbfounded to read statements in our papers from the members for Brome—Missisquoi and Compton—Stanstead, defending the creation of two classes of seniors.

Why are they not standing up for seniors in the Eastern Townships and Quebec instead of defending the unfair choices of their government?

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, seniors have different needs.

They are more likely to outlive their savings, have disabilities, be unable to work, and be widowed, all while their health care costs are rising. Among seniors aged 75 and over, half have a disability, and half of those have severe disabilities. Fifty-seven percent are women, four in 10 are widowed, and 59% have incomes below $30,000.

Our plan will help address these pressures by keeping our promise to increase old age security for Canadians aged 75 and up and to increase it by 10% in July 2022.

Canadian Heritage

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, to everyone's surprise, the government supported our motion requiring Netflix to also pay tax on its staggering revenues. Congratulations to the Liberals for this moment of clarity, but will they follow through?

Yesterday, together with my colleague from New Westminster—Burnaby, I sent a letter to the Minister of Finance asking her to apply the digital tax to all web giants, including Netflix.

I am giving her another chance to do what is expected of her, and that is to pledge to apply the tax to all revenues of online services, including subscriptions, and to make public the 2017 secret agreement with Netflix.

Will she do it?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that there is no special exemption for Netflix or for any other digital company.

In fact, on July 1, for the first time in Canada's history, we will be imposing GST and HST on digital service providers such as Netflix. This amount is included in the budget implementation act and should result in $1.2 billion in revenue over five years.

Infrastructure

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

Mr. Speaker, people still are not seeing the projects and jobs they were promised through the Canada Infrastructure Bank. Meanwhile the cost of operating the bank doubled last year. It is now costing Canadians $50 million a year to prop up the Liberals' failed privatization experiment.

Over the past two years, the CIB spent nearly $8 million on consultants. The bank is failing communities. Why did the minister need to pay consultants $8 million to tell the government what Canadians already know?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the progress that the Canada Infrastructure Bank has made. We have brought in new leadership and it is making a real difference, from projects like the REM in Montreal, and I am happy to show the member, which is creating good jobs right now; to the Oneida battery project in Ontario, which is a partnership with the first nations of Grand River; to the Lake Erie connector.

We are working to get more infrastructure built, which is good for Canadians, it is good for jobs, it is good for tackling climate change and it is good for building more inclusive communities.

The Economy

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's failure on the vaccine front is killing Canadians and their jobs. In April, 200,000 Canadians lost their jobs and do not have any money coming in to pay the bills. Canada's unemployment rate is now the second-highest in the G7, and it is much higher than the average.

When will the Prime Minister come up with a plan to reopen the economy safely with vaccines to protect lives and jobs?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, local public health authorities have had to impose the necessary restrictions to fight the third wave, and those restrictions have had repercussions on Canadians' jobs.

That is why our budget extends the Canada emergency wage subsidy, the Canada emergency rent subsidy and the recovery benefits. This will help Canadians and Canadian businesses get through the pandemic.

I hope all members of the House—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Order. The hon. member for Carleton.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, she is right. The governments were forced to put in those restrictions because of her and the Prime Minister's failure to provide vaccines.

While other economies in the world are reopening safely and vaccinated, our people are now locked down again because of the Prime Minister's third wave. That is why we have an unemployment rate that is 50% higher than the G7 average, higher than the U.K., the U.S., France and almost every other country in the G7. The reality is that this third wave is the responsibility of the government and its failure to safely reopen.

When will we have a safe reopening?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it is puzzling to me why the Conservatives constantly try to talk down Canada and Canadians. The reality is that Canadians and Canadian businesses have been astonishingly resilient, notwithstanding COVID.

In the fourth quarter, our GDP grew by 10%. In the first quarter, it grew by 6.5%. In both cases, that is stronger growth than in the U.S. When it comes to jobs, notwithstanding today's very difficult numbers, 83% of COVID job losses have been recovered in Canada compared to just 63% in the United States.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is because Canada had far more lost jobs to recover. We had a far bigger drop in employment because of the government's failure to close the border early on. Now we have higher unemployment than the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Japan; in fact, much higher than the G7 average because of the Prime Minister's third wave. He left the borders open, but he kept vaccines out and now Canadians are losing their lives and their jobs.

When will the government present a real plan to safely reopen so Canadians can protect their lives and get their jobs back?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, yet again, let me urge our Conservative colleagues to pick a lane. Half of the time, the Conservatives complain about debt and deficits, and accuse our government of investing too much to help Canadians finish the fight against COVID and have a strong and robust recovery.

What we believe Canada needs is the support to get through this difficult wave, which our budget provides, and strong investment to come roaring back. That is what we are going to do.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government's attitude towards the women who serve our country is, quite simply, shameful.

We saw it with the member for Vancouver Granville and the SNC-Lavalin scandal, and we can see it now with the cover-up over the allegations of sexual assault against General Vance. These are not isolated incidents. They show a pattern of behaviour and a culture that our so-called feminist Prime Minister allowed to fester.

What is his excuse for letting Canadian women down this time?

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian Armed Forces members make enormous sacrifices to protect Canadians, and they have an undeniable right to serve with safety.

It is clear that we have not lived up to our responsibilities to protect members from misconduct. That is why we announced that Louise Arbour will lead an independent external comprehensive review into harassment and sexual misconduct. Plus, we have named Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan as chief of professional conduct and culture.

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

Mr. Speaker, our Prime Minister clearly does not value the brave women who serve in our armed forces because he did not defend them. On the contrary, his government did nothing and allowed them to suffer.

These women make so many sacrifices for us, but he is not prepared to sacrifice his image to protect them. When will he apologize to them?

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, eliminating all forms of misconduct and abuse of power and creating a safe work environment for everyone in the defence team have always been our top priority.

We know that the Canadian Armed Forces must work hard to eliminate the toxic masculinity that creates an unacceptable culture. We have announced that Louise Arbour will lead an independent external comprehensive review into harassment and sexual misconduct. We owe it to our members and to Canadians to get this right.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is supposed to be responsible for his cabinet. It is up to him to oversee what happens in government, and it is the job of ministers and the Prime Minister's Office to keep him informed of major events.

I find it hard to understand how something as despicable as allegations of sexual assault could be ignored on his watch.

Are we really supposed to believe that the Prime Minister knew nothing about this, when everyone around him did?

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as the minister said in committee, he did not know the nature or specifics of the allegations.

Mr. Walbourne mentioned misconduct issues involving the former chief of the defence staff. He did not provide the minister with any details.

The minister has always ensured that all allegations brought to his attention are reported to the appropriate authorities for investigation.