Debates of June 18th, 2021

The Economy

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, I am glad that for a change it appears the hon. member is actually reading some of the government's budget. If he pays close attention to the same chart, he will see another trend line on that graph that indicates the impact job numbers would have felt without government supports.

The very dangerous game of chicken that the Conservatives are engaging in to prevent supports from helping workers and families is going to preclude the expeditious economic recovery that the private sector is forecasting for Canada. The reality is that because of the measures we are putting in place, we expect to see jobs rebound beyond one million. I expect that member will be disappointed when Canadians do so well.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member did not answer the question. It was supposed to be this month that all those million Canadians would have their jobs back. He claims that there will be an “expeditious” recovery, another one of these subjective words that has no timeline, but his chart is very clear. It was supposed to be a million jobs by June 2021, yet we are actually losing jobs. We are down a quarter-million in two months. We have the second-highest unemployment in the G7.

Yes or no: Will the million Canadians have their jobs back?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member is trying to torque statistics to insert a narrative into this debate that simply is not borne out by the facts. We know that the economy is in a volatile position because we need to respond to the continuing public health emergency.

I have good news for the hon. member. If he could convince his colleagues to get out of the way and stop obstructing the measures included in budget 2021 so we could extend benefits to help businesses hire more workers, support those who have lost their jobs and encourage more young people to take training opportunities, we would see the economy come roaring back. He does not have to believe me. He can look to private-sector economists who have testified to—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Carleton.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member need not worry. I do not believe him, because the chart in his government's budget says there will be a million jobs back by this month. Now, suddenly, he is running away from that commitment. He is saying, “Don't worry. We've got really expensive debt-financed government programs”. The Liberals are putting it all on the credit card, but he is running away from the central commitment to restore paycheques. Only paycheques will secure our future.

I will give him a third chance. Will he restate the government's commitment in chart 35 of its budget, that a million Canadians who lost their jobs during COVID will have them back this month?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, let me begin by pointing out how disappointed I am that the hon. member takes such glee in the suffering of Canadians who have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. If he is concerned about getting the paycheques back for Canadians who have been impacted negatively, I would point him to the measures that he is obstructing, such as the Canada hiring recovery incentive that is specifically designed to help more businesses get paycheques to Canadians.

The reality is that we need to continue to support Canadians to stabilize the economy, so that we can absolutely crush the economic rebound and come roaring out of the pandemic recession as strong as any economy in the developed world.

Health

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Madam Speaker, do my colleagues remember Gary Kobinger, a Université Laval researcher? He is the expert who became famous for his discovery of the Ebola vaccine, and he is also the expert who, at the start of the pandemic, developed a COVID‑19 vaccine candidate. Unfortunately, Ottawa denied him funding for clinical trials.

Canada still does not have a made-in-Canada vaccine or a modern pharmaceutical industry, and now it no longer has Dr. Kobinger either. The University of Texas put him in charge of one of the most prestigious biomedical research labs in the world.

Why did the government not do everything in its power to develop a local vaccine—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. minister.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way we have invested in research and science. In fact, one of the very first things we did when we saw COVID-19 approaching Canada's shores was to stimulate the research and science community with a massive investment of money to ensure that our scientists and researchers were equipped to study COVID-19, potential solutions to COVID-19 treatments and indeed vaccines.

We will continue to work with the Canadian research community to ensure that we have domestic capacity for this pandemic and any future ones that arise.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Madam Speaker, that is nonsense. Quebec will receive 600,000 fewer doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week, but will receive more doses of Moderna. The reason we are still talking about weekly deliveries is that Canada is still, to this day, 100% dependent on foreign suppliers for our vaccines.

While Canada still does not have the high-tech industry needed, at least it had the expertise. Now we learn that Canada is losing one of its most eminent scientists, because Ottawa was too cheap to fund his research. Why is the government pinching pennies rather than funding our own scientists, forcing us to depend on foreign pharmaceutical companies to whom we pay billions of dollars?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, but I have to call him out on what he said. I spoke with Dr. Kobinger personally and we agreed on the next steps. I understand his personal decision.

However, I want to remind Quebeckers that one of the companies the government is investing in is Medicago, in Quebec City. We are making a significant investment to produce a vaccine against COVID-19 in Canada that will be available to all Canadians. We have invested billions of dollars to fund the manufacture of a Canadian vaccine—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable.

The Economy

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Speaker, here are the direct consequences of 3.6% inflation, the likes of which we have not seen in 10 years. A young family is unable to buy a house. A father is forced to decide which day his kids will get a good meal this week. François and Martin struggle to make their long-distance relationship work because the cost of gas is too high for them to visit each other.

The Liberals are putting Canadian families at risk. Why does the Prime Minister not have a plan to jump-start the economy and create jobs?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member's question rests on false pretenses and suffers from a deficit of morals. As a matter of fact, the Bank of Canada, not the Government of Canada, is responsible for managing inflation. In any event, if the member would speak to an economist, they would tell him that the increase in prices we are seeing on some products is a result of supply and demand in the marketplace, or the base effects that stem from the massive plunge that we saw when the economy shut down to save lives. As a matter of morals, his solution is to pull supports from Canadians when they need it most. It is tasteless and short-sighted, and it is a good thing his party is not in charge.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Speaker, I will take no moral lessons from the member.

The threat here is that interest rates are being driven up by inflation. The threat here is that this government is $1 billion in debt. The threat here is that we have an apathetic Prime Minister who thinks that budgets balance themselves. The threat here is that the Liberals are doing absolutely nothing to make life more affordable for Canadians because they like to impose tax after tax. When will we get a realistic plan to create jobs?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, with great respect, if the hon. member is concerned about getting supports to Canadians who are experiencing financial need as a result of the pandemic, he should get out of the way and stop obstructing the budget, which includes supports that are going to help vulnerable Canadians. The budget is going to put more money in the pockets of affected workers. It is creating incentives for businesses to bring more workers back on the payroll and ensure people can keep roofs over their heads and food on the table.

The reality is that since the beginning of this pandemic we have had the backs of Canadians. The Conservatives have tried to obstruct every step of the way. We will not have it. We will be there for Canadians no matter what it takes, for as long as it takes.

Natural Resources

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Madam Speaker, unfortunately we were listening closely when the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Finance actually let it slip that these Liberals were going to crush the economic rebound. They are going to make sure it does not come back. We can absolutely see this in their approach to the oil and gas sector. They have Biden vetoing Keystone. Now Governor Whitmer is trying to shut down Line 5.

My question to the parliamentary secretary to the finance minister is this. Did the Prime Minister even mention Line 5 at the G7 junket last week?

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Madam Speaker, Michigan's response was a routine step of its court process. We are strongly supporting Line 5. Canada's amicus brief clearly and directly expressed the government's legal position that Line 5 is an important and safe piece of infrastructure benefiting both Canada and the United States.

Negotiating an agreement that respects all parties is the best solution, and we are confident that a solution will be reached. Yes, we are behind Line 5. We have done all that we need to do to make sure that Line 5 continues to operate. We are behind the energy workers and we will have no Canadians left—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Regina—Lewvan.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

I believe that, Madam Speaker: They are so far behind energy workers that no one can see where they actually are. It is an embarrassment how this government can treat our oil and gas sector.

However, one thing about Line 5, and what we should be talking about, is that the treaty that was signed in 1977 to allow the free flow of oil across our borders was actually ratified and voted on by none other than then Delaware senator Joe Biden.

If the Prime Minister has such a great relationship with the President of the United States, I ask again, at their G7 summit when they were maskless and visiting, did the Prime Minister bring up Line 5?

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Madam Speaker, I encourage all members opposite to actually read the amicus brief to understand the Government of Canada's legal position on this issue. It has been endorsed by the Conservative governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario as well as by the Government of Quebec. It has been endorsed by Sarnia's mayor, Mike Bradley, and by industry and labour: the building trades and Unifor.

The 1977 Transit Pipelines Treaty remains in effect. The State of Michigan proposes measures at present, but we are supporting our workers, we are supporting Line 5 and we will do everything that it takes to make it—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Elmwood—Transcona.

Government Programs

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Madam Speaker, ever since the Liberals announced a significant cut to the Canada recovery benefit in their budget, New Democrats have been pushing back against that cut and challenging the government to undo it.

The answer the Liberals give in the House is completely disingenuous. They pretend that there is a choice between voting for their budget and voting for the cuts, or voting against the budget and voting against extending the benefit. They know that there is a third option, which is to extend the benefit and maintain the current benefit level.

I am just looking for some honesty here. Will the government acknowledge that this is an option and finally explain why it is choosing instead to cut the budgets of Canadians who are struggling to make ends meet?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Madam Speaker, the CRB is part of a comprehensive suite of emergency and recovery measures to support Canadian workers and businesses. Through the CRB, if opposition parties support Bill C-30, Canadians can have access to up to 50 weeks of benefits. They could also have access to more flexible EI benefits, businesses could continue to have access to the wage subsidy, and we could help Canadians reenter the labour market by creating 500,000 new training and work opportunities and launching the Canada recovery hiring program.

We will continue to do whatever it takes, but we implore opposition parties to help us put Bill C-30 through.

Public Safety

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Madam Speaker, a scathing report from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International reveals that Canada jails thousands of people fleeing persecution, including those with disabilities. Many are held in maximum-security provincial jails and put in solitary confinement without any charges or convictions.

There is no legal limit to the length of immigration detention. Black and racialized people are often detained longer, CBSA officials can still put children in detention or separate them from their families, and there is no independent oversight for CBSA. This is happening in Canada under this Prime Minister's watch.

Will the government stop this horrific practice?