Debates of June 22nd, 2021

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, people who are suffering from illnesses like cancer do not have the energy to worry about their finances.

However, that is exactly what happens when the EI system fails people who are suffering in the middle of their treatment. Benefits are sometimes needed for up to 50 weeks, which is why the Bloc Québécois introduced Bill C-265. All parties, including the Liberals, supported it in committee. The only thing missing is for the government to give the royal recommendation to the bill.

Will it grant the royal recommendation and finally ensure adequate support for people who are sick?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect and deserve to have an employment insurance plan that is flexible and meets their needs. Employment insurance sickness benefits are an important support for Canadians who have to stay home from work because of an illness or injury.

Workers who receive major treatments or who need more time to heal will benefit from the measure in budget 2021 to extend EI benefits from 15 to 26 weeks. This extension will provide nearly 169,000 Canadians every year with additional time and flexibility.

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

Mr. Speaker, the government is offering half of what sick people need. Not everyone needs 50 weeks of benefits to recover from an illness, but limiting benefits to 15 or even 26 weeks means leaving those who are suffering the most out in the cold, and the government knows it.

That goes against the values of every member of the House. I am appealing to the government's sense of compassion. Will it give Bill C‑265 the royal recommendation so that we can pass it at last and tell sick people that their elected representatives are on their side?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, for workers undergoing major treatment or needing more time to recover from an illness or injury, that gap from when their benefits run out to when they are well enough to return to work is a financially stressful time.

That is why, in budget 2021, we are extending EI sickness benefits from 15 to 26 weeks. This extension will provide nearly 169,000 Canadians every year with additional time and flexibility.

International Development

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

Mr. Speaker, on August 3, 2014, the Prime Minister publicly committed that he would support a humanitarian initiative led by Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish named Heal100Kids, to get 100 Palestinian children from Gaza to Canada for medical treatment. Since then, the Liberal government has ignored repeated requests for follow-up and help. This type of inaction and broken promises, saying one thing to get elected and then not following through afterward, is something that Canadians have seen time and time again from the current Liberal government.

When will the government stop ignoring Dr. Abuelaish's request for help and follow through on the Prime Minister's own commitment to provide these children with the assistance they need?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to see the member opposite, for the first time, stand up on behalf of Palestinian children, because until now in this House he has been constantly asking the government to defund Anera, but, as he knows, it provides education for 500,000 Palestinian children. In fact, this government has been sure to provide services that will protect and uphold the human rights of Palestinian children, and we will continue to do so. I am glad to see the member opposite, for the first time, showing concern for Palestinian children.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, in a June 2020 industry committee meeting, a witness from CSIS highlighted how today's spies wear “lab coats, not just trench coats.” The Liberal government is withholding documents concerning two federal scientists connected to the Chinese military, one of whom oversaw virus transfers to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Canadians deserve answers.

Will the Liberals finally release documents this House has demanded and ordered four times, or will the cover-up continue?

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, only the Conservatives can accuse a government of a cover-up, when we actually provided all of the documents to two separate committees. One was with redactions to protect national security and another in a completely unredacted form. It is unfortunate that the Conservative members did not trust their own committee representation on that committee. I served with them; they did good work and it is a shame that Conservatives are more focused on innuendo and conspiracy theories than doing the job of parliamentarians in this House and protecting the national security of all Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is continuing its cover-up by preventing us, the parliamentarians, from getting all the facts about the firing of two scientists from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.

Yesterday, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons even insulted the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel by stating that he did not have the necessary training or expertise to assess the documents we requested.

Will the Liberals respect the will of the House, or will they brandish the threat of a hasty election in the hope that this will all blow over?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague forgot to mention that we provided different options, which you are currently exploring.

The government obviously recognizes the fundamental role and rights of Parliament and parliamentarians, but it also recognizes the importance of protecting our national security and keeping certain things secret.

Therefore, we must find a solution. Unlike my colleague, who is trying to play petty politics by finger-pointing, we are providing options for you to explore. I hope that we will be able to work together.

Persons with Disabilities

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the pandemic highlighted the disparities that persons with disabilities face in terms of their health, financial security and social well-being.

Fortunately, our government was there to protect the financial security of Canadians with disabilities through programs like the one-time payment, CERB and the disability portion of the Canada emergency student benefit. We also presented the first disability inclusion action plan.

Can the minister update the House on what our government is doing to support Canadians with disabilities?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Alfred-Pellan for his work on behalf of persons with disabilities.

Since 2015, our government has taken historic measures to create an inclusive Canada for persons with disabilities. Our 2020-21 budget focuses on measures that embody the “nothing without us” principle. We are investing in accessible communities, training and job creation, students with disabilities, and inclusive child care services.

This morning, we introduced a bill to establish the Canada disability benefit. This important bill will help reduce poverty and provide financial security for Canadians with disabilities.

With an inclusive approach, everyone wins.

Public Safety

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday on the issue of gun violence, after the tragic Etobicoke shooting that seriously injured an 11-year-old, a five-year-old and a one-year-old, the minister of public safety stated that his government's approach to banning firearms owned by law-abiding citizens would curb such violence, yet his government introduced Bill C-22, which weakens penalties for gun crimes by eliminating mandatory minimum sentences.

Can the minister of public safety please explain how weakening penalties for gun crimes somehow reduces gun crime?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, to be very clear, we promised Canadians that we would strengthen gun control. We are in the process of doing that. We know that the Conservatives have promised the gun lobby that they would weaken gun laws, and I believe that is a very serious mistake.

I also want to be clear that ensuring we eliminate the systemic and structural racism that exists throughout the criminal justice system is another way to improve public safety in our communities. It would ensure that all Canadians are treated in a just and fair way, and are given opportunities to participate fulsomely in our communities and in our society. Success for everyone in Canada is an important part of our strategy for keeping Canadians safe.

Health

[Chris Lewis, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I represent a border community, I hear daily from families and business owners who need to cross the border. This requires a 14-day quarantine, a three-day lockdown and substandard fare, all at their own expense. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister enjoys 12 hours in a posh hotel of his choosing at the taxpayers' expense. There is one set of rules for regular Canadians and another for him and his entourage.

When will the Prime Minister present a plan to safely reopen the borders?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are all incredibly excited as we start to see life post-COVID. That is precisely why we have started to release or adjust some of the border measures, but we are going to do this in a cautious, responsible manner to ensure that all of the hard work and all of the sacrifices that Canadians have made are not lost. We are so grateful that Canadians continue to step up to get vaccinated and follow local public health guidelines. By doing so, we are going to get through this. We are going to save lives.

We are going to follow the science and evidence to make sure that Canadians are safe.

Public Services and Procurement

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my riding of Red Deer—Mountain View is now almost fully open, despite the Liberal government's total failure to address the COVID-19 pandemic. We have succeeded because we are Albertans. Not only is Alberta now leading the way when it comes to vaccinations and reopening our economy, but we are poised to lead the way for an economic recovery across Canada providing the Liberal government gets out of the way.

Why does the Liberal government ignore Alberta's leadership role and continually punish it with draconian measures like Bill C-69?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way the federal government has been supporting the provinces and territories in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of PPE, we procured 2.7 billion items of PPE for the provinces and territories, and 40% of those contracts by dollar value are with Canadian companies, including companies from Alberta. We have procured over 100 million vaccines, 50 million of which will have arrived by the end of June. The Conservatives take credit for our vaccine procurement on one hand and they criticize our procurement of PPE and vaccines on the other. Which one is it? I would like to know.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is 2030 and I want to remind Canadians that the Conservatives were at the top of the mountain claiming that we would not get vaccines for years. The Leader of the Opposition and the health critic stood in this place and said we would not be getting vaccines for years: until about 2030, I believe. This is the same party that did not believe that we would meet the targets that we are now exceeding. Let us get to the point and let us get the record straight.

Can the Minister of Public Services and Procurement tell the House how her hard work was able to deliver a well-thought-out vaccine plan and update us on where we are in the process?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, while the opposition criticizes and then takes credit for our vaccine procurement, I am working on getting millions of doses into Canada as early as possible. This week alone, we are receiving 5.2 million doses from Pfizer and Moderna. We are on track to receive 50 million doses by the end of June and more than 68 million doses by the end of July. Canada continues to lead the world in vaccines because of hard work, and that is what I will continue to focus on.

The Environment

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, first nations in B.C. are announcing their intention to take back control of resource stewardship on their traditional territories. Many of these territories contain ancient, old-growth rainforests and watersheds that are critical to our planet's biodiversity and are important in fighting climate change. The nature legacy program's budget and priorities are not nearly enough to support indigenous-led initiatives to protect ancient, old-growth stands.

Will the Minister of Environment and Climate Change commit to providing the necessary resources and work with first nations that wish to create a conservation economy that protects these critical ecosystems?

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

Mr. Speaker, this government has made historic investments in protecting nature. Over the course of the past number of years, both marine and terrestrial, we have piloted, in partnership with indigenous peoples, many indigenous conservation protected areas as part of that conservation agenda. It is extremely important on the path forward. We have committed to 30% protection by 2030 and are working very closely with provinces and territories, and with indigenous peoples across this country, to ensure that we are doing what science tells us we must, which is protect biodiversity and stop the decline that has been happening over the past number of decades.

Health

[Derek Sloan, Independent, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week I hosted a parliamentary press conference on the censorship of Canadian doctors and medical experts. Their testimony was truly shocking.

Unfortunately, Facebook stopped my livestream in mid-conference. Despite this, the full press conference is now the most viewed video in history on CPAC's YouTube channel, with over 500,000 views. However, Facebook and Twitter are still restricting the sharing of this video on their platforms.

Given the importance to democracy of Canadians seeing official parliamentary functions, does the minister denounce this censorship by big tech?

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

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the dissemination of misinformation regarding this pandemic, I think the member opposite should understand his role and responsibility as a parliamentarian, and the trust that his constituents place in him.

This pandemic is serious. It requires a serious response. I would urge him to follow the rules. If Facebook would not even allow what he is saying to be put up, perhaps he should rethink his choices.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion, which is consistent with the unanimous report that the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development tabled in the House: That the House call for dialogue between representatives of the Tibetan people, His Holiness the Dalai Lama or his representatives, the Central Tibetan Administration and the government of the People's Republic of China with a view to enabling Tibet to exercise genuine autonomy within the framework of the Chinese constitution.