Debates of June 7th, 2021

Residential Schools

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, six years before the Conservative government apologized for residential schools and launched the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2008, I wrote my undergrad thesis on the system's harms and the government's responsibility.

Last week, 215 lost children were found. There are more. That so many Canadians were shocked shows a long, painful road behind and still ahead. So many open hearts and minds give hope. History's importance is poignant and clear.

In Lakeland, Blue Quills Indian Residential School once helped break spirits, languages, faiths, traditions and families. Today, it is Canada's first indigenous-owned school for 50 years, and it offers degrees in first nations languages, job skills and intergenerational healing.

After visiting, one Albertan said, “My uncle...was sent to a residential school so I thought I understood. His time...was never spoken of, so I thought I understood. [My wife's uncle] taught at Blue Quills...so I thought I understood. Until I listened to the words and heard the stories, I did not know.”

Indigenous people deserve peace, safety, freedom and jobs. MPs should raise awareness and make real changes for their well-being and outcomes in their lives.

Michael O'Reilly

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Ottawa has lost a true legend. Michael O'Reilly, the remarkable local artist, musician and comedian, has passed away. Born in England to a Canadian World War II serviceman and a Devonshire girl, Mike was raised in Ottawa. He studied at Glebe Collegiate, the University of Ottawa, and then earned a teaching degree at Queen's University.

Mike O'Reilly was a world-class bluegrass performer and a true festival favourite. He wrote more than 200 songs and formed many bands over the years. He was the front man for Cody, The Radio Kings and Bolt Upright. Mike O'Reilly was also half of the comedy duo Delmer and Cecil, known for gems like “Meadow Muffin Blues”.

To his wife Rosemary, his children Rylan and Devon, his mother Mary and his many, many friends and fans, Mike's legacy will live on in our countless happy memories of this amazingly talented artist.

The Economy

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister promised one million jobs by the end of June. Here we are, almost at the end of June, and the numbers are painting a very different picture: 300,000 jobs lost in the last two months because of the Liberal vaccine failure. While in other countries, like the U.S. and the U.K., economies are roaring back, here Canadians continue to live locked down at home without a paycheque and continue to see their savings emptied.

When will the Liberals finally release a detailed plan to reopen our economy and get Canadians back to work?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives want to talk about the economy, let us talk about the economy. As of May 2021, over 2.4 million of the three million jobs lost at the peak of the pandemic, which is eight out of 10, have already been recouped. On April 26, S&P reaffirmed Canada's AAA rating. Just last week, Moody's also reaffirmed our AAA rating. Our plan is sustainable, responsible, and it is working.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, does that member not look around and see businesses shut down across the country? The Liberal third wave has brought our economy to a halt. While Canada bleeds jobs, the U.S. job numbers continue to climb. In the last month alone, the U.S. created 500,000 jobs, which is almost double what we lost.

The fact is that Canadians should not take the Liberal government seriously. After all, we can see that the Prime Minister and the finance minister are more focused on planning their travel itineraries than getting Canadians their freedoms back and getting them back to work. Is that not the truth?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for giving me another opportunity to discuss our government's growth plan and how it is working for Canadians.

As I am sure the member opposite saw last Friday, Statistics Canada released its Q1 GDP number, and it is good news. The economy grew at the annual rate of 5.6% in the first quarter of the year, much better than the predicted 3.6% growth for Q1 in the budget. Budget 2021 is a growth budget that will deliver for Canadians.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is very sad to see the Liberals so out of touch with the suffering that Canadians are going through. Canadians are running out of hope and they are running out of money. The Liberals have had months to plan a road map to get our economy back on track, but they have failed to act. The U.S. has a 42% vaccine rate where its total population has been vaccinated. Ours is 7.6%. Let us be real: The Liberals have failed on all fronts, and it is Canadians who are paying the price.

Why can the Liberals not give Canadian families and businesses some certainty and present a clear plan to end the lockdowns so Canadians can get back to work?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let me be perfectly clear that our government will always stand up for Canadian workers and families. We have supported and helped maintain over 5.3 million Canadian jobs through the wage subsidy, and our government intends on extending that vital program through to next summer.

In budget 2021, we announced that we would introduce the Canada recovery hiring program to support eligible employers by providing subsidies to offset a portion of the cost during the reopening and the hiring of more staff. We know there is still much more work to do, and our government will continue to support Canadian workers and families.

Employment

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

Mr. Speaker, the best way to restart the economy is to get Canadians back to work. Unfortunately, that is not what is happening.

Last Friday, we found out that 68,000 people did not have the job they hoped to have. That is 68,000 jobs lost. That is three times more than projected. What is the government's plan to get Canadians back to work?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member across the way for giving me another opportunity to talk about our government's growth plan and the way it works for Canadians.

As the member opposite certainly knows, on Friday Statistics Canada published the GDP numbers for the quarter and there is good news. The economy grew at an annual rate of 5.6% during the first quarter of the year, which is much better than the 3.6% growth projected in the budget for the first quarter.

Budget 2021 is a growth budget that will benefit Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about work and returning to work. Canadians want to earn a paycheque, but that is not what is happening.

In the United States, 500,000 new jobs have been created, but almost 300,000 jobs were lost in Canada during roughly the same period. The employment rate is 3% lower than before the pandemic because of government measures forcing thousands of Canadians to stay home rather than go to work. Once again, what is the government's plan for getting Canadians back to work?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am going to be perfectly clear. Our government is standing up for and will always stand up for Canadian workers. We have taken steps to protect 5.3 million jobs through the Canada emergency wage subsidy, which our government plans to extend.

In budget 2021, we also announced the introduction of the Canada recovery hiring program to support eligible employers by providing subsidies to cover part of the cost during reopening and the hiring of new staff.

We know that there is much more to do, and that is why our government will continue to support workers and Canadian families.

Official Languages

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec wants to apply Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses because it wants to protect French as the language of work. The Minister of Official Languages keeps repeating that she will extend the application of the Official Languages Act instead, but that legislation protects bilingualism.

Newsflash: Quebec is not bilingual; it is French, and the use of French is in decline. The government itself knows this and has acknowledged this. What is the minister going to do, use Bill 101 to protect the French language or use the Official Languages Act to protect bilingualism?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague that the use of French is in decline in Quebec and Canada. Naturally, we must do more to protect our beautiful French language.

Under the circumstances, we also want to recognize that Quebeckers and francophones living in regions with a strong francophone presence across the country have the right to work in French, to be served in French and to be protected from discrimination because they are francophone. That is why we are moving forward with the modernization of the Official Languages Act.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers do not want the right to work in French; they want French to be the language of work. There is a difference. Quebec is not bilingual. It is French.

The federal government is bilingual. Francophone federal public servants say that they are uncomfortable working in their language. The federal Commissioner of Official Languages said that it is not a very inclusive culture. All too often, French becomes a translation language.

What is more, the federal government is the winner of the year when it comes to complaints for failing to comply with the Official Languages Act. Who would want to extend that model to Quebec rather than applying the Charter of the French Language? If Quebeckers had to choose, they would go with the Charter of the French Language. Why does the minister not agree with that?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that we need to do more to protect the French language and institutional bilingualism within our government. That is why, in our reform document, we said that the Commissioner of Official Languages should have more power. We also need to make sure that a central agency within our public service ensures compliance with the Official Languages Act.

Ultimately, we must also be able to extend the application of the Official Languages Act to federally regulated private businesses. This will be the first time that the Official Languages Act is applied to the private sector. In that sense, I think that this is a huge step forward for francophones and francophiles in Canada. Of course, the government also wants to work with the Government of Quebec to ensure that the rights—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie.

Indigenous Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, 215 is the number of voices forever silenced. That number, 215, now represents the innocence lost to savage, racist acts. Sadly, these 215 victims are just the start. We are only beginning to understand the magnitude of the gaping wounds caused by genocidal acts in Canada.

The Prime Minister can no longer talk his way out of this. If he truly understands the suffering of indigenous peoples, he must stop taking residential school survivors to court. Will he vote for or against our motion today?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, we support many aspects of the motion, but measures relating to legal matters are complex. Issues around jurisdiction and privacy require broad collaboration with first nations and cannot be resolved unilaterally.

As our government stated, individuals affected by historical inequities in first nations child welfare will receive fair and equitable compensation.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the Prime Minister's record on first nations children.

He was found guilty of “wilful and reckless” discrimination against indigenous kids. He has ignored 19 non-compliance orders and spent over $9 million on lawyers, yet this weekend he was saying he was not in court fighting any first nations kids. In reality, his lawyers are arguing that children who suffered reckless discrimination are not eligible for any compensation whatsoever. That is their argument. Children have died on the current government's watch.

When is the Prime Minister going to end his toxic legal war against indigenous kids?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, let me be crystal clear. Children who have suffered discrimination at the hands of the first nations child welfare system will receive fair, equitable and just compensation.

[An hon. member]

You are making that up.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to remind the hon. members that heckling is not parliamentary, especially during virtual proceedings.

I will ask the minister to answer his question again, before he was interrupted.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has said time and time again, and as this government has said time and time again, we want to be crystal clear.

Every first nations child who has suffered discrimination at the hands of the failed child welfare system will receive just, fair and equitable compensation.

Taxation

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, over the weekend we learned the finance minister surrendered Canada's ability to set its own tax rates. We strongly support efforts to make multinationals pay their fair share, but that should never mean giving up sovereignty over our own tax system. The global minimum tax—