Debates of June 9th, 2021

Public Safety

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, despite the rhetoric from the leader of the Bloc Québécois, there are Quebeckers who are going before the Quebec courts to challenge that law and defend what they believe to be their rights. We are, of course, closely following these proceedings and watching what happens. As for Bill 21, I have already expressed my position on it very clearly.

Health

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, today the Prime Minister announced the indefinite continuation of the unsafe and unscientific hotel quarantine program. Even for fully vaccinated Canadians, no firm date was announced as to when they would be able to forgo staying at federal facilities where sexual assaults, worker abuses and COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred.

Will the Prime Minister listen to the advice of his expert scientific panel and give a firm date for when the hotel quarantine program will be scrapped?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way we have been informed by science, experts and data on how to keep Canadians safe through this pandemic. We recognize that people are eager to get things back to normal. We also know that as people get fully vaccinated it will be possible to remove many of the restrictions that are in place. We will be making announcements around that in the coming weeks. The reality is that every step of the way our top priority must be the safety and security of Canadians during what are hopefully the final months of this pandemic in Canada.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, while other Canadians are doing their part and avoiding travel, the Prime Minister is about to travel internationally to go on a cocktail-party-loaded photo op trip to London. Upon his return, he will not quarantine at the same facilities that every other Canadian has because he wants to personally avoid all the problems that Canadians have experienced. That is despicable. Worse, today he announced the indefinite extension of the hotel quarantine program.

Why will the Prime Minister not listen to the expert panel advice of scientists and give a firm date for when the program will be scrapped? Sometime soon is not a date.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, like all Canadians returning home via air during the pandemic, the delegation and I will be staying in a government-approved airport hotel. These are the same strict protocols that every traveller must follow and we expect them to be applied to everyone.

At the same time, we recognize that being double vaccinated, as increasing numbers of Canadians are as millions of doses continue to arrive every week into Canada, gives one an extra level of protection, which is why we are talking about loosening the restrictions for fully vaccinated Canadians in the coming weeks.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister will not be staying at the same facility that every other Canadian is, and that is just ridiculous. This week, prominent Democratic and Republican congresspeople have been musing about how the United States may unilaterally open its side of the land border to Canadians. This comes as prominent Liberals such as Bob Rae have also been musing about the border. The Prime Minister has no plan for benchmarks for a safe reopening on federal restrictions.

Is the Prime Minister instead preparing for the chaos that will likely ensue if the Americans unilaterally open the border?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of this pandemic we have worked hand in hand with the United States to align our measures. Even with that, however, the measures have not been the same on both sides of the border. We brought in, early on, a mandatory two-week quarantine. We brought in initiatives such as pre-departure and on-arrival testing, which the Americans never had. There has also been asymmetry with respect to people wanting to fly south to the United States. That has been allowed, but equivalent tourists have not been able to fly up to Canada from the United States. We have always worked closely with them and will continue to, but we will make our decisions based on what is in Canadians' interests.

Canada-U.S. Relations

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Joe Biden has not listened to the Prime Minister on KXL. Joe Biden has not listened to the Prime Minister on softwood lumber. Joe Biden did not listen to the Prime Minister on Line 5. There is no indication that Joe Biden has been given any reason by the current government to listen to the Prime Minister on the border. This is not a slight on the Americans: The Prime Minister's approach to foreign relations has been weak, incoherent and patronizing at best.

Given today's rambling, shambolic, incoherent press conference on federal border restrictions, how likely is it that the Americans are now going to unilaterally reopen the border?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, you will understand if I take no lessons from the Conservative Party of Canada on managing Canada-U.S. relations.

Over the past very difficult four years, we were able to renegotiate NAFTA in a way that protected supply management, that strengthened our economy and that demonstrated a defence of our cultural industries. We stood up for steel producers, for steel workers and for aluminum workers. We managed to get the Americans to remove unfair tariffs. We have continued to stand up for Canadian interests and we will continue to, particularly with someone who is significantly more aligned with Canadians now in the White House.

Public Safety

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a family out for a walk was killed in a terrorist attack. They were murdered because of their faith: because they were Muslim. Last night in London people came together. Over 15,000 strong, they grieved and condemned this hateful act, but they want action. Words of condolence will not stop something like this from happening again. If we do not act, Canadian Muslims will continue to be unsafe.

What will the Prime Minister do to address online hate and Islamophobia? Will he commit to holding a national action summit on Islamophobia? When will we see real action?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we were all heartbroken by the terrorist attack that unfolded Sunday in London. An attacker murdered a Muslim family going out for an evening walk just because of their faith.

To the Muslim community in London and to Muslims across Canada, I want to say we stand with them. Islamophobia has no place in any of our communities. This hate is insidious and despicable, and it must stop. The government has taken many steps, but we know there is more to do. We will work hand in hand with the Muslim community and with all Canadians who stand against this violence.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we have to stop pretending that Canada is a country without Islamophobia. We have serious structural problems in Quebec City, Toronto and London. Islamophobia is deadly. We have needed action for a long time to confront it head-on. In 2019, a delegation from Windsor's Muslim community appeared at the justice committee on Islamophobia with strategies to combat it. A 2018 heritage committee report put forth 30 recommendations to fight it.

What specifically will the Prime Minister do to tackle Islamophobia and online hate speech once and for all? Is the government waiting for more people to die? What specifically will he do?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as a government, we have taken unprecedented steps to fight the rise of Islamophobia. We have a responsibility to combat and condemn hatred in its strongest forms, which is why we declared January 29 as a national day of remembrance of the Quebec City mosque attack and action against Islamophobia. We also committed an additional $50 million to anti-racism initiatives through FES 2020 and proposed $2 million through this year's budget for not-for-profit organizations such as places of worship, schools and community centres to ensure their safety. We have stood, and we will continue to stand, in action with the Muslim community to ensure that all are protected.

[Kate Young, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my community in London West is reeling from the vicious hate crime that took place on Sunday evening. Four members of a local Muslim family are dead because of an act of terrorism. A child is in the hospital. All Canadians and all Muslims deserve to feel safe and secure in their own communities, and heinous acts such as this leave many feeling unsafe. We know this is not the Canada we want.

Can the Prime Minister inform us of the steps being taken to combat hate crimes in Canada to ensure all Canadians can feel safe and secure in their own communities?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for London West for her unwavering advocacy against hatred and discrimination. What happened in London, this act of terrorism, shows us that Islamophobia is a serious issue and it has no place in Canada or around the world. Whether through the security infrastructure program, by cracking down on online extremism or by dismantling far-right hate groups, we will continue doing everything we can to fight violence in every form. We grieve with Muslim communities across Canada and stand with them in solidarity during this difficult time.

Health

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, just in time for the Prime Minister's trip to the United Kingdom, he has decided to eliminate the hotel quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated travellers arriving in Canada beginning in July.

While the Conservative Party has been calling for this for months now, the Prime Minister is suddenly realizing how his bad decisions will affect him personally.

Will the Prime Minister admit that his hotel quarantine policy has done more harm than good?

Will he scrap it for everyone, effective immediately?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have always taken the necessary measures to keep Canadians safe. The requirement for incoming air travellers to have a negative COVID-19 test before leaving a government-approved hotel has worked, detecting cases and protecting Canadians from the importation of COVID-19 variants.

We know that our priority is to continue to protect Canadians from this COVID-19 pandemic, but we also recognize that people who are fully vaccinated should have more freedom.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the mandatory hotel quarantine has been a fiasco from day one. There have been stories of sexual assault, hotel room doors without locks and for some travellers the conditions were horrible. Many Canadians have suffered unnecessarily because the Prime Minister did not take action in a timely manner during this health crisis.

I will give him another chance. Will the Prime Minister admit that the hotel quarantine program is shoddy?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would say no because Canadians expect us to do what it takes to protect Canadians during this health crisis.

We know full well that the Conservatives encourage freedom for all. Unfortunately we have seen that some provinces have had a tough time because of that philosophy, but we as a government have always been there to put the safety of Canadians first. We will continue to take the necessary measures to keep people safe.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want the Prime Minister to tell me what he is going to say to Canada's Olympic athletes, who thrill and unite us and inspire entire generations. These athletes go into debt to carry the maple leaf to the very top of the podium.

The Prime Minister chose to eliminate the hotel quarantine for professional hockey players but not for athletes such as Meaghan Benfeito, Charles Philibert-Thiboutot and Camille Fiola-Dion.

How can the Prime Minister justify that decision to our Canadian athletes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we work with teams, institutions and amateur and professional sport organizations to ensure that athletes are safe and people are protected so they can entertain and inspire us as athletes always do.

The safety and health of everyone must always be the priority. That has guided us since the start of this pandemic, and that will guide us to the end. We will continue to work with our athletes and sport organizations to ensure we find the right balance.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when we asked the Prime Minister to close the border to avoid the worst, he called us racists. When we asked him to work with our allies or Canadian firms on vaccines, he chose the Chinese communist regime. When we asked to abolish the hotel quarantine, he laughed at us.

Since the Prime Minister will have to quarantine, can he tell us if he will do so in a third-rate hotel as he has forced so many Canadians to do?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, the delegation returning from the G7, including me, will quarantine in an airport hotel, which is equivalent to what all Canadians have to do when they return from a trip.

I should point out that we have often disagreed with the Conservatives on their approach to this pandemic. I know that Canadians have seen that our approach of putting the safety of Canadians first and investing to support Canadians has been the right choice.

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, the majority of Quebeckers believe that the best way to protect every religion is for the government to be free from religion. For Quebeckers, secularism contributes to social cohesion and harmony for all.

The Prime Minister would have people believe that Bill 21 fuels intolerance and Islamophobia and practically invites people to challenge it. Will the Prime Minister promise that the government will not directly or indirectly fund any court challenges of Bill 21?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I know that every Quebecker values human rights and individual rights. It is important for every society and country around the world.

The reality is that there are Quebeckers who have chosen to challenge this legislation as they have the right to do before their provincial court. They are in the process of doing so. Obviously we respect that choice. The Bloc Québécois and other Quebeckers who are in favour of the bill should respect the choice that some Quebeckers have made to challenge it. We will continue to follow this issue.