Debates of Jan. 31st, 2022

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Speaker, since this is the first time that we are speaking in the House since this weekend's events, I, too, would like to condemn the hateful protests that are still ongoing in our capital.

I stand in solidarity with all those in Ottawa and across the country who are taking action against hate in our communities and across Canada. I also join those, including our leader, who are calling on these protesters to leave Ottawa and free up the streets so we can get around again and get back to our lives.

I would like to ask my colleague a question. She has spoken before about the housing crisis in indigenous communities in her region. That crisis exists in my region too.

Does she agree that the current housing crisis is no accident, but rather the result of a lack of funding—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

The hon. member for Manicouagan.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will answer my colleague's question, which she did not get to finish, but yes, it is due to a lack of funding, a lack of foresight, and a failure to listen to first nations, who have been talking about it for the past 20 years.

Quebec alone is short more than 10,000 homes. Those 10,000 homes represent the shortfall that needs to be made up in just the next five years, and that number does not even include additional needs.

It is quite obvious that nothing was planned or invested, and the government now has a problem it does not seem to know how to solve.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the hon. member could further expand on this from the Bloc's perspective. Canadians from coast to coast to coast, even people in Quebec, understand and appreciate that the federal government can and should play a role in ensuring that the health care system supports things such as the Canada Health Act.

Why is the Bloc going against what, I would suggest, many citizens of Quebec want to see?

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at the risk of repeating myself, the National Assembly unanimously supports health transfers. Granted, it is somewhat of a shared jurisdiction, but Quebec is the one with all the expertise.

I believe the member talked about playing a role in the health care system, which I always find interesting. The money is in Ottawa, but the needs are in the provinces. There is a fiscal imbalance, and we do not talk about it often enough.

The needs are there. The Quebec and provincial governments are asking for this. I will say it again: The federal government needs to transfer the money and stay within its own jurisdiction.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is my opportunity to talk about the throne speech.

As my colleague mentioned earlier, a throne speech should reflect the broad strokes of the government's plans for the mandate it received in the last election.

I understand that this government is disappointed to be in a minority situation. However, since its only objective was to win a majority at taxpayers' expense, it could have made more of an effort.

The mandate it has been given clearly includes more than this road map, and its ideas and intentions remain unclear. There is nothing about health transfers, which my colleague called for earlier, as did the Premier of Quebec and Canada as a whole. There is nothing on the energy transition or a green finance plan. There is nothing on the employment insurance reform that is needed and has been requested for decades to provide 50 weeks of benefits for serious illnesses, which we could have voted on this fall. There is nothing about seniors' purchasing power, nothing to support our agriculture. What are people supposed to do for the next four years?

I repeat, the Bloc Québécois defends and will continue to defend health transfers because there is a consensus on this issue, not just in Quebec, but in all the provinces of Canada. An increase from 22% to 35% is not too much to ask when we consider that it was 50% a few decades ago. Therefore, the Bloc Québécois will continue to talk about it. I would also like to commend my colleague from Montcalm for his efforts on the issues of health and pandemic management.

In my question earlier, I mentioned that inflation is also causing supply problems throughout our health care system. I think there is a need to act, and to act now.

I would like to remind the House that on December 2, 2020, the Parliament of Canada adopted a Bloc Québécois motion calling on the government to significantly and sustainably increase Canada health transfers before the end of 2020 in order to support the efforts of Quebec and the provinces, health care workers and the public. Members will recall that all parties were in favour of this motion, with the exception of the Liberal Party, which voted against it.

On March 1, 2021, the leaders of the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux, the Centrale des syndicats du Québec and the Centrale des syndicats démocratiques stressed the importance of increasing these transfers to address the crisis in public services stemming from the pandemic.

Let us talk about climate change, a topic of major concern when I talk to my constituents in Laurentides—Labelle. Unfortunately, the government is content to repeatedly say that we have to put our words into action. This has been an urgent issue since 2015, but as we know, they do not walk the talk. That needs to stop.

We have invited the government to implement a real energy transition and to stop subsidizing the Canadian oil and gas industry. We have to change Canada's energy trajectory to help keep the increase in temperature below 1.5 degrees. The situation is critical.

The other thing we keep saying and will continue saying is that we must stop increasing oil sands production and gradually reduce crude oil production entirely by 2030, which is fast approaching. Even though the government now claims to want to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, subsidies the Minister of Finance has refused to define, I fear these subsidies might end up being disguised as assistance in helping to reduce the carbon intensity of oil and gas.

People need to know. Let us be clear. We are calling for the immediate end of any type of subsidy for fossil fuels.

On behalf of future generations, our children, our constituents, our regions and our resources, we are calling for an ambitious green recovery. We must shift to a green economy. The Bloc Québécois has come up with a road map for realizing the potential of Quebec's forestry sector, which is a major segment of the economy in my riding.

As I mentioned earlier, Quebeckers are rightfully very worried about the cost of living. Food, clothing and housing prices are major concerns. The increase in the cost of gas, rent and groceries has caused inflation to rise to 4.8%. The consumer price index, or CPI, has had its largest spike since 2003. One way to protect the public from the effects of inflation and to stabilize the economy is to ensure that people have decent buying power.

Another major challenge is the labour shortage, which is also leading workers to try to find better jobs or to renegotiate their wages. I myself am an entrepreneur, and I can assure my colleagues that things are extremely tough right now.

What should we do? Here are a few Bloc Québécois suggestions.

Wages obviously do need to increase, but it will take money and a concrete plan to address the labour shortage. We also need to increase health transfers.

We suggested seven measures, including assistance to help businesses with automation and tax incentives for our seniors. Seniors have a great deal of experience, and they want to give back to society and share their knowledge. However, when the government keeps making changes that change nothing, it is not hard to see why they do not want to enter the job market.

I have met with many organizations and businesses in Laurentides—Labelle in recent weeks to talk about foreign workers in agriculture. These issues are key parts of the economy back home. I want to acknowledge my colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé and my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean, who have been raising the issue of the unwarranted processing delays for applications to bring in temporary workers. I am sure members recall hearing the famous number 13.

I now want to talk about our municipalities, which are telling us that housing will be the main issue in 2022. As my hon. colleague from Longueuil—Saint‑Hubert would say, we cannot talk about housing without talking about access to housing. Prices are rising everywhere and, as my colleague from Manicouagan pointed out just now, there is a significant shortfall. I want to share something that a mayor had to say on this, as follows:

The pandemic turned the long-standing housing shortage into an actual crisis. The shortage no longer affects only urban areas; it has expanded into all regions of Quebec. This has far-reaching consequences for even the smallest municipalities. We must take decisive and practical action now based on the three fundamental principles of affordability, accessibility and equity.

In conclusion, my constituents are disappointed, and I truly hope that the government will do something meaningful soon.

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the speech the member just presented; however, there is one aspect that all Canadians should be thinking about, and that is how best to help the entire globe, and that is certainly not to take a run at Alberta's oil sands, because if we look at the way our oil sands are developed and the ecological aspect of them, they are world class.

The key component I would ask the hon. member about is this: Where else in the world would her constituents want to have their oil and gas come from, if not from our great Canadian sources?

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague.

I am hearing a heartfelt plea regarding the fragility of the economy in connection with fossil fuels. I understand that. When we talk about a move toward green energy, we know that we need to support businesses in that transition so that it is not disastrous for them. However, for now, there is nothing to indicate that the use of oil is good for the health of the planet.

Obviously, all of the suggestions that we are making, such as the electrification of transportation, seek to reduce emissions in order to meet the 2030 target, while helping businesses. We need to meet that target because 1.5 degrees of warming is already too much.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, one of the announcements that we have gone over with a number of provinces now is the child care plan. It is a true national child care plan that would help so many people from coast to coast to coast. It is somewhat modelled after the Quebec child care plan, and I am wondering if the member can provide her thoughts in terms of the positive impact that $10 child care had in the province of Quebec and the potential benefits all Canadians are going to be able to see with programs such as the one that has been brought in by this government.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

Once again, I am pleased to explain that there are examples to follow, such as the child care centres that have had a major impact on Quebec's economy over the past 25 years. We have already shown that our approach works, and I hope that it will be adopted as quickly as possible by the other provinces in order to help their economies.

When we make suggestions, we are not trying to get our own way or gain power. We are here to represent the interests of our constituents, so the more our colleagues listen to our suggestions, the better off we will be during this never-ending pandemic.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the throne speech is ultimately a reflection of the last election, which was useless. Maybe the Liberal government could have taken this opportunity to connect with the people of Quebec, especially seniors.

Why does my colleague think the Liberal government insists on creating two classes of seniors, even as inflation surges?

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I salute my colleague from Montcalm.

What a good question. Why do that when all this is going on? The provinces, Quebec, the institutions and the economists studying inflation tell us that enough is enough. It is time to take action on health transfers.

I do not know the answer to my colleague's question, but we are going to keep asking, because the government is the only one that does not realize that time is of the essence. It is not just because of the pandemic, but that should be reason enough to transfer the money now.

[Dan Muys, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let me say up front that I will be splitting my time with my colleague, neighbour and friend, the hon. member for Haldimand—Norfolk.

It is an incredible honour to rise today to deliver my first full speech in this House. I would like to congratulate all members on their successful elections. I look forward to working together collaboratively in this Parliament to make the lives of all Canadians more affordable, more prosperous and more free.

Before I begin, I would like to give my sincere thanks to all those who helped to get me to where I am today. I would like to thank the people of Flamborough—Glanbrook for placing their trust in me and bestowing on me the privilege and duty to be their voice. It is an honour that I will never forget.

There are many people to thank, and of course it is impossible to name them all in a short period of time.

First and foremost, I would like to thank my amazing wife, Tracy. She is here in the gallery with us today. Her unwavering love and support has meant so much to me for so many years. I am nothing without her.

I would also like to thank everybody who played a large or small role on my campaign. Without their hard work, dedication and belief in me, I would not be here today.

I would also like to recognize my predecessor, David Sweet, for his 15 years of service in this House and to our communities. I am grateful for his friendship of 18 years and I wish him and Almut all the best in their new adventures in New Brunswick.

Each and every member in this House has a unique path that brought them here today. As a Canadian of Dutch heritage, mine began with my grandparents. It was from them, my parents and the adversities that they had to overcome that I draw inspiration and purpose.

My omas and opas chose Canada to build a better life for their children and grandchildren. They lived through wartime Holland and the brutal Hongerwinter of 1944 and 1945 when the Dutch were almost starved to death. In fact, my Opa Muys played a role in the Dutch resistance and, in his quiet way, did what he could to fight against the atrocities being inflicted on Holland by Nazi Germany.

I am mindful of them today as I wear this lapel pin in honour of the liberation of Holland by Canadian troops. The Kingdom of the Netherlands produced this pin in 2020 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation. It is an artful combination of the torch of freedom and the dove of peace. I think those are lessons we can draw from and learn here today.

Like so many from every corner of the world throughout the history of our nation, my grandparents came to Canada because it was the land of opportunity and hope. I am ever so grateful that Canada welcomed them with open arms. It is this Canada, the beacon of opportunity, freedom, democracy and hope that is the greatest country on earth, and we should never be ashamed to say so.

My own story begins in a small hamlet outside Hamilton, Ontario, called Copetown. It is where I grew up, went to school, attended church and worked my first student job, and it has made me who I am today. Years ago, the local Lions Club dubbed Copetown “the hub of the universe”. While I think that slogan was first conceived in jest, it is fitting in many ways, because it is the kind of place where you can dream big. While I had no idea that my journey would take me here, I am proud to represent Copetown in Parliament and bring with me its values of hard work, honesty, respect and helping your neighbour. That is why I am here. It is because a middle-class kid from Copetown can be here.

My brothers and I were very fortunate to have that middle-class upbringing. My mom was a nurse, my dad a bricklayer, and together they had a small farm with chickens and hogs and some beef cattle. It was an idyllic setting and a great place for kids to grow up, but like all parents, they had to make sacrifices from time to time to ensure their kids could get all they needed. Sometimes those choices were tough, but we always got by.

I worry today that the middle-class dream, that opportunity, is slipping away because of the direction of the government. That is why I am here to help change it.

Tracy and I do not live far from Copetown today. We are truly blessed to live in some of the most beautiful countryside of God’s creation. Flamborough—Glanbrook is surrounded by the Niagara Escarpment, the northern reaches of the Carolinian forest and Cootes Paradise, all designated a world biosphere reserve.

I have also had the privilege to live and work in Alberta and Quebec. What an amazing country. Whether driving the Icefields Parkway through the majesty of the Rocky Mountains, hiking to the top of Cap Trinité in the Saguenays for the breathtaking view at the top, or whale watching in Tadoussac, it is spectacular. All of these experiences beat in my heart.

Canadians are amazing people. They are kind and generous. They have integrity, and they work hard. It is why people come to and are drawn to Canada, just as my omas and opas from war-torn Europe did.

In a country as divided as ours today, I choose to stand for hope. I choose to seek the things that unite us and not divide us. I choose to bring people together and build up Canada because the division in this country hurts my soul.

That is why I am disappointed in the government’s throne speech. In the interests of time, I will focus on three things that impact the people of Flamborough—Glanbrook very personally and directly: the cost of living crisis; the lack of a comprehensive plan for the recovery; and ensuring all Canadians have access to reliable Internet.

Because of the cost of living crisis, I worry greatly that the middle-class life in Canada is increasingly unattainable. Sixty per cent of Canadians are worried about paying for their groceries. In the past week alone, we saw the highest gas prices ever in Hamilton and the GTA. Seniors in my riding living on fixed incomes are squeezed, and they are worried. That is why my colleagues and I were so disappointed to hear the word “inflation” mentioned just once in the government's throne speech.

Moreover, housing prices are out of reach for an entire generation of Canadians. For the first time in history, young people in Canada today do not believe that their lives will be better than their parents' lives were. This is sad to me.

Where is the plan for the recovery to help small businesses get back on their feet, fix disrupted supply chains and drive innovation? This recovery includes rural Canadians and the need for them to have access to reliable Internet because, if the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that access to reliable high-speed Internet is no longer a privilege for some, but a necessity for all. Unfortunately, this is an issue for many people in the rural parts of my riding and across Canada, and they know it too well.

Our words and actions in the House matter. They matter to the families struggling to put food on their tables. They matter to the farmer who gets up before the crack of dawn to ensure that food gets to market. Canada is a country made up of wonderful people, from every walk of life, race, religion, creed and sexual orientation. It is that tremendous strength that makes me hopeful for the future of this country, despite the encumbrances we currently face.

Yes, there are many issues facing Canada, and I talked about only a few today. Canadians want hope and Canadians want light. Canadians want to be heard, so let us listen to them. We can disagree yet still respect each other's point of view.

Let us put more emphasis on what unites us than on what divides us. Let us build Canada to be the land of hope and opportunity once again. We are Canadians. This is a fight worth fighting.

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, I speak today with a very heavy heart as the member for Ottawa Centre. Many of us are here on Parliament Hill. Within a block in all three directions of this beautiful Parliament there are residents. They are the people who reside here and who have built their lives here.

My community is under siege right now. For three days in a row, residents have been unable to sleep. They feel they have been harassed and intimidated, and they have been yelled at. The front of their homes have been defecated on and urinated on.

We all believe in peaceful protest, which is the hallmark of our democracy, but there is also the right to live peacefully. I, as the member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, ask all members, including the member who just spoke about listening to the other side, to please ask the protesters to leave the residential areas of my community alone. They can make their point on Parliament Hill, but let us make sure the residents who live here can live peacefully and not have to accept any hate.

The Jewish members of community are rattled. They are really rattled by the symbols of hate they have seen. We ask the protesters to please stop and to respect the community I represent.

[Dan Muys, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Ottawa Centre for his question and offer him best wishes for the new year. It is a very serious question with respect to what we have seen this past weekend and what we are seeing very much today outside of this chamber.

I stand in support of the farmers and the vegetable producers in Flamborough and Glanbrook I have talked to who need trucks to get their product to market. I respect the right of the thousands of people out there on Parliament Hill, and I agree with the member that they should leave the residential neighbourhoods alone, to express their frustration with the government, because that is what they are feeling. They feel that they are not being heard or listened to, as I spoke to earlier.

I put a statement on Facebook yesterday, as well as mentioned in my speech, that the hate symbols, the swastikas and the desecration of the National War Memorial, which is where Corporal Nathan Cirillo from my hometown of Hamilton gave his life in service to the country, are unacceptable. My grandfather worked as part of the resistance to fight the Nazis in Europe. We wholeheartedly condemn those acts of violence, but we do respect the right of peaceful protest within—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Continuing with questions and comments, the hon. member for Nunavut has the floor.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I was glad to hear the member talk about the middle class. Unfortunately, within many first nation, Métis and Inuit communities, there are too many who are still living in poverty. I would like to give a brief example of my home community of Igloolik, where the temperature right now is -34°C. Its population is 1,700 people. Out of the 472 cases in Nunavut, 108 are in Igloolik.

The overcrowded housing situation in Igloolik is deplorable. I was recently informed that Buffy lives in a unit with nine people and three families. Dorcas lives with 11 people and three families. Elisapi lives with nine people in a three-bedroom unit. Shannon lives with eight people in a two-bedroom unit. Paniapik lives with 17 people in a four-bedroom unit with four families. Brenda lives in a three-bedroom unit with two families and five people in one bedroom. Joyce lives with 14 people in a three-bedroom unit.

Will the member support the need to increase housing commitments toward northern and indigenous communities?

[Dan Muys, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Nunavut for the question and offer best wishes for the new year.

I certainly support the need for housing in all parts of this country. We know there is a housing crisis and that it is unaffordable for the many young and new Canadians who are seeking housing. The hon. member for Nunavut gave many examples in her community as well.

It is something that every party in this House should be concerned about, and we certainly await the long-promised strategy from the government, which has yet to be delivered.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a representative of the riding of Haldimand—Norfolk. Before I begin my thoughts on the Speech from the Throne, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to the people of Haldimand—Norfolk for electing me. I am here today, and every day of Parliament, to speak on their behalf and look out for their interests. It is my sincerest hope that they will see and hear in me a strong voice that represents their interests.

I want to thank my staff, volunteers and supporters who helped me to get here. Specifically, I would like to thank my mentor, Diane Finley, for the time she invested in me over the past year. I would also like to thank my family and friends for the love and support they have shown me.

My thoughts in response to the Speech from the Throne begin with the need for unity in the House and in the country.

It may seem rather cliché to talk about unity, especially from the benches of the opposition, but I remind those in the House that we are in fact referred to as “Her Majesty's loyal opposition”. We may act in opposition to the government, but only out of loyalty to our country. We oppose only because we are attempting to provide a check upon government when it drifts from the mandate of working on behalf of all Canadians. I believe that in the House we should be united in our zeal to work for the betterment of all Canadians.

I am deeply concerned that we Canadians are in peril of a house divided, not just in this House, but across our entire nation. This is a vast country with many regional differences that make us unique. Those differences can make us stronger when we are united. However, when we are divided, those differences will tear us apart. Sadly, the actions of the government over the past several years have only furthered the divisions in this country.

We have paid Canadians to stay home while local restaurants and businesses close due to shortages of staff. Canadian family businesses are dying. Many small business owners are living off of their credit cards. So many Canadians cannot afford food or a decent place to live.

We, to this day, push legal refugees to the back of the line while opening the gates to illegal border crossers at Roxham Road. We are letting people who are safe in a country such as the United States jump the line ahead of those facing real persecution and death in their homelands. People who could be killed just for being a member of the LGBTQ+ community in their country, for their faith, or for simply criticizing government or media are now pushed to the back of the line.

We make grand speeches condemning atrocities like slavery and racism against indigenous people, and we then tell thousands of indigenous women sold into sex trafficking that it is called “sex work” and that it is empowering.

We say we honour veterans, but force veterans who were injured while serving our country to requalify for disability once they return home. Instead of providing decent housing and pensions for our veterans, we have the nerve to tell them that they are asking for too much.

We praise our seniors for building this country, but leave them with less money than we are paying a 20-year-old student to not go to work. We also condemn Canadian oil and gas and fossil fuels, but import endless crude oil from nations with poor human rights and disastrous environmental records.

We say we are for women's choice, but then threaten to defund centres that care for pregnant women in crisis if those women do not make a choice that we agree with.

We recognize the need to prevent protesters from interrupting and blocking critical care facilities like hospitals, but not railroads. We show up at protests and take a knee, but hide from 100,000 truckers and citizens who are rallying for democracy.

We call for reconciliation with indigenous communities and an end to protesting, but fail to realize that we too can extend the simple olive branch of providing clean water on reserves. Perhaps this good-faith gesture may be the first step toward resolving some of the discontent and inequality felt by people living on reserves. In the end, everybody suffers when we fail to take steps to resolve critical disputes, like the blockades on the Six Nations reserve in Caledonia.

Our House in Canada is not just divided; it is becoming fractured. Wedge political issues have resulted in pitting Canadians against each other. Environmental protection is pitted against economic sustainability. Vaccinated Canadians are pitted against unvaccinated Canadians. Urban Canadians are pitted against rural Canadians, including farmers and law-abiding firearms owners. These are some of the divisions that serve to further divide our national House.

This divided House of Commons is in danger of losing the confidence and support of the Canadian people, one-third of whom chose not to vote in the last federal election. I am very concerned that one of the biggest challenges facing our future will be the restoration of public confidence in institutions such as the media and government. A divided Canada, divided among racial, regional and generational lines, is in danger of losing its purpose. It is in danger of losing its capacity to deal with national issues, from economic growth to environmental protection to health care and the protection of basic human rights.

This may all sound bleak, but I did not get into politics because I lacked faith in Canadians. In fact, I have a great deal of hope in the future of our nation. I believe that we can make great strides to regain national unity if we put Canadians first.

The past few years have seen our regions being torn apart, set against each other, with the end result being regional discontent. This is what happens when politicians see distinct regions of our country as political opportunities. Only by recognizing what makes each region of Canada unique and special will we begin to unite this country once again. Outside of Parliament today, we see hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of people across this nation united to rally for democracy and end discriminatory mandates.

A House divided cannot stand, so today I call upon our friends in the House from all parties to unite in fighting issues that go beyond partisanship, because together and united we can truly be a nation strong and free.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I disagree wholeheartedly with the member's comments, given programs such as the CPP, the health care accords and the more recent child care plan. This is not to mention the pandemic itself, during which we have seen Canadians of all political stripes from all regions of the country, stakeholders and non-profit groups working together as one team to take on the pandemic. In comparison with the rest of the world, Canada is doing exceptionally well. The division that the member makes reference to is a division within her Conservative caucus. Her speech might have been more appropriate at a Conservative caucus meeting, I would suggest.

Does the member recognize that the greatest division within Canada regarding COVID, from a political point of view, is within her own caucus? Will she deliver her speech to her caucus colleagues?

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, division does not only exist within our nation. We aspire for unity of all regions. Division does not only exist within my party. It exists within the Liberal Party too. I remind the member opposite of what happened to the hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould and the hon. Dr. Philpott, and how the Liberals treated those members of Parliament.

Division is not something that happens within just one party. We could also highlight the last leadership race and the last election for the Green Party's leader, and the way the Green Party leader was treated. This is not based in just one party or one aspect of the country. The antidote of unity is something we must all aspire to.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke at length about issues dividing Canadians.

The best example of that is health transfers. In the 1970s, health transfers covered 50% of health spending in Quebec and the Canadian provinces. Now they cover just 22% of health care costs. The pressure on our health care systems is intense, but the Liberal government is using that money to interfere in areas under provincial jurisdiction and impose national standards.

What are my colleague's thoughts on that?

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to transfer payments in provincial-federal jurisdiction, the health care system is something every Canadian deserves equal access to. It is very important that the federal government maintains basic standards and maintains the standards that all provinces must adhere to.

Just last year, we witnessed the deplorable standards in long-term health care facilities and the conditions that our most precious seniors had to endure. We need national standards to make sure that every province has a minimum level to adhere to and that all Canadians are treated with equal dignity within a health care system that meets their health care needs.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am trying to sort through a great deal of rhetoric that I heard in the member's speech, as I am sure many of my colleagues are trying to do as well.

The member spoke about equality and about people being torn apart. I can agree with that, absolutely. However, one of the roles of Her Majesty's loyal opposition is proposition. There are things the New Democrats have been fighting for to ensure equality, and one of those pieces is income inequality. We put forward ideas such as pharmacare, tax fairness, the elimination of tax loopholes and a guaranteed livable income.

Would the hon. member support fighting income inequality so we can be more united and stop fighting each other because we are desperate for equality?

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, income inequality is something we should all aspire to eliminate, but the best way to eliminate income inequality is to cut red tape and get businesses back to work. There are so many businesses that have been devastated by this pandemic. If we had policies that would incentivize and assist these small businesses, which employ over 80% of Canadians, we would get people back to work. That would assist in reducing income inequality.