Debates of Feb. 1st, 2022

Airline Industry

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in 2020, when thousands of Canadians were out thousands of dollars for cancelled flights, the minister told us there was nothing he could do to get them refunds. He told us the Canadian Transportation Agency was an independent arm's-length body. Now we have documents showing the government was not just talking to the CTA, but actively convincing them to let airlines withhold refunds.

Why were senior government officials lobbying the CTA to protect airlines' bottom lines instead of standing up for Canadians?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for reminding us, and reminding all Canadians, that our government was there to help Canadians with their refunds. Our government was there to help airlines struggling with COVID, to support them and to save jobs, to save the skills we need, and to save our economy.

I want to thank him for that reminder because our government will always be there helping Canadians.

Health

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that sounded to me like a reminder that the Liberals are here for big business, not for Canadians.

I can give another example. The Liberals keep saying that they understand that this pandemic will not be over in Canada until it is over everywhere, but they are dragging their feet on the TRIPS waiver and have refused to add COVID-19 medicines to Canada's access to medicines regime. Their promises to COVAX are useless.

Will the Prime Minister finally take the action necessary to ensure vaccine equity around the world?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, our government will always be and has always been a strong advocate for vaccine equity. Canada supports a multilateral approach on intellectual property, specifically for COVID-19 vaccines.

We have been working hard with our colleagues around the WTO table right from the very beginning. Through our leadership at the Ottawa group, we continue to convene these important conversations so we can ensure that everyone gets vaccinated around the world.

COVID-19 Economic Measures

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, over the holidays, omicron had a serious impact on constituents and businesses in my riding of Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel. Thankfully, the House had passed Bill C-2 before we rose, ensuring that we had support for businesses and individuals still facing restrictions and lockdowns put in place by provinces in response to the new wave.

Can the Deputy Prime Minister remind the House of some of the measures in the bill and how they have been supporting Canadians?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her question and for her hard work for her constituents. Thanks to Bill C-2, we now have the Canada worker lockdown benefit. This ensures that workers affected by new public health restrictions are receiving immediate financial support.

We also have the local lockdown program, which provides businesses faced with omicron lockdowns imposed by local jurisdictions with wage and rent subsidy support. Unfortunately, both the Conservatives and the NDP voted against these essential support measures, but I am glad we were able to put them in place to support Canadians.

Public Safety

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, while lithium is critical in the production of electric vehicles, last week we learned that the minister fast-tracked the sale of a Canadian lithium company to a state-owned enterprise from China without conducting a full, national security review. However, for three long years, the same minister has refused to say no to Huawei building Canada's 5G network.

Why is it so easy for him to say yes to risky takeovers of Canadian companies, yet so hard for him to say no to dubious foreign takeovers?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us bring some facts into this discussion. Last week I was clear to Canadians and to the committee that, when it comes to the Neo Lithium transaction, this transaction was subject to a full national security review involving all the relevant departments of the government and all the intelligence and security agencies.

In addition, it was subject to scrutiny in accordance with the guidelines I put into place in March. We should not mislead the House when it comes to issues of national security.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is not entitled to his own facts. He also refused to tell Canadians whether he consulted with our allies before making the hasty decision to allow Neo Lithium to be sold to China. We assume his answer is no and that he did not consult. Our American allies, and our other allies, banned Huawei from their 5G networks long ago and cannot understand why the Liberal government continues to dither and delay.

It has been three years. When will the minister stop appeasing the communist regime in Beijing and finally say no way to Huawei?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member knows how much I appreciate him. He is a great colleague.

However, I will say no to misleading Canadians when it comes to the issue of national security. I am very happy to hear him talk about our network, because Canadians at home understand that this decision will have an impact not only on this generation but also on future generations, so colleagues like him should understand that national security must come first when we make a decision like that. That is why we will make the right decision for Canadians.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada must say no to Huawei. The Washington Post recently reported how Huawei has developed voice and facial recognition technology that helps governments track and monitor political dissidents, manage re-education camps and help retailers track shoppers. This is appalling. While Canada's most trusted allies have banned Huawei from their networks, the Liberal government refuses to do so.

Again, I ask the minister when will he say no way to Huawei?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am happy that we are taking the time today in the House to talk about our infrastructure network because Canadians at home understand how important it will be for them and their futures. We know we are going to the data economy. We know what communication and networks will be important.

That is why Canadians, those who are watching at home, and I know they are watching today, understand that when we make a decision like that, we need national security to come first. That is exactly what we are going to do and make the best decision in the interest of all Canadians.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we are going to the data economy, but not with China. Our own intelligence agencies have long warned the Prime Minister about allowing Huawei into our 5G networks. It turns out they were right. For years, Huawei denied that it was a tool of the communist regime in Beijing. However, now we have evidence that the company is deeply implicated in designing surveillance tools to keep track of millions if not billions of people all around the world.

When will the minister make a decision on Huawei, and when will he finally say no way to Huawei?

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

Mr. Speaker, one thing is clear: A bit of facts in the House sometimes helps for understanding. One thing I can—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am sorry, but I have to interrupt the hon. minister. I am trying to hear his answer, but I am having a hard time.

I will let the hon. minister continue.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I was about to say that we are not going to take any lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to national security, and I will tell members why. We review four times more transactions, plus twice as many transactions as the Conservatives did when they were in government.

Canadians know that we care when it comes to national security. We will take no compromise when it comes to national security, and we will make the best decision in the interests of all Canadians.

Health

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have been listening to the debate in the House and I find myself wondering if I am in a bad dream.

Omicron is overwhelming our hospitals. Health care workers in Quebec are exhausted, and 63 Quebeckers died from COVID‑19 today, but no one is talking about funding for health care.

No one is talking about how our health care system is in urgent need of reinforcements even though we all know that reinforcements have been needed since the beginning of the fifth wave.

When will the federal government understand that it needs to increase health transfers?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely right.

It is important to talk about it, but action is just as important. We have been taking action since the onset of COVID‑19 by investing $63 billion in health and safety alone to help mitigate health care issues during the pandemic. In addition to that, the Canada health transfer will increase once again in a few weeks.

We are doing all of this because we know we must protect our health care system and keep people healthy during the COVID‑19 pandemic.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the elephant in the room is the fact that the federal government has not taken action.

Ninety per cent of Quebeckers are vaccinated, and yet they have been locked down again since Christmas. Why is that?

It is because the health care system is fragile. This government has consistently refused to increase health transfers to 35%. What will it take for the government to see that the way out of this crisis is health care funding?

In Quebec, when we think “lack of funding”, we think “lockdown”. What does the minister have to say to that?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague for saying the key word, because the enemy is not vaccination. The enemy is COVID-19.

Canadians, and all members of the House for that matter, know and understand that we need to get vaccinated to get through this crisis.

Two doses are good, but three are even better. Not only is that even better, but it is extremely vital for fighting off the omicron variant and protecting us from all sorts of other variants that could crop up in the future.

The Economy

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we have heard over and over again here in the House that Canadians' salaries are simply not keeping up with inflation, making it harder to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. Never mind the EI premiums increasing to cover the current account deficit.

My colleagues have asked this before again and again, and I will ask it again: What is the government going to do to address the inflation crisis so that Canadians stop falling behind?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are smart, and that is why I know that Canadians, unlike the Conservatives, understand that inflation is a global phenomenon. Let me give some numbers to back that up. The latest inflation number in Canada was 4.8%. In the U.S. it was 7%; in Germany, 5.3%; and in the U.K., 5.4%. Our inflation is lower than the G7 average of 5.3%, the G20 average of 5.8% and the OECD average of 5.8%.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the percentage increases that Canadians care about are the percentage increases in their property assessments and their housing prices. The policies of the government have meant that young people cannot buy their first home, and older people and seniors are getting priced out of their homes. People are having trouble paying for food.

When will the government come to realize that Canadians are struggling because of its policies and admit that it is wrong, or is this “just inflation”?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Speaker, this is a party that has abandoned housing investments. They downloaded investments in affordable housing to the provinces and municipalities. They did not mention affordable housing in their platform, nor in their opposition House motion. They have absolutely no credibility on this issue.

We are the party that introduced a national housing strategy. We introduced the first-time home buyer incentive. We want to move ahead with a rent-to-own program. They have absolutely no credibility on this issue and Canadians can see through their rhetoric.