Debates of Feb. 10th, 2022

Seniors

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

Mr. Speaker, the federal government must stop cutting the guaranteed income supplement for seniors who collected the Canada emergency response benefit.

It is cruel to cut off money for those seniors who need it the most, those who have to keep working during retirement just to feed and house themselves.

We know that the minister agrees with us about this, but why is she waiting until June to stop these cuts?

We can work with the minister. She knows that she can count on the Bloc Québécois, which is on the side of seniors.

What is stopping her from acting sooner?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, we all agree about just how difficult this pandemic has been for seniors, particularly those most vulnerable. That is why we have actually worked extremely hard to strengthen income security for seniors, including with increases to the GIS.

As my hon. colleague knows, we announced in the fiscal update that we would be delivering a one-time payment to those who received benefits in 2020. We also introduced Bill C-12 to exclude pandemic benefits for the purposes of calculating GIS going forward. I hope we can count on all members of the House to pass this bill extremely quickly.

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

Mr. Speaker, I hear the minister, but it is February and what she is saying will not be done until May and June.

We know that the minister will introduce her bill, and we will support it. However, we want her to stop cutting the guaranteed income supplement, the GIS, for workers and seniors today. We have been waiting eight months for this.

The problem is that she is still forcing these people to go through months of terrible hardship, making them wait until May to be compensated and until June to stop seeing their benefits reduced.

The minister has the full support of the Bloc Québécois to take action, so why does she not take this opportunity to bring in a quick solution?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, our government's priority from the very beginning has been to be there to support those most vulnerable seniors. That is why we worked so hard to strengthen income security for seniors, including with the increase to their GIS.

We moved very quickly to help seniors during the pandemic. We have also introduced, as my hon. colleague knows, Bill C-12, to exclude pandemic benefits for the purposes of calculating GIS going forward, while also making a major investment through a one-time payment to those seniors affected. We are on top of this, and we will always be there for seniors.

Veterans Affairs

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Veterans Affairs Canada is set to cut hundreds of disability benefits adjudicators in March. These adjudicators were hired to deal with the massive backlog at Veterans Affairs. I asked the hon. minister what would happen when these people were cut, with respect to the backlog. His answer was that the backlog would increase 50% in just nine months.

Will the minister commit to rescinding this decision, yes or no?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is fully aware that we invested over $200 million into Veterans Affairs to make sure it was able to hire employees: employees who, in fact, were fired by the previous government. The 2021 budget included an extension of these resources so we could continue to address the backlog. We have seen a significant decrease in the backlog, in fact, by 40%. I can assure my hon. colleague that we will continue to decrease the backlog.

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

Mr. Speaker, in 2015, the Prime Minister promised to help veterans.

In 2018, he gave the impression that he would do something by hiring hundreds of contract workers to tackle the backlog of thousands of disability claims. These are the claims of the men and women who risked their lives while fighting for our country.

Today, the contracts have expired and he is refusing to commit to renewing the contracts even though there is still a backlog of 34,000 cases.

Will the Prime Minister get serious about tackling the backlog problem and renew the contracts?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, it is kind of rich to be getting this kind of question from a party that, when they were in power, fired 1,000 employees, cut funding to Veterans Affairs and slashed budgets. In fact, they hurt veterans and they hurt Veterans Affairs.

I can assure my hon. colleague that we will continue to make sure that we have the investments to continue to decrease the backlog. Our government has made sure our veterans receive the appropriate compensation they should get, and it will continue to.

National Defence

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Epiq Class Action Services Canada, which administers the federal government's $900-million settlement with armed forces members and veterans who experienced sexual misconduct, has released private information about dozens of claimants. These survivors are now carelessly revictimized again at the highest level. This is what unacceptable looks like, and the Privacy Commissioner is now investigating.

What is the minister going to do to correct this and to make sure that it never happens again?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, this is a concerning matter. Our government takes privacy seriously and treats this with the utmost seriousness.

Epiq is an independent, court-appointed administrator for the misconduct class action settlement. It has advised DND and CAF officials that the disclosure did not have the details or nature of any claims. DND and CAF are not involved in this disclosure, and class counsel have asked Epiq to ensure it takes meaningful steps to contain and resolve this issue, so it simply does not happen again. Claimants' private information needs to be treated with the utmost care and seriousness.

Regional Economic Development

[Sophie Chatel, Liberal, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the transition to a green economy is also an opportunity for our businesses to innovate and ensure Canada's economic prosperity in the economy of tomorrow.

Can the Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec inform the House about new and significant green initiatives for Quebec's small and medium-sized businesses?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank my colleague for her leadership in the Pontiac on our economy's green transition.

Our SMEs make a significant contribution to economic growth in addition to being key assets for rebuilding a stronger, more inclusive and sustainable economy. In February, I will be announcing investments of almost $40 million for more than 20 innovative projects in Quebec. These are strategic investments in projects that will reduce the environmental impact and contribute to the economy of tomorrow.

Foreign Affairs

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will quote an email to the government sent by the Liberal MP for Thunder Bay—Rainy River at the height of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan: “I hate to tell you, but everyone on the ground considers our government’s management of this amounts, so far, to a total disaster.”

Afghanistan committee testimony indicates that nothing has changed:

...at this time it is not coming across that Afghanistan is a priority foreign policy issue for Canada. A Canadian moral stance is missing.

Why are the Liberal ministers failing to show leadership and accountability in dealing with this urgent humanitarian aid crisis?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, our Canadian Armed Forces did everything we asked of them under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Canada was part of an air bridge with our allies that saved as many people as we could. Our armed forces worked around the clock to evacuate as many people as possible for as long as conditions permitted, including our former interpreters, local staff and citizens of allied countries. Under the leadership of my colleague, the Minister of Immigration, we are committed to bringing 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it was not enough for the Liberals when they paid out $9 million in CERB payments to dead people last year. It has now been revealed that they have paid out $12 million in CERB to people abroad. Surely, even the government realizes it is the “C,E,R,B”, not the “oversea-E,R,B”.

Will the minister, to apologize to Canadians for this waste of taxpayers' money, stand and commit to recovering every penny of these wasted funds?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, what we will not apologize for, and in fact are extremely proud of, is having helped over eight million Canadians who received the CERB when they needed it most at the beginning of this pandemic. Verifications are ongoing to identify individuals who received the CERB but may not have been eligible, and claimants who are found to have received the benefit improperly will be required to reimburse the payment.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to official House documents, 1,610 people with addresses outside Canada received CERB. It is called the Canada emergency response benefit, not the international benefit.

Not one person in this government did a single thing to prevent the loss of $11.9 million. This is another scandal.

Is there a vaccine for Liberal incompetence?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, we acted quickly and brought in the Canada emergency response benefit when Canadians needed it most.

Although the Canada emergency response benefit is only available to individuals living in Canada, there were some recipients who work in Canada but have a mailing address in another country.

One example would be people working in Canada through the temporary foreign worker program. If an individual in this situation met all of the other criteria for the CERB, they were entitled to it.

COVID‑19 Protests

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know the Ottawa blockade is not about truckers. Ninety per cent of truckers are vaccinated, and they continue to play a vital role in keeping our economy running. Despite that, for the second week in a row, the residents of Ottawa have been forced to put up with an unacceptable occupation, which is keeping local businesses closed and residents from being able to live their normal lives.

Can the Minister of Public Safety provide an update to the House on the support our government is providing to help get life for the residents of Ontario back to normal?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I hope all members will express solidarity with the people of Ottawa who have experienced grave disruption. People cannot get to work. Families cannot drop off their kids at day care, and seniors cannot get around. It is absolutely unacceptable.

That is why the government has worked to ensure police have all of the resources they need. I am pleased to report to members in the chamber that we have now provided two installments of additional resources of the RCMP. Our top priority on this side of the House is to ensure the illegal blockades end, that we uphold the law and that people can get back to their lives. I hope the Conservatives will join us in that.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada has lost $1.1 trillion in tax revenue in the last 20 years because of steady corporate tax cuts and flagrant tax evasion. This did not just happen. Billionaires are laughing all the way to the bank thanks to their Liberal and Conservative friends. All the while, Canadians are left with skyrocketing costs, crippling student debt and a growing housing crisis.

When will the Liberal government stand up for Canadians and fix the rigged system, which was designed by billionaires for billionaires, and force them to pay their taxes?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government absolutely understands that everyone in Canada has to pay their fair share. Our tax base is what allows our government to provide essential programs such as the early learning and child care system our government is delivering.

Our government is absolutely committed to being tough on tax fraud. I would like to remind the member opposite that, when we first formed government, we raised taxes for those at the very top and cut taxes for the middle class.

Persons with Disabilities

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, earlier today I introduced a petition with almost 18,000 signatories, Canadians from every corner of the country, calling on the government to fast-track the Canada disability benefit and lift almost 1.5 million Canadians with disabilities out of poverty.

It has now been almost two months since the Prime Minister last commented on this critical support. Can the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion share when the governing party intends to reintroduce this legislation and commit to ensuring Canadians with disabilities are included every step of the way?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his ongoing commitment to raise up the hundreds of thousands of Canadians living below the poverty line who are working-age Canadians with disabilities. I thank him also for working with members in all parties in the House and, indeed, the other place to secure and build common ground around the introduction of the Canada disability benefit legislation.

We are working hard on this. It was a platform commitment, and it is a mandate commitment. We will deliver.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order.

There have been discussions, and I hope that, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion that, in the opinion of the House, the government should do more to address global vaccine equity by sharing resources, doses and knowledge, by taking the following actions: (a) announcing its full support for a temporary waiver of the agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights, the TRIPS agreement, in relation to products and technologies related to the prevention, treatment or containment of COVID-19 as proposed by India and South Africa to the World Trade Organization; (b) facilitating the transfer of technology to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines around the world, including financial support for regional hubs such as the South Africa technology transfer hub; (c) following through on its own claims of the effectiveness of Canada's access to medicines regime, CAMR, by taking the necessary steps of adding COVID-19 vaccines and drugs to schedule 1 of the Patent Act; (d) donating at least 200 million doses of vaccine as promised to vulnerable populations around the world through COVAX by the end of 2022, through predictable and scheduled donations where timelines and quantities are transparently available to recipient countries and the public; (e) increasing assistance with cold chain logistics and supplies to low-income countries receiving vaccines; (f) delivering at least an additional $1.1 billion as a net addition to the international assistance envelope and existing departmental resources to address global vaccine equity in budget 2022, including $780 million to ACT-Accelerator partners to purchase vaccines, tests, treatments, personal protective equipment and oxygen in developing countries and—