Debates of March 28th, 2022

Transportation

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, from the beginning of the pandemic, we made a commitment to Canadians and Canadian businesses that we will do whatever it takes to protect their health and safety. We have put in place a system of measures to ensure that we protect travellers, protect workers and protect our economy.

The good news is that as circumstances are changing, we are adjusting these measures. We have always followed the advice that we have been receiving from our public health experts. Right now we continue to encourage people to get vaccinated because it is the best thing to do to protect themselves and those around them.

Health

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Mr. Speaker, while countries around the world and provinces across Canada are removing vaccine mandates, a closer look at labour regulations reveals that last December the government quietly included making mandatory vaccines permanent in its forward regulatory plan. The Liberals claim this policy will reduce transmissibility, but we know that is not the case.

Will the NDP-Liberal government drop this unscientific regulation, which will negatively impact thousands of public servants?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very glad to answer this question.

Because of our joint work together with the provinces and territories over the last two years, which involved a lot of difficult decisions and difficult actions on the part of individual Canadians, together we essentially saved tens of thousands of lives. Had we not done that and had the types of public policies and vaccination rates we saw south of the border, 60,000 additional lives would have been lost in Canada.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the health minister's lines on COVID-19 change with the blink of an eye. Last month he told the House that provincial governments determine mask mandates. Now Liberals want fully vaccinated Canadian families that travel to the United States and return home to wear masks in all public settings for 14 days.

Where is the science for this unenforceable demand, and why is Ottawa interfering with what it previously said was provincial jurisdiction?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier, for every policy we take, we keep in mind that we want to protect the health and safety of Canadians, including travellers, those who work in the travel industry and those who work in the tourism sector. We are regularly consulting our experts, and we have been adjusting our policies to respond to the changing circumstances.

I ask my colleagues to encourage Canadians to follow the science, to do whatever they can to protect themselves and to protect those whom they love.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Mr. Speaker, last night I spoke with a heartbroken Lisa Budgell. She is living in Alberta and wants to properly mourn her mom, who just passed away in my riding. Lisa had one COVID vaccine, recently had COVID, and is waiting for her second shot. She is not allowed to board a plane in Canada. Lisa's mental health will be forever scarred if she is unable to say goodbye to her mom.

Will the Prime Minister have a heart, swallow his pride, follow the provinces and end these travel restrictions now?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think the member of Parliament was very right in pointing to the difficulties many millions of Canadians have lived through in the last two years in the biggest health crisis in over a century and the biggest economic crisis since the Second World War.

The reason we went through this crisis well in Canada, and better than in many other places, is that we have stuck together and we have had each other's back. We have followed public health measures so that at the end we will end up stronger and more united and can look forward to continuing the fight against COVID-19 as we relax some of the measures we have seen over the last two weeks.

The Environment

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, the Minister of Environment will attend the Globe Forum to plan getting to net zero by 2050.

That is where the minister will be presenting his emission reduction plan, as required by the legislation passed last June. To be credible, Canada has no choice but to immediately tackle its largest polluter, the oil and gas sector. In his plan, the minister must first put a cap on oil production, second, undertake not to approve new hydrocarbon energy extraction projects, and third, abolish all subsidies for fossil fuels.

Tomorrow, in his plan, will the minister announce these three essential measures?

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, Canada, as the hon. member knows, is committed to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies in the coming two years, and we have already phased out eight tax breaks for the fossil fuel sector. We have put in place an escalating pollution pricing system nationally for heavy-emitting industries through 2030 that provides the biggest emitters with the biggest incentives to reduce carbon pollution. We are working on a plan to cap oil and gas sector emissions and ensure the sector makes an achievable contribution to our climate goals.

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister often presents carbon capture and storage as the miracle solution. However, investing in that area is not the same as leaving fossil fuels behind but, rather, subsidizing the industry's operations for longer. There are 400 scientists who have written to the minister about this wrong approach. It is expensive, it is not fully effective, and it takes a long time to put in place. The minister himself said in an interview that we are several years, if not a decade, away from a commercial application.

Tomorrow, the minister could either divest from fossil fuels or artificially extend their life span with carbon capture and storage. What will he choose to do?

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, again I would emphasize that we are taking bold action on climate change, from putting a price on pollution to investing in clean energy to retrofitting homes to decarbonizing industry.

We see carbon capture and underground storage as part of the solution. It is part of the $100 billion that we are investing in measures to date. We will be doing more. I look forward to the emissions reduction plan that the minister will table shortly.

Public Services and Procurement

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada has been part of the F-35 development and procurement program with 10 other countries for more than 14 years. We have lost seven years because the Prime Minister made an election promise not to purchase this jet.

After losing so many years for purely political reasons, we now want a real answer.

Will the F-35 be Canada's final choice or will the government drag this announcement out as well?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, today is a great day for Canadians and for the Canadian Armed Forces.

This morning officials informed me that Lockheed Martin has been identified as the top-ranked bidder to provide 88 fighter jets to our Royal Canadian Air Force.

This is a highly complex procurement process and represents the most significant investment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in more than 30 years. The procurement of jets will enhance Canada's safety and security while generating jobs and economic growth.

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

Mr. Speaker, with Ukraine fighting for its life, Canada sent them 50-year-old anti-tank weapons that could blow up in their faces. When the Ukrainians fire next-generation light anti-tank weapons from Great Britain, they yell, “God save the Queen”. When they fire Carl Gustafs from Canada, they must say a prayer.

With the Russian threat to our allies, our Arctic and the war, when will the government go to the open market and buy modern weapons to help protect Ukraine and Canada?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I differ with the member opposite's characterization of Canada's aid to date.

In fact, I have announced six tranches of military aid, both lethal and non-lethal, to Ukraine since February alone. This represents well over $100 million in military aid to Ukraine. We have also assisted our allies. With 21 flights on the C-130s, Canada is providing airlift support across the NATO alliance.

We are there for Ukraine. We stand with their sovereignty and stability. We will be there as long as we need to.

National Defence

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government has committed 3,400 troops to augment NATO's eastern flank should Putin's war spread to an alliance member.

NATO members have contingencies to safeguard troops in case Putin deploys nuclear or chemical weapons. The Liberals stood down our military for the better part of two years during COVID. New recruits were put into solitary confinement, missing the rare chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training course. The safety of women and men is at risk when they are not fully trained.

Why is the NDP-Liberal government putting our troops in harm's way without the proper protection?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised at the member opposite's characterization of our Canadian Armed Forces.

In fact, our commitment to NATO operations, including Operation Reassurance, is unwavering. To reinforce our deterrent measures in Europe in the face of rising tensions, we announced that we are increasing military contributions in support of NATO and in support of Operation Reassurance with up to 460 additional CAF personnel; an artillery battery in Latvia; a second frigate, which departed Halifax over the past couple of weeks; and a maritime patrol aircraft.

We are there for NATO. We are there for Ukraine.

Health

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the pandemic created some unprecedented challenges for the Canadian health care system, and our system is in dire need of support. Although Canada's vaccination rates are high, COVID‑19 continues to threaten our health and our social and economic well-being. One of the impacts that the pandemic has had on the health care system is the cancellation of elective surgeries. My constituents are worried about whether the system can handle another wave of the virus.

Could the Minister of Health tell the House about the recent transfer of $2 billion to the provinces and territories to support our health care system?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Alfred-Pellan for his hard work and for his excellent question.

On Friday we announced $2 billion in additional unconditional funding to help the provinces and territories address the delays in treatments, diagnosis and surgeries; to support health care workers, who have suffered considerably because of COVID‑19; to improve access to primary care; to create digital personal medical records for everyone; to improve mental health and access to addiction services; to help everyone live and age with dignity; and to continue to ensure that—

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

Order. The hon. member for Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, over the last year Nunavut has experienced a record high number of water advisories. Iqaluit residents have not known if their water is safe to drink for over six months. The government has long promised to make infrastructure funding for the north a priority, but has failed. Why do moms in Iqaluit still have to bathe their babies in bottled water?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Minister of Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning, our government has been engaged with the City of Iqaluit, the government of Nunavut and other officials on this very important issue. We believe that in Canada everyone deserves the right to safe, clean drinking water, and we are there to assist at every step of the way however we can. We are there for Nunavut.

Official Languages

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this government obviously does not want to help and protect francophone minority communities in Canada.

After postponing the introduction of its bill to modernize the Official Languages Act, supposedly to take the January ruling into account, now it is appealing that ruling. The minister did not take any questions from journalists at a press conference this morning. Why?

Is the Minister of Official Languages capable of defending the rights of francophones within her own government?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, our government is firmly committed to protecting and promoting official languages, especially in minority situations.

We recently introduced Bill C‑13 to modernize the Official Languages Act. We learned of the order from the Federal Court of Appeal last Friday. We will take the time to review and consider the next steps.

Taxation

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the wine and cider industries in Canada are in trouble. If the plan for the federal government to put a cork in the excise sales tax for those wineries goes through on January 1, up to 50% of those wineries could close. In the Bay of Quinte riding in Prince Edward County, we have 40 wineries and five cider companies. In Canada, those industries generate $11.5 billion worth of income, four million tourists a year and over 50,000 jobs.

Will the government commit to fixing the excise tax exemption for wine and cider production or will it simply pour an industry down the drain?