Debates of March 4th, 2022

Taxation

[Terry Beech, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our government has been focused on affordability issues and issues around inflation. Since taking office, in fact, it was our government that implemented a thorough poverty strategy that lifted 1.3 million Canadians out of poverty.

We are investing in programs like child care, which is going to lower the cost of child care in B.C. by 50% by the end of this year. We are investing in the national housing strategy to make sure people can afford a place to live. These are all measures the Conservatives are not supporting, but that we are going to get done.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, weir fishing is a precious part of Charlevoix's intangible heritage. Quebec's only two capelin fishers still practise this ancestral skill.

In the St. Lawrence estuary, capelin season starts in early April, but because Ottawa does not make any distinction between our two traditional fishers and those in Newfoundland, 2,000 kilometres to the north, our fishers are prohibited from fishing before the end of May or early June. The problem is that by the end of May, there is no capelin left in the St. Lawrence.

If the season is not moved up for our two fishers, this national tradition will disappear. Will the minister authorize weir fishers to fish for capelin in Charlevoix starting April 1?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question and will take her comments into consideration.

We use the best scientific data available, in consultation with the industry, to determine the opening dates for all of our fishing seasons. I know how important the fisheries are to our coastal communities, and I will work with the fishers to ensure they can remain economically sustainable in the long term.

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is a world of difference between the Newfoundland fishers, who catch 9,000 tonnes of capelin a year, and our two traditional fishers, who catch less than 50. However, Ottawa puts them all in the same boat.

Our two remaining weir capelin fishers have never been consulted or invited to participate in the scientific consultation about the start of their fishing season. They must be included in the decision-making process. In the meantime, will the minister immediately grant them special authorization to begin fishing on April 1?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, as I already stated, we use the best scientific data. We are holding consultations with the industry all along the east and west coasts and in the Arctic. That is a very clear rule.

We will establish the opening dates based on science and the scientists we will be consulting. Fishing will be equitable—

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

Order. The hon. member for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock.

Health

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. Speaker, despite some of the highest vaccination rates in the world, the federal government refuses to remove its travel mandates. Canadians returning home from the U.S. at land border crossings without a COVID test result could be fined $5,000.

Yesterday, 15 border mayors called for an end to the testing requirements. Many European countries and Canadian provinces have already ditched their mandates. Canada's chief medical officer of health said that we need to empower people to make the best choices to protect themselves.

Can the health minister tell the House what information he has that other jurisdictions already returning to normal do not?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to answer that question.

As the member may know, I come from the wonderful Quebec City. I am very proud of the strong workers, people and partners working for my tourism industry. I understand it is also an important industry for the member. I look forward to further measures, but I would also point out that on Monday, just a few days ago, we announced important measures that are going to protect workers and travellers and invest in our tourism industry.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, tourism is vital to the economy in northwestern Ontario, with the vast majority of visitors being Americans who cross at the land border. Unfortunately, the government's current COVID testing requirements mean that many of the regular visitors are once again going to choose to stay home this season.

When is this government going to do the right thing and put an end to the arbitrary and unscientific testing requirements for vaccinated travellers at our land border crossings?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am obviously very pleased to hear one more colleague who cares about the industry of tourism. I do as well, as I just said. That is why we are working to protect both the health and safety of workers and travellers, but also to make sure that our tourism industry can thrive. We know how hard it has been for workers and small businesses over the last 23 months, and that is why we look forward to further investing and further supporting our tourism industry.

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

Mr. Speaker, Ontario has announced that it is dropping its vaccination policies as of April 4, and public servants will be returning to work in person. I keep hearing from my constituents how exhausted and frustrated they are with these mandates, and that they just want their lives to get back to normal.

When will this government follow the example of Ontario and finally restore the freedom of Canadians by removing these unscientific and undemocratic federal vaccine mandates?

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

Mr. Speaker, 1.1 million is the number that a recent Harvard study told us would have been the additional number of people dying in the United States without vaccination. In Canada, it is about 400,000 people who would have died in 2021 if, first, we did not have vaccination, and second, we did not have strong public health measures. Fortunately, we were not there, and fortunately we are elsewhere today because of the hard work and hard commitment of vaccinators and all the 30 million-plus Canadians who got vaccinated.

Official Languages

[Brendan Hanley, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, the Official Languages Act enshrines the official language rights of all Canadians, but it needs to be stronger to really protect those rights.

Would the Minister of Official Languages please tell the House if the government's modernization of the Official Languages Act includes provisions to make it stronger and more effective?

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Yukon for standing up for official language rights.

Our modernized act will strengthen the powers of the Commissioner of Official Languages, including new authority to impose monetary penalties. In addition, for the first time, we are centralizing coordination of the act with a single minister who will have access to the resources of a central agency.

Canadians told us these measures were needed. I am proud to say we have taken action.

Health

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I visited with a federal corrections officer who just lost his job because he refused to reveal his COVID-19 vaccination status. His hope is to be rehired at the Prince Albert penitentiary without loss of seniority and pay grade.

With COVID-19 mandates now being lifted in Saskatchewan and other provinces, could the minister please inform Parliament when all mandates for all federal employees will be lifted?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, of course, I am very pleased to report to this chamber that corrections officers have taken up vaccinations at a very high rate. That is clearly a reflection of their belief, as it is the government's, that the best way to get out of the pandemic is to become vaccinated.

We will continue to follow all of the evidence and science that has allowed us to make this progress. Obviously, we want to thank the corrections officers for their work on the front lines.

Veterans Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, I recently spoke with a veteran named Nicole. Day after day for many years, she was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. Nicole was medically discharged from the military after developing PTSD after being sexually assaulted. Caseworkers at Veterans Affairs Canada are overworked, and so much so that calls often cannot be returned, like Nicole's. Nicole's story is a sad one, but it is a common one.

Will the minister stop talking about historic investments and tell Nicole when she will get a call back?

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, our government places the highest priority on ensuring that veterans and their families have the support and services they need when they need them. We have increased funding for case management services and have hired over 400 caseworkers since we formed government. We also have improved the tools and processes to reduce administration, allowing frontline staff to spend more time in directing services to veterans and their families.

If my colleague wants to have a conversation aside about the individual, we can follow up on that individual as well. However, I can assure him that our government has been focused on veterans and we will continue to do the work that we need to do to support our veterans and their families.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I met with Ukrainian leaders in Oshawa who are mobilizing to help anywhere and everywhere they can to bring humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but also to help their family members and friends come to Canada for refuge. Our government needs to do more to facilitate a speedier, safer pathway for Ukrainians to come to Canada.

Oshawa is asking what the government is going to do to allow Ukrainians to come to Canada visa-free today. Time is of the essence. Lives depend on it.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his concern for the well-being of Ukrainians seeking to come to Canada. I am pleased to share that we started working on this important file in mid-January, and since the beginning of this year, there are now 6,265 Ukrainians who have already arrived in Canada. We are going to continue to prioritize any applications from Ukrainian nationals, and just yesterday, I announced a new pathway that will make it easier, in the fastest and safest way possible, for more Ukrainians to get here as quickly as possible.

We will leave no stone unturned and Canada will be there to welcome Ukrainians fleeing this unnecessary and costly war of aggression.

Telecommunications

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, broadband connectivity plays such an important role in the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our government has committed historic amounts of investment toward improving connectivity across the country, yet 60,000 households throughout Newfoundland and Labrador are still struggling without reliable high-speed Internet.

Could the Minister of Rural Economic Development provide an update to the House on the government's progress in delivering high-speed Internet to my province of Newfoundland and Labrador and across the country?

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to collaborate with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to invest up to $136 million to connect rural and remote communities throughout the province. It is joining the governments of Quebec, Ontario and Alberta as the fourth provincial government to sign agreements with us to deliver our goals faster. These investments are going to make all the difference in the world for kids doing their homework, for businesses accessing new markets and, frankly, for keeping in touch. We have a plan to connect all Canadians and it is working.

Transport

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a ship-breaking facility has opened up in the community of Union Bay in my riding. This process involves the disassembling of large vessels, container ships and barges for the extraction of raw materials, mostly for scrap. The lack of federal regulations to protect workers and the ecosystem is apparent and has caused huge concern for local residents, governments and first nations. While the U.S., the EU and other countries have signed on to international agreements, Canada is without these necessary protections.

Will the Minister of Transport commit to ensuring that facilities like these have strong standards in place to keep workers and the local environment safe?

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, our government has taken a number of steps to make sure that our oceans and waterways are safe, including the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act. The International Maritime Organization has adopted the Hong Kong convention, which aims to create new requirements for the disposing and recycling of ships. Although the convention is not yet in force, Transport Canada is currently analyzing it in the context of strengthening federal regulations, labour and environmental protection and areas related to provincial and territorial jurisdiction.

Oral Questions

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, like me, you saw that there were technical difficulties when the minister was answering my first question.

I ask leave to repeat my question so that the minister has a chance to respond.