House of Commons Hansard #76 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was use.
Marie-Claude Bibeau LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Madam Speaker, I completely understand my colleague's concern.
I can assure the House that we are working closely with the industry. It is true that this year is a particularly difficult one because of diseases and climate change.
That is why we are working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and others to find new, safe sources of bees. We will continue to work with them.
Yves Perron Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Madam Speaker, long-term solutions to bee mortality also need to be found.
That is why I presented a notice of motion to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food to try to come up with solutions. That said, there are producers on the brink of despair and companies on the brink of bankruptcy right now. There was a call for an emergency plan yesterday, or rather Wednesday. The pollination of blueberry, cranberry and other crops has also been compromised by this tragedy. We need to move quickly.
What will the minister do?
Marie-Claude Bibeau LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Madam Speaker, once again, I want to reassure my colleague.
We understand the importance of the situation. We are working in the short term to ensure that we have enough bees for the season. We are also investing in research and innovation. Together with the industry, we will find short- and long-term solutions.
Tako Van Popta Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
Madam Speaker, the whole world is starting to see the COVID-19 pandemic in the rear-view mirror. Governments around the world are starting to ease up on gathering and travelling restrictions. Canadian travellers are certainly back in full force. Too bad their government is not. Look at the long lineups at airports and passport offices.
When will the government start following the science that the rest of the world is following and allow Canadians to get back to normal?
Annie Koutrakis LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Madam Speaker, we know that Canadians are tired, but ignoring COVID-19 will not make it go away.
We understand how frustrating it is for Canadians to experience long lines and delays at airports. Canadians can rest assured that we are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. We have hired approximately 400 new screening officers, who are currently in different phases of their training across the country. We continue to ask that Canadians remain patient as we work hard with CATSA and the air sector to find a solution.
Gerald Soroka Conservative Yellowhead, AB
Madam Speaker, it is too bad that answer is not actually helping Canadians.
Last week I questioned the minister about Kristen from Hinton, who, after waiting over two months, ended up having to pay express service to get her three sons' passports. The minister replied that if a person submits all required passport documents and Service Canada is outside of service standards, the client should not be paying extra fees.
Will the minister confirm that Kristen and others who paid extra fees will receive a refund and no Canadian will pay extra fees due to the minister's incompetence?
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Families
Madam Speaker, as I said last week, that is correct. No Canadian should be paying extra fees if they have submitted all the correct documents and everything is in order with their application, and if their application is not processed within the processing times. If that is in fact the case, there is a refund process.
I would be happy to follow up with the member opposite to share with him how he can share that with his constituents, but it is also available on the Government of Canada's website.
Damien Kurek Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, while the world is getting back to normal, the Liberals are bent on keeping Canadians from returning to work. Their punitive mandates and virtue signalling are in fact imposing poverty upon some citizens. This includes at least four women in east central Alberta who work for FCC and Canada Post.
When will the Liberals allow these women, and all the Canadians they fired, to get back to work like before the pandemic?
Mona Fortier LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board
Madam Speaker, from the beginning of the pandemic, we made a commitment to Canadians to keep them healthy and safe during the pandemic. We have put in place measures to protect workers and communities, and federal public servants stepped up. They got fully vaccinated, up to 99%. This shows that we know we need to continue to make sure that public servants and Canadians are safe.
We are committed to reviewing the current policy and will come back with a decision.
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Madam Speaker, every day in this place we see the Liberals play COVID theatre with their masks, only to remove them as soon as they leave the parliamentary precinct, at bars, restaurants and receptions. This is as they insist on continuing never-ending mandates and restrictions.
When will the Liberals stop their hypocritical theatre and end the mandates?
Adam van Koeverden LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport
Madam Speaker, it is very troubling to see members on the opposite side deny the existence of a pandemic that is still stealing the lives of so many of our neighbours. Just in the last three weeks, over 1,000 Canadians have died from COVID-19. Masks help and vaccinations help.
Time and time again, we are hearing from the Conservatives that they want to get back to normal. I want this pandemic to be over too. Every Canadian wants this pandemic to be over. However, just wishing it so does not make that happen. We must continue to be vigilant, wear our masks and encourage vaccination.
The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes
Again, it is getting exceptionally loud in here, and I am having a hard time hearing the answers. If the official opposition and the government are going back and forth, I am sure they are not hearing the answers as well. I would ask members to please tone it down.
The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Madam Speaker, people across the country are dying from the toxic drug supply. Instead of receiving help, they are being punished.
A recent media report found that Black and indigenous people continue to be disproportionately arrested on drug possession charges. This echoes what Health Canada's expert task force on substance use told the government over a year ago. Decriminalization will help Canadians get the help they need.
The war on drugs does not reduce harm or help people. Will the government finally address the root causes of substance use by treating it truly as a health issue rather than a criminal issue?
Élisabeth Brière LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health
Madam Speaker, our government recognizes that problematic substance use is a health issue, and we are working to divert people who use drugs away from the criminal justice system and toward supportive and trusted relationships in health and social services. With the budget 2022 investment of an additional $100 million, we have now committed over $800 million to support community-led harm reduction treatment and prevention projects since 2015.
Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Madam Speaker, last week, all members in the House agreed to put in place, without delay, a Canada disability benefit. I thank the members for restoring hope to Canadians with disabilities, but hope is not enough. We must deliver action. It has been a year since the Liberals tabled a Canada disability benefit and let it fall. We cannot fail the disability community again.
Will the government respect the will of this House and table the Canada disability benefit immediately?
Irek Kusmierczyk LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment
Madam Speaker, since 2015, we have taken historic steps towards building a barrier-free Canada. In addition to the $112 million from budget 2021, with budget 2022 we are investing nearly $300 million in disability inclusion, including an employment strategy for persons with disabilities.
Moving forward, we are are absolutely committed to implementing the disability inclusion action plan, which will establish a robust employment strategy and enhance eligibility for government disability programs and benefits. That includes introducing the Canada disability benefit act to address poverty among Canadians with disabilities. We all benefit when—
Viviane LaPointe Liberal Sudbury, ON
Madam Speaker, as we all know, our tourism sector was hit hard these past two years by the pandemic because of health measures and border closures.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance tell us how the government is supporting this sector, which is a key economic driver and job creator, especially for young Canadians and rural communities?
Rachel Bendayan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Sudbury for the question and her hard work.
I am delighted to announce that we just launched consultations on our renewed federal tourism growth strategy. We will work with the provincial, territorial and municipal governments, as well as with our partners in indigenous communities, in order to continue promoting our tourism sector and ensuring economic growth.
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Madam Speaker, on April 9, the Prime Minister announced that Ukrainians who come to Canada would be given temporary housing assistance and short-term income supports.
Last week, Alexey, a Ukrainian, landed in Toronto and was greeted by the Red Cross. Unfortunately, there was no short-term housing or income support because the program actually had not even launched yet. The announcement was made on April 9. Today is May 20.
Will the government keep its word and provide Ukrainians with the announced supports, or is this just another broken Liberal promise?
Marie-France Lalonde LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his great advocacy. We both sit on the immigration committee and I know how passionate and involved he is.
We have welcomed over 32,000 Ukrainians to Canada, and certainly our commitment continues to be to helping Ukrainians as they come to Canada. We will continue to support them. Just last week, we announced we would be welcoming a charter flight next week in Winnipeg.
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Madam Speaker, it looks like another broken promise.
Anna recently gave birth to her third daughter, Sophie, in a bomb shelter in Ukraine. Anna and her daughters had to leave her husband and their father behind and escape to safety. They were forced to wait in Turkey because of impossible demands by IRCC, including demanding a birth certificate for Sophie, who was born in a bomb shelter. This is just ridiculous.
Will the Liberals finally accept that their policies are not working at all and implement visa-free travel for Ukrainians?
Marie-France Lalonde LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration
Madam Speaker, on individual cases, I would certainly appreciate having this conversation with him. As the member well knows, there are numerous measures we have put in place to ensure that individuals can come to Canada. As I mention all the time, we will continue to be there to welcome as many Ukrainians as possible in Canada.
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Madam Speaker, Immigration Canada’s annual “Fees Report” notes that just 19% of passports were processed within the required timelines, and this audit was well before the current surge and delays. At the same time, 88% of executives at Immigration Canada received hefty performance bonuses.
Does the minister believe failing Canadians applying for passports 81% of the time warrants performance bonuses?