Debates of May 30th, 2022

Justice

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I hope he is embarrassed.

The Liberals like to accuse the Bloc Québécois of picking fights, and yet just last week, they were quick to launch a full-blown attack on Bill 21 on secularism, for one thing. Second, they also suggested they will challenge Bill 96, which is meant to protect the French language. Third, they refused all of Quebec's requests to better manage its own immigration. Each of those represents a slap in the face to democracy in Quebec. That is what they did.

The Liberals want to stop Quebec from protecting its secular, francophone society. They want to stop Quebec MNAs from doing what Quebeckers want them to do.

Who is the one really picking a fight here?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am a Quebecker. Quebeckers from various sectors, including anglophones, francophones, legal experts, doctors and other players in the health sector, have all expressed concerns about Bill 96. As we have said, we will be following the legislation's implementation to see whether it violates the constitutional rights of Canadians. That is not an insult. We are simply carrying out our duty.

[The Deputy Speaker, Chris d'Entremont]

Order. I would like to point out that we enjoy vigorous debate, but not fighting.

The hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby.

National Defence

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it has been seven years since Justice Deschamps made specific recommendations on how the government could address sexual misconduct and harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces. Her report has been gathering dust on a shelf for seven years while the government has been doing nothing. Meanwhile, the government's failure to act continues to have devastating consequences for women in the military. Today, Justice Arbour tabled a new report on the situation.

How long will it take for the government to act and implement these recommendations?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Arbour for her detailed report, which will be the cornerstone of our efforts. I accepted the report in its entirety. I spoke with the Prime Minister this morning, and we completely agree with the important issues raised by Ms. Arbour.

My priority is to build an institution where everyone is safe, protected and respected at work.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it has been seven years since Justice Deschamps provided specific recommendations on how the government could address sexual misconduct and harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces. In those seven years, we saw brave women come forward while the government covered for powerful men at the top. This failure has devastating consequences for servicewomen and emboldens abusers. Service members have endured incredible harm. The government stood by while careers and lives have been destroyed.

Will the minister apologize to service members specifically for her government's failure to address the toxic culture in the Canadian Armed Forces?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I thank Madam Arbour for her comprehensive and detailed report, which will be the cornerstone of our culture change efforts going forward.

This morning, I accepted her report in its entirety. I spoke with the Prime Minister. At the outset, let me be clear that we wholeheartedly agree with the significant issues identified by Madam Arbour. My top priority is to build a military where everyone who puts on a uniform for our country can work in a safe, respected and protected manner.

Health

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives have been asking the government to release the metrics and the science it has been using to justify the travel restrictions and mandates. Last week, no one in this House could produce any. Today, at committee, the transport minister finally admitted that he has specific advice that led to the decisions to keep the random testing of 4,000 passengers a day and the mandates for domestic travel in place.

If he has it, why is it a secret? Will he tell everyone in this House what his colleagues were not able to tell us last week?

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

Mr. Speaker, there is no secret. The data are available. The experts have been very clear.

Consider this example. During the omicron wave, a total of 163,000 deaths could have been prevented in the United States alone if the U.S. had had a higher vaccination rate like we have in Canada.

That said, Canada still has a lot more work to do. We need to keep increasing our third-dose vaccination rate to protect ourselves against the pandemic.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our airports are still in the news for their worsening delays. The minister blames travellers, and the parliamentary secretary has now taken to blaming stakeholders. He has the health advice, but no one is allowed to see it. That means it is a secret. The Prime Minister once said that Canadians deserve the most transparent and open government in the world.

Would the minister describe refusing to release the scientific evidence as actions of the world's most transparent government, or will he just do the right thing and get back to prepandemic normal?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to talk science when it comes to such an important topic.

Take the number 130,000. That is the number of hospitalizations that the United Kingdom was able to prevent in recent weeks because it has a high third-dose vaccination rate. Because so many people have gotten vaccinated, they are better protected individually and are also helping to protect their communities and families.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the government refuses to tell Canadians what scientific advice it has received in regard to travel mandates, if any. Worse yet, while denying and delaying, the government is ignoring programs like NEXUS, which significantly reduce wait times during travel. Just this morning, The Canadian Press reported that the backlog of applications has ballooned to nearly 300,000.

Why does the government have so much trouble handling the basic things Canadians expect of it?

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

Mr. Speaker, here is a basic number: 690,000. That is the number of hospitalizations that the United States would have avoided, just in the last few months during omicron, had it had a high vaccination rate like the one we have in Canada. As I said earlier, there is more work to do because, unfortunately, however difficult it may be for some to hear and understand, the pandemic is still with us and we need to keep fighting it.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Sandra recently experienced the mismanagement of Toronto Pearson International Airport first-hand. She waited on the tarmac. The lines were long and confusing to navigate. The CBSA officers were stressed, passengers were angry and agitated, and nobody knew what to do or where to go. She said it was embarrassing, as a Canadian, having new people come to our country and this being their first experience and impression. This week is Tourism Week, but we need to do better to welcome tourists.

Will the Liberal government restore travel confidence, help with airport delays and vote to drop the mandates?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I know how frustrating delays at airports have been for Canadians and travellers. It is something that we are taking very seriously. We are witnessing similar phenomena across the world. Airports all over the world are experiencing this, but we are taking action. We hired over 400 CATSA employees. We have convened CBSA, CATSA, airports and airlines to work together on bottlenecks to address this. We are investing in resources. We are addressing procedures. We want to make sure that every Canadian is able to travel safely and efficiently.

[The Deputy Speaker, Chris d'Entremont]

I am hearing lots of comments. If you want to get on the list to ask questions, talk to your whips in your groups and you will get on the list to ask questions.

The hon. member for Kelowna—Lake Country.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, from passport delays and airport backlogs to unnecessary travel mandates, the Liberals are continuing to create an environment of uncertainty for our small business owners, and businesses are raising the alarm on serious impacts. Business leaders in Toronto stated, “The current travel experience will have detrimental and lasting impacts on how...Canada [is] viewed on the international stage.” At the industry committee, a tourism spokesperson implored government officials to take action.

Will the government take immediate action, or are the Liberals okay with continuing to hurt small businesses and throwing away hundreds of thousands of tourism jobs?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the last two years have been very difficult on Canadians. The pandemic, a once-in-a-hundred-years event, has caused significant disruptions to our businesses and to our lives. Our government was there helping small businesses and supporting Canadians during a very uncertain period. We will continue to do whatever it takes to protect Canadians. We are glad to see businesses come back to normal. We are glad to see the economy is booming. We are glad to see unemployment at the lowest record in history. We will continue to support Canadians.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, “we are working on it” just simply does not cut it. The expected jump in travel should have been foreseen. People have lost confidence in travelling to and in Canada. Other countries are dealing with it just fine. In Canada, the union representing many airport workers stated that airport delays are here to stay for the long term. Small businesses have faced a death by a thousand cuts, thanks to the Liberals. These long-term airport delays and ongoing mandates will further squeeze them.

When will the small business minister defend against the transport minister's unfair and extreme made-in-Canada travel delays?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, around the world people are looking to travel after being home for two years. This is something that is not just happening in Canada. In fact, when we look at passport-processing times in other countries, we see that in the United States, for example, it is nine to 11 weeks. When we look at the U.K., it is a minimum of 10 weeks. When we look at Sweden, it is actually 27.5 weeks before people can get a passport.

Around the world, in countries like Canada, people are looking to travel. They all want to do it at the same time and passport systems around the world are struggling with this demand, but here in Canada we are doing everything we can to meet it.

Official Languages

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly had not even voted on its Bill 96 before the Prime Minister suggested that he could challenge it in court.

Let us make one thing clear. Regardless of our differences of opinion, Bill 96 was democratically passed by a majority of elected officials. That is a democratic choice that responds to the clearly expressed will of Quebeckers to better protect French. More importantly, this democratic choice was made by all Quebeckers, not by a handful of federal politicians.

Democracy in Quebec has spoken. Will the government respect that?

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

Mr. Speaker, I, too, am a Quebecker and I, too, have the right to share my opinion in this regard, as do other Quebeckers from various sectors and fields.

Legal scholars, health care professionals and other experts have all spoken out against Bill 96. We all want to protect French, and we all should protect French. That is exactly what our Bill C-13 would do for Quebec and all of Canada.

As I said, we will be following the implementation of Bill 96 to ensure that it does not exceed Quebec's jurisdiction.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not just issuing threats against Bill 96, they are already dismantling it.

Bill 96 imposes the Charter of the French Language on federally regulated businesses, but the Liberals are giving them a way out in their own Bill C‑13, which will allow these businesses to continue to work in English with complete disregard for Quebec laws.

On language matters, the Liberals' actions speak for themselves. Why are they encouraging the anglicization of Quebec instead of protecting French?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Mr. Speaker—

[The Deputy Speaker, Chris d'Entremont]

I have two ministers fighting to answer.

The hon. Minister of Canadian Heritage.