Debates of May 30th, 2022

Canadian Heritage

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I think that we can all agree that we may disagree on some points, but we can still respect each other. I think that is fundamental in the House.

Bill C-11, once again, is very simple. We are asking those big streamers, those platforms, to contribute to Canadian culture. Why? Because that is important for us. It is important to be able to tell our stories and to keep telling those stories that are fundamental. That is the only thing the bill does.

We hear a lot of theories, conspiracy theories, and this and that, but we want to help our culture. For once, I would have loved for the Conservatives to help us, but I guess they will not.

Public Safety

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we would all like to believe that we are safe from gun violence and that our children are protected.

In Montreal, just last week, someone shot up a day care centre. Fortunately, there were no casualties. Fortunately, the day care centre was empty. However, gun culture is emerging in Montreal.

Again, we simply cannot allow the situation to deteriorate. The mayor of Montreal, the Premier of Quebec and the Bloc Québécois are once again calling for Ottawa to ban handguns.

When will the minister finally do what everyone in Quebec is waiting for him to do?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we are working closely with the Quebec government to reduce gun violence, and the Minister of Public Safety recently attended a forum in Montreal. We have directed $46 million under our guns and gangs fund to the Legault government. We are finalizing a transfer specifically for Quebec under our building safer communities fund to prevent gun crime.

The minister continues to engage directly with his counterparts in Quebec.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety has a historic opportunity this afternoon with the introduction of his bill. He can ban handguns. That would be one more tool to counter their proliferation in Montreal. He can ban all military-style assault weapons, not just ban models one by one. He can use this opportunity to announce new border measures to combat illegal firearms, which are still the crux of the problem in Quebec.

Will the minister seize this historic opportunity this afternoon, or will he announce more half measures?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member not just for her question but for her advocacy.

Handguns are the number one type of gun used in shooting homicides across the country. We are taking action to make sure that handguns do not fall into the hands of criminals by requiring stronger background checks and investing more to stop illegal gun trafficking at the border.

We will continue to engage our provincial partners, such as the Province of Quebec, as part of our national approach to tackling handgun crime.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, an entrepreneur in my riding, Tony Ouellet, president of Feuillages du Québec, relies on temporary foreign workers to run his business.

Unfortunately, only one of the three workers he hired has arrived. Nothing is happening at Immigration Canada with respect to the other two. Many planting contracts must be completed by June 15, which is in two weeks, or he will have to pay severe penalties.

Why should Mr. Ouellet pay for this government's failures and mistakes?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the employers out there who are working hard to bring in workers to fill gaps in the labour force. It will help kick-start one of the strongest economic recoveries that is already taking place. We have put tons of resources into boosting the processes and capacity of the department, including $85 million in the economic and fiscal update to target work permits, study permits, temporary residency visas, proof of citizenship cards and PR cards.

I am pleased to report that these efforts are taking hold. This year, to date, we have already processed more than 216,000 work permits, compared to only 88,000 this far into last year. We are starting to make serious progress. We are going to continue to make the necessary investments to grow our economy.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am speaking today for the 20th time abut the government's incompetence on immigration and the temporary foreign worker program.

Two businesses in my riding called me just this past weekend to tell me that they still do not have the workers they need, who should have already arrived. These landscapers and manufacturers are losing contracts.

When will the government take this issue seriously and help these businesses grow instead of pushing them towards bankruptcy?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, as I just answered in response to the previous question, we are making unprecedented investments in Canada's immigration system to ensure that we can smoothly welcome people to Canada who make essential contributions to our economy.

I would like to point out to the hon. member that we are now in an economic context in which we have seen 115% of the jobs lost during the pandemic come back. Our GDP is better than prepandemic levels and our unemployment level is now at the lowest rate since we started recording those statistics more than 50 years ago.

That said, we can do more by continuing to bring in workers to fill the almost 900,000 gaps in the economy and the labour market. We are going to continue to invest in our immigration system to do that. It is the path forward that will help us achieve growth.

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

Mr. Speaker, the temporary foreign worker saga continues.

A number of businesses in my riding received their confirmation letters of a positive labour market impact assessment on April 15, 2022, after more than eight months of waiting. That is far too long and the process is not even complete.

The government has a duty to simplify the process for approving temporary foreign workers. At some point it needs to walk the talk.

When will it do so?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we know that immigration plays a key role in combatting the labour shortage. IRCC is prioritizing work permit processing for in-demand occupations.

This year, we have processed more than 200,000 work permit applications, which is nearly double the number processed over the same period last year. We will continue to ensure that Canadian employers have access to the workers they need to secure Canada's economic recovery.

Official Languages

[Jenica Atwin, Liberal, Fredericton, NB]

Mr. Speaker, investing in our official language minority communities must include implementing a range of measures to enable them to flourish and prosper.

As a teacher, I understand why it is necessary to invest in education at all levels, including post-secondary education. We need to ensure that there will be jobs for francophone students when they graduate.

Could the Minister of Official Languages, who proudly represents francophone communities across the country, explain to the House how our government is helping francophone students in New Brunswick prepare for their future careers?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague from Fredericton for her important question. I would also like to thank her for highlighting the importance of ensuring that our young people in official language minority communities have a career path that will allow them to continue to work in their language.

Last week, I had the privilege of announcing a $6.6-million investment in projects at New Brunswick Community College. This investment will give Acadian and francophone students more tools to advance professionally throughout their careers.

The Economy

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, this week I spoke to Krystle. The rising cost of living is threatening her small business in Amherst. She has worked 28 of the last 30 days to make enough money to keep her business solvent. A recent errand for supplies has cost her $600 versus the usual $350, as the cost of fuel and goods has gone up. She cannot understand why the government would not support two Conservative motions to reduce fuel prices.

On which date will the government remove tax upon tax and get fuel prices and the cost of living under control?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, let me tell you what we are doing in budget 2022 for small businesses. We are cutting their taxes. We know that businesses in Canada have recovered over 100% of the jobs that have been lost since the pandemic. Businesses are looking to grow. They are not only looking to grow in Canada, but they are looking to grow through exports into the international market. We are going to work with our businesses to grow here and to scale up internationally, and we have cut their taxes so that they can grow here in Canada.

International Development

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Firefighter Aid Ukraine, based in my riding of Edmonton West, has been delivering crucial life-saving equipment and supplies to Ukraine for the past eight years. The Russian invasion has only made its work more critical. It has collected 25 tonnes of life-saving medical supplies desperately needed for Ukraine's doctors and hospitals. An oil and gas company has donated the transport fuel needed to get the supplies over to Ukraine. All it needs is a transport plane to get it there.

Will the government provide this plane?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to making sure that Ukraine has the humanitarian support that it needs. We will work with businesses. My team will contact the member's staff, look at the details and see what we can do.

Fisheries and Oceans

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

Mr. Speaker, the fishing industry is sick and tired of the lack of respect shown to it by the government. With the season now upon them, fishers in Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame and in all of Newfoundland and Labrador are wondering where the capelin management plan is. DFO's own science says that seals consume 99 times more capelin than fishermen harvest. This year, the assessment did not happen.

With these facts in mind, will the minister confirm that she will reinstate last year's quota for capelin, or will she listen to activists like Oceana and shut another fishery down?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, all fisheries are important. All conservation measures are intended to make sure that we maintain a healthy stock. That is the responsibility of DFO.

With respect to the capelin decision, we are reviewing the science. We will be coming out very soon with a determination for the harvesters in the coming weeks.

Health

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the 75th World Health Assembly convened last week. It was the first to be held in person since the beginning of the pandemic.

This was an excellent opportunity for the delegates, WHO experts, partner agencies and civil society to discuss current priorities and future solutions to issues critical to global public health.

Can the Minister of Health tell the House more about this assembly and how Canada plays a leading role in global public health?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking our colleague from Pierrefonds—Dollard for his excellent work.

Last week I did indeed have the opportunity to participate in the World Health Organization's 75th World Health Assembly. The theme was was “Health for peace, peace for health”.

At the assembly, I was able to meet, talk and work with many of my counterparts regarding the fight against the pandemic and efforts to prepare for future pandemics. We also talked about antimicrobial resistance and the effects of climate change on health and health care.

I was also able to meet with Ukraine's health minister to offer him the Canadian government's unwavering support for his people's health and health care.

Housing

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, our community has been begging for a 24-7 low-barrier safe space for women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people for over 10 years. We are still waiting. Even though the former minister of crown-indigenous relations called Winnipeg “Ground Zero” for MMIWG, last week we had another two women murdered. Thoughts and prayers do not cut it.

Will the minister confirm that the funding they announced Friday will be used to open a 24-7 safe space in Winnipeg and save lives now?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday we announced a historic investment of $121 million to invest in shelters and transitional housing for women and children fleeing gender-based violence. This is going to support 16 projects across the country in virtually every province and at least one territory. I am happy to work with the hon. member to see if we can continue to support projects in Winnipeg.

Foreign Affairs

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, understandably, Russia's assault on Ukraine has dominated our foreign policy agenda, but we know it is not the only crisis. The Taliban has declared war on women and girls. They are not allowed to go to school. They are not allowed to walk down the street. Their male family members have become their jailers. This is a regime of gender apartheid.

Will the government confirm that with a feminist foreign policy, the policy is not to stand back and do nothing? What does “feminist foreign policy” mean for women and girls in Afghanistan?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the situation Afghans are facing, in particular Afghan women and girls, is absolutely terrible. Canada condemns the Taliban's oppression of women's liberty in Afghanistan. As the Taliban continues this act of discrimination, the prospects for a better life are being denied to girls. Access to education is a human right to which every woman and every girl is entitled, and the Taliban will be judged by its actions and not by its words.