Debates of May 31st, 2022

National Defence

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, in all seriousness, we will continue to support our Canadian Armed Forces personnel posted across the country and their families. For example, the post living differential allowance is intended to help reduce financial burdens for Canadian Armed Forces personnel and their families. To ensure that the PLD allowance effectively supports CAF members and their families and addresses affordability concerns, the Department of National Defence is reviewing the policy as we speak. We will always seek to support the people who serve our country with robust compensation and with a benefits framework that works for everyone.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister needs to look up from her talking points. These are people, men and women, who we have asked to serve our country, at home and abroad, and unbelievably they are being asked to go to Habitat for Humanity for accommodations. The Liberals have failed to provide our troops with equipment that they need. They have failed to protect our troops from sexual misconduct, and now they have failed to ensure our troops have places to live.

This is an absolute disgrace, and the minister needs to answer for it.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that I have military members and their families as my top priority. From day one, as stated in my mandate letter, I have continued to commit to ensuring that our members have the support and resources that they need. That is why we are increasing our defence spending by 70% over a nine-year period beginning in 2017. That is why we committed another $8 billion in defence spending. That is why $6.1 billion of that will go to the needs of the military, and we will keep working on this issue.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, military personnel sacrifice to serve our country. They knew they would be moved, but they did not expect that they would not be able to afford to live because the government would let them down. There should be some expectation of a similar cost of living when military personnel are posted from base to base. However, that is not the case with the rates of military housing varying widely across the country. The rates at Bagotville are almost double those in Cold Lake. Both are air force bases that are home to our CF-18s.

When will the minister address this housing inequity?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to put forward a few facts. After significant cuts made by the previous Conservative government, we actually are delivering results for our Canadian Armed Forces members and their families. Tax-free income for members—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am going to ask the minister to stop for a second. I think everybody wants to hear the answer to that question, especially the hon. member for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake. Maybe we will let the minister start from the top so that everyone can hear the answer.

The hon. Minister of National Defence.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will try this again. After significant cuts made by the previous Conservative government, we are delivering results for our Canadian Armed Forces.

Some of these results are the tax-free income for members deployed on international operations, close to $200 million to improve access to health care and implement a joint suicide prevention strategy, $6 million per year in new funding for military family resource centres, which means more child care hours, and enshrining a victims' bill of rights in the military justice system.

This is our top priority.

Post-Secondary Education

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, academic research is essential to the advancement of science, and it greatly enriches our societies. It is critical that the process for hiring research chairs be based solely on the candidates' qualifications and the nature of their research.

However, in the Canada research chairs program, Ottawa forgoes this quest for excellence and prioritizes diversity considerations. Does the minister agree that discrimination should never influence the assessment of competence?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for allowing me to speak about the investments we have made in science.

In recent years, we have seen what an important role science, technology and innovation play in finding solutions to the great challenges that humanity faces, from climate change to COVID‑19. We have also seen the key role that diversity and inclusion play in scientific research.

That is why we expect the research councils to put the right policies in place to achieve this goal.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois believes that research funding should be allocated based on skill. The federal government thinks it should be allocated based on diversity.

Visible minorities represent 51% of the population in Toronto and only 2% of the population in Rimouski, but both regions are subject to the same criteria.

Our universities are scrambling to recruit and reflect diversity, but we have to be realistic. Why not trust the universities and fund scientific research based on scientific capabilities?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

We, on this side of the House, do indeed trust our universities. That is why we are making massive investments in science, research and innovation because those things are important.

My colleagues in the House want the scientific community to reflect Canada's diversity. That is why we asked the research councils to implement the right policies to ensure that scientific research represents all Canadians.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, there is an urgent need to take action on the labour shortage. There are solutions, but this government has lost control.

For example, a temporary foreign worker who has been coming here every year for the past 10 years has to attend an eligibility interview this year. However, he has been coming here for 10 years now. Another example that I have is a manufacturer with plants in Ontario and Quebec. It takes four times longer to get the permits in Quebec than in Ontario.

This is not Quebec's fault, and this government needs to come up with another excuse. What is the problem with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada?

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's question.

We know that immigration plays a key role in combatting the labour shortage. IRCC is prioritizing jobs in high-demand occupations. I would like to point out again that in the first quarter of this year, the department processed more than 100,000 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 and Quebec's economic recovery.

[Richard Martel, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, CPC]

Mr. Speaker, labour shortages are an undeniable problem in our economy. Not only is there a shortage of workers, but more and more people no longer want to work because this government has created a culture of dependency that does not encourage them to work.

Since the Liberals are struggling to fast-track foreign worker applications, will this government introduce incentives that benefit the labour market?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, temporary foreign workers have played an important role in ensuring our food security, particularly during the pandemic. They deserve to be protected.

That is why we are working with the provinces to ensure that employers are prepared to welcome workers safely. We are ensuring that employers meet their program obligations through enhanced inspections.

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

Mr. Speaker, Liberal inaction has struck again, creating an unprecedented vicious cycle for Canadian entrepreneurs who are facing a labour shortage hell.

This is yet another issue on top of the problems with EI, passports, foreign workers, permanent residency and identity theft in Canada.

What does this Prime Minister intend to do about his overall incompetence?

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I am smiling because I always enjoy my opposition colleague's dramatic flair. Let us applaud that lively performance.

What I can say on behalf of members on this side of the House is that our government is working very closely with Quebec to make sure workers can work.

As I made clear, we have twice as many work permit applications as last year. We will always make sure that Canadians and Quebeckers can work.

Tourism Industry

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the tourism sector has been through two extremely difficult years, and now it is time to talk about how important this sector is.

Would the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance tell the House what the government is doing to put this industry, which is crucial to Canada's economy, front and centre?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for both her question and her hard work.

Yesterday, we kicked off our National Tourism Week. Canada is ready to welcome visitors and travellers from around the world.

I would also like to thank Beth Potter and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada for the incredible success of their Rendez-vous Canada conference last week, their leadership role in our tourism sector and everything they do to showcase Canada internationally.

I wish everyone a happy National Tourism Week.

The Economy

[Gary Vidal, Conservative, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, since 2015, the cost of living in northern Saskatchewan has skyrocketed. People travel great distances for groceries and medical appointments and to check on loved ones. There is one charging station, no public transit and there are more deer and moose trails than bike lanes in my riding. The cost of gas, groceries, home heating fuel and farm inputs, and nearly everything is getting more expensive under the Liberal-NDP coalition.

This is another attack on Saskatchewan's rural, northern and remote communities. Is that not true?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our government has been taking measures in order to address the cost of living increase, which we all know is caused by the war started by Russia.

I believe that the member opposite will find in this budget a number of measures that go directly to his point. There is a one-time payment for those having trouble finding affordable homes in our budget. There is a proposal to subsidize dental care in our budget. We have already reduced the taxes on middle-class families and the Conservatives voted against it. Will they vote for our budget?

Foreign Affairs

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on the topic of Russia, we know that during the war and conflict, women and youth are at increased risk of exploitation. The 2021 U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report notes that Ukraine has been a long-time source country for human trafficking victims. Now that millions of women and youth are fleeing Ukraine, we know that human traffickers have been targeting them.

What specific steps is the government taking to ensure that Ukrainian women and youth seeking refuge in Canada are not being trafficked and exploited?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, the question of human trafficking is an issue and, indeed, this is something that we have raised through the G7. Many of the G7 ministers have made it clear that we need to do more to counter any form of human trafficking, particularly in the context of Putin's war of choice against Ukraine. I look forward to working with my colleague on this issue and with many others within cabinet because we need to give particular attention to this.

Canada Border Services Agency

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals reduced operating hours at dozens of border crossings during COVID-19, but Canadians are travelling again and crossing the border to visit families, do business or just to get away for a few days. Forty ports of entry, 13 of which are in Manitoba, are still operating at reduced operating hours. When will the Liberals restore the full service at our border crossings?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to report that thanks to the advocacy of the members of this chamber, including on our side of the House, we have reopened the vast majority of ports of entry, which is seeing an increase in trade and travel. This is getting our economy going, and all the while we are protecting Canadians from the pandemic. We will continue to work with my hon. colleague to make even more progress as we head into the summer season so we can get our economy going even better.