House of Commons Hansard #89 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pension.

Topics

Motions in AmendmentPreserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

7:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont

Pursuant to order made earlier today, Motion No. 1 at report stage is deemed put and negatived on division.

The bill is deemed concurred in at the report stage on division and deemed read a third time and passed on division.

(Bill concurred in at report stage, read the third time and passed)

Motions in AmendmentPreserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

7:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont

The hon. deputy government House leader.

Motions in AmendmentPreserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

7:45 p.m.

Liberal

Sherry Romanado Liberal Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am sure if you canvass the House, you will find unanimous consent to see the clock at midnight.

Motions in AmendmentPreserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

7:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont

Is it agreed?

Motions in AmendmentPreserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

7:45 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

HealthAdjournment Proceedings

7:45 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House at this late hour to discuss an issue that has been on the minds of Canadians. Though it has been in the news this week, there is a lot more information, and we have a lot more questions than we have answers from the government. I am pleased that I will have the opportunity to get a response from the hon. parliamentary secretary on what metrics the government has used to arrive at some of the decision points it has taken over the last couple of days.

Yesterday, we heard an announcement that there would be a suspension of some of the COVID-related travel requirements that have been imposed by the government during COVID-19. The suspension signals to us the prospect that these will be brought forward later, so a few questions arise.

What were the metrics the government viewed yesterday that informed that decision? What was hospital capacity yesterday? What was the waste-water surveillance number telling it yesterday across the country? What was the R-naught yesterday telling it across the country? What was the prevalence of COVID-19 detected with the random testing administered at our borders?

These questions, along with other epidemiological indicators the government has been relying on, would have informed the decision that it made yesterday, at least we hope they did. If they did, we are looking for an answer to what those numbers were yesterday. Why are the numbers important? It is because we need to tell Canadians how we will do in the future against that past performance. For that past performance, we will use yesterday as the benchmark.

Part of the concern comes from the day prior, when the government was saying it was unsafe for an individual who was unvaccinated to get on a plane with an individual who had two doses of one of the regular vaccines that have been offered in Canada for COVID, the Pfizer or the Moderna two-dose series. Yesterday, the Minister of Health told Canadians that having two doses is no longer effective, and at the same time said that it is now safe for people with two doses and people with no doses to get on a plane together. That is leaving Canadians with some mixed messages. They are confused.

Canadians want to know why the government made this announcement yesterday, what the conditions would have to be for the government to permanently end mandates and what the conditions would have to be for it to reintroduce them. That is what a lot of people have been asking me today. We are suspending them, but what would it have to look like for the government to reintroduce them?

People are worried about opening a small business this year. They are wondering about how many staff to take on. They are considering travel plans, whether they should fly out to see their mom and dad across the country or visit a loved one. What if we change the rules and they are not allowed to travel back?

The further contradiction that has come to pass is that a Canadian can travel in Canada on an aircraft, vaccinated or unvaccinated, but an unvaccinated individual cannot cross the border and then travel in the U.S. A vaccinated individual can. They can get on a plane and travel with vaccinated and unvaccinated folks. What magically happens at the border that the government does not want to allow folks who have not been vaccinated to come to Canada at this point, when we know that vaccinations are not preventing the transmission of COVID?

I am really looking for answers from the government today on how it arrived at those decisions yesterday and on what would trigger further decisions to end mandates.

HealthAdjournment Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Milton Ontario

Liberal

Adam van Koeverden LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his collaboration on the health committee over the last couple of months. It has been challenging. That said, I would just caution that when we use language like “the vaccines do not prevent transmission and do not prevent this and that,” it limits all of those things. It is very well-founded that the vaccines are very, very good at limiting all of those factors and they have been very effective in keeping our communities safe, as the member well knows. He regularly states in the House, and I am glad that it is true, that his riding is one of the most vaccinated ridings in Canada. I am happy to hear that. That is fantastic.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada has been supporting Canadians and the Government of Canada has implemented policies and public health measures to prevent the spread of infection. We have provided access to vaccines to minimize serious illness and death and we have worked hard to preserve health system capacity and reduce transmission to protect high-risk populations.

Just yesterday, as a result of all this good work, the Government of Canada was able to announce that we are suspending the vaccine mandate for federally regulated transportation sectors as well as federal employees.

With better levels of immunity from vaccination, the wider availability of antiviral drugs and lower hospitalization rates, Canada is now better equipped to effectively manage the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce pressure on the health care system.

While the suspension of vaccine mandates reflects an improved public health situation in Canada at this point in time, the COVID-19 virus continues to evolve and circulate in Canada and globally. COVID-19 remains a public health threat and staying up to date with vaccinations, including booster doses, remains the best line of defence against serious illness, hospitalization and death.

Because vaccination rates and virus control in other countries vary significantly, current vaccination requirements at the border will remain in effect. This will reduce the potential impact of international travel on our health care system and serve as an added protection against any future variant.

Vaccination continues to be one of the most effective tools to protect Canadians, including younger Canadians, our health care system, as well as our economy, and, as my colleague mentioned, to prevent lockdowns and to prevent more disruptions to small businesses.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has been providing guidance and advice related to the pandemic for more than two years. The agency will continue to review Canadian and international evidence and data from vaccine manufacturers to support public health decision-makers and program implementation. Additionally, it will work to address barriers to vaccination and improve confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine program through communication efforts.

The public health experts' guidance and advice regarding vaccine mandates was and will continue to be informed by the latest scientific evidence available. Effectiveness, availability and the uptake of vaccines and the evolving domestic and international epidemiological situation, hospital and ICU capacity, long-range modelling, as well as the effectiveness of other public health measures to keep Canadians safe are also taken into consideration.

This pandemic is not over. I think we can all agree on that. Staying up to date with vaccinations, including booster doses, is absolutely critical. The Public Health Agency of Canada is working with provinces, territories, indigenous communities and stakeholders to examine vaccination strategies in both the short and the long term.

While my colleague was asking me the question, I did look up some numbers. In the worst weeks of this pandemic in Canada, we were averaging upward of 200 deaths per day. That is a massive number and a huge tragedy. Today the numbers are lower, thanks to all of the public health measures, and we are averaging 32 deaths a day, based on a seven-day average. This pandemic is clearly not over. If at any other time in our parliamentary careers or in our adulthood, we were experiencing something that causes 30 Canadian deaths a day, I think we could all agree it is of great concern.

A year or two ago, when we started talking about vaccinations, we all agreed in the House that vaccinations should not be a political issue. We all had to work together to ensure that our communities had all of the information necessary. We had a good campaign and I think we all have to recognize that the campaign is not over. We need to work together to keep our communities safe.

HealthAdjournment Proceedings

7:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON

Mr. Speaker, another contradiction I want to address with the parliamentary secretary is that, two days ago, the Prime Minister announced that he tested positive for COVID-19. I was pleased to see him participate in proceedings in the House today, which tells us that it is mild, as he said on social media.

His office has now signalled that next week he is going to be travelling to Rwanda, to Germany and to Spain. This is inside 10 days. Someone who returns to Canada and is COVID-positive must self-isolate for 10 days. We have heard from the government over and over again that it wants to be cautious. Everything is about the precautionary principle.

What is the message the government is sending to Canadians when someone, within 10 days of being diagnosed with COVID, is going to travel to multiple countries and is going to travel by aircraft? Really, is that the cautious message the government says it has been sending?

HealthAdjournment Proceedings

7:55 p.m.

Liberal

Adam van Koeverden Liberal Milton, ON

Mr. Speaker, Canada's health measures have been and will continue to be based on review, analysis, expert opinion and science. We are going to continue to take into account the evolving scientific evidence related to the virus and its characteristics as well as its epidemiology. We will also consider emerging variants of concern, the value and impact of public health interventions and the impact of vaccination and vaccine effectiveness as we move forward. Again, staying up to date with vaccinations, including booster doses, remains the best line of defence against serious illness, hospitalization and death.

The waves of this pandemic have risen and fallen for more than two years now, and as they rise and fall, we shift our priorities accordingly. We continue to respond to the challenges that we face in the ongoing management of COVID-19.

I thank the member for his conversation tonight.

Climate ChangeAdjournment Proceedings

7:55 p.m.

NDP

Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, as always, it is a pleasure and privilege to rise in this place.

Today, I want to talk about Alberta and our economic recovery. For decades, Alberta has played an oversized role in Canada's economy, largely in part due to the oil and gas sector. During boom times, Alberta's GDP was the largest in Canada, the largest in North America and among the largest in the world. Even during the busts, Alberta workers were contributing more per capita to the building of Canada than any other province. For over 50 years, Alberta workers have helped make Canada a prosperous country. Now, Alberta workers need help and this government needs to be there for them.

Albertans know that climate change is real, and we know that our future cannot depend on oil and gas. Even now, when postpandemic demand is rising and Russia's illegal war in Ukraine is driving up the price of oil and natural gas, even now when fossil fuel corporations are making record profits while gouging Canadians at the pumps, even now we know that our future is not in oil and gas, because the jobs are simply not there.

When Alberta Conservatives were handing billions in corporate tax cuts to the sector over the past three years, oil and gas companies were laying off workers. When this government gave billions for oil well cleanup, it did nothing to create jobs or to mitigate pollution. Every day the evidence becomes clearer and clearer: Handing out public money to these massive corporations does not create jobs and it does not help workers. All it does is line the pockets of foreign investors.

Instead, this government needs to help Alberta. It needs to invest in Alberta to diversify our economy. For Canada to meet its climate obligations, for Canada to have a sustainable economy, for Canada to build an equitable and prosperous future for all, Canada needs to invest right now to help diversify Alberta's economy before it is too late.

This government has made multiple promises to workers for a just transition. We heard promises in 2019, and we heard promises in 2021, but we just have not seen it yet. I stand in this place and say that it is not unusual for us to hear the right words from this government and not see the work follow through to make the actions happen.

There have been massive investments in Quebec's and Ontario's economies, but when it comes to Alberta, this government is missing. If it needs help determining what to do, I am here to help. There is a lot of opportunity in Alberta to develop a greener and more diversified economy. There is opportunity to create jobs right now and to bridge to the jobs of the future.

Right now, oil and gas workers need financial support through the transition and targeted education and retraining. Rachel Notley did it with coal by listening to workers and their communities. The formula is there.

Many of the impacted communities are indigenous where investment in post-secondary education and indigenous-run programs would have the greatest impact, programs like the Peace Athabasca Delta Institute, which needs federal investment to build an environmental monitoring and research facility. Instead of throwing money at oil companies for site cleanup, those funds should be directed to the Indian Resource Council's first nations site rehabilitation program to create jobs and economic opportunity where it matters the most. The Building Trades of Alberta's path forward program needs to retrain indigenous workers as well.

Climate ChangeAdjournment Proceedings

8 p.m.

Toronto—Danforth Ontario

Liberal

Julie Dabrusin LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for raising the issue of the importance of protecting the environment, lowering emissions and creating good-paying, sustainable jobs for workers in Alberta.

Our government is committed to a just, equitable and prosperous transition that supports all regions, all communities and all workers. It is about creating good-paying, sustainable jobs for workers.

Since 2015, the Government of Canada has invested $100 billion in clean growth, to ensure that Canada can seize the economic opportunity of tomorrow, that we collectively reduce our emissions and that workers from coast to coast to coast have the tools they need to thrive in the economy of the future.

We have also made numerous investments for clean energy futures in the member's province of Alberta. For instance, we have invested in the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line and the Suffield Solar Project, and we have funded the support of the operation of long-range fuel cell electric trucks between Calgary and Edmonton. These are a few of the many examples of our support for the energy workers in the beautiful province of Alberta. It is our support for sustainable jobs. These steps reflect our belief that hard-working and innovative Albertans will continue to play a pivotal role in building our great country and getting us to our ambitious climate targets to reduce emissions.

As the Minister of Natural Resources has told this chamber, budget 2022 included significant funding in the budget to work with Alberta, Saskatchewan and other provinces to diversify their economies. He mentioned that the $4 billion for critical minerals, which will be particularly important for Alberta, is a part of that transition. The budget also included a tax credit to support investment in carbon capture technology. This will play a vital role in driving emissions down, particularly in hard to abate sectors such as steel and cement, while also creating or securing thousands of sustainable jobs for Albertans in the energy industry, including in the emerging biofuel and hydrogen sectors. That is on top of budget 2021's $1.5-billion pledge to expand clean fuels, including biofuels and hydrogen.

Our government is also helping workers transition toward new opportunities. Budget 2021, for instance, included skills training measures to support close to 500,000 new opportunities for sustainable jobs for workers. Our government has committed to investing $2 billion through the new futures fund to support local and regional economic diversification in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as to ensure that workers and communities are equipped to prosper as our country and the world moves to net zero.

I will point to the $185 million we have invested to help coal workers and communities in provinces such as Alberta develop new skills and create new opportunities. We plan to build partnerships with every province, including Alberta, in the coming months, to identify and accelerate the highest growth opportunities in areas of strength for the province, such as carbon capture, hydrogen, biofuels and critical minerals. We will continue to work collaboratively with the Province of Alberta, with industry, with labour and workers to ensure that we move forward in a manner that will create a clean, low emission, prosperous economy for Albertans and all Canadians.

Climate ChangeAdjournment Proceedings

8:05 p.m.

NDP

Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, I am asking the government to invest in Alberta's future by helping to diversify our economy. The Canadian critical drug initiative is the perfect example of a project that should be funded by the government. This initiative comes out of the University of Alberta in my riding of Edmonton Strathcona and it is led, in part, by a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Dr. Michael Houghton.

This initiative would address the critical gap in Canadian capacity for development and manufacturing of the majority of medication used in Canada. This would allow the government to address Canada's vulnerability when it comes to global pharmaceutical supply chains, at the same time that it creates jobs and economic opportunities for Albertans. The government has invested in life science capacity in Montreal and elsewhere in Canada, but it has not addressed the critical vulnerability. This is an opportunity to invest in Alberta.

Will the government provide this funding?

Climate ChangeAdjournment Proceedings

8:05 p.m.

Liberal

Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON

Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw the member opposite's attention to another aspect of our government's just transition agenda for good-paying, sustainable jobs for Canadians. I am sure she knows that some companies are concerned about a skilled labour shortage during this transition. That is why we are so focused on skills training.

However, we also want to encourage more Canadians of diverse backgrounds to consider careers in the natural resources sector, and that includes getting more women to consider this option. This is one of the reasons why we are supporting affordable child care in every province and territory. Our government's work has already resulted in child care fees being cut in half for Alberta parents.

Marine TransportationAdjournment Proceedings

8:05 p.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege tonight to rise to talk about a project we would like to see in our riding for a floating dry dock in the Alberni Valley. We have the only deep-sea port on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and we have an incredible company, Canadian Maritime Engineering, that is working in partnership with the City of Port Alberni and first nations and that is well supported in our region. We would like to see it expand and create a floating dry dock to fill the void of floating dry dock space, which is currently under incredible demands and pressures. I was at the Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Conference in 2018. It was cited that $3 billion was needed annually for floating dry dock repair and maintenance, and that capacity was full.

When this project first came forward, BC Ferries provided a letter of support, citing the need for floating dry dock space. Mark Collins, the CEO and president of BC Ferries, visited the port himself. He wrote that letter of support and was pleased to support the application. We know that currently BC Ferries has set out $3.5 billion to $4 billion over the next 12 years in infrastructure for new vessels. It spends about $150 million annually on ship repairs, which is quite significant.

We know this has been a long-standing vision. I approached Transport Canada a few years back to talk about this important opportunity. It cited that there was no current funding mechanism available for floating dry docks, yet we have seen huge amounts of money invested through the national shipbuilding strategy, which is absolutely critical and important in Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax. We have the longest coastline in the world, so it is absolutely essential that we support marine infrastructure throughout our coastal communities, as Norway has done. Mr. Collins cited how Norway went on a robust program of developing its small ports for ship maintenance and repair, and as a result has built more resiliency in these local communities.

Not to take away from those important shipyards, but we have heard Irving Shipbuilding in your home province, Mr. Speaker, citing that it needs $300 million more to fulfill its obligations for the national shipbuilding strategy. I am not saying that I am opposed to it, but I have to say that the frustration is real when we have an opportunity to fill dry dock needs right on Vancouver Island for the Pacific northwest. It may not be for the military, but certainly we could help and offer federal government supports when it comes to maintenance and repair for the Coast Guard. We have an incredibly skilled workforce right in Port Alberni. We have electricians and welders, as well as people who are working outside of the community who could return home. It is the most affordable place in southwestern British Columbia.

Right now the Province of B.C. is embarking on a very important and historic study to look at shipbuilding and to support the shipbuilding sector in British Columbia. The Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, Ravi Kahlon, said the province is developing a “comprehensive shipbuilding strategy [that] will allow B.C. to take full advantage of...coastal strengths and build a healthier, more sustainable marine economy”.

The Province of B.C. is going to need a federal partner, and I want to know that the federal government is going to be there to provide resources and help solve the problems we have. I am hoping that tonight we are going to hear from the minister that the government is going to be there to work with us, with our communities and with first nations. It is an important step toward reconciliation in the community where I live, and I think there is no better place than the Alberni Valley for this project.

Marine TransportationAdjournment Proceedings

8:10 p.m.

Milton Ontario

Liberal

Adam van Koeverden LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague and friend for his advocacy for his neighbours. I would also like to thank him for his recent work on his private member's bill on decriminalization. It is so important and I was proud to support it in the way that I could. Let me put it that way. I have a lot of respect for the member and I want to support that work as best as I can.

The member is probably wondering why the parliamentary secretary for health and sport is answering a question about transportation. I am filling in for a colleague tonight. Many will also appreciate that I have spent some time on the water, so maybe I can do it some justice.

This government's overarching goal is to ensure that Canada's transportation system supports our ambitious economic growth and jobs creation agenda. Canadians require a safe, reliable and sustainable transportation system that facilitates trade and the movement of both people and goods.

To advance sustainable growth, Canada's system of Canadian port authorities is responsible for leading infrastructure development on federal port lands. Working at arm's length from the federal government, Canadian port authorities are governed by boards of directors, who are relied upon for setting the strategic direction and managing operations, including securing financing for infrastructure improvements.

Recognizing that global supply chains continue to be disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, labour shortages, the growing impacts of climate and other key factors, it is a priority to ensure that Canadian supply chains are resilient and fluid. Building on the National Supply Chain Summit that was held in late January, the Minister of Transport also created a Supply Chain Task Force which is consulting broadly with industry associations and experts to examine key pressures and make recommendations regarding short-term and long-term actions to strengthen the efficiency, fluidity and resiliency of transportation infrastructure and the reliability of Canada's supply chain.

In addition, the Government of Canada has dedicated considerable funding to Canada's trade and transportation infrastructure through the $4.2-billion national trade corridors fund. As of March 2022, approximately $2.1 billion in funding has been announced for 102 strategic projects across Canada, which are leveraging more than $4.4 billion in total infrastructure investments from private and public partners for air, marine, rail and road projects across every province and territory. Through the national trade corridors fund, the government took immediate action to address current supply chain challenges and launched a dedicated $50-million call for proposals to relieve supply chain congestion at Canadian ports, which were closed in February.

In addition, the government continues to invest to improve Canada's trade corridors through the call for proposals to increase the fluidity of supply chains, which closed at the end of March. Furthermore, the Canada Infrastructure Bank has announced important investments into port infrastructure, including $300 million into the Contrecœur container terminal at the port of Montreal.

The government is investing in Canada to promote rapid and sustainable growth and that is why the government will continue to support Canada's ports.

I thank my hon. colleague for this important conversation.

Marine TransportationAdjournment Proceedings

8:15 p.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

Mr. Speaker, it was not long ago that we had a Conservative government that removed a tariff of 25% for those who wanted to build ferries outside of our country. That money could have been used to develop shipyards in our country. We hear from Conservatives that they want faster and cheaper ships built outside of Canada. We know we can do better.

Right now, the Liberals still are not investing in small shipyards. I appreciate the effort they are making with the national shipbuilding strategy, but they have not done that. We have invited transport minister after transport minister to come to our community to meet with the Port Alberni Port Authority to hear about this great opportunity, to meet with first nations and the City of Port Alberni. We have had support from, as I said, BC Ferries and many others.

We have done a third party assessment of this proposal and it is coming out with solid support, yet there are still no supports. We know that we do not currently deal with ship-breaking, for example, in the right way. This could be an opportunity, as well, for us to fulfill our environmental obligations, which we are not fulfilling.

Hopefully, we will be able to work together on developing this important piece of infrastructure.

Marine TransportationAdjournment Proceedings

8:15 p.m.

Liberal

Adam van Koeverden Liberal Milton, ON

Mr. Speaker, like the member, I have important infrastructure projects in my riding as well, including ones for transportation. I can tell him that we have benefited from recent investments and I would be happy to work with the member on future projects in his riding as well.

The Government of Canada is committed to supporting Canada's ports as they are critical for Canada's economic recovery from COVID-19 and beyond. Consequently, the government will continue to invest in infrastructure at Canada's ports.

We look forward to supporting key port infrastructure projects with the additional $1.9 billion that was announced in budget 2022 for the national trade corridors fund. To date, the national trade corridors fund has committed nearly $500 million toward port and marine infrastructure development proposals across Canada to support Canadian trade, which is leveraging more than $1 billion in total investments with public and private partners.

This government has always aimed to invest in Canada to promote strong and sustainable economic growth. Canada's ports will play a key role in achieving this goal in the future and through the proposals they are able to advance under the national trade corridors fund.

Marine TransportationAdjournment Proceedings

8:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont

The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 8:18 p.m.)