Debates of June 9th, 2022

Sport

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, like all Canadians, I am disgusted and horrified by this situation. I want to make sure that no public funds were spent to cover up such actions. That is why I have ordered a financial audit to get to the bottom of this.

Hockey Canada must explain why, despite these egregious actions, these players were in no way held accountable for their actions. Why did they face no consequences and continue on to a professional career?

The culture of silence in sport and in society has been in place for too long. It must stop and it will stop.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know that Hockey Canada is a recipient of federal funding and although we support athletes and coaches and recognize the importance of these investments, there must be accountability.

Hockey Canada paid money for these perpetrators' bad behaviour. Who is being held accountable?

If the Liberals really cared about women and children, they would have made this a priority at committee. The Liberals claim to be feminists, so why did they not prioritize this at committee?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, like all Canadians, I am disgusted by this situation, and I want to make sure that no public funds were spent to cover up such actions.

That is why I have ordered a financial audit to get to the bottom of this. Hockey Canada must explain why, despite the allegations of such egregious actions, these players faced no consequences and were allowed to continue on to a professional career.

The culture of silence must stop, and it will stop, but using this situation as an excuse to block Bill C-11 at committee is unacceptable.

Justice

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there was another shooting in the east end of Montreal last night. A woman from Rivière-des-Prairies who was sitting on her balcony went inside to hide out of fear of being shot.

The Prime Minister's proposed Bill C‑5 would get rid of mandatory minimum sentences like the one for discharging a firearm with intent.

The Prime Minister is telling us that Bill C‑5 has nothing to do with serious crimes. Is discharging a firearm with intent not a serious crime?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the level of violence caused by firearms is entirely unacceptable.

That is precisely why we introduced Bill C‑21. The Conservatives need to stop with their delay tactics and obstruction. We need to start the debate to better protect Quebeckers and all Canadians.

There are many good things, common sense measures, in this bill. We need to pass this bill to better protect all Canadians.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is talking about Bill C-21, but I am asking him about Bill C-5.

Gang crime in the streets of Montreal is currently on the rise. Gang members are walking around with their guns and showing them off to everyone. They are not afraid, because the message the Liberal government is sending is that there is no problem and that people can commit gun crimes and will not receive a minimum sentence.

Why is the government going forward with Bill C-5 when it will increase crime on the streets of Montreal?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we need a justice system that makes sure serious crimes come with serious penalties, and that is exactly what we are doing. We are increasing the maximum penalties for certain gun offences from 10 to 14 years. That means we are allowing judges to impose longer sentences on serious criminals who endanger our communities.

Based on what we are hearing from Conservatives, they will vote against Bill C-21 and against longer sentences for those criminals. We are taking a responsible approach to keeping our communities safe. The same cannot be said of the Conservative Party.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, Quebec did not wait for Ottawa and just offered the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service $6.2 million to patrol the St. Lawrence river for arms traffickers 24 hours a day.

It is a good thing that Quebec did not wait because Quebec's public safety minister informed us today that she still has not received a single cent of the money promised by Ottawa months ago.

She said that she is still waiting to sign the agreement with the federal government for the money it put on the table to have Quebec police forces address armed violence. She repeated her appeal to the minister. Where is the money?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the government has already invested $350 million in the fight against violence caused by organized crime. We have already transferred approximately $50 million for assistance and support.

We will continue to use our good communication channels to work with my counterparts, including Minister Guilbault. At the same time, we must begin debating Bill C‑21 to better protect Quebeckers. I hope that the Bloc Québécois will help us do that.

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday there were another three shootings in less than six hours in Montreal, and the Government of Quebec has said that it has not yet received the money it was promised to combat gun violence.

Quebec is putting in the work. For example, it has announced a special patrol to combat gun trafficking in Akwesasne. Ottawa, however, has not even sent Quebec the money it was promised. How shameful.

When will the government finally transfer the money it promised Quebec? Montreal has a gun problem right now, not “one day”, “maybe”, “if we have the time”, “if it is not too hot” or “if it is not raining”. The problem is now. I also want to inform the minister that this has nothing to do with Bill C‑21.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I assure my colleague and all members of the House that we are in communication with my counterpart, Minister Guilbault, about implementing these programs to prevent gun violence.

I hope that the Bloc Québécois and all members of the House will allow us to start debate on Bill C‑21, which contains several concrete measures that will help the member's community.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, a constituent of mine, Jaralaine, applied for permanent residence and a work permit under the caregiver category in April 2020, over two years ago, but IRCC stopped all caregiver applications, as they were not urgent. Now six months pregnant and diagnosed with a serious medical condition that may impact her health and that of her child, she has no health care coverage because of the government’s gross mismanagement of immigration.

Will the minister help Jaralaine and others who have come to Canada for a better life?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his sincere concern for his constituents.

With respect to caregiver programs, last year more than 4,000 permanent residents were welcomed to Canada through caregiver streams. We anticipate that this year the number will be 6,000. As I shared earlier in response to a separate question this afternoon, we are actually processing people for permanent residency faster than at any point in the history of Canada, with today being the day that 200,000 new permanent residents will have been welcomed to Canada.

I look forward to taking further questions in private after question period if the hon. member wishes to discuss specific case files.

Airline Industry

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is not just passports and airports; the government is dropping the ball everywhere.

Canadian pilots have been waiting over a year for Transport Canada to approve their category 1 medical exams. Without these medicals, aspiring pilots cannot continue their training, existing pilots cannot get relicensed and pilots on leave cannot return to work. Delays and inaction under the Liberals are grounding pilots and hurting our economy, despite the growing need for more commercial pilots.

When will these backlogs be cleared so that pilots can get back in the air and back to work?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I share my hon. colleague's frustration. I know there are many pilots waiting for their medical examinations, and Transport Canada has been putting in place new measures to expedite these applications. Our government is responding to the surge in demand for these certificates. We have taken corrective actions to ensure that we expedite these applications.

If the hon. member has a particular case that he would like to bring to my attention, I would be happy to work with him on it.

Passports

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

Mr. Speaker, Passport Canada's website was recently updated, doubling the normal processing times for passports to over two months, plus time for mail.

My question for the minister is very simple: Is nine weeks-plus an acceptable timeline for this most basic of government services?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, as I have explained to this House before, we are experiencing unprecedented volumes when it comes to passports. It is important for us to share this information with Canadians so that they can plan accordingly. We know that this is frustrating and that this is stressful for them, but ensuring that we provide transparent information is important.

When it comes to international comparisons, when we look at countries like the U.S., the U.K. or Australia, we see that they are, on average, processing passports in between nine and 11 weeks. In Sweden there is a wait time of almost 27 weeks. This is something that is happening around the world, but we are putting additional resources in place to deal with it here in Canada.

International Trade

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know that around the world, including here in Canada, supply chains are facing disruptions due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and Russia's brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Can the Minister of Transport tell this House what the government is doing to strengthen Canadian supply chains and make sure Canadians have access to these central goods they require?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague accurately stated, global and domestic supply chains are under pressure, and our government is taking action.

Budget 2022 has announced significant investment to strengthen supply chain infrastructure. I am also pleased to let my hon. colleagues know that we have established a supply chain task force that will provide our government with additional advice and recommendations. The task force is made up of experts and industry leaders, and I want to thank them for agreeing to join this task force and for their service to their country.

I look forward to working with them to make our supply chains even stronger.

Health

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' front-of-pack warning labels on ground beef and pork, something no other country in the world is doing, put our food security and our vulnerable supply chain at risk. Grocery costs are up 10% and almost a quarter of Canadian families are skipping meals because they cannot afford food, but the Liberals want to put a $2-billion bureaucratic burden on a wholesome protein, making the food affordability crisis even worse.

Are these misleading and unnecessary warning labels on a single-ingredient, wholesome food really worth the crippling cost to Canadian farmers, businesses and, most importantly, consumers?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport]

Mr. Speaker, our government is concerned about the critically high rates of chronic disease in Canada. Across the country, two in five adults report having at least one of the 10 most common chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Poor diets, including those that are really high in saturated fats, sugar and sodium are primary risks for those diseases. That is unacceptable.

Canadians deserve more information. Nutrient-specific high in front-of-package labels will allow Canadians to quickly and easily identify foods that are high in these nutrients of public health concern and make more informed, educated and healthier food choices when at the grocery store.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is poised to become the first jurisdiction in the world to self‑impose front‑of‑package labelling on ground beef and pork. These are single‑ingredient products we are talking about here. This government continues to add bureaucratic constraints that hinder our international competitiveness.

What is the government basing its decision on? When will it abandon the implementation of this ridiculous regulation?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the hon. members opposite, our government is concerned about the critically high rates of chronic disease in Canada. Across the country, two in five adults report having at least one of the 10 most common chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

A poor diet, particularly one that is high in saturated fats, sugar and sodium, is a primary risk factor for these diseases. That is unacceptable.

The “high in” nutrition label on the front of the package will allow Canadians to quickly identify—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. The hon. member for Bow River.

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the utterly nonsensical proposal for front-of-package labelling on ground beef and pork is another attack on our agriculture industry. Canada would be the first country to do this, despite already exempting other single-ingredient whole food products like dairy. Bureaucratic red tape is once again standing in the way of Canadian agri-food production.

Can the Minister of Health justify this to Canadians, or is Health Canada intent on killing off the Canadian agri-food industry?