Alexandre Boulerice

[Proceedings of the House and Committees, May 25th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech.

That said, I am a little offended by her comments suggesting that we come back to the House as though it were business as usual. There have been some 4,000 deaths in Quebec.

Is it not the responsibility of elected officials, the representatives of the people, to lead by example, to listen to public health advice, to avoid bringing 300 or 330 MPs together in the House, and instead adapt our behaviour and our work to the current crisis? I do not understand the Conservative Party's position on this.

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I am just not sure that I would describe the health care system as “these things”. It is much more important than that.

My colleague did raise an important question, however. Compared to many other countries, such as South Korea, it seems that Canada did not really learn anything from SARS. After the 2003 epidemic, an advisory committee recommended a control fund, but the fund was never fully funded. I would like to point out that my colleague's party did not fund it either even though it was in power for eight years, including at that time.

In addition, I think we need to do more to make our medical equipment here and make enough of it to keep health workers safe. There will be a reckoning soon enough, but it is already clear to me that not enough was done in terms of preparation over the past few years.

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, in this exceptional crisis that we are all going through together, I think all the parties have had a role to play to varying degrees. We in the NDP have always said we are not just a party that opposes; we are also a party that proposes. Obviously, we are never totally satisfied. There are still so many people who are suffering and not getting assistance. However, we made a few proposals that were heard, including the $2,000 monthly benefit, the 75% wage subsidy and making the wage subsidy available to community groups and NPOs, as well. We made a few similar proposals that have meant we are helping more and more people. We proposed that self-employed workers and part-time workers should be able to access this universal benefit, even if they still have a little bit of income. That was not the case at first, but a change was made.

I would like to draw the government's attention to two minor proposals that could make a real difference for many people. I know the Minister of Canadian Heritage has announced some targeted investments for the cultural sector and for artists. I would simply like to take this opportunity to ask him to not forget all the groups and artists who have been making investments for months or years thinking they would go on tour, make an album or create an exhibition, or because they were preparing for a festival. Obviously, most of the festivals planned for this summer have been cancelled, and perhaps this fall's festivals, too. All those activities are a write-off. I think we should be taking losses related to those investments into account and coming up with a plan to help the cultural sector. I just wanted to propose that.

As for community groups, they are eligible for the 75% wage subsidy, which is good, but it can be hard for them to prove a loss of revenue, given that they do not operate the same way as an SME. Furthermore, in a crisis, they receive more donations and government grants than usual. Under such circumstances, their needs are immense, but they may not qualify for the wage subsidy, because demonstrating a loss of revenue is not as easy for them as it is for a private company. This issue is worthy of attention, because groups in our communities have been delivering outstanding services lately. I am thinking in particular of food banks and services delivering food to people who are elderly or isolated. Those are two small things, but they can make a big difference for many people in our communities.

I know I do not have much time left, but there is one more point I would like to raise. It is the impact of successive cuts, year after year, to provincial health transfers. As a result of these cuts, our public health system is underfunded, which has put a colossal burden on the provinces, and this has contributed to the tendency to privatize services and take shortcuts. For instance, orderlies are asked to cover two floors instead of one, and nurses are forced to work overtime. Our public health care system has been weakened and diminished. Today, as our health care system is put to the test, that fact has become all too plain.

I would like to set the record straight right now. Federal transfers to the provinces went up by 6% per year for a 10-year period while there was an agreement with the provinces. The previous Conservative government made cuts. The calculation is a bit complicated, but transfer payments now go up by about 3% per year. That is a net loss for the provinces, and it means they have to shoulder much of the burden. According to our calculations, that means the provinces will have $36 billion less with which to provide good health care services to people over a period of 10 years. Unfortunately, the Liberal government stuck with the Conservative government's decision.

I think one of the lessons to be learned from this crisis is that we cannot allow the provinces to bear the burden of the entire health care system by themselves. The federal government needs to give them a hand. Health care funding used to be shared fifty-fifty within Canada. That balance is no more. We need to listen to the provinces and increase health care transfers.

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I have a quick question for the member for La Prairie. I appreciated his tirade against tax havens. I think we agree on this aspect of social justice.

I would like to hear his thoughts on assistance for SMEs. We want the government to put more pressure on banks and to do more than simply asking them to be nice and consider suspending mortgages. I imagine that commercial rent is starting to become a big problem in his riding, as it is in ours.

Will the member work with us on this?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 20th, 2020]

Madam Chair, I recently heard quite a troubling story.

The person who told the story does not qualify for the CERB. He is unemployed, and he does not qualify for employment insurance either. He lives on social assistance. He gets $700 per month, and rent costs him $600. He has $100 left to live on every month. Luckily, he has friends and family. If the benefit were universal, he would not be in that situation.

There is something else that can be done, something else we have been asking for. The federal government could suspend mortgage payments. That would provide relief to this individual's landlord, and then a temporary suspension or reduction of rent payments could be negotiated, thus enabling the individual to buy groceries.

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 20th, 2020]

Madam Chair, what I understand is that they are turning a blind eye.

This system is legal and they will not touch it, even though they have the opportunity to do so, and as we have seen in other jurisdictions, this would be the time and the opportunity to do so.

There is a whole group that has been somewhat left out right now, and that is students. We know that the NDP has been talking about them a lot lately. The needs are in fact starting to become dire. Some people are having trouble paying their bills. Obviously, if the Canada emergency response benefit had been universal, the problem would have been solved right from the start. That is not the case right now, and I want to pass on a fairly simple request.

One of the criteria to qualify for the CERB is having made at least $5,000 in the last 12 months. If scholarships or loans and bursaries counted as eligible income for students toward the $5,000, this would solve the problem for thousands of people.

Is the government considering this solution?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 20th, 2020]

Madam Chair, the crisis that we are going through also presents opportunities for transformation and profound change. Everyone is working hard and pitching in to find solutions and get through this together. Of course, I am thinking of those who work in the health, agriculture and food industries, as well as truckers, among others.

Everyone is making an effort, except for a few big corporations that cheat and do not pay their fair share. They hide their millions and their profits in the Cayman Islands or Barbados. These big tax havens are costing us billions of dollars at a time when we are in dire need of these resources to be able to provide services and fund all these new programs.

There are people who have set up small parallel systems and do not pay their taxes in Canada. The good news today is that two countries, Denmark and Poland, have announced that no company that hides its profits and millions of dollars in tax havens will get any help from the government. The NDP believes that this makes sense in the current circumstances.

My question is simple. If Denmark and Poland are able to do it, why would Canada not be able to do it too?

[Taxation, April 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, sometimes, the best solutions are the simplest ones. We are all working incredibly hard to get through this crisis. We are investing billions of dollars to help people and businesses.

Poland and Denmark just had the brilliant idea to make companies that are registered in tax havens ineligible for public assistance. Companies that cheat and do not pay their fair share should not receive our assistance.

Is the government prepared to follow this example?

[Health, April 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, an article on Ricochet reveals troubling information about errors made and the lack of pandemic preparedness.

SARS hit in 2003, but the government does not seem to have learned anything from that experience. On the other side of the world, South Korea had what it needed. They tested all their people. They had masks for everyone. Here, we are still scrambling for equipment. As a result, Quebec's death rate is 23 times higher than South Korea's.

What steps will the government take to provide protective equipment to health workers?

[Proceedings of the House and Committees, April 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and for having raised these concerns.

I am the heritage critic. Montreal is home to a vast number of artists and a truly vibrant cultural scene. However, that community is getting hit hard by the crisis we are all currently experiencing. There have been announcements, but no details. A number of people have told me they were planning on organizing festivals this summer and have already invested money on that. They are asking me whether they will be reimbursed if the festivals cannot be held. Furthermore, many artists are not eligible for the CERB.

I therefore have many questions for the Minister of Canadian Heritage. However, I do not want to endanger my constituents or family members by inappropriately travelling to a given place for a sitting. Is there a reason why I could not ask my questions to the minister by video conference? He could simply answer me in the time normally allotted to him.