Francesco Sorbara

[Member for Vaughan—Woodbridge, December 1st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the fine people of Vaughan—Woodbridge.

For six years, I have served the dynamic residents of Vaughan—Woodbridge. They are an inspiration for the work I do here in the House. Their perseverance and commitment to growing our community is what powers this diverse, forward-looking and vibrant community. I witnessed these qualities first-hand in my volunteers, who were more than a team as we became a family. I am grateful to every single one of them.

They all worked very hard to get me re-elected to represent them in Ottawa, because they know that now is the time to build a healthier, more inclusive and fairer Canada, in which everyone has a chance to achieve their full potential.

It is a privilege to be their strong local voice.

I am proud to represent the riding of Vaughan—Woodbridge.

We are a community that faces all challenges head-on, and we are ready to do our part in building a stronger, healthier and more prosperous Canada.

[An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19, November 26th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Windsor West and I have worked on Canada-U.S. relations. Our government, since day one, has had the backs of Canadian workers, Canadian families and Canadian employers. We will continue to do that until the end of the pandemic.

We are pivoting to more targeted measures. We have had very broad-based measures. We know that Canadians are back to work. We know that a lot of sectors have recovered, but we will continue to assist and aid those sectors that continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

[An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19, November 26th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important for our government to help all businesses across the country.

It is very important for us to help all enterprises in Canada, but also all sectors. If there are ideas within the House that need to be brought forward, obviously those should bring them forward. That has been our motto since the beginning of the pandemic. That is how we have gotten our legislation even better than on the first iteration.

Most important, this hardest-hit measure that we have put in place in Bill C-2 falls under the Canada emergency wage subsidy, which I remind all members in the House assisted 5.5 million workers and literally hundreds of thousands of firms to maintain that attachment between employer and employee.

[An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19, November 26th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member on his re-election.

With regard to Canada's economy prior to the pandemic, we had what was the lowest unemployment rate on record, with a need for more newcomers to come to Canada and for more upskilling of Canadian workers, improving their human capital. We will continue to do that.

We have recovered very quickly from the pandemic. Why? Because the programs we put in place, such as the Canada emergency wage subsidy, CEBA, CERB and programs like the regional relief and recovery fund, funds that were directed across Canada to help businesses maintain that attachment between employers and employees. We did that.

That is why we recovered faster, that is why our job market is robust and that is why we continue to attract newcomers to this country, including, I believe, a northern pilot project with IRCC that is bringing newcomers to Kenora and other parts of northern Ontario.

[An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19, November 26th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, good afternoon to you and all of my colleagues who are here in person and here virtually. I wish a happy Friday to everyone.

It is my pleasure to rise today to speak to Bill C-2, which continues to support Canadian businesses and workers from coast to coast to coast.

I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell. He is a big supporter of the agricultural community in Canada and a great friend.

I am pleased to take part in today's debate on this very important bill, Bill C-2, which would provide and continue to provide essential supports that are needed now to continue Canada's robust economic recovery from the COVID recession.

When the crisis hit, our government rapidly rolled out a full range of effective broad-based programs to support Canadians through our country's greatest economic shock since the Great Depression. Yes, we had the backs of Canadian businesses, we had the backs of Canadian workers and, most importantly, we had the backs of Canadian families. These actions were necessary and unprecedented in our lifetime.

These programs were a lifeline for workers and businesses across the country. They protected millions of jobs and helped hundreds of thousands of Canadian businesses get through the worst of the pandemic.

However, these emergency measures were always meant to be temporary to help us to get through the crisis. Fortunately, we are now entering a new phase that looks very different from the darkest moments in our fight against COVID‑19.

Thanks to one of the most successful vaccination campaigns in the world, including almost 90% in the region of York, the region I represent in my riding of Vaughan—Woodbridge, most businesses are safely reopening and employment is now back to prepandemic levels. However, we know there are still workers and businesses whose livelihoods are being affected as a result of the pandemic-related restrictions on activities. This is why it is important to pivot our support measures to more targeted measures that would provide the help where it is needed most and continue to create jobs and growth while prudently managing government spending.

I am happy to say, which I believe the Deputy Prime Minister also said, that Moody's and Standard & Poor's have reaffirmed and confirmed our country's AAA credit rating. We are only one of a few countries in the world to maintain an AAA credit rating from the rating agencies, which is great to see and is thanks to the hard work of all Canadians.

Some may wonder how we can tell we have reached a turning point in Canada's economic recovery from the COVID recession. Allow me to highlight the markers of our government's successful economic response plan that have brought us to where we are today.

Last year, in the throne speech, our government promised to create one million jobs, a goal that we reached in September of this year, when Canada recovered all of the jobs that were lost at the height of the recession caused by COVID‑19. That means three million jobs were recovered since the spring of 2022. In fact, according to the Statistics Canada labour force survey from October, the reported unemployment rate is now 6.7%, the lowest it has been since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of jobs continues to be above the prepandemic level.

In fact, Canada's job recovery rate is well ahead of that of the United States, which has recovered only 91% of the jobs it lost at the height of the pandemic.

It is a welcomed sight that we can all see the differences between this fall and the one prior. Shops and businesses are open in my riding and from coast to coast to coast. Canadians are doing their part to make sure we have a safe reopening by rolling up their sleeves to get their vaccines and following public health advice. Children, including two of my three children, are also back in school, enabling parents to fully participate in the workforce. The early learning and childhood agreements our government is putting in place, with a total of nine agreements signed to date with the provinces and territories, are already making a difference in the lives and wallets of families across this beautiful country.

We have accomplished all of this together while sticking to health restrictions that have saved lives and putting in place the necessary resources and supports Canadians and Canadian businesses needed to survive, the small local businesses in all our ridings that we have the privilege of representing.

However, as welcome as these economic markers and signs of recovery are, our government recognizes that it has been an uneven recovery and some of the necessary health measures that continue to save lives, while less restrictive than before, are still restricting some economic activity. What this means for our government is that we are entering what I hope and believe will be the final pivot in delivering the support needed to ensure a robust, inclusive and sustainable recovery that benefits all Canadians.

The service industry continues to drive economic recovery, but progress in the retail sector has been partly offset by losses in other sectors, such as the restaurant and accommodation sector. As the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance indicated in October, a number of business revenue support programs have ended now that the economy has reopened.

With this change, and through Bill C-2, which we are debating today and which I hope all opposition parties will support, we are moving from the very broad-based support, which was appropriate at the height of our lockdowns, to more targeted measures that would provide help exactly where needed. This would include extending the Canada recovery hiring program until May 2022, which would help us finish the fight against COVID-19 and continue to ensure lost jobs are recovered as quickly as possible.

For eligible employers with current revenue losses of about 10%, our government would provide a subsidy rate of 50% to enable employers to hire the staff they need to grow and thrive.

In addition, our government is proposing to deliver targeted support to businesses that are still facing significant pandemic-related challenges. Let us think about the businesses, such as the hotels in a typically busy tourist designation that has not seen a return to the usual amount of visitors as in years past, or alternatively, a curling club that is just beginning to see more patrons as public health restrictions ease and Canadians begin to engage more in the recreational activities they enjoyed prior to the crisis.

These are examples of the businesses that still need our support, this chamber's help and assistance as we push to fully recover from the COVID-19 recession.

That is why our government wants to provide support through three new programs for businesses still grappling with major pandemic-related challenges. The first is the tourism and hospitality recovery program, which would provide support to, for example, hotels, tour operators, travel agencies and restaurants with wage and rent subsidies of up to 75%.

Next is the hardest-hit business recovery program, which would provide support to other businesses that have faced deep losses, with wage and rent subsidies of up to 50%.

Last is the local lockdown program, which would provide businesses that face temporary new local lockdowns up to the maximum amount available through the wage and rent subsidy programs. These programs will be available until May 7, 2022, and the proposed subsidy rates will be in effect until March 13, 2022. From March 13 to May 7, 2022, the rates will be reduced by half.

In conclusion, the economy continues to reopen and jobs are being created. People are being vaccinated. Children from ages five to 11 are now receiving theirs, and boosters are being offered to eligible Canadians. Restrictions are carefully being eased in our communities and at our border. The time has come to adapt our income and business support measures to these better and happier circumstances.

I appreciate this opportunity to speak on Bill C-2. I hope all opposition parties will support this important legislation.

[Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees, November 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your election.

My great friend from Etobicoke—Lakeshore is a very good friend of mine. My intention is to do the good work of the residents of Vaughan—Woodbridge who voted me in for the third time. My intention is to come to Parliament as often as possible, most important, following public health guidelines and being safe. Yes, I am fully vaccinated.

[Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees, November 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend for his question. I have been practising my French.

In response to my hon. colleague from the province of Quebec, I believe it is very reasonable to have an end date of June. We continue to be in the fourth wave of this pandemic. We do not know what the future holds. We do know that Canadians from coast to coast to coast are getting vaccinated, and that is the best way to recover and move forward.

I encourage all members of the House to get vaccinated as well. I look forward to working with my hon. colleague, who I have gotten to know over the years, on future legislation, debating it and working for all Canadians.

[Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees, November 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, it is great to see my colleague from Manitoba. The riding name is quite long. I had the pleasure of working with that member on the finance committee. I welcome him back, and I congratulate him.

In the motion as written, hybrid sittings would go through until June 23, 2022. We are in the fourth wave of a pandemic. We know what is happening in Europe currently. Thankfully, Canadians from coast to coast to coast are receiving their vaccinations, disclosing that, ensuring the safety of their families and friends, and allowing them to get back to work.

We are getting back to work. It is so great to be here. I love being in the House of Commons. It is a privilege for myself and for the people who supported me, and I thank them.

The motion would allow individuals who may be exposed to COVID, who do need that flexibility to have it. In case members do get COVID, they would be able to work from home during that time. Hopefully they would be all right and would be able to come to work safety.

[Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees, November 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, it is great to rise in the 44th Parliament and to be back here in the House of Commons.

Three hundred and thirty-eight Canadians are elected to represent their constituents from coast to coast to coast and this is my third time being sent here to Parliament to represent the wonderful, innovative, entrepreneurial and very generous residents of Vaughan—Woodbridge as one of the three MPs in the city of Vaughan. I wish to thank them for placing their trust, faith and hope in sending me here. It is a real honour to serve them, and I commit to them to do the best that I can to represent their interests here in Parliament and to be their strong, local voice.

Before I begin commenting on the motion in front of us, I also wish to thank my wife, Rose, my daughters Eliana and Natalia, and my six-week-old daughter Leia, who came into this world with God's blessing as quite a surprise for our family, probably the best surprise any family can have. I am not up to speed with the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, as that member is up to number five. I think we will be stopping at three.

Nonetheless, on to the motion at hand. The last 18 months have been trying for Canadians. We represent Canadians and it has been trying because lives have been disrupted. Lives have been lost in all of our constituencies across Canada.

We are recovering. I want to thank the residents of York region where, as of tonight, 88.2% of residents 12 years and older are fully vaccinated. I applaud them for heeding public health advice. I applaud them for doing the right thing. If they can do that, I encourage all members of Parliament here this evening, all the ones who have come and are so happy to be back seeing their colleagues and their friends, to please get vaccinated. It is the right thing to do. Canadians are doing it. My residents are doing it, and that is the way we will return to normal.

I am pleased to participate in debate on this reasonable and pragmatic motion. We are considering an important matter, which is whether to adapt the proceedings of this House to allow members to participate either in the chamber or by video conference. The context for the motion is one that we have been living with for more than 18 months. The pandemic has affected our lives, our work in Parliament and our work in our constituencies. This is in addition to the impact on Canadians and Canadian businesses. Canadians have responded by respecting the guidance given by our public health officials: maintaining physical distancing, wearing masks, adopting new handwashing habits, and staying home and self-isolating when they have symptoms, when they have come into contact with someone who tested positive or when they have tested positive themselves.

Our high vaccination rates, combined with these public health measures, have allowed us to make significant progress in protecting ourselves from COVID-19 and contributed to the economic recovery from the pandemic. Yes, we have met our target for a million jobs, and yes, we will create hundreds of thousands more in the months ahead.

Today we have an opportunity to advance the fight against COVID-19 in our workplace, this House, which all 338 of us have the privilege to serve. Today we have an opportunity to do such a thing.

This motion would adapt our proceedings to protect not only members, but also the people who support us every day in this House: our staff, the House of Commons administration and the parliamentary protective service. Having the option to participate remotely means that members who are exposed to the virus or who test positive can still participate in House proceedings while they self-isolate, which is very pragmatic and very reasonable.

This is a reasonable and pragmatic motion that ensures that all members are able to participate in the deliberations of this House. It builds on the decisions of this House in the 43rd Parliament. In the last Parliament, this House chose to adapt its procedures, practices and technology in response to public health guidance. Eventually, the House was conducting all regular business in hybrid sittings. This allowed all members to fully participate in proceedings either in person or via video conferencing while respecting public health guidance. These changes were implemented incrementally as the extent of the pandemic became clear, and as technological and procedural solutions were developed.

There were four distinct phases in the House’s response to the pandemic in the 43rd Parliament.

First, in March 2020, there was considerable uncertainty about the extent of the pandemic and how long it would take to get COVID-19 under control.

The first phase of adaptations began on March 13, 2020, when the House decided to adjourn until April 20, 2020, and cancel all committee meetings due to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.

When the House was recalled, it sat with a reduced number of members in the chamber, in proportion to party standings, to allow for physical distancing to keep our members safe.

On March 24, the House began to adapt is proceedings to provide for parliamentary accountability during the pandemic. The House held a modified question period, where members could ask questions on the pandemic for up to five minutes over the course of an hour. Arrangements for a modified question period were continued each time the House sat until the end of the session.

The House also authorized the health committee and the finance committee to meet on matters related to the pandemic and the government’s response. I had the honour of also participating in the finance committee at that time.

The committees were granted authority to meet virtually. This was the first use of technology to support the remote participation of members during the pandemic.

Further, the House could only be recalled to consider legislation to respond to COVID-19. This measure would continue through the spring and summer of 2020.

Later in the spring, the government shared draft legislation with opposition parties in advance of its introduction, to obtain unanimous consent for motions to expedite passage of these bills to assist Canadian workers and to assist Canadian businesses. The duration of the pandemic became more apparent and further technological and procedural adaptations were agreed to and implemented.

In these early days, we came together in a team Canada approach, and I emphasize that for all sides of the House, to provide support for Canadians and business. I hope members can come together in the same way to support the important measures that the government is proposing to address in this phase of the pandemic.

In early April 2020, the government recognized the need for additional adaptations to allow the House to exercise parliamentary accountability, while respecting public health guidance. This is why the former government House leader wrote the Speaker to seek advice and assistance on the capacity for House administration to support virtual sittings.

When the House met on April 11, 2020, it adopted a motion to instruct the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to examine how members could fulfill their parliamentary duties while the House stood adjourned due to the public health concerns caused by the pandemic, a pandemic that is not over yet.

The procedure and House affairs committee tabled two reports on this issue that provided invaluable guidance to the House as it developed and implemented further adaptations.

To support ongoing parliamentary accountability, the House expanded the number of committees authorized to meet virtually. By the end of the session, there were nine standing committees meeting virtually to examine COVID-19, the government’s response to the pandemic and other matters. I had the honour of sitting on two of those committees, plus assisting on finance.

On April 20, 2020, the House took a remarkable step in adapting its procedures, practices and technology. On that day, the House established the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic. All members of the House were members of the special committee.

The special committee held 25 meetings from late April to mid-June. These included in-person, virtual and hybrid meetings. These were the first hybrid and virtual proceedings in the chamber during the pandemic. The House also agreed to hold four hybrid summer sittings with modified order of business.

The special committee meetings and summer sittings adapted many elements of regular House business in a virtual or hybrid format. This included debate, question period, statements by ministers, statements by members, tabling of documents and presenting petitions electronically.

These adaptations had benefits that supported parliamentary accountability and the role of members. The modified question periods during the special committee, the summer sittings and other sittings were longer than regular question period and allowed members to ask questions for up to five minutes. As a result, opposition members were able to ask over 80% more questions than if the House had held regular question periods during the spring of 2020.

[Canada Revenue Agency, June 21st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, our government will continue to work to end discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and disability. The CRA monitors the operations of registered charities and ensures compliance through a balanced program of client service, education and responsible enforcement, including audits to protect the integrity of the charitable sector.

The CRA does not select registered charities for audit based on any particular faith or denomination. The Minister of National Revenue does not instruct the CRA to begin audits, nor does the minister intervene in audits that are under way.