Jennifer O'Connell

[Business of Supply, April 29th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague spoke about border restrictions, so I would like to ask her if she agrees with and supports the following tweet from the Conservative health critic, who is also the drafter of the motion before us. On March 7, she tweeted a clapping emoji and “Well done” in response to a group challenging the government's border measures and trying to eliminate mandatory quarantining.

The member spoke about the need for strong border measures. Does she condone the type of Twitter rhetoric that the Conservative health critic put online? Will she ask the health critic to remove it and support strong border measures? Maybe this is just the Conservatives talking out of both sides of their mouths on the issue.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response, April 23rd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, we have been serious since day one. In fact, our measures at the border are some of the strongest.

No matter the country of origin, travellers must submit to a test prior to boarding and when they land. There is also a mandatory quarantine, and then additional testing after, when they continue their 14-day quarantine. As a result, these measures are working.

I would also like to point out that the health critic for the Conservatives actually supports releasing strong measures at the border. Does this member agree with her?

[Health, April 23rd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Scarborough—Agincourt for this important question. On a personal note, her strong advocacy has had a real impact on this policy, and I thank her for that.

She is absolutely right that we need to protect those living and working in long-term care. Our seniors built this country. They deserve safe and quality care, and to be treated with dignity.

That is why, in budget 2021, we provided $3 billion to create national standards for long-term care. We are going to work with provinces and territories to create these national standards. We need to make permanent changes to ensure this never occurs again.

[Health, April 23rd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, we are grateful, and implore more community partnerships to help ensure even more Canadians are vaccinated. We are absolutely committed to working with provinces and territories to ensure that essential workers are vaccinated and prioritized. We will continue to advocate for that.

We also are open and willing to work with additional partners who can help us because we know vaccines are an important part of stopping the spread and we thank our essential workers for their hard work.

[Taxation, April 23rd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, we are eternally grateful for our health care workers in this country during this difficult time, and we have committed to supporting health care workers as they help fight the third wave.

We will do everything it takes to support them during this time, and we are eternally grateful. We are committed to making sure that these health care workers get the support they need.

[Health, April 23rd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, it is important to know that Canada is actually in the top three in the G20 regarding the administration of vaccines. It is also important to know that Canadians have worked hard to stop the spread of COVID. However, there is still more work to be done, which means we have to continue to follow public health measures to ensure that Canadians are kept safe.

In my home province of Ontario, we are seeing the spread of the variants, and I want to thank health care workers for the incredible work they do. We need to support them and ensure that Canada can get a hold on this crisis.

[Health, April 23rd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, when it comes to protecting Canadians, we have stepped up every single step of the way. We have taken measures to protect Canadians and put in place some of the strictest border measures around the world, and yesterday was no exception. This shows that we are committed to continuing to act, to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes. We are going to get through this third wave together because Canadians are committed to doing so.

[Natural Resources, April 22nd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, once again, let us point out the facts.

Let us use the example of U.S. and Canada. We have more than 70 pipelines and 30-odd transmission lines that connect us. We are each other's top energy supplier in virtually every energy source, including oil, gas and hydroelectricity. In doing this, we are partners in energy security. As well, we are making sure that families on both sides of the border can heat and light their homes, and that we can power industries and keep workers employed.

We are absolutely committed to making sure that we can build our partnerships and create good jobs at home. At the same time, we are ensuring that we protect the environment and live up to our climate change commitments.

[Natural Resources, April 22nd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, let me start off by saying that the member opposite is completely wrong. Our government actually pushed for and supported a different outcome when it came to the Keystone XL pipeline. We are working with the Biden administration to support our energy workers and our energy sector.

We also made clear to the Alberta government of the day that we would continue to be there to support affected workers, families and communities, just as we have had their backs through the shock of the last year, the global price war and on the heels of the pandemic. However, we now have a responsibility to these workers and to all Canadians to build on our relationship with Canada's number one energy customer.

It is important for us to focus on three areas. I will use the example of Canada and the U.S., where our interests are intertwined, to get to the point of the member's question, which is in regard to making sure that Canada is not left behind. First, both governments are determined to work together to, for example, defeat COVID and build our economies back. This will include working with the energy sector, ensuring it is part of the recovery and is prepared to play a role in the energy transformation.

The second area is climate. President Biden has declared this crisis a national security concern, and once again wants the United States to be our ally in this. We have already proven that with a robust climate policy in place in Canada, which is supported by Canadian industry, including many senior oil patch executives. We saw evidence today of the special bond Canada shares with the U.S. on climate policy.

Third is economic integration. The Canada-U.S. relationship goes far beyond single projects. In fact, we are one of the world's most productive and mutually beneficial bilateral relationships. Our entrepreneurs and innovators, as we fully acknowledge, already co-operate on finding clean tech breakthroughs in areas like carbon capture. Our auto industries have been deeply integrated for generations. Energy is at the epicentre of this partnership, supporting many thousands of jobs out west and across the country.

Canada happens to be the largest and most secure foreign source of energy for the United States. Those sources include crude oil, natural gas, hydroelectricity and uranium. Our experts matter to Americans. We can provide carbon-free and affordable hydroelectricity to millions of American homes.

It is not only this innovation, but also our acknowledgement of climate change, that will ensure that as Canadians, we will have energy sector workers' backs. We will be there to support them.

[Health, April 22nd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for raising the concerns of travel agents. I too have heard these concerns, and they are precisely why the budget that was announced this week by the Minister of Finance focused on those who have been adversely affected or most affected during the pandemic, including women. In fact, our budget addressed this head-on.

There are a number of supports for affected sectors, as I said, including for women in particular, who we know have been hit hard. I encourage the member opposite to support this budget and support the funding and the recovery we are going to provide to his constituents and Canadians all across this country.