Justin Trudeau

[COVID-19 Emergency Response, November 18th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.

We are also very concerned about this situation. The pandemic is harder on the most vulnerable. That is why we have been there all along to support women, young people and minority communities. We will continue to support them.

I thank all the members who have pointed out that we need to do more for certain communities. We will continue to invest to get everyone through this pandemic and to ensure that the world is a better place when the crisis is over.

[Digital Services, November 18th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Beaches—East York for his tireless advocacy on this important file.

To be competitive and to recover from the effects of this pandemic, our economy must harness the power of data while at the same time protecting the privacy of Canadians. Canadians deserve more control and greater transparency over how companies handle their personal information. This is why we are proud to introduce the consumer privacy protection act, which would establish Canada as a global leader in protecting digital privacy.

[Health, November 18th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we have made many investments in mental health. We have made many investments in programs that offer supports, from Kids Help Phone to the United Way to others. We are happy to work with all members of the House on something, yes, indeed, we can all agree on. We need better supports and we look forward to working with members to figure out exactly what that is and how we can get it delivered to Canadians.

[Health, November 18th, 2020]

Yes, Mr. Speaker, we are committed to working together to figure out how to best serve Canadians suffering from mental health challenges. In the very beginning, in 2015, we brought in record investments to the provinces on mental health.

We have continued to work, including during this pandemic, on increasing the funding for Kids Help Phone by $7.5 million, by reaching out to the United Way to help it provide more services, but we are always happy to do more.

I look forward to working with the hon. member on this issue and making sure we are getting the very best help to Canadians that we possibly can.

[Health, November 18th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we need to be there for Canadians when they need us the most. Canadians deserve access to mental health services regardless of where they live or when they need help.

We are having discussions with partners on how we can help more people get the access to the help they need. We are open to having discussions about a consolidated hotline. We will work with members of the House on how we can continue to support Canadians through this pandemic and beyond.

This pandemic has exposed many challenges in our society that we will continue to fix, not just for now but for the years forward as well.

[Telecommunications, November 18th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Miramichi—Grand Lake, who is absolutely right.

Canadians rely on the Internet to help them connect to resources and loved ones. That is why we announced a $1.75-billion investment to give all Canadians access to high-speed Internet. That will connect nearly 400,000 more households to high-speed Internet, particularly in rural areas. This is the biggest federal investment of its kind, and it will really make a difference in people's lives.

[Official Languages, November 18th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party has missed yet another opportunity to defend the French fact.

The leader of the Conservative Party rose in the House to answer my question as to whether he would promise to appoint only bilingual judges to the Supreme Court in the future. He did not make that promise.

Let me be clear: It is not the Conservative Party that will be there to defend francophones or the French fact in Canada. As always, it is Liberal governments that will do so.

[Official Languages, November 18th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party and the Liberal government will always defend our two official languages.

I am giving my hon. colleague an opportunity to affirm that the Conservative Party will only appoint judges who speak French to the Supreme Court in the future. I have made this promise as Prime Minister, and the Liberal Party of Canada has made that commitment.

Will the Conservative Party only appoint bilingual judges to the Supreme Court in the future, yes or no?

[Official Languages, November 18th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the member apologized for her comments.

We will always be there to protect the French language. We will always be there to protect the French fact in Quebec and across the country. It is this government that has always been there to protect linguistic minorities. We have always recognized how important it is to have a bilingual country. For Canada to be bilingual, Quebec must first and foremost be francophone. That is exactly what we are fighting for.

We will take no lessons from the Conservative Party, which has always attacked the rights of Canada's francophones.

[Public Services and Procurement, November 18th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I know that some people watching this question period might be worried that there is a tremendous shortage of medical equipment or personal protective equipment. I can assure the House and Canadians who are watching.

Over the past few days alone, the following products have been delivered to the provinces and territories: more than 5.2 million N95 masks, more than three million surgical masks and more than one million gowns. We will continue to deliver the necessary equipment to the provinces and territories and to all Canadians in the country during this pandemic.