Justin Trudeau

[Health, October 21st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we are continuing to focus on delivering for Canadians in this pandemic, on keeping Canadians safe.

The members of the opposition have brought forward a motion that is clearly of non-confidence in this House, and they will then need to decide whether they want to continue to work collaboratively in this House, or not. That is the choice they get to face.

On this side of the House, we are not interested in an election. We are dealing with Canadians. We are delivering for them every single day. The choice is up to the opposition.

[Public Safety, October 21st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her advocacy on behalf of her constituents.

Too many people have been victimized by online hate, and we have seen the results of this too many times. That is why, yesterday, we announced over $700,000 in funding to YWCA Canada to examine hate speech trends while developing online tools and digital literacy training for young Canadians.

We are also working toward establishing requirements for social media platforms to remove such hatred within a reasonable time or be held accountable. We are working together to address harm caused by online hate.

[Health, October 21st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, from the beginning we have worked with scientists and health experts, and we know full well that Elections Canada has continued to work to ensure we are able to hold an election in a safe way.

We do not want an election, and the choice is up to the opposition parties whether they want to keep working productively and constructively in Parliament or not. That is what they are facing as a choice, and that is what we will see shortly.

[Aviation Industry, October 21st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, as a government we have been squarely focused on the safety and security of Canadians. Now, we have seen other parties and other leaders not be as responsible in terms of doing the things that are protecting from the spread of COVID-19, but we will continue to ensure that what we do in terms of closing the borders and keeping Canadians safe is always top of mind.

Yes we are there to support small businesses and large, we are there to support workers, and we will continue to, but we will always make our decisions based on protecting Canadians from this pandemic first and foremost.

[Aviation Industry, October 21st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that many sectors have been extremely hard hit by this pandemic, particularly the airline sector, among others. That is why the wage subsidy has helped the airline industry with over $1.1 billion in support.

We will continue to work to support our airlines as we go through this difficult situation. We know we need to have a strong airline industry once we come through this pandemic. That is what we are focused on. We continue to work with partners. We continue to support workers across this country. We will ensure that Canada stays a strong leader in airlines and aeronautics.

[Ethics, October 21st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of this pandemic, we have been working with all parties in the House to “deliver the goods”. We delivered the CERB, the Canada emergency wage subsidy, personal protective equipment and testing supplies. We delivered by supporting the safe restart of classes for our students. We worked very closely with the provinces. We will continue to work with all members of the House to support Canadians. The opposition must make a choice.

Do opposition members want to continue working productively or not?

[Ethics, October 21st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I understand why the Bloc wants an election so badly. For the past six or seven months, the federal government has been delivering the goods, literally, for Quebeckers, helping Quebec families, Quebec workers and small businesses. It has been working in partnership with the Government of Quebec.

We will continue to support Quebeckers. It cannot be easy, politically speaking, for the Bloc to see a federal government doing so much good for so many Quebeckers.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 21st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, for 21 years, since the Marshall decision, federal governments of all different stripes have made progress on resolving this issue and recognizing the inherent rights of Mi'kmaq first nations fishers. We will continue to do so.

A number of years ago, our minister of fisheries from Beauséjour moved forward on strong agreements with the Mi'kmaq. We are continuing to move forward constructively and productively, not to solve this with just a band-aid but to solve this issue once and for all, in partnership with the Mi'kmaq and all people of Nova Scotia.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 21st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, obviously we strongly condemn the acts of violence, racism and threats we have seen in Nova Scotia. I have to be clear: For productive conversations to continue, we need to fully implement this right, so the violence must end.

We will continue to work with both first nations and industry leadership to find a path forward, ensuring a safe, productive and sustainable fishery for all harvesters. The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations will be appointing a special representative very soon to continue fostering further dialogue between commercial harvesters and first nations. We will continue our discussions with the Mi'kmaq, nation to nation.

[Health, October 21st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, in our country and in our robust democracy, there are systems governing elections. Elections Canada is doing the work to ensure that when there is an election, whether that is in three weeks or three years, all will be ready despite the pandemic. We have confidence in our institutions, and Canadians can have confidence in their institutions.

What the opposition parties must do is decide if they wish to continue collaborating and working constructively in the House, yes or no.