Randeep Sarai

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, October 6th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, there is a lot of work to be done on the indigenous file. We have done a lot in the last five years, whether it was for language or water advisories. I think there are only five or so water advisories remaining, and over 140 have been taken away. However, there is a lot more work to do.

I live in a riding with one of the largest urban indigenous populations in the Lower Mainland, and I continue to see the challenges they face, including the residential school system's intergenerational trauma. There is a lot of work to be done there. We recently saw what happened to an indigenous person who was in a hospital awaiting treatment and how the individual was treated. This is unacceptable, and I will support any legislation and efforts we can make to improve their health, well-being, way of life and standard of living.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, October 6th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, it is the entrepreneurial spirit of Canadians that has built Canada. It is the entrepreneurs in small and medium-sized businesses and Canadians who have stepped up in this pandemic, whether it was to make PPE, to help neighbours or to help those who were quarantined by getting them necessary supplies, medicine and food. Seniors who wanted to help took out their old sewing machines and made masks for non-profits that could not afford them or avail themselves of them. Distilleries, as I said, stopped production to make sure that Canada had enough hand sanitizer.

The resilience of Canadian entrepreneurs is world renowned, and during this pandemic it was shown in flying colours. I want to thank all of them today.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, October 6th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, before I begin I want to let you know that I will be sharing my time with the member for Winnipeg North.

It is a pleasure to be here today, virtually from Surrey, B.C., during these extraordinary times. I am honoured to have this opportunity to speak on the Speech from the Throne.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the world as we know it. We find ourselves with the remarkable opportunity to make our country, and our world, a better place than it was before. We have the opportunity to build back better, to make sure Canadians have the support and resources they need to feel safe and to get through anything that may arise in the coming months and years. By making sure we support Canadians today and tomorrow, we are ensuring the success of our great country. The four pillars of the Speech from the Throne lay a road map for just that.

The last few months have been an incredible challenge in so many ways, but we have come far since the beginning of the pandemic. As we begin to see signs of the second wave in parts of the country, we need to remain vigilant. We must all continue to do our part by listening to the expert advice of our public health officials, keeping our social circles small, physically distancing from each other, wearing masks when keeping a two-metre distance from others is not possible, and practising good hand hygiene.

Canada fared well in the first wave. Our hospitals did not become overwhelmed, and individuals did their part by staying home. We were able to keep our case numbers manageable compared with many other countries around the world. We know so much more about the spread of the virus now than we did in the early days of the pandemic. We know how important testing and contact tracing are. My incredibly hard-working and dedicated colleagues and their teams have been working around the clock to make sure that Canadians have access to PPE, testing kits and, in the future, vaccines.

So far we have approved 36 tests, including two that are point-of-care, to help with rapid testing in specific populations, such as rural and remote communities. The Vaccine Task Force is helping the government with the procurement of new vaccine candidates. Just last week, Health Canada announced that it had received its first submission for authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Half of our country's PPE needs are now being manufactured domestically, compared with nearly none a few months ago. We saw incredible resourcefulness and innovation across the country. Breweries and distilleries have restructured to make hand sanitizer, clothing companies are making gowns and face masks, and sporting goods companies are making face shields. In my own community, Surrey-based Central City Brewers and Distillers began producing hand sanitizer.

We have been working closely with the provinces and territories from the outset to acquire PPE, making sure Canadians and businesses had the support they needed to weather the storm. Over the summer, our government announced the $19 billion safe restart agreement with the provinces, and an additional $2 billion for the safe return to class fund.

We are working hard to restore employment levels to what they were pre-pandemic. We created one million new jobs before, and we will do it again. However, we know that, even with the continued positive news from recent labour force surveys and the return of many jobs, there are still a lot of Canadians without work who continue to struggle. Nearly nine million Canadians received support from the Canada emergency response benefit and 3.5 million were supported by the Canada emergency wage subsidy. I know from speaking with many of my constituents in Surrey Centre that these benefits, and the measures introduced earlier on, were vital to them.

To help Canadians return to the workforce, we will create direct investments in the social sector and infrastructure, immediate training to quickly skill up workers, and incentives for employers to retain workers. This will be vital to our energy sector workers as we transition to a greener and more sustainable economy so we are able to meet our environmental goals and slow climate change.

We also know that youth across the country have had a particularly challenging time, facing the loss of job prospects. We will scale up the youth employment strategy to create more jobs for young people.

While we work to return these jobs to address the continued needs of Canadians, we have begun transitioning many Canadians back to an expanded EI and have created the new Canada recovery benefit, Canada recovery caregiver benefit and Canada recovery sickness benefit.

We have also extended the wage subsidy until next summer so employers can keep their employees on the payroll. My community has many small and medium-sized businesses that have been relying on the wage subsidy, the Canada emergency business account and the business credit availability program to keep afloat.

To further assist small and medium-sized businesses, we recently announced $600 million in addition to the $962 million in funding already allocated for the regional relief and recovery fund. This funding will especially help industries related to events and tourism, including banquet halls, caterers and hotels in Surrey.

We continue to work with local organizations that know the needs of their communities best. Recently, the Surrey Board of Trade received $50,000 in funding for business economic recovery services, and SurreyCares Community Foundation has been distributing thousands of dollars in grants to local organizations through the federal emergency community support fund.

The pandemic has shone a spotlight on the inequalities in our country. Women, especially low-income women and women of colour, have been hit hard by job losses. They have left jobs to care for their children or relatives, or are more likely to be working on the front lines in low-wage positions. We will be creating the action plan for women in the economy to make sure that the gains women have fought so hard for, socially and politically, do no reverse. We know the importance and benefits of having equal representation in our workforce.

Throughout the course of the pandemic, we have been assisting parents with child care support, including the additional $300-per-child payment as part of the Canada child benefit. We will continue to give parents access to affordable, high-quality and inclusive child care. We know this is needed in order to make sure that women have the opportunity to get back to work.

We can no longer say we did not know. We know the struggles faced by Canadians. There has been grief and worry, and our government will continue to address the needs of our most vulnerable. These gaps in our social system need to be closed. In 2020, it is unacceptable that we continue to have members of our communities being left behind.

We will build our communities back stronger and more resilient than before by investing in infrastructure like public transit, energy efficient retrofits, clean energy, rural broadband and affordable housing, particularly for indigenous peoples and northern communities.

For seniors, we will continue to work with the provinces and territories to set new national standards for long-term care so seniors get the best support possible. We will also ensure those who mistreat and neglect seniors will be penalized, by working with Parliament to change the Criminal Code.

The disability inclusion plan will include a new benefit modelled around the GIS and create a better process to determine eligibility for government disability programs and benefits. Our government has been committed to achieving national, universal pharmacare and we will be working with the provinces and territories to ensure we move quickly to create it.

We also know the inequalities we are seeing in our society are not only a result of the coronavirus pandemic. They have much deeper roots in systemic racism and discrimination. Visible minorities in Canada are hurting, and have been hurting for years.

We are committed to walking the shared path of reconciliation with indigenous peoples by accelerating work on the national action plan and on the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, as well as continuing to close the infrastructure gap in indigenous communities and working on a distinctions basis with first nations, Inuit and the Métis nation to accelerate the government’s 10-year commitment.

We will continue to support racialized Canadians. The Parliamentary Black Caucus has championed these rights, and their advocacy is reflected in the Speech from the Throne. The Black entrepreneurship program will ensure that those who face systemic racism and discrimination have access to tools for economic empowerment and increase the diversity in procurement. There is still a lot work to do, but we are moving in the right direction.

We have seen how coming together in the House and in our communities has benefited Canadians. We are still very much in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, and now is not the time to let our guard down. Cynicism and fear did not get us through the first wave and it will not get us through the second. The only way forward is through working together.

Most encouraging, though, is all the organizations that have contributed to a team Canada style support for their neighbours. Here in Surrey, Kiran Saluja and her volunteers at the Sewing Army, an organization of 18 seniors, made over 15,000 masks from their homes and gave them to non-profits and those in need.

From—

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, October 1st, 2020]

Madam Speaker, right now we are dealing with one of the most unprecedented challenges that has ever faced the world or Canada. I appreciate the hon. member's comments on the environment, and I can assure him that we will look for his support to make sure that we implement our environmental agenda.

[Homelessness, September 29th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, in my urban community of Surrey Centre, we have seen the impacts of COVID-19 that have reached some of the most vulnerable Canadians, those living without a place to call home. Our government took quick action at the beginning of the pandemic to ensure that cities and non-profits had the resources they needed to keep homeless Canadians safe during this challenging time. I have heard that more support is needed.

Could the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development please update the House on measures being taken to protect those living in homelessness from a potential second wave of COVID-19?

[Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act, March 10th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I think the answer is yes. I think that former leaders of that party were part of the actual negotiation. The former leader was part of it and a former prime minister has been quoted saying it is a really good deal.

Let me quote what some of the other Conservative premiers in this country have said, such as, “A signed USMCA trade deal is good news for Saskatchewan and Canada." The Conservatives' wonderful Jason Kenney, the Premier of Alberta, said he is “relieved that a renewed North American trade agreement has been concluded.” Former leader Rona Ambrose was part of the negotiation. I think I have already quoted a former prime minister from the 1980s who concluded the first free trade negotiation and NAFTA and said that it was a “really good job”.

[Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act, March 10th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to correct my hon. colleague in terms of the consultation period. I was part of that study and heard over 10 witnesses speak. One of the common themes was that virtually everyone said that their industry was represented in these renegotiations. They said they were heard. In fact, the indigenous communities and business community from indigenous peoples said that this was the first time they were ever consulted so thoroughly on a trade agreement. Their interests were taken into account and they had nothing but great things to say.

Similarly, for digital content and copyright provisions, there were consultations. Canada has always been foremost in protecting our digital content, copyright provisions and our cultural sovereignty. Thousands and thousands of jobs will be protected with the cultural provisions we have kept in this and we will continue to maintain.

[Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act, March 10th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I am here to discuss the benefits that the Canada-United States-Mexico agreement will bring to Canadians.

Over the last few weeks, my colleagues and I on the international trade committee had the opportunity to hear from over 100 witnesses from across industries and from across the country as part of our study on Bill C-4. We presented the report back to the House on February 27 without amendments.

The new NAFTA, or CUSMA as it is also called, marks a new milestone in the mutually beneficial trade relationship between Canada, the United States and Mexico. We understood from the start that this achievement would not have been possible without the support, contribution and dedication of Canadians across the country.

Before the negotiations started, we began speaking with Canadians across the country. We listened to their views on the original agreement's benefits and challenges, and what could be done to improve Canada's trading relationship with the United States and Mexico.

Guided by Canada's inclusive approach to trade, we worked very hard from the beginning of the negotiations to secure outcomes that would advance the interests of provinces and territories, indigenous peoples, business and business associations, labour organizations, civil society organizations, women and youth, among others.

From February 2017 to December 2019, the government engaged with over 1,300 stakeholders through nearly 1,100 interactions on NAFTA modernization. Over the same period, we received over 47,000 submissions from Canadians on NAFTA modernization. Canadian stakeholders have been largely supportive of the new agreement and have underlined the importance of securing stability and predictability in our commercial relationship with the United States and Mexico. Their views informed Canada's negotiating positions in this modernization process.

From the outset, the government worked closely with the provincial and territorial governments. Their representatives were invited to travel to the location of each negotiation round and received daily debriefs from the chief negotiator and the members of the negotiating team. We also worked very closely with representatives of indigenous people. In fact, an indigenous working group was formed to work collaboratively on elements of importance to indigenous people in the NAFTA modernization process. In total, the Government of Canada met with representatives of 49 different indigenous groups, including self-governing nations, tribal organizations, national organizations, development corporations, business and lending organizations, legal advisers and policy experts.

We sought and received input and insight from across party lines. We reached out to current and former politicians, premiers, mayors, and community and indigenous leaders for help not only in shaping Canada's priorities, but in championing them. We created a NAFTA advisory council that included representatives of other political parties, as well as business, labour and indigenous leaders. All contributions and advice helped guide our way forward.

Since early 2017, fellow federal, provincial and territorial ministerial colleagues and their teams have cumulatively undertaken over 530 visits to the United States, including parliamentarians here who engaged on similar bilaterals with congressmen and governors in the United States. Others, including many members, have contributed to these efforts. Together, team Canada has collectively engaged with over 750 influencers and decision-makers across the United States.

The new agreement was made possible because we acted together and we acted with resolve at the negotiating table to uphold the interests and values of Canadians in seeking a workable and progressive trade agreement. We sought and obtained consensus on the key issues at home. That helped us prioritize Canada's interests and develop Canada's negotiating positions. In spite of the many hurdles, we worked tirelessly and remained steadfast in our principles and objectives in reaching agreement with the United States and Mexico.

The benefits of the new agreement for Canadians are concrete and considerable. They reflect Canadians' views expressed in the engagement process. Most Canadians viewed the modernization process as an opportunity to preserve key elements of the original NAFTA, modernize and improve the agreement where possible, and ensure the stability and predictability of the North American market. We delivered on these key priorities.

The new agreement preserves key elements of the original NAFTA, allowing for our continued regional prosperity and stability. It reinforces the strong economic ties between Canada, Mexico and the United States, while also recognizing the importance of progressive and inclusive trade by including key components in areas such as labour and environment, as well as language on gender and the rights of indigenous peoples.

In particular, Canada was successful in preserving the NAFTA chapter 19 binational panel dispute settlement mechanism for anti-dumping and countervailing duties, the cultural exemption, NAFTA duty-free access into the U.S. and Mexican markets, and the provision of temporary entry of business persons.

We preserved Canada's system of supply management, despite U.S. attempts to dismantle it.

We modernized and improved the agreement to address the modern-day trade realities and enhanced business opportunities in North America.

CUSMA has nine chapters, including chapters on digital trade, anti-corruption, and small and medium-sized enterprises.

We eliminated the investor-state dispute settlement and the energy proportionality clause. We brought the labour and environmental chapters into the agreement and subjected them to a more effective and efficient dispute settlement procedure.

CUSMA improves the dispute settlement mechanism in a manner that strengthens enforcement, including the areas of labour and environment. This is an outstanding achievement for Canada.

The agreement streamlines customs procedures to facilitate trade, reduce red tape and lessen the administrative burden for Canadian exporters and investors. It also includes outcomes that advance the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises, women and indigenous peoples in line with Canada's inclusive approach to trade.

Overall, CUSMA provides key outcomes for Canadian workers, businesses, communities and families.

In the new agreement, Canada was successful in achieving priority outcomes with respect to indigenous peoples, in line with the government's efforts to advance indigenous rights, prosperity and sustainable development in Canada and around the world.

There are also outcomes that reflect the important role of indigenous peoples regarding the environment, including the conservation of biodiversity.

Canada has made gender equality and women's economic empowerment a key priority in recent trade negotiations, including playing a leadership role to integrate gender-related provisions in the agreement. This is the first international trade deal to recognize the discrimination of gender and sexual orientation-based discrimination. This includes labour obligations regarding the elimination of employment discrimination based on gender, as well as other provisions related to corporate social responsibility and small and medium-sized enterprises.

The inclusion of language on indigenous peoples and gender rights is an important step in our government's commitment to reconciliation and gender equality. What we learned throughout the consultation and negotiation period of this agreement will be beneficial to apply to negotiations for future trade agreements.

With the stability CUSMA brings to Canadian producers and industries, we hope it will help Canada take advantage of our unique position of having free trade agreements with so many other regions around the world, including CETA with Europe and CPTPP with Asia and the Pacific. While the United States is our largest trading partner, Canada has the opportunity to become a hub for trade, being the only North American nation with free trade agreements in so many regions that reach over 1.5 billion people around the world.

It is amusing to hear members from across the aisle critique Prime Minister Trudeau or our government's handling of CUSMA and NAFTA, but what the most experienced expert on this issue said is in stark contrast. To quote someone who is considered the architect or originator of the first free trade deal and the second one with the U.S., former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney said this about our government: “I told Trudeau he did a really good job with this renegotiation—”

[Loran Scholar, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to rise today to congratulate Govind Deol from L.A. Matheson Secondary School on receiving the prestigious Loran scholarship award. Govind was selected from more than 5,000 students from across Canada as one of 36 Loran scholars awarded a $100,000 scholarship that will go toward post-secondary education.

Govind started a basketball program for elementary students, volunteered at Camp Next, did patrols for the Surrey Crime Prevention Society, helped the Kinsmen Lodge and raised funds to build schools for an NGO called the Sikhi Awareness Foundation. He is a Matheson Mustang and an exemplary Canadian.

To Govind I say congratulations.

[Citizenship Act, February 24th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, at least the House is moving in the right direction. The House has put 34% more funding for indigenous peoples from the budgets the Conservatives left behind in 2015. This is real money, not just legislation. We have done 10 of the 94 calls, and we are continuing to work on all of them.

The federal component is only one section of this. My colleague has to look at the track record of the Conservatives and reflect on that before he critiques others.