House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 34% of the vote.
Business of Supply December 7th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, and as the Minister of Seniors has said, this is a complex issue. We are working this issue. We understand the situation seniors are facing with a clawback from their GIS for those who received CERB.
It is an important question. We are going to continue to work on this question. We have heard from seniors. The Minister of Seniors and our whole government are working on this issue. We will get it done.
Business of Supply December 7th, 2021
Madam Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for giving me the opportunity to lay out the real facts about everything that has happened in our economy since the pandemic hit.
I want to emphasize that the Canadian economy has almost fully recovered. We have recovered 106% of the jobs lost at the height of the pandemic. Earlier this week, we learned that 154,000 jobs had been added to our economy. That points to one very important fact I want to stress this evening: We rebuilt our economy rapidly after the recession. This is the shortest economic recovery in Canadian history. I think it is very important to point out how entrepreneurs across the country and our government set the stage for such a strong and powerful economic recovery.
To answer my hon. colleague's question, we know how difficult the pandemic is for seniors. I have spoken about this with my constituents. I spoke to people who voted for me, for us, and they are asking for our help. That is why we worked very hard during the campaign. We stated very clearly in our platform that we are here to improve seniors' lives, and that is why we worked hard to improve seniors' income security, including the guaranteed income supplement, or GIS. We created the CERB to help people at the height of the pandemic, and we know that some seniors who usually receive the GIS are facing certain challenges today because they received the CERB. Resolving this problem is a complex task, but we will do it because we are up to the challenge. We are making a solemn promise to seniors across Canada.
Business of Supply December 7th, 2021
Madam Chair, as my colleague knows, I once served as parliamentary secretary to the minister of Canadian Heritage. Workers in the cultural sector, which is included in the tourism sector, are very important to us.
It is clear that the Canadian economy will not recover without the tourism sector, and we will do everything we can for all workers in the tourism sector, including those in the cultural sector.
Business of Supply December 7th, 2021
Madam Chair, our government very much believes that human rights need to be an important part of all foreign policy decisions. We are very concerned about the situation in Hong Kong and the situation the member opposite mentioned. These concerns are at the heart of our commitment to human rights around the world and we will take them into consideration.
Tourism Industry November 29th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Madawaska—Restigouche for his question and hard work for New Brunswickers.
Our message to tourism businesses is clear: We are there for them now and we will work together to help reopen the economy in the coming weeks and months.
Thanks to the regional relief and recovery fund, we have provided over $225 million to businesses in Atlantic Canada, which helped to protect over 16,000 jobs and support nearly 2,500 companies. We are there for the industry and we will always be.
Employment November 26th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, in western Canada alone, more than $775 million went to our region under the relief and recovery fund. That helped more than 40,000 jobs in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and supported 9,000 businesses.
Our government will always be there to support businesses in western Canada. Whether it is through supports, through investments, through child care or through immigration, we will be there for workers and for businesses.
An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19 November 26th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my hon. colleague on his second term.
As far as predictability is concerned, as a former business owner, I know the value of predictability. It is important to note in Bill C‑2 that we want to support businesses until the spring and even into July. We are sure that with the vaccination rate and the economic recovery, we will be able to support businesses until they no longer need it.
An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19 November 26th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the question and for putting her finger on this important issue.
When the pandemic hit, it was incumbent on the government to get money to the people who needed it the most, as quickly as possible. The government made heroic efforts to do exactly that. The introduction of the CERB helped more than eight million Canadians put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.
We know that this continues to be a difficult time for many. We will continue to be there for Canadians. As it pertains to those Canadians who were entitled to the CERB, that is a matter that is being worked through with colleagues. We look forward to informing the House of our work on that matter in due course.
An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19 November 26th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, if I may say, having watched the hon. member's performance in the House over many distinguished years, it is an honour to serve in the House with her again.
This is a suite of services that is designed to focus on the hardest hit sectors. In this case, it is the tourism sector. For small incorporated businesses that are doing their level best to make it through to the end of the pandemic, this suite of services will address their issues should they have seen a 40% or greater reduction from the beginning of the pandemic and a 10% reduction in revenue from the previous month. We are looking at other parts of the ecosystem to see if we can respond, as well.
We have heard from the travel agents in the hon. member's riding, and we will continue to make sure that supports are there for them.
An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19 November 26th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I respect the finance critic for his long service in the House. I can say that we will work closely with the regions of health across the country to make sure that if a lockdown is imposed these benefits would be triggered. We in the federal government are not going to dictate to public health sector units how they impose lockdown criteria. That is a champ de compétence for provincial jurisdictions. We need to make sure that when a lockdown is put into place the benefit would be retroactive to that time. Not seeing any such lockdowns in place right now, that benefit would not trigger, so this is a future-forward program. Once the House passes it, should a lockdown take place, those benefits would flow.