Wayne Easter

[Public Safety, April 23rd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, my question is to the the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. There continues to be some confusion on the government's strategy to keep our communities safe and to improve public safety from gun and gang violence. Policies designed in Ottawa must produce results on the ground at the local level.

What measures is the minister taking with and for the province of Prince Edward Island to improve the safety of our citizens from gun and and gang violence?

[Government Response to COVID-19 Pandemic, April 21st, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I enjoyed the member's remarks.

Beyond vaccines, how important is it that we take a dual approach, getting the vaccines out there and dealing with health, and putting COVID-19 behind us and being prepared for the future? What do we need to be doing? Is the government going in the right direction?

[Government Response to COVID-19 Pandemic, April 21st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, this is an important debate and I have been listening to some of the remarks opposite tonight. To be honest, as a parliamentarian, I am really sad. Tonight is not the night to play political games. The speech I just heard is beyond the pale. During question period if we want to ask questions, put out myths and answer non-realities that is fine, but to say that provinces did not know and to say that the government did not meet what it said it would do with procurement when it really surpassed it, is just absolutely wrong. That is providing misinformation to people.

Let us look at some of the facts. Just in terms of equalization, $736 million more than the previous years to the country; $1.5 billion more under the Canada health transfer; $19.9 billion under the safe restart agreement and that was expanded; $2 billion for the safe return to class fund, and this member stands up and says that the federal government is not helping people at the provincial level. Come on, let us have a debate here on facts and stop perpetuating these myths that too many members are trying to portray tonight.

Tonight is the time for a serious debate, get facts out to Canadians and let us work together, instead of playing terrible politics in this debate tonight. I am saddened as a long-term member of Parliament by what I have heard from the member opposite.

[Income Tax Act, April 21st, 2021]

Madam Speaker, the finance committee held a very intensive hearing into this. We passed it back to Parliament. We looked at the tax implications.

The bottom line is what this bill means for the community. The backbone of the community is small businesses, farmers and fishermen, and especially those who can pass a business down from generation to generation. This is an issue of tax fairness and should be supported fully.

If officials have a problem with this, then they should put their corrections forward in a ways and means bill in the future, but they should pass this necessary bill now and support farmers, fishermen and small business.

[The Budget, April 21st, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to the member's remarks on the budget and I wondered where there would be criticism, but he never had any, other than the debt, which is a necessary investment so there is an economic future for Helen's grandchildren.

The budget is all about that. It is about the future for Helen's grandchildren and all grandchildren across the country. It carries on some of the spending we had to do to take care of the health concerns of Canadians and to get in more vaccines ahead of the time for which had been originally planned. The problem with vaccines is not that they are not here; it is distribution in certain areas that will not get them out and into arms.

We heard a lot of wild stories from the member about what happened last summer, but we are talking about a budget in April 2021, which covers a lot of bases. Does the member not recognize that 90¢ out of every $1 that has been spent on the COVID pandemic comes from the federal government?

[Gender-Based Violence, March 25th, 2021]

Madam Chair, there have been some very remarkable, heartfelt remarks tonight. I have a staffer who volunteers at a women's shelter in Charlottetown. There is no question that during the pandemic, the domestic intimate partner violence has gone up.

We know the problem, and the last speaker hit on a really important point. What is the underlying cause for this behaviour and this violence? Some of us are lucky that we were born into the families we were. Many situations are not like that.

My key question is for the last speaker, and really for anyone. What do we need to be focusing on. We can all outline the problems, and they are serious. Is it education? Is it training? Is it funding? Is it family relationships and working on that? Where we do have to go? We need to be targeting the solution here.

[Committees of the House, March 24th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Finance in relation to Bill C-14, an act to implement certain provisions of the economic statement tabled in Parliament on November 30, 2020, and other measures.

The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendment.

[Committees of the House, March 23rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Finance in relation to Bill C-208, an act to amend the Income Tax Act, transfer of small business or family farm or fishing corporation. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendment.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, March 23rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, two reports of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group.

The first report concerns the 73rd annual meeting of the Council of State Governments West, the CSG West, held virtually by video conference on July 29 and July 30, 2020.

The second report relates to the National Conference of State Legislatures, NCSL Base Camp, held virtually by video conference September 15 to September 17, 2020.

[Committees of the House, March 10th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on Finance in relation to Bill C-224, an act to amend an act to authorize the making of certain fiscal payments to provinces, and to authorize the entry into tax collection agreements with provinces.

The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.