Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak today in concurrence of the fourth report from the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology regarding the order in council appointment of Marsha Walden as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Tourism Commission, now known as Destination Canada.

Canada-U.S. Relations  Mr. Speaker, many Canadian union workers and their jobs depend upon the strong economic relationship that exists between Canada and the United States. As such, we need to make sure that our two countries continue working together on the many shared interests we hold on matters such as energy, trade, industry, travel and tourism and the environment.

Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2020  Madam Speaker, the member talked about the array of government programs that are available, but at the same time the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has identified that 200,000 Canadian small businesses may fail this year because of COVID-19. The future success that we need to move forward in getting people back to work is a vaccine.

COVID-19 Emergency Response  Mr. Speaker, this Liberal government likes to make hurried announcements and then take its slow time in implementing critical support programs such as the highly affected sectors credit availability program, HASCAP. Hardest hit businesses, especially those in Canada's travel and tourism industry, are relying on HASCAP, which was announced nearly two months ago.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to funding provided to the Canada China Business Council (CCBC), including grants, sponsorships, ticket purchases, and any other form of expenditure by any department, agency, Crown corporation, or other government entity since December 1, 2015: (a) what are the details of all government expenditures on or funding provided to the CCBC, including (i) date, (ii) amount, (iii) type of expenditure (grant, ticket purchase, etc), (iv) purpose of expenditure, (v) location of associated event, if applicable; (b) how much funding did Destination Canada provide to the CCBC to sponsor the 2020 annual general meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beijing; (c) how many government representatives were in attendance at the meetings, and what are their titles; and (d) what is the total of all expenditures incurred by the government in relation to the meeting, including any travel-related costs, broken down by type of expense (travel, ticket purchase, signage, etc.)?

Transportation  Mr. Speaker, five months ago, the two bridge commissions in my riding wrote to the government seeking financial relief. They received no response. In October, I asked the government about this during question period. Again, no response. Two weeks ago, I hand delivered the Minister of Public Safety a letter on this request and there was still no response.

Women's Executive Network Award Winner  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Stephanie Thompson, who was recently named by the Women's Executive Network as one of the top 100 award winners in its most powerful women in Canada program. Stephanie is an engineer at our local General Motors plant.

Health  Mr. Speaker, the strength and well-being of our Canadian tourism economy depends on international visitors coming to Canada. In this age of COVID, it will also depend on international visitors arriving safely and in good health. Rapid testing is desperately needed in this country.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, the question is that, for Niagara Falls and ridings like it, COVID is having an impact on tourism. It is having a devastating impact on tourism. There are 40,000 people in my community who work in that sector, and 4,000 of those are in the two casinos alone. Those employees have not been back to work since March.

International Trade  Madam Speaker, last week, the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade's lack of response to my question on our important grape and wine sector spoke volumes about her government's commitment to this vital sector. It is our understanding that stakeholders in the Canadian wine industry have been meeting with senior government officials to discuss trade-compliant solutions to support the grape and wine industry after the excise tax exemption ends in 2022.

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government triggered Australia's World Trade Organization challenge to the federal excise exemption on 100% Canadian-made wines when it implemented an escalator tax in 2017. As a result, hundreds of wineries and thousands of Canadian jobs are now at risk.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to the decision by VIA Rail to layoff workers during the pandemic: (a) what is the total number of workers laid off since March 1, 2020; (b) what is the number of layoffs broken down by date; (c) on what date did the minister responsible for VIA Rail become informed of plans for each of the layoffs in (b); (d) why did VIA Rail not use the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) to prevent the layoffs; (e) will VIA Rail management and executives continue to receive bonuses in light of the layoffs; (f) what is the total amount of bonus money paid out so far in 2020; and (g) what is the total amount VIA Rail has received so far in 2020 through (i) CEWS, (ii) other sources of government funding, broken down by source?

Tourism  Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was able to attend virtually the Annual Tourism Congress hosted by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. Over 2,400 travel and tourism professionals registered to take part, and much of what was discussed centred on the need for additional and tailored supports from the federal government.

Judges Act  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her heartfelt remarks and her support for the bill. I hope maybe the member could speak to her thoughts on the impact of the bill being passed, not only on the justice system itself but on those who are victims of sexual assault.

Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act  Madam Speaker, it is an honour for me to speak in support of my colleague's private member's bill, Bill C-218, an act to amend the Criminal Code to legalize single-game sports betting in Canada. I want to thank my Conservative colleague, the member for Saskatoon—Grasswood, for bringing this important piece of legislation forward.