Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, our government has taken a number of important steps to ensure the safe arrival and well-being of temporary foreign workers. Along with the mandatory 14-day quarantine, we have introduced more stringent pre- and post-travel requirements. The mandatory isolation support for temporary foreign workers program is an important part of our efforts to protect the health and safety of workers, employers and communities.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, allow me to reiterate. No one should be travelling right now for non-essential reasons. EI is there for people who lost their job or are unable to work for reasons outside their control.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. No one should be travelling right now. EI is there for people who lost their job or cannot work through no fault of their own. Taking a vacation against clear government advice is a choice. We are focused on supporting workers who have lost their jobs, are sick themselves or who need to take time off to look after loved ones.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her advocacy and hard work on this issue. Canadians expect and deserve an EI system that is flexible and responsive to their needs. That is why we have spent the last five years modernizing EI and making improvements for Canadians. EI sickness benefits are an important support for Canadians who need to leave work because of illness or injury.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, we know many Canadians exhaust their EI sickness benefits, and that is why our government has made a commitment to extend EI sickness benefits. We understand the importance of paid sick leave, providing Canadians the support they need to get the treatment they need, and that is why we made paid sick leave a priority during the pandemic.

Employment Insurance Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to participate in this important debate. Before anything, I want to share my condolences to the friends and family of Émilie Sansfaçon. I would also like to recognize the work and advocacy of the member for Salaberry—Suroît. We never want Canadians to face unnecessary hardship.

COVID-19 Emergency Response  Madam Speaker, we know that this continues to be a difficult time for many, which is why we transitioned to a simplified EI program, and created three new recovery benefits to support Canadians who are unable to work or have reduced hours. Service Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency work together to share data on Canadians who apply, to ensure that only one benefit is paid to someone applying at any given time.

COVID-19 Emergency Response  Madam Speaker, we recognize the disproportionate impact this pandemic has had on women. When we transitioned from CERB to EI and the recovery benefits last September, we provided an EI hours credit retroactive to March 2020. This was in recognition that individuals may not have been able to accumulate enough hours to be eligible for EI.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Madam Speaker, temporary foreign workers have played an important role in ensuring our food security, especially during this pandemic. They deserve to be safe. That is why we are working with provinces to ensure employers are prepared to safely welcome and quarantine workers, strengthening inspections to ensure employers meet quarantine and program obligations, funding migrant worker organizations to provide direct assistance to workers, improving the TFW tip line to provide services in multiple languages, and improving coordination with our partners to respond quickly to emerging issues.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Madam Speaker, the government recognizes the importance of temporary foreign workers for our producers and food processors. We are working tirelessly to ensure that temporary foreign workers can arrive safely in Canada by supporting employers with the additional costs incurred through accommodating the isolation period.

Employment  Madam Speaker, our government recognizes the integral role foreign workers play in Canada's agriculture and seafood sectors. We have streamlined requirements and introduced priority processing for applications and work permits in these sectors. We have also launched a temporary measure that allows workers already in Canada to start a new job while their permanent application is being processed.

Persons with Disabilities  Madam Speaker, we strongly believe that everyone should be able to access information and reading material. That is why we signed on to the Marrakesh treaty four years ago and why we have been working closely with all stakeholders, including disability groups and the publishing industry, on an agreed-upon plan to transition the industry to one in which books are born accessible.

Persons with Disabilities  Madam Speaker, as I stated prior, we strongly believe that everyone should be able to access information and reading material. I am confident that we will find a solution that keeps us on the path to accessible publishing and we will continue to work with our partners in the disability community to make sure that we have a barrier-free and accessible Canada.

Employment Insurance Act  Madam Speaker, since taking office, our government has brought disability inclusion to the forefront and has made historic advances in ensuring that persons with disabilities have the support they need to succeed. We have developed an overarching strategy to increase access to accessible books in Canada, including a transition strategy toward the goal of books being born accessible.

Employment Insurance Act  Madam Speaker, absolutely, we have to look after our seniors and make sure they have the supports that are necessary, especially throughout this pandemic, but also beyond the pandemic. However, today is really about the urgent fact that we have to pass Bill C-24 in order to address the potential interruption in supports for workers across all age brackets in Canada.