COVID-19 Response Measures Act  Mr. Speaker, I must admit that I am having some difficulty understanding my colleague's beliefs. She voted in favour of the gag order, but she voted against the Bloc Québécois motion calling on the government not to leave out seniors between the ages of 65 and 75. Perhaps that is not what really bothered her.

COVID-19 Response Measures Act  Mr. Speaker, my colleague made a passionate plea on behalf of those who are falling through the cracks during this pandemic. I may digress a little from the main topic, Bill C-4, to speak on the same issue. In the middle of a pandemic, the Bloc suggested amendments to the throne speech, to make sure it did not leave out seniors aged 65 to 75, for example.

COVID-19 Response Measures Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River for his speech. I particularly appreciated the part about parliamentarians' role in a debate. We can agree with the principle of Bill C-4, but everyone knows that the devil is in the details. This bill has a potential lifespan of one year and will have significant consequences for workers, businesses and the economic recovery.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, members of the governing party are trying to make us believe that what they are doing to support the health care system of Quebec and the provinces is perfect, that it is the gold standard. However, long before the crisis, in December 2019, at the Council of the Federation, premiers were already asking for help.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, my question is for my colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health. During the Speech from the Throne, we heard a lot about how what happened in places like long-term care facilities and seniors' homes must never happen again. However, I wonder if he acknowledges that his government, like other governments that cut health transfers in the past, is partly responsible for these tragedies.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. She will not be surprised to hear that her statement about the government continuing to welcome newcomers and support family reunification piqued my interest. During the crisis, immigration file processing slowed down. At first, that made sense: there was a pandemic, after all.

Government Business No. 9  Madam Chair, my colleague spoke a lot about the wage subsidy. I would like her thoughts on other suggestions that the Bloc made to help businesses. I am thinking about the SMEs back home that do not necessarily have a large payroll. Sometimes there is a single owner, no other employee.

Government Business No. 9  Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for not putting any pressure on me with regard to managing and resolving cases. The issue of whether someone does or does not need a visa to be sponsored is indeed a concern. During the crisis, we saw that sponsored individuals from countries where a visa is not required were able to come join their families, whereas those who were from countries like Cuba could not.

Government Business No. 9  Madam Chair, that is an important question, one that would be hard to answer in 10 seconds. I have not had a chance to read the ruling, since we are sitting here today. However, I would remind my colleague that the Bloc has long supported either suspending the safe third country agreement with the U.S., not enforcing it for a few months, even scrapping it altogether.

Government Business No. 9  Madam Chair, we do not have to look very far to see examples of when things have been done quickly. When Haiti was in crisis, we did it here. Processes that usually took 12 months were completed sometimes in as little as six weeks, because it was decided that a herculean effort was needed to process so many family reunification applications.

Government Business No. 9  Madam Chair, I sincerely thank my colleague for his question. I do not claim to be an immigration expert. However, I do know that we should distinguish between the sponsorship of a spouse and the sponsorship of parents and grandparents. The government set a quota for the sponsorship of parents and grandparents and that is why we have a lottery or selection system.

Government Business No. 9  Mr. Speaker, today I would like to go back to the subject I talked about during members' statements on Monday. This time I will have 10 minutes to speak rather than just 60 seconds, so I can add some context to my remarks. My statement on Monday was mainly about the delays in immigration processing, which were already way too long before the pandemic.

Government Business No. 9  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her speech. It touched on a number of very specific issues, including preventing the use of hard drugs, but also mental health issues, which are very important in the context of COVID-19 and have played out in ways that may be hard to predict.

Further COVID-19 Measures Act  Madam Speaker, I heard my colleague talk about immigration and processing delays. In fact, the Bloc had asked for unanimous consent to move a motion to fast-track the files of “guardian angel” asylum seekers who work in long-term care facilities and in the health care sector. This proposal was rejected by the Conservatives.

Further COVID-19 Measures Act  Madam Speaker, I heard my colleague mention the increased support for Canadians with disabilities, which she welcomes. For example, persons with disabilities, including those on veterans pensions, can receive the subsidy even if they have not applied for the tax credit. She also stated that she would have liked to see this type of amendment in the last iteration of Bill C-17, which was introduced in June.