Laborers' International Union of North America  Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to recognize the 118th anniversary of the Laborers' International Union of North America. From its start in 1903 as a construction union, its members can now be found working in all sectors of the economy. In its proud history, LiUNA has played an important role in building strong communities.

COVID-19 Emergency Response  Mr. Speaker, it has been a year since governments in Canada and around the world locked down their citizens in order to fight the COVID-19 virus. While they were accepted as being necessary at first, Canadians want to know the plan to bring these lockdowns to an end. One million Canadians have lost their jobs and the dignity that comes with them.

Employment Insurance Act  Mr. Speaker, I know the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader thinks it is offensive when anyone other than him is speaking in the House of Commons. When anyone other than him is speaking, they are filibustering. When anyone other than him is speaking, it is obstructionist.

Employment Insurance Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for that question, and I would say that the Liberals are doing more than just obstructing. This is perhaps the most serious matter that we will ever consider, and it certainly is the most serious matter that we will have considered in my almost 10 years as an elected official.

Employment Insurance Act  Mr. Speaker, as always, it is a pleasure to speak in the House on behalf of my constituents. We are here today to discuss Bill C-24. Because of the government's failure to manage the House of Commons effectively, we are seeing its has created a crisis through its mismanagement. Once again we are up against a hard deadline, with benefits expiring for Canadians, and the government not managing the House calendar or its legislation so we can consider this fully.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, that is certainly something we need to look as part of a full suite of programs that would help small businesses come out the other side. We have some measures in our motion that will address that and we would certainly work with the NDP on anything that would support small businesses.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, it is extremely important that we support our airline sector. I am simply saying that this is the same approach that the government has taken with the energy sector, which was promised help within hours by Bill Morneau after his first bill came before the House. It was told that sector-specific support was on the way and to standby.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, there it is again. The government has done everything right. It has all the solutions. A small business, whose very existence is threatened, should be grateful for the government having given it the benefits that it has had so far. We should not mind the fact that its doors are about to close or that it has not received the type of support it needs or if it has been left out altogether, as new businesses have, as have people who have recently acquired a business and cannot show that decline in revenue.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise in this place to speak on behalf of the people of Chilliwack—Hope and on behalf of Canadians. We are here today debating a motion put forward by the Conservative party. We are talking about things that we would like to see included in the next federal budget.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, the member seems to be saying that workers for Canadian airlines have never had it so good, that the government has already given all the support they need during this pandemic. I have talked to workers from the airline sector who, lacking 17 or 18 years of seniority, have been laid off and this member has the audacity to ask why they are not happy with the wage subsidy.

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to the Employment Insurance fund: (a) what was the balance of the fund as of March 1, 2020; (b) what is the current balance of the fund; (c) how much has been withdrawn from the fund for Employment Insurance payments since March 1, 2020; and (d) how much has been withdrawn from the fund for other programs such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit since March 1, 2020, broken down by program?

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, nearly 600 steelworkers at Evraz will lose their jobs just before Christmas. These well-paying union jobs support families and help build their communities, and the government insults them by telling them they should just collect EI or be grateful for the CERB. The Liberals talk a big game when it comes to standing up for workers, but they refuse to support the nation-building energy projects that keep them employed and put food on their tables.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, they are excellent points from the member for Fredericton. They show that truthful information and trusting Canadians and the provinces to be able to interpret and act on that data is something we are asking the government to do. The member's points are well made.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, of course we believe in science. That is why I talked about the Minister of Health saying that COVID-19 did not spread from person to person. Did she not believe in science? When Liberals said that the border should remain open and that anyone who wanted to close it was a racist, that was wrong advice.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I agree with the member that the government has a responsibility to the provinces and all Canadians to provide this information so that they can be aware of what the plan is. The Conservatives have been calling for that for months. The government's plan is just for us to trust it, and it knows what is best for us.