An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I will not highlight names, but there are members in the House who do not have their mask on.

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Mr. Speaker, the legislation brings forward the extension of a great deal of benefits for Canadians and businesses in great need. I understand that Bloc members are open to supporting the legislation, and I applaud them for taking into consideration how beneficial this will be fo

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Mr. Speaker, the member for Elmwood—Transcona tries to give this false impression, an impression that could not be further from the truth, that the government does not understand or does not care. When the pandemic hit, this government came to the table. We created a program cal

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Mr. Speaker, I have two questions, and I will give my colleague the opportunity to answer either one of them. Ideally, it would be nice for him to answer both of them. The first question is in regard to the bill itself. Will the Conservative opposition support a bill that would

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Mr. Speaker, I ask where the Conservative Party is going to land on this very important piece of legislation. It will enable the government to continue to provide supports in many different ways to Canadians directly and to businesses, both big and small. It is really important t

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Mr. Speaker, it is really important for all of those participating and those who might be following this debate to really have a basic understanding of what we are actually debating. For those individuals who understand and appreciate the impact the pandemic has had on the lives

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak on very important legislation that is part of the government's agenda of supporting Canadians, which we have seen on numerous occasions over the last 18 months. Unlike the Conservative Party and at times even my New Democratic friends, we ha

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  One member asks if that is all we have. It is 20-fold as much as Stephen Harper ever provided Canadians. That is an amazing comment. The point is that we have political parties—

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Madam Speaker, the point is that the Canada child benefit and child care program are assisting families in a very real and tangible way. Ten-dollar-a-day child care, and the agenda for putting that into place, is quite significant. It is going to assist families from coast to co

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Are they saying they would not have provided the wage subsidy or rent subsidy programs? These are the irresponsible—

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Madam Speaker, I suspect if I ask for unanimous leave to have more time I likely would not get it, so I will not bother asking. The point is that the Conservatives in particular, and all opposition parties, need to realize that the legislation we have before us is there to suppo

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Madam Speaker, whether it is in previous budgets or the throne speech of last year, the member will find that the Prime Minister and the Government of Canada have talked a great deal about investing in job training. A part of job training means working with different stakeholders

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Madam Speaker, I provided comment in regard to the issue of arts and culture. We have been there in the past; I believe we will be in the future. We recognize the importance of that industry and the contribution that arts and culture make to our society as a whole. Whether it is

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Madam Speaker, the government has always treated seniors with respect and will continue to do so. Whether it was the substantial increase of the GIS that I made reference to, which literally lifted tens of thousands of seniors out of poverty, or the OAS and GIS increases, the one

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Madam Speaker, I know my friend and colleague is a powerful advocate for Saint John and that whole region. He has identified a program that would be of great benefit for not only his residents but all Canadians. I would ask those provinces that have not signed on to that agreemen