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Nov/26/21 11:09:22 a.m.
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I know the member is new, but we cannot refer to the name of a member in the House. The member used the name of the minister, and we cannot do that. The hon. member for Saskatoon—Grasswood.

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Designation of Members by the name of their constituency or title

Mr. Kevin Waugh (Saskatoon—Grasswood, CPC)

Nov/26/21 11:09:39 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Saskatoon arts and drama community has lost a treasurer in the passing of Henry Woolf. Woolf was an actor, a director, a writer and a teacher. His work could be seen on the stage, television and the big screen. Woolf moved to Canada in 1978 to teach drama and work in theatre. He was a mentor to a new generation of artists. He was beloved by his students. In fact, one student named Jeff Rogstad said that his fingerprint is all over the theatre community in Saskatoon. Woolf served as the artistic director of the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan festival for a decade. A portrait of Woolf in the role of Shylock hangs outside the theatre bearing his name at the University of Saskatchewan drama department. Woolf's legacy is the culture he nurtured, inspired and cultivated throughout his remarkable life. As one student said, it is hard to be sad today because we had so much fun.

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Mr. Ryan Turnbull (Whitby, Lib.)

Nov/26/21 11:10:59 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I rise in the House for the first time in the 44th Parliament, I find myself filled with excitement to be back in Ottawa and gratitude for the people of Whitby, who have once again given me the honour of representing them here in this House. There is no doubt the nation's business has never been more important as we face numerous challenges, including making life more affordable, finishing the fight against COVID-19, ensuring a robust economic recovery and combatting climate change with ever-increasing urgency. While the pandemic has brought serious hardships to and far-reaching impacts on our way of life, it has also presented us with the opportunity to build back in a way that addresses long-standing inequities, develops greater resiliency and transitions us to a more sustainable economy. It is my sincere believe that Canadians gave all of the members of this House, regardless of political stripe, a strong mandate to make real progress on the priorities that matter to Canadians. I look forward to working with all parliamentarians to make it happen.

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Mr. Jasraj Singh Hallan (Calgary Forest Lawn, CPC)

Nov/26/21 11:12:09 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week Sikhs across the world celebrated Gurpurab or the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji who taught the lessons of remembering God, earning an honest living and sharing with others. To celebrate Gurpurab, RED FM and the Dashmesh Culture Centre under the leadership of President Amanpreet Gill and entire executive committee raised over $700,000 in one day from Sangat for the Mata Sahib Kaur Ji Women's and Children's Transitional Housing. Congratulations to everyone on this amazing initiative. It was an extra special Gurpurab as we saw the announcement of the repeal of three farm bills in India. Our farmers, brothers, sisters and respected elders in India have been peacefully protesting over the last year in the cold streets and even faced attacks, but they persevered through their dedication. We thank each and every one of them for their incredible sacrifices, and pray for their good health, success and prosperity. Kisaan majdoor ekta.

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Mr. Luc Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable, CPC)

Nov/26/21 11:13:18 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to share with the House my grief at the recent death of a wonderful person. I would like us all to take a moment to remember the Hon. Raymond Setlakwe, a former senator, husband to Yvette and a descendant of Aziz, the first immigrant to flee the Armenian genocide and move to Canada to raise his family and help them prosper. Mr. Raymond, as many people liked to call him, was unfailingly generous. A prosperous businessman, he was the founder of A. Setlakwe Limited. He collected political meetings like some people collect hockey cards. He was more than a mentor to me. He gave me my first real chance to work in politics by supporting me when I ran for office for the first time in 1998. I have to say that, at the time, I was running for the Quebec Liberal Party. Raymond never would have supported any other party. I thought I almost lost him for the first time in 2015 when I told him that I would be running for the Conservative Party of Canada. I want to share with my colleagues what he said to me shortly before his death: In politics, we have adversaries, not enemies. To the only friend I have left, I want to say thank you for helping me make my dream come true. I hope that in heaven he will have the chance to meet all of the great politicians in history that he never had a chance to meet here on earth.

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Mr. Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, NDP)

Nov/26/21 11:14:37 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my riding is home to some of the most awe-inspiring ancient old-growth forests on southern Vancouver Island. The majestic trees in these forests can defy imagination and immediately command attention with their enormous presence. Many of them were already mature trees when the Magna Carta was signed in England, and some were seedlings during the reign of Charlemagne. The beautiful and pristine Fairy Creek watershed is located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Pacheedaht First Nation in my riding. For more than 150 years, they have watched as others decided what was best for their lands water and people. In June the elected and hereditary chiefs of the Pacheedaht and neighbouring Ditidaht and Huu-ay-aht First Nations came together to issue a declaration, signalling their intent to take back control. “Nothing about us without us” is not just a slogan, it is a fundamental policy change we absolutely must respect. I urge the federal government to do everything it can to support the indigenous-led stewardship plans of these nations.

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Ms. Andréanne Larouche (Shefford, BQ)

Nov/26/21 11:15:48 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, seniors are among those hardest hit by the pandemic. It bears repeating that their financial situation was precarious even before the COVID-19 crisis. Even so, there was nothing for them in the throne speech. They were forgotten. Not a word was said about those bearing the brunt of inflation and rising prices across the board. To add insult to injury, seniors who stopped working because of the pandemic and received CERB are now having their guaranteed income supplement clawed back. That puts a considerable dent in their budget and pushes them into poverty. This situation needs to be fixed. More than ever before, our poorest seniors are having to make difficult choices: pay for food, pay for medicine or pay for housing. It is high time the government showed those who built Quebec and Canada a little consideration by increasing old age security by $110 per month as of age 65. The government needs to reverse its senseless, unfair decision to create two classes of seniors. Let us see some action.

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Mr. Larry Brock (Brantford—Brant, CPC)

Nov/26/21 11:16:54 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and privilege to rise for the first time in this House today, having been elected by the good people of Brantford—Brant. I have so many people to thank, more than I have time to mention today. First, I would like to extend a special thanks to my wife Angela, my twin daughters Jennie and Emma, and my parents Larry and Mary Brock for their love, encouragement and ongoing support. I am also truly grateful for my team and all the volunteers for their tireless efforts during my nomination and campaign. Finally, I offer my sincerest appreciation to the voters of Brantford and Brant County, the Six Nations of the Grand River and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation for placing their trust in me to serve them in Ottawa. I promise to stand up for the issues that matter most to them and be a strong voice for our community in Parliament. Our official opposition was elected to hold the current government to account, and I am ready to take on this responsibility. I am honoured to be part of a strong Conservative team, and together we will ensure that Canada's best days are still ahead.

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Mr. John Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City, Lib.)

Nov/26/21 11:18:02 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my heart goes out to the families and communities affected by the extreme flooding last week in British Columbia. This 100-year flood brought catastrophic damage, laying bare the shortcomings in our current system. As climate change worsens, this will happen not every 100 years, but every 10 years or less. We need to invest in adaptation and mitigation of climate change so we are better prepared in the future. The inclusion of a national adaptation strategy in the Speech from the Throne is a significant step forward. It is with great sadness that I inform the House of the passing of Jan Rustad of Kaleden, British Columbia. Jan was well known and considered by many to be the global expert on rotary-wing advanced flying techniques. Jan trained many pilots from the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP and many other countries. Known as skilled, patient and humble, Jan Rustad will be missed by his family and several generations of helicopter pilots from around the world. I offer my thanks to Jan.

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Mr. Luc Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable, CPC)

Nov/26/21 11:19:37 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your appointment to the Chair. COVID‑19 cases are on the rise in Quebec and Canada. Many countries have started to administer third vaccine doses to all adults. A new variant out of Africa is generating enough concern for the WHO to hold an emergency meeting today. Israel and the United Kingdom have closed their borders to six countries. We have gotten used to the Liberal government's delayed response to urgent warnings. What is the government's plan to keep our economy open?

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Hon. Carolyn Bennett (Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, Lib.)

Nov/26/21 11:20:14 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the COVID‑19 situation around the world continues to be volatile and unpredictable. The PCR tests required for entering Canada are able to detect this variant. The purpose of this morning's WHO emergency meeting was to determine next steps. This afternoon, the minister will inform Canada of those next steps.

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Mr. Luc Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable, CPC)

Nov/26/21 11:20:55 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that response gives Canadians cause for concern. Our economy has been devastated. Thousands of businesses have closed. We have record unemployment. You will recall that the Liberal government was slow to warn Canadians, close borders and provide vaccines. Today, we still have to protect Canadians, who are fed up with lockdowns and closures. What is the government's plan to prevent a fifth wave, which will have disastrous consequences for Canadians' health and our economy?

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Hon. Carolyn Bennett (Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, Lib.)

Nov/26/21 11:21:33 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our screening requirements at the border protect the health and safety of Canadians. We know that the fight against COVID-19 is not over. We are working with our partners around the world to protect Canadians. The situation is evolving quickly, and we are working closely with our international partners, the provinces and the territories to monitor this emerging variant.

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Mr. Luc Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable, CPC)

Nov/26/21 11:22:05 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, lessons learned from the past must guide our actions now, not tomorrow or next week. In February, the government allocated $53 million to the Public Health Agency of Canada to conduct research on the variants. Today, there is no recommendation of any sort about this variant on the agency's website. The Minister of Health is shockingly silent while more and more people are calling for action to prevent this wave. The economic cost of the government's foot-dragging is in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Canadians are still paying and will continue to pay for a long time. Can the government tell us right now what is its plan to protect Canadians and our economy?

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Hon. Omar Alghabra (Minister of Transport, Lib.)

Nov/26/21 11:22:51 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that our government from day one took decisive action at our borders to protect Canadians and we have put together different measures to protect Canadians. However, forgive me for not taking advice from the Conservative Party. They cannot even ask their own MPs to get vaccinated and they have been asking us to remove PCR testing from pre-departure.

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Ms. Raquel Dancho (Kildonan—St. Paul, CPC)

Nov/26/21 11:23:24 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are learning disturbing news today concerning a new COVID variant out of Southern Africa. Countries like Germany, the U.K., India and Israel have already taken decisive action to close their borders to incoming flights and implement quarantine and testing requirements for those travelling from areas of concern, yet the government has not even updated its travel advisory yet. We are wondering what is going on. What is the plan to keep Canadians safe? We have heard nothing this morning of reassurance for Canadians. We want to know what the plan is.

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Hon. Carolyn Bennett (Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, Lib.)

Nov/26/21 11:24:01 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 situation around the world continues to be volatile and unpredictable. We continue to monitor the situation very closely. We will not hesitate to take action to protect Canadians. The PCR tests required to enter Canada are capable of detecting this variant. There are currently no direct flights to Canada from South Africa. The WHO held an emergency meeting this morning and we will hear more from the Minister of Health this afternoon.

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Ms. Raquel Dancho (Kildonan—St. Paul)

Nov/26/21 11:24:34 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that answer is unacceptable. Countries like Germany, the U.K. and India did not have to wait for direction from the World Health Organization to keep their citizens safe. We have seen indecision from the government before. It was Conservative members of opposition who called on the Liberal government to close the border back in January 2020 for the coronavirus. The government waited three whole months to do so and, by then, COVID had spread across the country. Canadians do not want to see that mistake being made again. They do not want to go back into lockdown. The mental health of the nation and the economy of the nation cannot handle that again. Canadians expect decisive action from the Liberal government. Is there a plan? What is the plan to keep Canadians safe from the African variant?

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Hon. Omar Alghabra (Minister of Transport, Lib.)

Nov/26/21 11:25:20 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is a plan. Canadians have seen our plan over the the last year and half, while we have been doing everything to protect their health and safety. I want to reassure Canadians that there are currently no direct flights from South Africa to Canada. However, I want to ask my hon. colleague where they stand on this. Do they want to open the border or do they want to close the border? Do they want to remove the PCR pre-departure test or do they want to implement PCR tests? I am not sure what they want, but we will take advice from our doctors and experts.

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Ms. Christine Normandin (Saint-Jean, BQ)

Nov/26/21 11:26:00 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development released a report yesterday that is quite damning for the government. The commissioner noted that it is going to take more than just lofty language to avoid climate catastrophe. While the government brags about its outstanding work, the commissioner was unequivocal. According to the commissioner, Canada “has become the worst performer of all G7 nations”. This has happened only since the Liberals came to power. How can the government brag when, really, it is the worst in the world?

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