44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 3, 2021 10:00AM
- Dec/3/21 11:53:31 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has been pushing the government since the summer to stop unfairly reducing the guaranteed income supplement paid to working seniors who were entitled to CERB. We were told that the minister is working on a solution, but that is taking far too long. The GIS is for poorest seniors. Every month, Ottawa is taking away hundreds of dollars from people who cannot afford to just put everything on a credit card until the feds get their act together. These people are making sacrifices and making increasingly difficult choices month after month.
When will the minister do something about it?
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- Dec/3/21 11:54:08 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, from the very beginning our government's priority has been to support seniors, especially those most vulnerable. That is why we worked extremely hard to strengthen income security for seniors, including their GIS.
We created benefits such as CERB to help people at the height of the pandemic. We know it is having an impact on some of our most vulnerable now, and I can assure the hon. member we are actively working on a solution to ensure we fight for those most vulnerable. We are always going to be there to support those most vulnerable seniors.
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- Dec/3/21 11:54:41 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister told me on Wednesday that the minister was working on a solution to this injustice. That is great, but, today, seniors have a right to demand that the minister explain to them directly what concrete solutions she is supposedly working on. It should be simple. We just need to ensure that CERB is considered employment income for GIS purposes. Seniors must be able to request a reassessment of benefits based on their current income.
Will the minister confirm that that is what she is working on now? When will she finally come up with a solution?
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- Dec/3/21 11:55:18 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as I mentioned, we are working to find the right solution to support seniors affected by the GIS and changes due to the pandemic benefits, but let me remind the hon. member of a number of things that we have done to help seniors. We have increased support, through OAS, for those 75 and above. We have strengthened GIS for vulnerable, single seniors. We provided one-time payments during the pandemic to help seniors afford the things that they needed.
We have an ambitious agenda for seniors, and we will always support seniors.
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- Dec/3/21 11:55:54 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Mexico, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, Argentina, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Ukraine and New Zealand, which is a country that the finance minister said is very much like Canada, all have the same thing in common: They have increased interest rates as a result of inflation.
What is the plan to protect Canadians when interest rates inevitably rise in Canada, or is it just interest?
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- Dec/3/21 11:56:30 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is quite a pleasure to see you again this morning.
I am happy to see that my hon. colleague wants to talk about geography. Let me mention a few countries: the United States, Mexico, Germany, the eurozone and New Zealand. What do they have in common? More inflation than Canada. The member will know that the latest inflation number for Canada was 4.7%.
What Canadians understand at home is that we have a plan to grow this economy, and that our plan is working.
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- Dec/3/21 11:57:11 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Canada’s new PPE manufacturing industry is already in a state of crisis. These patriotic innovators answered the government’s call to help Canadians when PPE supply was short and badly needed at the start of the pandemic. Despite the Prime Minister promising to buy made-in-Canada PPE, all I can find in the Parliamentary precinct are masks that are made in China.
When will the Liberal government start supporting Canadian PPE innovators and manufacturers, and stop breaking its promises?
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- Dec/3/21 11:57:49 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am rising for the first time in the House for the 44th Parliament. I want to thank the good people of Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas for electing me. It truly is an honour.
With respect to the member's question, we know that Canadian businesses have pivoted. They have retooled, and we have supported them every step of the way. We are in a position now where we are not short on PPE. Why? It is because Canadian businesses stepped up and our procurement efforts have supported those businesses. We are going to continue to do that.
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- Dec/3/21 11:58:26 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, when the Prime Minister called the unnecessary, unneeded election, federal development applications were put on hold. Three months after the election, these applications are still on hold.
When will these applicants hear from the government?
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- Dec/3/21 11:58:52 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, that is a very important question. The members know that on this side of the House we have been there for small businesses and that we have been there for businesses throughout the pandemic.
I take this question very seriously. If the hon. member has a case in point, we would be happy to look at it on this side of the House and provide a response.
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- Dec/3/21 11:59:16 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, sadly, last night, Montreal was once again witness to a shooting that took the life of a young man and injured another.
It is imperative to our government that we take every measure at our disposal to stem the flow of guns that are illegally diverted through theft, fake purchases or smuggling at the border. On that, I would ask the Minister of Public Safety to inform the House of the measures being taken to vigorously combat gun trafficking in Canada and Quebec.
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- Dec/3/21 11:59:50 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, our thoughts are with the residents of Montreal, who have faced gun violence far too often, including last night.
This past week, nearly 60 illegal firearms were seized at the border,thanks to a massive undertaking between the RCMP and several partners, including the Sûreté du Québec and the Montréal police. We have to do everything in our power to ensure the safety of our communities.
As I was saying earlier today, I will be having a virtual meeting with my Quebec counterpart.
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- Dec/3/21 12:00:32 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the government must take our official languages seriously. This week the commissioner tabled a report indicating that francophone immigration is seriously falling behind. He said, “It is time to do more and do better.”
Why not kill two birds with one stone and welcome foreign francophone workers to solve the labour shortage problem and increase the number of French-speaking citizens?
I am therefore asking the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to establish more effective administrative measures to immediately address the labour shortage and at the same time increase the presence of French-speakers in Canada.
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- Dec/3/21 12:01:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, our government recognizes that it has a responsibility to protect and promote the French language, not just outside Quebec, but also within Quebec.
A key element in the protection and promotion of the French language is encouraging francophone immigration in all regions of our country. As we promised in our platform, we will move forward with creating an ambitious national strategy to foster francophone immigration outside Quebec while continuing to support French language training for immigrants to Quebec.
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- Dec/3/21 12:01:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, there are over 4,400 natural gas wells throughout southwestern Ontario, a number of which are in my riding, including the community of Wheatley that was rocked by a natural gas leak explosion this past summer.
On August 17, the Ontario Petroleum Institute and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry wrote to the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister of Finance, seeking to collaborate on the development of a program for Ontario's orphan wells.
Will the government commit to working on this critical issue in southwestern Ontario?
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- Dec/3/21 12:02:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, certainly the issue of orphan wells and the environmental liabilities that they represent is a significant issue for all Canadians. As members know, we introduced a program focused primarily on the western provinces during a time of great financial crisis.
Typically the issue of the regulation of oil and gas producing companies and the environmental liabilities associated with that are addressed at provincial jurisdiction, but we are always happy to engage in a conversation with our counterparts in provinces and territories when they raise concerns.
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- Dec/3/21 12:03:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, in its race to the moral high ground, the CBC has blindsided Canadians by appointing itself Canada's word monitor. It recently brainstormed a list of 18 words that should never be uttered. I wonder if it was a really slow news day for the taxpayer-funded public broadcaster.
Dictating a list of words is actually no substitute at all for the real work needed to end aggression.
Does the Minister of Canadian Heritage actually think it is the job of the CBC to think for Canadians?
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- Dec/3/21 12:03:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. He knows full well that the CBC is an independent corporation and makes its own decisions. At the same time, we know how badly the Conservatives want to make cuts to the CBC. They have said so many times in the past, which is a concern for our national broadcaster.
I wonder if they still intend to make such draconian cuts to our national broadcaster or if they plan on supporting the CBC in future.
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- Dec/3/21 12:04:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, 90% of Canadian seafood goes through small craft harbours and Canada's fish harvesters depend on these facilities to support their livelihoods. In my riding, the Harbour Authority of Portugal Cove/St. Philips is the centre of community life and an industry hub for fishing, trade, shipping and other marine sectors.
Could the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans please provide an update to the House on what our government is doing to support small craft harbours?
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- Dec/3/21 12:05:06 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the new member for St. John's East on her election and thank her for the hospitality she showed me when I visited Atlantic Canada just weeks after my appointment, including to the harbour of Portugal Cove-St. Philips where I met with the authority members in her riding.
Small craft harbours, of course, play an integral role in many of our communities and their economies. Our government recognizes their importance. That is why, through budget 2021, we invested $300 million to repair and—
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