44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 7, 2021 10:00AM
- Dec/7/21 6:39:37 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, as the hon. colleague knows, IRCC has approved 9,800 people under the special immigration program. Of this number, more than 3,800 Afghan refugees have already arrived in Canada. We will continue to do that and take into consideration the difficulties that we hear are ongoing on the ground.
52 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:40:05 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, Canada heard from CSIS and our allies, long before the U.S. completed its troop withdrawal, that the Taliban would take over. They all knew what that would mean.
How many Afghan interpreters applied for refugee status before Kabul fell?
42 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:40:23 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, I want to convey for my hon. colleague that we are focusing on the safety and security of the Afghan people. We will continue to work very hard to—
32 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:40:37 p.m.
- Watch
The hon. member for Calgary Forest Lawn.
7 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:40:39 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, again, how many Afghan interpreters have settled since Kabul fell?
12 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:40:49 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, if I understand the question, there are over 3,800 Afghans in Canada. We will continue to work on ensuring we get—
25 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:41:01 p.m.
- Watch
The hon. member for Calgary Forest Lawn.
7 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:41:02 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, in my home province of Alberta, the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline extension is devastating to thousands of oil and gas workers. The KXL project was going to employ thousands of indigenous and union workers, and now other pipelines are at the mercy of President Biden.
What is the government doing to stand up to the Democrats and protect our vital energy projects?
66 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:41:24 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, workers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and across Canada will have our support when it comes to their natural resources sector, particularly the oil and gas sector. We also know that Canada is the single-largest supplier of energy to the United States, and we always remind our friends in the U.S. of that.
55 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:41:44 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, it is clear the Prime Minister's relationship with the U.S. government is souring. It is hurting cross-border business and threatening Canadian jobs. While the supply chain crisis in the United States continues to cause delays for goods being shipped across North America, the IRCC and the U.S. State Department are dragging their feet on processing the visas for truckers. This is directly impacting a lot of my constituents.
What is the government doing to fix the backlogs affecting truckers?
85 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:42:12 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, as members know, we have brought over 300,000 refugees and immigrant newcomers to Canada. We will continue to get to our objective. I know this is a very important concern and we will provide our report very soon.
41 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:42:36 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, the government has not put a plan in place to address backlogs. There is a backlog of 1.8 million immigration applications in Canada. Now the wait time for truckers to get U.S. visas is going beyond 12 months.
What is the government doing to work with the U.S. to speed up the process for essential work visas, such as those needed for truckers?
68 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:42:58 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, we know, and my hon. colleague knows also, that the pandemic has brought new challenges to our immigration system and we have faced them head-on. We are acting quickly. We are moving from paper to digital, extending visas and adding resources where they are needed most. We have welcomed nearly 100,000 new Canadians—
58 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:43:19 p.m.
- Watch
A very brief question, nine seconds.
6 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:43:23 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, will all 40,000 of those refugees be brought into Canada?
13 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:43:30 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, we are working very hard to get to that objective and all together we will be able to get there.
22 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:43:44 p.m.
- Watch
Resuming debate. The hon. President of the Treasury Board.
9 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:43:44 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, today I am pleased to table the Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22.
The ability to exercise oversight is one of the most important roles parliamentarians can play on behalf of our citizens. In fact, accountability is predicated on parliamentarians knowing how public funds are being spent, so they can hold the government to account for its actions, which is why our government will continue to make every effort to ensure that parliamentarians have access to accurate, timely and understandable information about government spending.
The supplementary estimates are part of a wide array of reports that provide Canadians and parliamentarians with information about expenditure plans and results. Departmental plans, the financial review, the departmental results reports and the public accounts are just some of these reports.
This information is also found in GC InfoBase, an interactive tool that provides a lot of data in a visual form. This tool contains the estimates and other data pertaining to finances, people and federal government results. The publication of the estimates data set with digital tools is essential to providing parliamentarians and Canadians with more information about the allocation and investment of public funds.
I would now like to turn to the supplementary estimates in more detail. The supplementary estimates present information to Parliament on spending that was either not ready for inclusion in the main estimates or has since been refined to account for new developments in programs and services.
With the supplementary estimates (B) for 2021-22, the government is seeking Parliament's approval of funding to address matters of importance to Canadians. This includes the government's ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as infrastructure and services to address the specific needs of indigenous communities.
The health, safety and well-being of all Canadians are of the utmost importance to the government, which is why approximately $1.2 billion of proposed bonus spending is for the government's ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canadians care about each other and they also care about those less fortunate outside our borders. That is why budget 2021 announced funding to help some of the world's poorest countries access the tools they need to help contain the spread of COVID-19.
In these supplementary estimates, the government is requesting $375 million to follow through with the commitment to support developing countries' access to vaccines, treatments and diagnostic products.
I mentioned that these supplementary estimates seek Parliament's approval of funds to respond to the needs of indigenous communities. I would like to draw your attention to some of the main voted items.
The 2020-21 budget provided funds for the government to accelerate efforts to close the infrastructure gaps in indigenous communities, which will help create good jobs and build indigenous communities that will be healthier, safer and more prosperous in the long term.
These supplementary estimates fulfill that commitment with $725.2 million to support the construction, renovation, operation and maintenance of housing, schools, health care facilities, water and waste-water systems and other community infrastructure.
This funding will also support the transfer of infrastructure to indigenous-led organizations and will fund the operation and maintenance of indigenous-owned infrastructure. These estimates also seek $412.2 million for the specific claims settlement fund, which provides compensation to first nations in accordance with negotiated agreements, as well as $361.3 million to fund prevention and protection services to support the safety and well-being of first nations children and families living on reserve.
To ensure indigenous people can access high-quality health care, budget 2021 announced several measures, including one in these estimates of $332.4 million to ensure continued high-quality care through the non-insured health benefits program. This program supports first nations and Inuit people with medically necessary services that are not otherwise covered, such as mental health services, medical travel, medications and more.
Another budget initiative that is presented in these estimates is funding to help people on reserve, and status Indians in Yukon, transition from income assistance to employment and education. Specifically, $308.7 million is sought to assist eligible individuals and families with basic or special needs, case management and pre-employment measures designed to increase self-reliance, improve life skills and promote greater attachment to the workforce.
In Canada, we are lucky to have Canadian Forces personnel to defend Canada and its interests and to step in during times of crisis, be it the devastating floods in British Columbia or a pandemic.
The supplementary estimates request $327.7 million for a salary increase for Canadian Armed Forces personnel in accordance with the settlement of collective bargaining for the core public administration.
The funds will also support the restructuring of pay and allowances for certain occupations within the armed forces, as well as the extension of the allowance paid to personnel deployed to support Canadians during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
I would like to draw the attention of the House to the part of the supplementary estimates that relates to my department, although a very small amount of those funds are for the Treasury Board Secretariat itself.
As part of the compensation adjustments vote, we are asking Parliament to approve $1.5 billion. These funds will be used to compensate organizations affected by wage adjustments resulting from recently negotiated collective agreements and other changes to terms and conditions of employment. It will also compensate employees for damages related to the Phoenix payroll system and for delays in the extended implementation of collective agreements in the 2018 round of collective bargaining.
That concludes my presentation of some of the major voted items in these supplementary estimates, and I am pleased to report that parliamentarians have online access to even more detailed information than I have had time to present today. We will continue to make that information available because of our belief in Canadians' right to know where public funds are going and how they will be invested on their behalf.
1005 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:52:45 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, the pandemic has had tragic impacts on public health. Almost 30,000 Canadians have died due to COVID-19, over 1.8 million have been infected and everyone's mental health has been impacted. To finish the fight against COVID-19, protect people at work, ensure businesses can get back up to speed and, most importantly, make sure our kids can safely return to school, we need to do everything we can to keep public spaces safe.
The Government of Canada is the largest employer in the country and has taken a leadership role by requiring vaccinations across the public service. Can the President of the Treasury Board provide an update on the requirements for public servants to be vaccinated?
122 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/7/21 6:53:29 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, I want to start by thanking all the public servants who stepped up and got vaccinated to make sure we could continue to fight through this pandemic, and to make sure that the health and safety of Canadians was our first priority.
Over 95% of public servants have received both their vaccines, and over 98% have received their first dose. This is a great demonstration that we are moving forward with a policy that works for all Canadians.
80 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
