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Mr. Patrick Weiler (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, Lib.)

Feb/8/22 3:10:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the flooding experienced in British Columbia last November was the most devastating agricultural disaster in our province's history. Farmers and food processors suffered extraordinary damages as a result of the extreme weather event. Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food please update the House on how our government is supporting farmers impacted by the floods in B.C.?

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Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.)

Feb/8/22 3:11:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada stands with farmers and communities that are feeling the impacts of extreme weather conditions in British Columbia. Impacted producers will have access to up to $228 million in federal and provincial support to help farmers return to production and support food security in years ahead. We are here to help them do what they do best, which is producing high-quality food for Canadians and the world.

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Mr. Brian Masse (Windsor West, NDP)

Feb/8/22 3:11:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, 12 days later, the consequences of the convoy are spreading across the country. Things are only getting worse and the Prime Minister continues to ignore advice from outside his Ottawa bubble. In Windsor, the Ambassador Bridge has been forced to close. This has devastated not only truckers but also businesses, residents and essential workers who cross the border every single day to save lives. The disrespect for our local economy is one thing, but it is clear that there is no plan for border communities and we want a plan. The NDP has proposed a safe border task force. It has been ignored for two years. Why has this not been acted upon? Why can we not get in front of doing the right work and the right—

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Hon. Marco Mendicino (Minister of Public Safety, Lib.)

Feb/8/22 3:12:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I know my hon. colleague's advocacy will be very important in the coming days. He reached out to me earlier and he and I will be having a conversation. I also want to assure him and everybody in the Windsor area that we are working very closely with CBSA officials who are coordinating both with Windsor police as well as the mayor, with whom I have also had contact. There is a full-court press to ensure that we keep supply chains moving on the Ambassador Bridge. We have diverted some of those traffic lines to alternate ports of entry, and we will be sure that we continue to work very closely with all orders of government and law enforcement to get this result.

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Mr. Daniel Blaikie (Elmwood—Transcona, NDP)

Feb/8/22 3:13:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, just last week, Statistics Canada reported a job loss of 200,000 jobs during the omicron wave. That is 200,000 Canadian families who are struggling with a benefit system the Liberals created that is inadequate to the task. It does not pay $500 a week, people are waiting far too long to get access if they qualify, and even the special measures that the Liberals brought in just days after passing the bill are set to expire in the next few days. What is the government's plan, and will it work with us to increase the benefit to $500 a week and make sure that all those Canadians out there who are experiencing job loss, still as a result of the pandemic, actually have access to help instead of—

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Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)

Feb/8/22 3:14:15 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-2

Mr. Speaker, I agree that every single lost job is a Canadian tragedy. That is why I am so pleased that, even after the jobs lost in the necessary omicron lockdowns, Canada has recovered 101% of the jobs lost in the depth of COVID compared to just 87% in the U.S. When it comes to support for workers, I would like to say, with the deepest possible respect, that workers are getting support today because of Bill C-2, which I am sorry to say the NDP voted against.

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The Speaker

Feb/8/22 3:14:51 p.m.
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During question period, we have had some technical difficulties with our reception here. Regarding the hon. member for King—Vaughan, I know that the answer to her question was garbled. I am going to ask the hon. member to repeat her question and hopefully we will be able to hear an answer, both because of the technical reparations that were made and hopefully because of the hospitality that will be displayed in the chamber. The hon. member.

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Mrs. Anna Roberts (King—Vaughan, CPC)

Feb/8/22 3:15:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in my riding of King—Vaughan, constituents are concerned with keeping their homes. Years ago, I worked in banking and met many people returning their keys to their homes because they simply could not afford to make payments with the skyrocketing interest rates. What has the government done to ensure that we do not go back to the 1980s and 1990s, where we saw many Canadians lose their homes?

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Hon. Ahmed Hussen (Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, Lib.)

Feb/8/22 3:15:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on making sure that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home. Since 2015, we have invested over $30 billion, introduced the national housing strategy and worked closely with provinces, territories, municipalities and the non-profit and private sectors to ensure that more affordable housing and more supply of housing is there for Canadians. We know that there is more work to be done. We are working to make sure that we turn more Canadian renters into homeowners through the rent-to-own program and introduce measures to facilitate and accelerate housing supply in partnership with municipalities.

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The Speaker

Feb/8/22 3:17:56 p.m.
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It being 3:16 p.m., pursuant to an order made on Thursday, November 25, 2021, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion to concur in the first report of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. Call in the members.

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The Speaker

Feb/8/22 3:34:50 p.m.
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I wish to inform the House that because of the deferred recorded division, Government Orders will be extended by 15 minutes.

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The Speaker

Feb/8/22 3:34:50 p.m.
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I declare the motion carried.

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Mr. Francesco Sorbara (Vaughan—Woodbridge, Lib.)

Feb/8/22 3:34:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is great to resume the debate today on the opposition motion and see unanimity between the government and the official opposition party. I was talking earlier about our support for the Province of Saskatchewan throughout COVID. Some of the numbers I announced or detailed earlier are that more than 240,000 Saskatchewan residents received support through the Canada emergency benefit at some point. That is approximately 20% of the population. In addition, Saskatchewan is receiving $1.3 billion through the Canada health transfer and nearly $500 million this fiscal year through the Canada social transfer. Canada works best when governments work collaboratively and in the interests of Canadians. In this regard, I would like to point out that the land of the living skies is one of the jurisdictions the federal government has entered into an agreement with to build a Canada-wide early learning and child care system. I want to point out the fact that during the election in 2021, the Conservatives campaigned against this early learning child care system. In fact, they would have scrapped it had they won. However, they did not win, and we are proceeding forward, with all provinces and territories having signed, except for the Province of Ontario. I encourage the Province of Ontario to come to an agreement with our government. I have a great respect for all the ministers involved, who are working judiciously and diligently, and I know that at a certain point in time we will get there. I would like to announce that all Canadians will be covered, hopefully sooner than later, with a national early learning and day care plan. That is not only good for the economy, which I talk about quite a bit in this place, but is great for families, including my own. With a four-month-old at home, I hope to take advantage and have the opportunity to utilize lower day care fees, especially in the area of York Region, where fees can be anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 a month in after-tax dollars. By the end of this year, Saskatchewan families will see a 50% reduction in average parent fees for children under the age of six in regulated child care. That is real progress with respect to affordability for Canadian families, in this case Saskatchewan families. In addition to significantly reducing the costs of child care, federal funding of close to $1.1 billion over the next five years will also lead to the creation of 28,000 new regulated early learning and child care spaces in that beautiful province. Providing services to the public requires an ongoing commitment on the part of governments to ensure that everyone pays their fair share. This is something we need to keep in mind as we look at the provincial government's request. I support the province's request to amend the Saskatchewan Act. This amendment would be made under section 43 of the Constitution Act of 1982, because this change affects only one province. This amending formula has been used before. For example, it allowed enshrining the equality of New Brunswick's English and French linguistic communities in the Canadian Constitution. It allowed for the construction of the Confederation Bridge to replace the requirement for a ferry service to Prince Edward Island. It allowed Quebec to abolish its Catholic and Protestant school boards and replace them with an education system organized along linguistic lines. It allowed for the name of the Province of Newfoundland to be changed to the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. In all these cases, the provincial legislatures adopted the change, and the House of Commons and the Senate did the same after considering the matter judiciously, as we are doing today. These changes reflect what Canada is today, and so does Saskatchewan's request. The amendment would strengthen the fairness of Canada's tax framework, as our government has done and has continued to do since 2015, when in our first mandate we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Canadians because it was the right thing to do. We also brought in two middle-class tax cuts, one in 2015 and one in 2019, which have returned literally billions of dollars to middle-class Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Saskatchewan is one of our partners in Confederation, and it can be sure that the federal government is there to support it, not only in this matter but also in getting through the pandemic. Those are my remarks this afternoon. I look forward to entertaining questions and comments from my hon. colleagues.

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Mr. Damien Kurek (Battle River—Crowfoot, CPC)

Feb/8/22 3:39:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is good to be able to ask a question of the hon. member. Certainly in the province neighbouring Saskatchewan, I hear each and every day about the deep divisions within our country. I am encouraged that the Liberals appear to be supporting this measure to help ensure that our provinces actually have a voice. My question for the member is quite simple. Would he support other measures to help ensure that we can actually unify this country at a time when it has never been more divided than it is now?

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Mr. Francesco Sorbara

Feb/8/22 3:40:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when we are looking at an amendment to the Canadian Constitution and the Saskatchewan Act, it is the right thing to do to work with the provinces. A collaborative fiscal federation, which Canada is, requires responsible leadership. That is what our government has demonstrated on this file by working with the Province of Saskatchewan and the official opposition and ensuring that the province's requests are listened to and acted upon. This is the right thing to do for the Province of Saskatchewan and all the wonderful people who currently reside in that province.

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Mr. Yves Perron (Berthier—Maskinongé, BQ)

Feb/8/22 3:40:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech. I would like to ask him a general question about this correction to the outdated tax exemption. We do not oppose this, quite the contrary. However, I would like him to comment on the possibility of Quebec also enshrining certain things in the Constitution, specifically something adopted by the House in the previous Parliament that identified Quebec as a francophone nation with a single common language, French. I imagine that, if my colleague agrees with the proposal for Saskatchewan, then he also supports the Quebec proposal.

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Mr. Francesco Sorbara

Feb/8/22 3:41:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. I want to comment on the importance of the French language for me and my family. Since I was elected in 2015, I have taken it upon myself to learn French as well as possible, but more importantly, both of my daughters are in French immersion. French is very important to me and my family. My daughters are studying the language so that they can speak it proficiently. Speaking French is quite difficult for me. I hope it will be easy for my daughters to learn French and be fully bilingual. I will be very proud at that moment.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Feb/8/22 3:42:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this motion, a dated contract signed well over 100 years ago, is before us today because the Saskatchewan legislature has brought it to our attention. The Saskatchewan legislature passed a motion unanimously, and now it requires passage in the House of Commons and the Senate. We have had the opportunity to have this discussion, and the right thing to do is support this motion in order to make a change that is probably long overdue. We are talking 100 years or so.

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Mr. Francesco Sorbara

Feb/8/22 3:43:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Winnipeg North for all the work he does in the House. This is the right thing to do. Canadians sent us here to work collaboratively with all members of this House to get things done. This is, yes, long overdue. It will provide for a fairer taxation system for the Province of Saskatchewan and for the residents of Saskatchewan, and we will work with the Province of Saskatchewan to get this completed.

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Mr. Warren Steinley (Regina—Lewvan, CPC)

Feb/8/22 3:43:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague across the aisle and I have worked together on a couple of committees, and I appreciate that he has voiced his support for this motion. I wonder if there are things that we can work together on. He just talked about taxation. The Saskatchewan government has put forward its own carbon pricing system, but it was denied outright. I was wondering if we could work together on this with a sense of decorum and friendship as well, and move it forward. I am sure the Saskatchewan government would like to hear if it could work with the Liberal government on its new environmental plan as well.

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