44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 14, 2022 11:00AM
- Feb/14/22 2:26:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from the beginning, we have been supporting the City of Ottawa and its police service in their response to the blockade. We have acted responsibly. This includes three deployments of the RCMP, tactical and logistical support, and an integrated command centre with the RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police.
Our top priority is to put an end to the illegal blockade, enforce the law and help residents of Ottawa get their lives back.
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- Feb/14/22 2:27:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in short, they have done nothing for three weeks.
We do not know what the Prime Minister is planning to do, but we do know some things. We know that Quebec is opposed to having the Emergencies Act imposed on its territory. To this point, the crisis has been much better managed and contained in Quebec than elsewhere in Canada.
If the premier of Ontario wants emergency measures implemented in his province, he has that right and it is his business.
However, will the government commit to not imposing the Emergencies Act in Quebec?
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- Feb/14/22 2:27:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I said several times since the start of this crisis, we offered resources to the police services in Ottawa and Windsor. Even in Coutts, the police have made great progress. However, we must now rally all members of the House and put an end to the convoy.
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- Feb/14/22 2:28:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, people in communities across our country are feeling the impacts of the occupations. Health care workers, retail and grocery store workers, truck drivers, small business owners and residents have lost their jobs and livelihoods. They have also been intimidated, and even assaulted, during these occupations.
Where was the Prime Minister 18 days ago when this started? If he had shown leadership and acted promptly, we would not have to talk about emergency measures today. Canadians want to know why the Prime Minister let things get so bad. Why has it taken him so long to show any leadership at all?
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- Feb/14/22 2:29:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me acknowledge the terrible impact these blockades and actions have had on ordinary Canadians. We have seen terrible disruptions to the lives and safety of not only the people of Ottawa, but also those right across the country. These blockades have resulted in true harms to the people of Canada. We have seen idle workers. We have seen the interruptions to the supply chains of goods and services.
Right from the outset, we have provided support and advice to law enforcement and to the provincial and territorial governments. However, as this event has evolved, we have seen greater threats to critical infrastructure, and to the lives, safety and interests of Canadians. We are prepared to do what is necessary.
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- Feb/14/22 2:29:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the reality is that the Prime Minister has been absent since the beginning of the convoy crisis, and that is nothing new. He has been absent when it comes to the housing crisis, the increased cost of living, the climate crisis and health transfers. Today, people feel neglected and abandoned. They want a Prime Minister who does not wait for the worst to happen before taking action.
Why does this Prime Minister refuse to take action when people really need help?
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- Feb/14/22 2:30:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from vandalism to acts of violence, the convoy has turned Canadians' lives upside down. My colleagues opposite have had many opportunities to de-escalate the situation, but they chose to throw oil on the fire instead. From the beginning, our government has supported three deployments of the RCMP and is now supporting an integrated command centre with the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ottawa Police Service. Our top priority is to put an end to the illegal blockades and enforce the law.
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- Feb/14/22 2:30:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, many people in my riding approached me this weekend wanting to talk about this government's lack of leadership. I want to remind the Prime Minister that Canadians are 90% vaccinated, and Canada is the most vaccinated country in the G7. We will be voting on a motion this afternoon that calls on the government to come up with a plan by February 28 for getting life in Canada back to normal.
Will the government commit to doing that?
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- Feb/14/22 2:31:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and want to congratulate her on talking about a plan. We have had a plan for the past 22 months, and the plan is working. We have the lowest mortality rate of any G7 country by far, except Japan. We have enjoyed some of the best economic growth of any G7 country and most OECD countries. People have been doing their part, including getting vaccinated, for quite some time. Nearly 80% of Canadians of all ages are fully vaccinated, and nearly 50% have received a booster.
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- Feb/14/22 2:32:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to govern is to make decisions. This government's lack of vision has caused division within its own caucus. After two years of efforts and sacrifices, it is time, as Dr. Theresa Tam says, to reevaluate the public health measures.
Will the government choose to move forward or will it keep spinning its wheels by dividing and stigmatizing people?
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- Feb/14/22 2:32:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, speaking of division, I think that in Canada most people are not divided. On the contrary, they support vaccination and think it is important. Eighty per cent of people have chosen to get fully vaccinated. Nearly 50% have gotten a booster dose and that number is going up every day. Every day, 150,000 Canadians are receiving their booster shot and 10,000 others are getting their first dose. It is those 10,000 people that I would like to congratulate in the House for making the right decision every day to protect themselves and their loved ones. That is particularly appropriate on Valentine's Day.
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- Feb/14/22 2:33:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today at the agriculture committee, the Canadian Pork Council stated that an interprovincial trucking vaccine mandate would be very damaging to the industry and producers.
This proposal was not even considered at the height of the pandemic. Now Canadians are lining the streets of Ottawa and clogging up major economic arteries. The Prime Minister is getting pressure from every direction, asking when we will have a clear plan to move this country forward.
Would the Minister of Transport put on the record today that his government will not go forward with an interprovincial trucking mandate for the trucking sector?
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- Feb/14/22 2:34:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me put it on the record today and every day that our government will always follow the advice of our public health experts. We will follow the advice of our doctors, and we will always do what is good for our—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Feb/14/22 2:34:18 p.m.
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Order. We are waiting for some silence.
The hon. Minister of Transport.
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- Feb/14/22 2:34:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not know why it upsets them when we say we follow public health advice. I do not know why it is so irritating for them.
We will do what it takes to protect our truckers, our transportation industry workers and our economy. I know people are frustrated with public health measures, but we will do what is right. Canadians understand that this is for their own good, and this is for the good of the people—
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- Feb/14/22 2:35:01 p.m.
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The hon. member for Regina—Lewvan.
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- Feb/14/22 2:35:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am so happy to hear that answer.
What public health officials are asking for an interprovincial trucking vaccine mandate for the truckers? What public health official is asking for more restrictions to be put in place? What public health official is asking for mask mandates and vaccine mandates across our country?
I want to hear from the member. I ask the member to show me the scientific proof that this country cannot move forward. I want to see the data they are looking where we cannot reopen our provinces and businesses and let people get back to living their normal, everyday life in Canada.
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- Feb/14/22 2:36:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I know my hon. colleague knows that vaccines save lives. I do not know if the hon. member can point out a single doctor who can say that the pandemic is over. I do not know if my hon. colleague can point to a single scientist who says that the pandemic is over. We will do what it takes to protect the health and safety of Canadians. We will respond to the advice. When the advice is to ease measures, we will ease measures.
One thing I can say is that honest leadership tells Canadians that we do not know what the future hold, but we must remain prudent.
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- Feb/14/22 2:36:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Public Safety correctly stated, it is the Windsor Police Service and law enforcement in Alberta that are diffusing the illegal public infrastructure blockades that have traumatized Canadians. It has not been the federal government. In fact, the Prime Minister has been inflammatory, at best, and unresponsive, at worst, as this crisis has mushroomed and traumatized Canadians.
How can the Prime Minister justify asking for an unprecedented power through the Emergencies Act when he has failed to exercise leadership with the authority he already has?
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- Feb/14/22 2:37:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I want to thank the members of the RCMP who aided the situation in Windsor. As a result, now we have an Ambassador Bridge that has reopened, which means Canadians are going to get back to work and our economy is going to continue to roll on.
I am quite surprised to hear my hon. colleague asking about the inflammation of the situation outside this chamber when it was the interim leader who said that they should not go home, and that they would make this a problem for the Prime Minister.
That is how they inflame the situation. That is why it is important that the Conservatives call on the illegal blockades to end, so Canadians can get their lives back.
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