44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 14, 2022 11:00AM
- Feb/14/22 2:32:40 p.m.
- Watch
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.
110 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:33:18 p.m.
- Watch
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?
101 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:34:01 p.m.
- Watch
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!
50 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:34:18 p.m.
- Watch
Order. We are waiting for some silence.
The hon. Minister of Transport.
12 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:34:32 p.m.
- Watch
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—
81 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:35:01 p.m.
- Watch
The hon. member for Regina—Lewvan.
7 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:35:06 p.m.
- Watch
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.
107 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:36:08 p.m.
- Watch
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.
111 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:36:52 p.m.
- Watch
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?
90 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:37:29 p.m.
- Watch
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.
126 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:38:09 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, that was embarrassing. Canadians are not looking for finger pointing. They are looking for leadership right now.
This is an unprecedented public crisis, but the federal government has done nothing. It has not responded to the provincial governments' requests for resources to end this crisis, and now the government is asking to invoke the Emergencies Act, which has never been invoked in Canada before, and several provinces have already said no.
It seems as though the Liberals want to invoke the act to get provincial governments to shoot it down as a way of abdicating the use of the existing powers that they have at their disposal. Why are the Liberals doing this instead of taking leadership?
119 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:38:51 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about leadership. When we see illegal actions occurring outside of this place, and border crossings and bridges being blocked, all these illegal actions, what would responsible leadership be?
I will tell the member what it absolutely is not. It is not saying that they are proud and stand with the illegal actions they are seeing. It is absolutely not equivocating, as in some of their members saying to continue to stay, egging them on, and then saying, sometimes, in the House, that maybe they are against it, and then tweet that they are for it. That is not leadership.
Leadership is exactly what we are doing every day with patience, caution and prudence, making sure we safely—
123 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:39:33 p.m.
- Watch
The hon. member for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia.
14 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:39:36 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, nature abhors a vacuum.
In the absence of federal government leadership, private citizens stepped up to block potentially dangerous occupiers because they feel their government has abandoned them. Ordinary people, brave as they may be, put themselves in harm's way because of this government. After three weekends of chaos, ordinary people felt they could count on nobody but themselves.
Protecting the people is the cornerstone of the contract between citizens and the government.
Does the government understand the consequences of its lack of leadership?
87 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:40:10 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question, and I agree with her. Ensuring respect for the law is a priority for this government.
People have to respect people's rights, even those of the people of Ottawa. That is why we have supported police services with more resources, more people and more officers right from the start. We will keep working with all levels of government to protect Canadians.
71 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:40:42 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, there is a vacuum.
We are where we are because the federal government has been three steps behind since the beginning of the crisis. It took the federal government 10 days to convene a trilateral table with all levels of government, and it forgot to invite police departments. It was only on Saturday, 16 days in, that they ended up creating their own integrated command centre.
Today, day 18, the government is talking about invoking the Emergencies Act but has no concrete plan to share. When will the government take over crisis management for real?
97 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:41:18 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, we have taken a lot of concrete measures since the beginning of this convoy. Officers have been deployed on three occasions, in addition to the police departments in Windsor and Alberta. The Ambassador Bridge has been reopened in Windsor. That is good news and shows that this government is making progress in co-operation with police forces. We will protect all Canadians.
64 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:41:48 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, for 18 days, the Prime Minister allowed the crisis to escalate. Today, he is announcing that he plans to invoke the Emergencies Act.
After 18 days, we have waited long enough on the federal government. The government must tell us today how it plans to use these emergency measures. It must set out a plan and tell us exactly when it will be implemented.
People are at the end of their rope. Law enforcement is at the end of their rope. What is the plan?
87 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:42:18 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I share my colleague's concerns, and that is why we will continue to support police services on the ground with more resources and all the services that police and authorities need.
We must work closely with the City of Ottawa and the City of Windsor and with all the provinces to address this crisis. We must protect all Canadians. That is our government's priority.
68 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/22 2:42:54 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Blue Water Bridge border crossing and the 402 highway in my riding are still being impacted by the lack of action from the Prime Minister on these trucking mandates. Provinces are listening to their medical experts and they are getting rid of the mandates.
When is the Prime Minister going to follow the science, listen to the World Health Organization, work with President Biden and end these mandates?
71 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
