44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 21, 2022 11:00AM
- Mar/21/22 2:56:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister obviously did not understand my question.
Unfortunately, there is a definite pattern to how this government handles crises. More often than not, it is content to watch them unfold, to be a mere bystander and to allow them to degenerate.
The minister can break free of that pattern right here and now. He said that he will stay in Calgary until the two parties reach a deal. That is the right attitude.
Will he go the distance and personally intervene to bring about a negotiated resolution for CP Rail?
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- Mar/21/22 2:57:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will answer in English to make sure that I am not repeating myself in answering the member's question directly.
I am here in Calgary. I will not leave. I do not intend to leave until we have an agreement. I am dealing with both parties. I am involved. We have an excellent federal mediation and conciliation service. They are at the table with the parties, and I am optimistic, with people at the table and not leaving, that we will reach the deal that Canadians demand and want as soon as possible.
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- Mar/21/22 2:57:46 p.m.
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Mr. speaker, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Canadians were mandated to get vaccines and vaccine passports and to stay at home. Canadians have complied, and our fragile health care system has survived.
The entire world and 10 provinces in Canada have reopening plans. Federal mandates need to end, and Canadians need to know what the benchmark is and the plan the government is using to end the mandates, so on what date will this government end federal mandates?
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- Mar/21/22 2:58:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to answer this question.
The member speaks about the date. April 1 is when there will be no need for a pre-entry rapid or antigen test or molecular test when entering Canada. We do thank Canadians for all the hard work that they have done over the last few months, including vaccinating themselves in large numbers, with 87 million vaccines administered over the last year and a half. While we do that, we are going to work very hard to keep protecting the health and safety of Canadians.
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- Mar/21/22 2:58:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today the province of Ontario is lifting a whole raft of temporary measures to fight COVID‑19. People can finally have faith in the future and get back to normal. I think it is about time.
Given that the provinces and other G7 countries have reached the same conclusion, when will the Liberal government announce the end of mandatory measures at the federal level?
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- Mar/21/22 2:59:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, vaccines have prevented 1,600 deaths in recent months because of federal and provincial vaccine mandates.
Those 1,600 people are still with us today thanks to vaccine mandates. Estimates suggest that vaccine mandates have also saved us billions of dollars, probably about $4 billion.
That is a lot of money and, more importantly, it is a lot of people who have been kept safe and healthy.
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- Mar/21/22 3:00:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the course of the past couple of weeks, every province in Canada has either completely ended their mandates or given a solid deadline for when these measures will end, including New Brunswick, yet this government is still forging ahead with its overreaching and intrusive mandates. When will the federal government start trusting Canadians, stop dictating to them how to live their lives and give the people a day to end the mandates?
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- Mar/21/22 3:00:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, 135,000 is the number of people in the United States who died because they were insufficiently vaccinated compared to Canadians. It would have been a tragedy if in Canada we had not used that gift that science and scientists gave us a year and a half ago. We are extremely grateful to all the vaccinators and all the Canadians who did the right thing, which is to protect their health and the health of those they love.
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- Mar/21/22 3:01:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government has developed several programs to support Black communities across the country, strengthen community organizations and help Black entrepreneurs finance their activities. In order to promote an inclusive economy, I announced a $25-million investment to support 10 Black-led organizations.
Can the Minister of Economic Development talk about the impact this support has had on Black communities in Canada?
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- Mar/21/22 3:01:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. I also want to acknowledge the extraordinary work he does for the people of Bourassa.
Our government is working closely with Black business owners and organizations, such as the Côte-Des-Neiges Black Community Association, Audace au féminin, the Centre d'encadrement pour jeunes femmes immigrantes, the African Business Network and many others that will receive substantial support.
In Quebec and across Canada, the fund aims to strengthen support for Black entrepreneurs and business owners. We will support them during this period of economic recovery.
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- Mar/21/22 3:02:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to take back control of their lives, yet millions of Canadians are unable to travel freely within Canada, unable to get on a plane, unable to get on a train, because of the Liberals' punitive and ineffective vaccine mandates. This infringement on mobility rights constitutes an outlier among democracies, so on what date will the Liberals join the rest of the democracies of this world and lift these mandates?
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- Mar/21/22 3:03:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the reason we are able to lift these mandates is that we have, in Canada, one of the highest rates of vaccination in the world. In Canada, about 85% of people have had a first dose, 81% two doses and almost 60% a third dose. That is the reason we are able to lift these restrictions. Four hundred thousand people would have been the number of people dying in Canada over 2021 in the absence of public health measures and vaccinations.
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- Mar/21/22 3:03:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, I spoke to hundreds of constituents from Peterborough—Kawartha who are scared and afraid because they cannot afford to buy food, pay for rent or put gas in their car. People are suffering from anxiety, depression and addiction because they cannot manage the stress of making ends meet.
The carbon tax hike on April 1 could see an increase of 12¢ a litre at the pumps. Canadians cannot take any more.
How can the Liberal government say it has Canadians' backs? When will the government give my constituents and all Canadians hope and drop the carbon tax scheduled for April 1?
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- Mar/21/22 3:04:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government put a price on carbon pollution to ensure clean air, fewer emissions and more money in people's pockets. As the carbon price increases, payments also increase, leaving the majority of Canadians with more money in their pockets.
While the Conservatives want to take us backward to a time when it was free to pollute, our government will continue to move forward with practical and affordable solutions for Canadians to cut pollution and create good jobs.
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- Mar/21/22 3:05:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in northern Saskatchewan, every product on every shelf has a significant freight cost. Transport companies I met with last week have been forced to raise their fuel surcharges just to survive. That increase must be passed on, and the cycle of inflation spirals out of control. Life gets more expensive every single day. The government ignores this fact, but my constituents do not have that luxury.
Where is the Prime Minister's plan for rising fuel prices? Will he, at the very least, cancel the scheduled increase to the carbon tax on April 1?
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- Mar/21/22 3:05:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we absolutely understand that inflation and affordability are pressing challenges for Canadians. We also know that this is a global phenomenon and not a made-in-Canada problem.
I want to assure Canadians that we are working hard to make life more affordable and remind the opposition benches that eight dollars out of $10 that sustained Canadians during the global pandemic came from the federal government. We are committed to addressing housing affordability. We will continue to pursue child care. We will continue to increase the CCB. On this side of the House, we are focused on affordability.
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- Mar/21/22 3:06:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as chair of the Liberal auto caucus, I am well aware that Canada has long been considered a global leader in the auto sector. As this sector transitions toward a greener and zero-emissions future, we know that Canada has every tool needed to be a world leader in EVs and electric batteries: skilled workers, critical minerals, clean and renewable energy, a strong innovation ecosystem and an integrated North American supply chain.
Could the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry kindly update the House on how the government is securing good, well-paying jobs in the auto sector by making major investments to support the transformation of Canada's automotive manufacturing sector toward electrification?
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- Mar/21/22 3:07:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge for his great leadership. We can see the passion even on the other side of the bench.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
Hon. François-Philippe Champagne: It has been an exciting week, so I understand why they applaud for the auto sector, with our government securing a major investment that will see the auto industry in this country thrive for decades. Last week, we saw Honda make a $1.4-billion investment in the Alliston plant in Ontario. That builds on other investments from BASF, GM and POSCO, and there is more to come. Stay tuned.
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- Mar/21/22 3:07:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over three million people have now fled the violence in Ukraine. Civilians are being bombed in their homes and even in hospitals. They are desperate for support. Economic sanctions are a strong tool we have to force Putin to stop committing war crimes. However, the sanctions announced by the government will not have the desired effect if they are not properly enforced.
Will the minister commit to the NDP ask for ownership of assets to be made public and tell Canadians how many Russian assets have been frozen since the most recent invasion of Ukraine?
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- Mar/21/22 3:08:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for that question, because the reality is that this is an egregious invasion by Russia into Ukraine and we are using every economic tool that we can to ensure that we punish and suffocate Russia. Over 500 individuals and entities have been sanctioned just in the last three weeks. We continue to do that. The systems are in place to make sure that we follow through on every one of those sanctions, and we will continue to do everything to ensure that Russia is suffocated while we continue to support Ukraine in all its efforts.
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