44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 24, 2022 10:00AM
- Mar/24/22 2:14:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from March 20 to 27, we celebrate meals on wheels, which provides support to those who need it by preparing and delivering healthy meals to their homes.
This is an essential part of aging in place that provides some respite for family caregivers. The last two years have been particularly difficult, but meals on wheels organizations, which rely heavily on volunteers, have continued to step up.
In Alfred-Pellan, meals on wheels organizations receive federal support through New Horizons for Seniors and Canada summer jobs. I am also working on connecting businesses that give generously and organizations that really need their help.
I want to thank the following meals on wheels organizations and volunteers in Alfred-Pellan: Service bénévole d'entraide de Vimont‑Auteuil, the Maison de la famille de St‑François, Bonjour Aujourd'hui et Après, the Popote roulante Saint‑Noël Chabanel and the St. Vincent De Paul Society.
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- Mar/24/22 2:16:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is a critical shortage of affordable housing in my community. Many people have given up on the idea of ever owning a home, but even finding an affordable place to rent is getting further and further out of reach. B.C. has not been getting its fair share of federal funding under the rapid housing initiative.
Worse still, the supply of older rental stock is being bought up by REITs, real estate income trusts, that use tactics like renovictions to jack up rent, pushing people out of their homes and removing affordable units from the market. Housing advocates and the City of Victoria are calling for a federal acquisition fund to give local governments and non-profits the quick capital to buy properties at risk of being bought up by these predatory REITs.
We must preserve our existing affordable housing stock. It is time for the federal government to return to the table as a true partner with municipalities, indigenous governments and co-operatives to stop treating housing as an investment and start treating housing as a human right.
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- Mar/24/22 2:17:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as this is Meals on Wheels Week in Quebec, I want to take a moment to highlight the 50th anniversary of Popote roulante de Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.
The organization was created on March 7, 1972, to support seniors who wish to remain at home as long as possible. The Sœurs de Notre-Dame du Bon-Conseil congregation, with the help of volunteers, was responsible for the very first home-delivered meal in our community.
These days, the Popote roulante de Salaberry‑de‑Valleyfield delivers 1,200 meals every week. Some 300 meals on wheels programs across Quebec are a daily reflection of the strength of solidarity. They form a mutual support network that is driven by the dedication of the 10,000 volunteers who are always there to cook and deliver healthy, balanced meals. These teams visit more than 30,000 seniors, who often live alone, providing them with gentle, caring attention.
It is an honour to sincerely thank all the dedicated volunteers and teams who are making real a difference in the lives of seniors in Salaberry—Suroît.
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- Mar/24/22 2:18:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is wonderful to be joined today by my family here in Ottawa.
Juno Beach is one of the most sacred places in Canadian military history. The bravery of 14.000 Canadians who landed there on D-Day continues to inspire generations of Canadians and led directly to the liberation of Europe from tyranny and fascism.
A condo development threatens not only the beach but the operations of the Juno Beach Centre, a museum and memorial that educates hundreds of thousands of visitors on the role that Canada played in bringing freedom to Europe. Simply put, this development should not go forward. In an increasingly polarized world, few truly sacred places remain. In the hearts and minds of Canadians, Juno Beach transcends and represents all that we take pride in as a nation: that we will make a larger impact than our size commands, that we will stand firmly alongside our friends and allies and that no matter the difficulty, we will fight beyond just convening all that is good and right in the world.
I have one ask of the government. It should do everything in its power to save Juno Beach.
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- Mar/24/22 2:20:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all across Canada, and especially in my riding of Whitby, small businesses are the backbone of our economy. After two challenging years, it is time for good news.
That is why I was happy to join the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario to announce funding for the revitalization of downtown Whitby and downtown Brooklin through the My Main Street local business accelerator program. Downtown Whitby and Brooklin will be supported with three dedicated main street ambassadors, customized market research, data analysis and non-repayable funding contributions for new and existing small businesses. This will support our community by assisting our existing businesses to bounce back from the pandemic and enhance the ability of our new start-ups to rapidly grow.
The entrepreneurial spirit in Whitby is strong, and I look forward to seeing our unique, resilient and diverse small business community thrive all along our main streets.
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- Mar/24/22 2:21:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, according to the Minister of Health, there are many different factors to consider before lifting mandates. He said, “It's quite complicated.”
Health officers across Canada have worked through these complications and have ended their mandates. If it is not complicated for the provinces, why is it complicated for the minister?
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- Mar/24/22 2:21:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I know this might sound a bit complicated, so let me make this very simple.
It is 8,000 and 25,000. Eight thousand is the number of people who will be receiving either their first or second dose today, and 25,000 is the number of people who will be receiving their booster dose today. We are very grateful to them, not only for protecting their health but for protecting the health of those they love.
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- Mar/24/22 2:22:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on Monday I asked the health minister what the national vaccination target would need to be and for Canada to achieve before the government lifted the mandates. His response was that the booster uptake was too low. Next week it could be that case counts are off, or the following week it could be that waste-water surveillance numbers are askew. The goalposts will keep on moving.
What numbers do Canadians have to hit before the minister agrees to lift the mandates?
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- Mar/24/22 2:22:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me again thank not only my colleague, whose company and work I enjoy, but also all Canadians.
Let me say the vaccination mandates that opposition Conservative MPs opposed during the campaign have saved not only hundreds of lives but thousands of lives. Estimates are about 1,600 people in the last few months have had their lives saved by vaccination mandates.
Obviously, had we not had vaccination mandates in the last year in Canada, we would not currently be meeting in this room. We would be locked down, and we would be closing schools, shops, stores and factories.
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- Mar/24/22 2:23:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the vaccine mandates that the government imposed at the time have served their purpose according to the top experts in every province across this country. Ten out of 10 chief medical officers of health have said it is time to end the mandates and lift the mask mandates.
What are the metrics that this federal health minister is going to follow so that he will catch up to all of the provinces and our allies who have accepted the science and ended the mandates?
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- Mar/24/22 2:24:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to the member for his work and for admitting, and I think he knew that already, many weeks ago, that vaccination mandates did work. They not only saved lives. I spoke about the 1,600 Canadians who are currently alive because of those vaccination mandates, having not been infected, sent to a hospital and then dying because of not being vaccinated.
Also there is the large number of dollars. In fact, $4 billion is the estimate that we saved collectively, in household income and small business income, because of vaccination mandates.
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- Mar/24/22 2:24:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Canadian provinces and our international allies have eliminated many of their restrictions.
The NDP-Liberal government is faster at signing secret agreements than at lifting restrictions on domestic flights. It does not realize that Canadians have had enough.
When will the NDP-Liberal government look at what is happening in other G7 countries and eliminate the federal restrictions?
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- Mar/24/22 2:25:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am trying to be non-partisan, but the hon. member was not here before the last election, so she may not know that, roughly 13 months ago, her party said that Canadians would be the last in the world to be vaccinated, that they would not be vaccinated until 2030.
Canadians have been vaccinated in large numbers and, in most cases, before other countries. It is a gift that we received from science and scientists, a gift that we must all take special care of and take advantage of while we have it.
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- Mar/24/22 2:26:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am here and I know what is happening.
Science has not been the NDP-Liberal government's main concern for a long time. It used the pandemic for political gain, and Canadians are not fools. They realize it and even the member for Louis-Hébert has condemned it.
Will the Minister of Health finally stop playing political games and immediately lift the federal restrictions?
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- Mar/24/22 2:26:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is not about politics. It is about responsibility. When one is in government, one must be responsible. I believe that everyone in the House of Commons, not just the government members, must be responsible. I look around and see that members of the Conservative Party are suddenly declaring that COVID-19 is over and that masks are no longer necessary. COVID-19 is still with us. We will soon see the BA.2 subvariant in many provinces. The numbers are already high in Quebec. We must continue to protect ourselves and those around us.
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- Mar/24/22 2:27:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, three weeks ago, the Liberals and the NDP voted in favour of a Bloc motion stating that the Quebec nation must not lose any political weight in terms of the number of members in Ottawa. Today, they introduced Bill C‑14, which ensures that we will not lose any seats, but they are adding so many more seats elsewhere that we will end up losing some our political weight anyway. They may not be holding us under water, but they are letting the water rise very slowly. That is what they are doing.
Why does the government want to reduce Quebec's political weight?
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- Mar/24/22 2:27:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this morning, we introduced a realistic and practical bill that will protect Quebec's seats. Quebec would retain 78 seats instead of dropping to 77. The Bloc Québécois wants to reopen the Constitution, because their bill will require support from seven provinces representing 50% of the population. They want to enter into constitutional discussions, but we want to address the problem now, right away, to guarantee Quebec's political weight.
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- Mar/24/22 2:28:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, clearly the government does not know how to count. What matters to Quebec is not the number of seats but our nation's weight relative to the total number of seats. If we keep 78 seats but the total number of seats goes up to 343, 350 or 400, that does not work. One does not need an honorary degree to understand that. They are not taking away one of our seats, which would be an overt act of aggression against Quebec, but neither are they protecting our political weight, which is a roundabout way of breaking their promise.
The Liberals and the NDP voted to recognize the Quebec nation. Why diminish its political weight here?
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- Mar/24/22 2:29:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have 35 Liberal members for Quebec who are proud to be Quebeckers and who are here to stand up for Quebec. Today we introduced a bill that guarantees Quebec's 78 seats, but all the Bloc Québécois wants is to open up the Constitution and start a fight.
The only people that is good for are those who hope to win points by raising a hue and cry, but we, on the other hand, are here for all Quebeckers.
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- Mar/24/22 2:29:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today marks 30 days of the war in Ukraine, and President Zelenskyy has asked the world to reflect on what that means. When he spoke here in the House of Commons, he asked us to imagine what the war means and what it would mean to Canadians, and he asked for help.
One of the most important ways that we can help, and are helping, is by welcoming people from Ukraine, but recent reports are showing that people who come here from Ukraine are not getting the help that they need. What is the government going to do to ensure that Ukrainians fleeing a humanitarian crisis get refuge in Canada and the support and help that they need?
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