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House Hansard - 60

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 28, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 60 - Apr/28/22
Mr. Kevin Vuong (Spadina—Fort York, Ind.)
  • Apr/28/22 3:13:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, many of my constituents have been contacting me about the severe delays in processing immigration applications and the pause placed on the express entry draws. People have had to put their lives and careers on hold, living in IRCC purgatory, all while Canadian businesses are facing a labour shortage. IRCC is a total farce. Along with the quagmire at passport offices and the mess in obtaining social insurance cards, all are colossal failures. Does the government have any viable plan to get “dis-Service Canada” back to Service Canada any time soon?
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Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lib.)
  • Apr/28/22 3:13:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the last number of months, we have taken a number of steps to boost the processing capacity of IRCC, with $85 million announced in the fall economic statement. We have made available an additional $385 million to be processed in the recent federal budget. We are launching a modernization of the digital platform to boost processing time further and creating more immigration level space. The result of these investments is actually seeing the numbers in the express entry system under the federal high-skilled streams decrease from 112,000 to 48,000. The draws for the Canadian experience class in the federal skilled workers stream will resume this July, and we will be back to the service standard we enjoyed before COVID-19 was something we had ever heard of.
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The Deputy Speaker
  • Apr/28/22 3:14:23 p.m.
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Following discussions among representatives of all parties in the House, I understand there is an agreement to observe a moment of silence in commemoration of the Holocaust. I now invite hon. members to please rise. [A moment of silence observed]
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Mr. John Brassard (Barrie—Innisfil, CPC)
  • Apr/28/22 3:16:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is great to be back after a couple of weeks in the riding. We have a busy time coming up in the legislative agenda. I am sure the NDP is already aware, but for the sake of my colleagues and the Bloc, would the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader please advise the House what the business will be over the next week?
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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)
  • Apr/28/22 3:16:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this afternoon and tomorrow we will deal with Bill C-8, the economic and fiscal update. On Monday, we will resume debate on Government Business No. 11 concerning the extension of sitting hours and commence third-reading debate on Bill C-8. It is also our intention to begin consideration at second reading of the budget bill on Tuesday and continue with this debate on Wednesday and Thursday.
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Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Apr/28/22 3:17:08 p.m.
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moved that a ways and means motion to introduce an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022, and other measures be concurred in.
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The Deputy Speaker
  • Apr/28/22 3:17:39 p.m.
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If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division on the motion or that the motion be adopted on division, I would invite them to please rise and indicate it to the Chair. The hon. House leader for the official opposition.
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Mr. John Brassard
  • Apr/28/22 3:17:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we would like a recorded division.
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The Deputy Speaker
  • Apr/28/22 3:17:44 p.m.
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Call in the members.
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The Deputy Speaker
  • Apr/28/22 4:01:15 p.m.
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I declare the motion carried.
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The Deputy Speaker
  • Apr/28/22 4:02:20 p.m.
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It is my duty pursuant to Standing Order 38 to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, National Defence; and the hon. member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, Public Safety.
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Hon. Chrystia Freeland
  • Apr/28/22 4:02:20 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-19 
moved that Bill C-19, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022 and other measures, be read the first time and printed.
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Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Apr/28/22 4:02:52 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-8 
moved: That in relation to Bill C-8, An Act to implement certain provisions of the economic and fiscal update tabled in Parliament on December 14, 2021 and other measures, not more than one further sitting day shall be allotted to the consideration of the report stage and five hours shall be allotted to the consideration at third reading stage of the said bill; and That, 15 minutes before the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders on the day allotted to the consideration at report stage and at the end of the five hours provided for the consideration at third reading stage of the said bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this order, and in turn every question necessary for the disposal of the said stage of the bill then under consideration shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment.
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The Deputy Speaker
  • Apr/28/22 4:04:55 p.m.
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Pursuant to Standing Order 67(1), there will now be a 30-minute question period. I invite hon. members who wish to ask questions to rise in their places or use the “raise hand” function so the Chair has some idea of the number of members who wish to participate in this question period.
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Mr. John Brassard (Barrie—Innisfil, CPC)
  • Apr/28/22 4:06:25 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-8 
Mr. Speaker, I spoke at length earlier about the government mismanaging its legislative agenda. This bill was introduced back in December. The second reading was in February, it went to committee and was approved March 1, and it came back to the House in April at report stage. Not only members of the opposition, but also members of the Bloc had significant concerns about this piece of legislation coming out of committee that opened up debate, but subsequent to that we had four weeks off in this place. I know that the government is going to blame obstruction and obfuscation on the part of the opposition, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, on April 4, the government gave notice of time allocation and the reason it did not move it was because the NDP would not agree to it. Is that not correct?
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Hon. Chrystia Freeland
  • Apr/28/22 4:07:32 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-8 
Madam Speaker, what Canadians want from all of us, Canadians across the country and who vote for all of the different parties represented in the House, is for us to get down to work and do the work of the country. That is what the measures in Bill C-8 do. These measures, frankly, should be receiving unanimous support in the House. These measures include a tax credit for businesses to improve their ventilation to keep COVID at bay. Is that not a good idea right now, as we are facing a sixth wave? They include an expansion of the school supplies tax credit for teachers, who bought additional supplies during COVID and are now working so hard to get our kids back up to speed. Bill C-8 includes $1.7 billion for rapid tests, which again are so essential as we get down down to living with COVID. They include a tax on underused housing, which is such an important part of our housing strategy. I would urge everyone to set aside partisan games and partisan posturing and pass this essential legislation.
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Mr. Rick Perkins (South Shore—St. Margarets, CPC)
  • Apr/28/22 4:09:03 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-8 
Madam Speaker, my question is with regard to small craft harbours. For some reason, the fall economic statement and the current budget contain zero new money for small craft harbours. Small craft harbours are in desperate shape. There are over 10,000 of them in Canada, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans estimates that it will take almost $700 million just to bring the small craft harbours in southwest Nova Scotia up to operational standards. I would ask the Deputy Prime Minister this: Why is the government not including any new money for small craft harbours?
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Hon. Chrystia Freeland
  • Apr/28/22 4:09:42 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-8 
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question about small craft harbours, because they are absolutely essential for our country. We absolutely understand their importance, particularly, but not only, in the amazing province of Nova Scotia. That is why, in the 2021 budget, we put forward a historically unprecedented investment in small craft harbours of literally hundreds of millions of dollars. Our job now is to deploy that money and to execute on those investments, and I can say that I was so glad we put forward that historic investment. It is making a difference, and it will continue to make a huge difference in small craft harbours across our amazing country.
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Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP)
  • Apr/28/22 4:10:38 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-8 
Madam Speaker, one of the items in this bill that is of particular interest is the educator school supply tax credit. I heard from a teacher in the riding I represent. Jessica is a teacher in a small village in northwest B.C. She filed her taxes, and apparently CRA is sitting on the tax returns of a whole bunch of teachers who have claimed this tax credit because it has not yet been passed into law. I share some of the concern about the fact that this place has not managed to pass Bill C-8 in a timely way. If we are able to get this bill through, can the minister assure teachers, particularly in British Columbia, who have spent thousands of dollars of their own money on school supplies, which is another issue we need to deal with, that CRA will prioritize getting their returns in their hands as quickly as possible?
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Hon. Chrystia Freeland
  • Apr/28/22 4:11:34 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-8 
Absolutely, Madam Speaker, and I am very glad to have the issue of tax credits to teachers for school supplies brought up. I raised this in my first answer, and it is one of the reasons that it is really astonishingly wrong that this legislation has been held up for so long. All of us know how hard COVID was on our children and how hard it was on teachers across the country. Yes, it was hard in B.C., but let me say teachers in my province of Ontario have been knocking themselves out as well. They have really gone the extra mile to help kids learn virtually, and now they are working really hard too, because kids struggled during COVID and there is a lot of work to make up. I absolutely believe we have a responsibility for the more than 45,000 teachers across this country. It is a priority of our government for teachers to get their tax credits. We are working hard to make it happen. I would urge all members of the House to get to work. Let us support our teachers and really let us not have dilatory tactics to delay this essential legislation.
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