44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 6, 2022 10:00AM
- May/6/22 11:43:32 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I think the government has forgotten about its federal mandates, because every province is removing theirs. These mandates are preventing essential federal workers from doing their jobs.
I spoke to an employee from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency who was barred from providing the essential service of food inspection because the government would not let them.
The Liberals do not care about science. They only care about division. When will the government end its outdated mandates?
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- May/6/22 11:44:01 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, from the beginning of this pandemic, we made a commitment to Canadians that we would protect their health and safety. We have done that. We will continue to do that, and we have put in place measures to protect workers and our communities. As circumstances change, we adjust these measures.
We are currently reviewing the mandates, and we will come back to the House to report when these mandates will be reviewed.
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- May/6/22 11:44:37 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we hear more responses with no answers from the government.
The historic town of Lunenberg has taken a massive hit due to reduced tourism numbers, thanks to the pandemic.
International cruise ships have finally returned to Nova Scotia's ports but for some reason, CBSA has not restarted services in Lunenburg, which means that passenger ships cannot dock in the town. There are seven other ports of entry in the province of Nova Scotia where CBSA has restarted services, but Lunenburg is left out.
When will the minister boost the local Lunenburg economy, do the right thing and open the CBSA—
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- May/6/22 11:45:15 a.m.
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The hon. Minister of Public Safety.
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- May/6/22 11:45:20 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his advocacy. My office is in close contact with both him and the community of Lunenburg.
Over the course of the last number of weeks, I am pleased to report to all members in this chamber that CBSA has been reopening ports of entry to meet the increased demand around trade and travel. This is good news, and we will continue to work with all members to see that this progress continues.
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- May/6/22 11:45:51 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Canadian businesses pay huge rates on their credit card transactions, almost twice as much as fees in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In budget 2022, the government admitted that Canada's high credit card fees have been hurting small businesses, which were already hurt by the pandemic.
The NDP has been calling for lower fees since back in Jack Layton's campaign over 10 years ago, and despite recognizing the problem, the Liberals keep talking about more talks. When will the Liberals actually crack down on excessive credit card transaction fees and help small businesses?
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- May/6/22 11:46:33 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy. Before the pandemic, we cut their taxes from 11% to 9%. During the pandemic, we had their backs: We supported 450,000 businesses and 5.3 million Canadian workers.
Now we are going even further by targeting a new small business tax. We are working on reducing credit card fees. This is good news for small business and great news for Canadians and the Canadian economy.
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- May/6/22 11:46:56 a.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, residents of Sanirajak have not seen the $42.9 million that was delivered by the Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation to Inuit firms four years ago. This means that Inuit firms are not getting the resources they were promised. Baffinland told media that it cannot provide details about where the money went.
Nunavut firms that were promised contracts are being deceived by companies that are making massive profits and damaging the environment. What is the government going to do to stand up for the people and the land of Nunavut?
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- May/6/22 11:47:46 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we are engaged with the territory of Nunavut, and all of the hamlets and communities in Nunavut, to make sure that their interests are protected on so many fronts. We are guided by the Inuit Nunangat policy.
I will commit to looking into the comments made by the member for Nunavut and get back to her ASAP.
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- May/6/22 11:48:21 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, it goes without saying that Line 5 is crucial energy infrastructure for our country and for our continental energy security. There is another court case in Wisconsin that is threatening the line's operation.
Could the Minister of Natural Resources update the House on what he is doing to ensure that the line continues to operate?
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- May/6/22 11:48:40 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the continued operation of Line 5 is, as I have said, non-negotiable. We will take appropriate steps to ensure the continued safe operation of this critical infrastructure, and we will continue to work closely with the owner of Line 5.
Canada and the United States continue to be engaged in the process under the 1977 transit pipelines agreement to ensure the continued operation of Line 5, and until this issue is resolved, I will continue to raise it with my U.S. counterparts, as I have been doing on an ongoing basis.
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- May/6/22 11:49:16 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the lines are around the block at Service Canada centres across the country, and budding entrepreneurs are charging upwards of $50 an hour to stand in line to help people get that golden walk-in appointment.
If we call the Service Canada passport line, we get a generic message saying “long processing time” and then it hangs up. However, when we go to the website, there is no mention of delays and no indication of a problem, leaving Canadians completely in the dark until it is too late in many cases.
Will the minister admit that this is a crisis?
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- May/6/22 11:49:55 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Canadians are travelling again, and we understand that the lines are long and this is difficult and stressful for many. That is why last weekend, 12 of the busiest offices across the country were open throughout the weekend. Service Canada staff continue to work through weekends and through overtime to alleviate backlogs. More counters are being opened at passport offices every single day.
The minister and officials continue to explore options to do more, and we continue to push to improve the service standards and help Canadians access the services they are entitled to.
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- May/6/22 11:50:31 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, unfortunately, Canadians deserve more than talking points. Gordon applied for his son's passport by mail in February. After a month, he made request after request, online and by fax, simply for a status update. Then he called and was number 543, and after an hour he gave up. He appealed to his local MP, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, but even then he could not get a status update. Clearly, the process is broken.
Will the minister drop the talking points and fix this serious problem?
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- May/6/22 11:51:09 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for her advocacy for constituents.
We do know this is a frustrating time for many Canadians as they try to use the system. We have simplified the process to replace expired passports and have extended it to those that expired 15 years ago, treating them as renewals rather than new applications. We continue to find every avenue possible to address the needs of Canadians as they wish to travel again.
If there is a particular issue that a constituent, such as Gordon, is facing, I would be more than happy to speak to the member about it to see how we can find—
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- May/6/22 11:51:47 a.m.
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The hon. member for Cumberland—Colchester.
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- May/6/22 11:51:49 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we need some answers here, not talking points, so I will go with this “despicable” or “annoying” question, I suppose.
I have heard from Madison and Michelle. They applied on March 14 for travel on May 4. They could have an expedited passport for extra money, and being held ransom, they paid. After over 400 phone calls and hours waiting on hold, they travelled one hour and 10 minutes to Halifax and slept on the floor overnight.
The government is downloading its ineptitude onto the backs of public service employees. When will it clean up this mess and put the “service” back in “Service Canada”?
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- May/6/22 11:52:29 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member sharing the frustrations that many Canadians are facing as they try to embark on travel again to see loved ones throughout the country.
With the easing of public health restrictions and Canadians resuming their travels, Service Canada is experiencing unprecedented volumes in the demand for passports. Our current priority is to ensure that Canadians with planned travel are able to travel. To avoid long lines, Canadians with no imminent travel can apply by visiting over 300 Service Canada centres—
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- May/6/22 11:53:04 a.m.
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The hon. member for King—Vaughan.
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- May/6/22 11:53:06 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Canadians are lining up for days attempting to renew their passports so they can reunite with their families after two long years.
A constituent in my riding is feeling desperate. She is trying to visit a dying family member in the United States and is getting nowhere. Time is of the essence. If we fail to plan, we are planning to fail.
Will the government have compassion and fix the passport backlog so that Canadians can have the ability to say goodbye?
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