44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 13, 2022 10:00AM
- May/13/22 11:39:20 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I agree 100% that gun violence has become a real crisis in Quebec and across Canada. I was with our Minister of Public Safety just this week for an announcement about gun control in Canada. We are taking concrete steps to move forward on this.
Mr. Speaker, I think there is a problem.
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- May/13/22 11:39:42 a.m.
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I think someone has their microphone on.
Let us make sure everybody has their microphone turned off. If we have learned anything over the last number of months, it is to keep our microphones and cameras off.
The hon. parliamentary secretary.
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- May/13/22 11:40:08 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will close by simply saying that I hope that the Bloc Québécois will work with us on better gun control.
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- May/13/22 11:40:18 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my office is being overrun with correspondence from constituents suffering as a result of passport delays. I recently received a note from Jason, whose son Mason is hoping to travel with his hockey team. Jason asked if he could pay the extra fee to have his passport sooner and was told that he could not, as his date of travel was outside of the next 25 days. He was assured he would have it on time. When it did not arrive on time, he called the number but no one answered. He could not leave a message. He called over 150 times in three days and still has not gotten an answer.
To the minister, where is Mason's passport?
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- May/13/22 11:40:54 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after two long years, Canadians are travelling again and we are seeing unprecedented volumes across the country of Canadians who wish to have travel documents. We know that it is both difficult and stressful for them.
The minister has been travelling throughout the country visiting Service Canada passport centres and speaking to staff, who have been working through the weekends and doing overtime. We hired 500 new staff in December to prepare, in anticipation of this. All wickets are open.
We want to thank all those working so hard to serve Canadians.
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- May/13/22 11:41:32 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, clearly 500 is not enough. If only there was a way to have a database to track when passports expire. This is why my community is furious. The passport process delays are predictable and unnecessary. To add insult to injury, we are forced to pay an extra $200 as a service charge and, incredibly, another $20 on top of that, not for delivery of the passport but to pick it up at the office. This means more fees, untold sleepless nights and angry Canadians.
When is the government going to assign someone other than the minister to fix the problem?
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- May/13/22 11:42:13 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, not only were an additional 500 staff hired in December, but three processing centres were opened across the country in anticipation of this demand. In addition to that, over 303 Service Canada centres will accept passport applications. In addition to that, those who submitted within the appropriate processing times but were delayed do not have to pay for transfer fees or expedited fees and will receive their documents.
We are serving Canadians.
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- May/13/22 11:42:47 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my constituent Derek had an opportunity to go to the United States to attend a football camp, so he acted quickly to try to get a passport. When Service Canada called to confirm the information, he, as a high school student and part-time employee, unfortunately missed the call, and his attempts to call back over the course of several weeks were unsuccessful. After he was finally able to provide the required documents, the delays ultimately caused Derek to miss the camp. He still does not have his passport.
When will the Liberals fix this passport backlog?
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- May/13/22 11:43:22 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, staff in Service Canada offices are working long hours over weekends and overtime to ensure that Canadians get the service they need during this unprecedented volume.
I would also like to mention that ESDC has leveraged additional staff to come in to support our passport service staff, in addition to the 500 new hires and the 564 counters open across the country at 100% service capacity.
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- May/13/22 11:43:56 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadian travellers returning to Canada are still required to use the ArriveCAN app and disclose their personal data to the government, whether they like it or not. The app asks where someone has been, where they are going and whether they have any health-related symptoms, answers that could easily be stated to an agent at customs.
We know the government has been using COVID as an excuse to track Canadian data, and the minister repeatedly claims that the app protects Canadians. My question is, how?
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- May/13/22 11:44:29 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have gone to a question that included misinformation, and I really am concerned about that.
ArriveCAN is an essential and intuitive tool to protect Canadians. We have streamlined the reopening process.
As the hon. member knows, travel is up. It takes only a few minutes for vaccinated travellers to complete this. To conflate it with privacy issues is really troubling.
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- May/13/22 11:45:09 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, a report confirmed that the RCMP is an organization built on systemic discrimination, perpetuating violence against indigenous women and girls. The calls for justice provide a path forward to address the misogyny, racism and violence outlined in the report, but the government is failing to act. Words are not enough. It has been three years since the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
When will the government finally get serious about saving indigenous lives and implement the calls for justice?
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- May/13/22 11:45:48 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I commend the hon. member for her work on this issue. It is indeed a pleasure to work with her to ensure that all the calls for justice are implemented, in particular when it comes to the RCMP.
I want to thank the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action for the report it put out reaffirming gender-based violence within the RCMP.
We are calling for accelerated programs, with a more autonomous Independent Centre for Harassment Resolution. We are also investing in first nations policing and taking steps that will ensure indigenous women are safe in our country.
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- May/13/22 11:46:32 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Peguis and communities across Manitoba are being devastated by unprecedented flooding, with homes destroyed, roads washed out and livelihoods gone. More rain is in the forecast. This is climate change.
Peguis has been pushing for long-term mitigation work for over a decade. The federal government has not lived up to its commitments. There is no time to waste. These investments are about the survival of communities.
Instead of padding the pockets of corporate Canada at the Infrastructure Bank, when will the federal government get serious about climate change mitigation and adaptation infrastructure? It is time to stand up for Peguis.
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- May/13/22 11:47:14 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for this very important question.
The flooding in Peguis First Nation is of great concern, and the health and safety of residents is a top priority for our government. We are in constant communication with Chief Hudson and local partners, and are taking immediate action to ensure that Peguis receives the supports required in this emergency situation.
In direct response to the community's requests, Indigenous Services Canada has activated the Canadian Red Cross, ensuring the evacuation of residents and the provision of mental health and emergency services. We will continue to work with the community to make sure that residents are safe.
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- May/13/22 11:47:51 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week the Yellowknife-based organization, FOXY, received urgently needed federal funding from the mental health promotion innovation fund to continue and expand its culturally safe and northern-focused mental health advocacy. The $1.3-million investment will help it use the arts to focus on cultural identity and to develop social, emotional and coping skills while processing trauma.
Can the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions update the House on how this fund is supporting community-based youth mental health programs across Canada?
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- May/13/22 11:48:30 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question and also for his tireless advocacy for his territory and this issue.
The mental health promotion innovation fund supports community-led solutions to promote mental health and address the root causes of poor mental health and mental illness, especially for indigenous youth. The funding announced last week is part of the program's second phase of funding that supports 10 projects across Canada, for a total investment of $12.2 million.
Our government will continue to support projects with a holistic approach to healing by supporting individuals, families and communities.
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- May/13/22 11:49:16 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this Liberal government likes to brag about its investments to combat gun violence, but an access-to-information disclosure reveals a different story. This Liberal government failed to spend $325 million budgeted to combat gun and gang violence. In fact, only $140 million of the promised funding since 2017 has been spent. Meanwhile, gun violence explodes across the country, and now the government is planning to spend another billion dollars to buy back guns from law-abiding gun owners.
Why is this government wasting money going after law-abiding gun owners and cutting funds used to fight gangs and violent criminals?
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- May/13/22 11:49:53 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I wish that hon. members on the other side were interested in actually developing solutions instead of trying to portray this issue in a simple fashion. It is complicated, and that is why we are taking multiple steps to deal with gang violence, including investing in communities and investing millions of dollars to ensure that we are combatting gang violence.
Let us work together on this issue. Let us find solutions that actually keep Canadians safe.
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- May/13/22 11:50:30 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, well, the Liberals' gun buyback program is doomed from the start. Gun crime in Canada is largely committed using illegal guns, but the Liberals want to use more taxpayer dollars to buy back guns from law-abiding gun owners.
Can the minister explain why they are punishing law-abiding citizens instead of criminals and driving up debt while doing so?
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