44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 17, 2022 10:00AM
- May/17/22 2:50:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend, the member for Mississauga—Streetsville, for her question and ongoing advocacy for seniors. I was pleased to announce yesterday that, through the new horizons for seniors program, we are investing more than $61.3 million and funding over 3,000 community-based projects to support seniors. These projects will help seniors across the country to keep active, stay informed and remain socially engaged during these challenging times.
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all the organizations, such as those in my colleague’s riding, who have stepped up to serve seniors, especially those who are most vulnerable.
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- May/17/22 2:51:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have all heard the Liberal talking points about hiring additional employees, but clearly, this has not come anywhere close to resolving the never-ending wait times at Service Canada. Time is ticking and Canadians' stress and frustration continues to grow. This is a process that the government is fully responsible for and a problem only a minister can fix.
The process is clearly broken, and Canadians deserve better. When will the minister do her job?
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- May/17/22 2:52:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we have said several times in the House, we certainly understand the feelings of Canadians right now who, for the past two years, have done their part and followed public health advice and now are looking to travel again. Of course, over the past two years there have been many passports that have expired. While Service Canada is fully operational, every kiosk is open, and employees are working around the clock, evenings and weekends to service this demand, the demand is exceptionally high. We have not seen volumes like this since 2006 when the United States required passports, but all employees at Service Canada, including this government, are going to work extra hard to make sure we can serve Canadians as best as possible.
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- May/17/22 2:52:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians across the country are anxiously waiting for their passports. The government’s passport website states, “processing requires 20 business days”, but that is not true as Canadians have been waiting for months for their passports. Now, thousands are being forced to cancel their travel plans because of the Liberal government's failed policy and preparation.
Instead of blaming Canadians for travelling, when will the government fix the passport crisis that it has created?
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- May/17/22 2:53:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I just said to the previous member through you, we are experiencing an unprecedented demand. We recognize that Canadians want to travel. That is why, back in December, we started hiring 500 additional employees to meet this rise in demand. It is why Service Canada employees are working on evenings and weekends. In fact, for the past three weekends, almost a dozen Service Canada passport locations have been open in the busiest areas across the country to meet this demand. It is why there are employees here in the national capital region that are assisting with opening and processing applications. We are throwing—
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- May/17/22 2:54:16 p.m.
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The hon. member for Hastings—Lennox and Addington.
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- May/17/22 2:54:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, early yesterday morning, I went to a passport office here in Ottawa to renew my family's passports. While I was waiting, I personally heard Passport Canada officials tell people in line to contact their members of Parliament for assistance in expediting their applications. My office has been told we do not have that capacity any more. We cannot submit applications like we used to. All we can do is check them over and ensure they are filled out properly.
Why is the Liberal government passing the buck to members of Parliament's offices when it knows full well it should be taking ownership and fixing its own mistakes?
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- May/17/22 2:55:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, as I have mentioned several times in the House, and as I will repeat for the benefit of that member and all members, we are experiencing an unprecedented volume, the likes of which we have not seen since 2006, when the United States required a passport for Canadians. We have already taken additional measures, and we will continue to keep these measures in place as we recognize that there is a pent-up demand for travel. Service Canada and passport employees are working around the clock. They are working overtime evenings and weekends to do their very best to meet this increase in demand.
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- May/17/22 2:55:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell the minister that her solution is not working. This government lacks vision. It is always reacting.
It was to be expected that there would be an unprecedented demand for the renewal of Canadian passports because of the pandemic. My riding office is seeing many cases, lots of Julies, Carls and Marie-Annes. According to the Passport Canada site, people can expect to wait 20 days to get their passports.
Why is this government causing people pointless stress and making them wait? Why is it not honouring its own deadlines?
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- May/17/22 2:56:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have said this several times, but I will say it again. We know that demand is extremely high right now. As I have already explained to the House several times, we have taken many measures to try to meet that unprecedented growth in demand for Canadians. Our measures will remain in place to meet that demand, to meet Canadians' needs.
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- May/17/22 2:57:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we need to give the police the resources they need to deal with the gang war in the greater Montreal area.
Yesterday I asked the minister whether he had created an organized crime register to help police arrest gang members. The minister said that the short answer was yes, but he did not provide any details.
Today we want the long answer. Will the minister create an organized crime register, and if so, when?
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- May/17/22 2:57:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have given police forces the tools to combat gang violence. We will continue to invest in our police forces.
I have had several very constructive conversations with my counterparts in Quebec, more specifically, Minister Guilbault, Mayor Plante and Mayor Marchand. We will continue working closely with Quebec. It is very important.
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- May/17/22 2:58:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the minister opened the door, but today he seems to be shutting it. Does he not see that there is a gang war going on in Montreal?
Police forces want some latitude to do their jobs. They want to be able to interrogate people, which would be possible with an organized crime register. With such a register, police officers could arrest any member of an officially recognized gang. I think this would be a good way to get these criminals to settle down.
After all of the shootings in recent months, why is the minister still hesitant to create an organized crime register?
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- May/17/22 2:58:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are laws for the prosecution of criminal organizations. There are tools to support the good work of police forces, for conducting investigations on the ground and for reassuring everyone that we can ensure public safety.
On this side of the House, we will continue with a comprehensive strategy for fighting gun violence. We will be working with the Bloc and all members of the House on that.
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- May/17/22 2:59:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I spoke to Todd, who worked for the federal government as an engineer. He is immunized for all his usual vaccines, except COVID-19. Of course, he has lost his job. He was worried about the short- and long-term effects of the new vaccines. Both Todd, the engineer, and his wife, the nurse, are leaving Canada as they cannot work or travel in their own country.
Is the exodus of professionals the goal of the Prime Minister's vindictive mandates?
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- May/17/22 3:00:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, having a fully vaccinated workforce makes our work sites and our communities safer. We asked employees of the federal public service to attest to their vaccination status. They stepped up, and 99% of employees attested to being fully vaccinated. We committed to review this policy every six months, and the policy review is under way. Any decisions will be based on science and the advice of public health officials.
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- May/17/22 3:00:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to punish Canadians who do not agree with him. A letter in The Globe and Mail stated today that continued travel restrictions are an unnecessary and illogical infringement on individual rights of mobility. The Prime Minister states, over and over, that he stands with Canadians. Well, he sure does not want them sitting beside him on a plane, a train or a bus.
Will he put politics aside and allow Canadians to get back to prepandemic normal, or will he continue to punish Canadians for their health choices?
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- May/17/22 3:01:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today we know more about COVID-19 than ever before, and certainly more than back in March 2020. We have safe, effective vaccines and a highly vaccinated population. We have testing and surveillance tools that allow us to identify new variants of concern and track the spread of this virus. However, the future remains uncertain, and people are still getting COVID-19 every single day. It is unpredictable.
Our government will continue making decisions based on the best science from health care providers and public health officials, and will adjust our advice and public health measures based on them and the evolution of this virus.
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- May/17/22 3:02:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are currently two groups of people prevented from getting on commercial flights in Canada. The first group are those on the no-fly list, an air security program that prevents individuals who may commit a terrorist act from getting on a plane. The second group banned from flights in Canada are Canadians who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Why are the Liberals treating our fellow citizens who are not vaccinated in the same way they treat those on the no-fly list?
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- May/17/22 3:02:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I just said, we know more about this virus than we did a couple of years ago, and we continue to have safe and effective vaccines available—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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