44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 20, 2022 10:00AM
- May/20/22 12:03:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while the world is getting back to normal, the Liberals are bent on keeping Canadians from returning to work. Their punitive mandates and virtue signalling are in fact imposing poverty upon some citizens. This includes at least four women in east central Alberta who work for FCC and Canada Post.
When will the Liberals allow these women, and all the Canadians they fired, to get back to work like before the pandemic?
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- May/20/22 12:03:41 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, from the beginning of the pandemic, we made a commitment to Canadians to keep them healthy and safe during the pandemic. We have put in place measures to protect workers and communities, and federal public servants stepped up. They got fully vaccinated, up to 99%. This shows that we know we need to continue to make sure that public servants and Canadians are safe.
We are committed to reviewing the current policy and will come back with a decision.
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- May/20/22 12:04:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, every day in this place we see the Liberals play COVID theatre with their masks, only to remove them as soon as they leave the parliamentary precinct, at bars, restaurants and receptions. This is as they insist on continuing never-ending mandates and restrictions.
When will the Liberals stop their hypocritical theatre and end the mandates?
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- May/20/22 12:04:58 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is very troubling to see members on the opposite side deny the existence of a pandemic that is still stealing the lives of so many of our neighbours. Just in the last three weeks, over 1,000 Canadians have died from COVID-19. Masks help and vaccinations help.
Time and time again, we are hearing from the Conservatives that they want to get back to normal. I want this pandemic to be over too. Every Canadian wants this pandemic to be over. However, just wishing it so does not make that happen. We must continue to be vigilant, wear our masks and encourage vaccination.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- May/20/22 12:05:22 p.m.
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Again, it is getting exceptionally loud in here, and I am having a hard time hearing the answers. If the official opposition and the government are going back and forth, I am sure they are not hearing the answers as well. I would ask members to please tone it down.
The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.
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- May/20/22 12:05:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, people across the country are dying from the toxic drug supply. Instead of receiving help, they are being punished.
A recent media report found that Black and indigenous people continue to be disproportionately arrested on drug possession charges. This echoes what Health Canada's expert task force on substance use told the government over a year ago. Decriminalization will help Canadians get the help they need.
The war on drugs does not reduce harm or help people. Will the government finally address the root causes of substance use by treating it truly as a health issue rather than a criminal issue?
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- May/20/22 12:06:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, our government recognizes that problematic substance use is a health issue, and we are working to divert people who use drugs away from the criminal justice system and toward supportive and trusted relationships in health and social services. With the budget 2022 investment of an additional $100 million, we have now committed over $800 million to support community-led harm reduction treatment and prevention projects since 2015.
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- May/20/22 12:07:09 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, last week, all members in the House agreed to put in place, without delay, a Canada disability benefit. I thank the members for restoring hope to Canadians with disabilities, but hope is not enough. We must deliver action. It has been a year since the Liberals tabled a Canada disability benefit and let it fall. We cannot fail the disability community again.
Will the government respect the will of this House and table the Canada disability benefit immediately?
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- May/20/22 12:07:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, since 2015, we have taken historic steps towards building a barrier-free Canada. In addition to the $112 million from budget 2021, with budget 2022 we are investing nearly $300 million in disability inclusion, including an employment strategy for persons with disabilities.
Moving forward, we are are absolutely committed to implementing the disability inclusion action plan, which will establish a robust employment strategy and enhance eligibility for government disability programs and benefits. That includes introducing the Canada disability benefit act to address poverty among Canadians with disabilities. We all benefit when—
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- May/20/22 12:08:23 p.m.
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The hon. member for Sudbury has the floor.
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- May/20/22 12:08:26 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, as we all know, our tourism sector was hit hard these past two years by the pandemic because of health measures and border closures.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance tell us how the government is supporting this sector, which is a key economic driver and job creator, especially for young Canadians and rural communities?
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- May/20/22 12:08:55 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Sudbury for the question and her hard work.
I am delighted to announce that we just launched consultations on our renewed federal tourism growth strategy. We will work with the provincial, territorial and municipal governments, as well as with our partners in indigenous communities, in order to continue promoting our tourism sector and ensuring economic growth.
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- May/20/22 12:09:31 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on April 9, the Prime Minister announced that Ukrainians who come to Canada would be given temporary housing assistance and short-term income supports.
Last week, Alexey, a Ukrainian, landed in Toronto and was greeted by the Red Cross. Unfortunately, there was no short-term housing or income support because the program actually had not even launched yet. The announcement was made on April 9. Today is May 20.
Will the government keep its word and provide Ukrainians with the announced supports, or is this just another broken Liberal promise?
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- May/20/22 12:10:04 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his great advocacy. We both sit on the immigration committee and I know how passionate and involved he is.
We have welcomed over 32,000 Ukrainians to Canada, and certainly our commitment continues to be to helping Ukrainians as they come to Canada. We will continue to support them. Just last week, we announced we would be welcoming a charter flight next week in Winnipeg.
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- May/20/22 12:10:44 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it looks like another broken promise.
Anna recently gave birth to her third daughter, Sophie, in a bomb shelter in Ukraine. Anna and her daughters had to leave her husband and their father behind and escape to safety. They were forced to wait in Turkey because of impossible demands by IRCC, including demanding a birth certificate for Sophie, who was born in a bomb shelter. This is just ridiculous.
Will the Liberals finally accept that their policies are not working at all and implement visa-free travel for Ukrainians?
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- May/20/22 12:11:18 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on individual cases, I would certainly appreciate having this conversation with him. As the member well knows, there are numerous measures we have put in place to ensure that individuals can come to Canada. As I mention all the time, we will continue to be there to welcome as many Ukrainians as possible in Canada.
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- May/20/22 12:11:49 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, Immigration Canada’s annual “Fees Report” notes that just 19% of passports were processed within the required timelines, and this audit was well before the current surge and delays. At the same time, 88% of executives at Immigration Canada received hefty performance bonuses.
Does the minister believe failing Canadians applying for passports 81% of the time warrants performance bonuses?
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- May/20/22 12:12:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, as I said, we recognize that Canadians are experiencing frustration right now with the incredible surge in demand when it comes to passports. We are experiencing unprecedented demand, the likes of which we have not seen since 2006, because over the past two years Canadians followed public health advice. They stayed home and did their part to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.
We are working around the clock at Service Canada, including on evenings and weekends. We have added over 600 additional staff at this point to ensure that we can meet those processing times in a timely manner.
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- May/20/22 12:12:59 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the government was failing 81% of the time before the current surge.
The Service Fees Act requires government to develop service standards for government services that charge fees, such as for passports. It also requires the government to refund such fees if such standards are not met, under the directive on charging and special financial authorities.
The government has not been meeting its standard for passport application services, as we know, for well over 80% of people. Therefore, is the government refunding these Canadians, as is required under law?
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- May/20/22 12:13:37 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, for in-person passport services, we are meeting standards about 98% of the time. These are within 10 days. It is the mail-in option that is experiencing delays. We continue to work around the clock.
Previous to the pandemic, the majority of passports were processed in person as opposed to the mail-in option. This has now shifted, so we are adjusting and shifting resources as necessary, but we will continue to examine and do everything we can to make sure that we are delivering these services in a timely manner for Canadians.
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