44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 31, 2022 10:00AM
- May/31/22 2:55:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, veterans need the government to get down that path a lot sooner.
Today, the Auditor General also said that Canadians in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis are not able to access the supports Liberals say are available to them, and made it clear that for these vulnerable Canadians the government does not even have a plan to help. A plan would look like supporting a motion to make profitable oil and gas companies pay their fair share, instead of voting against it. A plan would look like raising the GST rebate and declaring a low-income CERB repayment amnesty, instead of trying to collect debt from the poor.
When will we see a real plan from the government that includes the relief people need to feed their families and keep a roof over their head?
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- May/31/22 2:55:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we welcome and accept the report from the Auditor General today. We have an initiative called “Reaching All Canadians” to try to ensure that Canadians have access to the benefits they are eligible for. We have been working with third party organizations to ensure that those who are eligible for benefits like the Canada child benefit, old age security and the guaranteed income supplement know that they can access them and that they have support in applying.
We will continue to do more, as we know that we want to reach every single Canadian who is eligible. We will keep doing that work.
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- May/31/22 2:56:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know that the skilled trades are at the centre of Canada's economic recovery. That is why this government is investing nearly $1 billion annually to support apprentices. I think of smart investments like the union training and innovation program, which helps kick-start lucrative careers in well-respected trades, including for Canadians from under-represented groups.
Yesterday, I was privileged to have witnessed the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion announce the launch of the new federal apprenticeship service in Halifax. Can the minister please share with the House and all Canadians the importance of this initiative?
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- May/31/22 2:57:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is an important question. Skilled trade workers are essential to Canada's economy and infrastructure and to our everyday life. To ensure Canadians can seize the opportunities in the trades, we are helping create 25,000 new apprenticeships across Canada. We are investing $247 million to help small and medium-sized businesses hire mechanics, electricians and other apprentices. We are also doubling incentives for employers who hire persons with disabilities, indigenous people and other marginalized Canadians.
We will keep working with unions and business to build a strong, skilled workforce for the future.
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- May/31/22 2:57:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our country's housing crisis is at a critical point. This impacts everyone, including our soldiers. Recently, a senior B.C. officer told soldiers that they should go to Habitat for Humanity for assistance. These are people who are prepared to lay down their lives for our freedom and they are told to go to charity. It is shameful.
When will the government provide adequate housing for our soldiers who are prepared to lay down their lives for our freedoms?
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- May/31/22 2:58:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, military members and their families are our top priority and we are investing $445 million over the coming years to tackle this very important issue that the hon. member raised. In February 2021, we increased military members' rates of pay to ensure alignment with increases received by the federal public service. We also implemented an interim relocation policy to enable remote work options and to facilitate flexibility for members. We have more work to do. We will continue to seek ways to support our members and their families.
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- May/31/22 2:59:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Top Gun: Maverick came out this week, but Canadian military families are not feeling the need for speed when it comes to getting military housing. They have lost that loving feeling. Families of four are being made to sleep in single PMQs. The hard deck for building homes is 6,000 homes needed for military families given the great ball of fire that is also the housing crisis, which is on a highway to the danger zone.
When will the government be a wingman and build homes for Canadian military families?
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- May/31/22 2:59:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in all seriousness, we will continue to support our Canadian Armed Forces personnel posted across the country and their families. For example, the post living differential allowance is intended to help reduce financial burdens for Canadian Armed Forces personnel and their families. To ensure that the PLD allowance effectively supports CAF members and their families and addresses affordability concerns, the Department of National Defence is reviewing the policy as we speak. We will always seek to support the people who serve our country with robust compensation and with a benefits framework that works for everyone.
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- May/31/22 3:00:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister needs to look up from her talking points. These are people, men and women, who we have asked to serve our country, at home and abroad, and unbelievably they are being asked to go to Habitat for Humanity for accommodations. The Liberals have failed to provide our troops with equipment that they need. They have failed to protect our troops from sexual misconduct, and now they have failed to ensure our troops have places to live.
This is an absolute disgrace, and the minister needs to answer for it.
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- May/31/22 3:01:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that I have military members and their families as my top priority. From day one, as stated in my mandate letter, I have continued to commit to ensuring that our members have the support and resources that they need. That is why we are increasing our defence spending by 70% over a nine-year period beginning in 2017. That is why we committed another $8 billion in defence spending. That is why $6.1 billion of that will go to the needs of the military, and we will keep working on this issue.
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- May/31/22 3:01:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, military personnel sacrifice to serve our country. They knew they would be moved, but they did not expect that they would not be able to afford to live because the government would let them down. There should be some expectation of a similar cost of living when military personnel are posted from base to base. However, that is not the case with the rates of military housing varying widely across the country. The rates at Bagotville are almost double those in Cold Lake. Both are air force bases that are home to our CF-18s.
When will the minister address this housing inequity?
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- May/31/22 3:02:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to put forward a few facts. After significant cuts made by the previous Conservative government, we actually are delivering results for our Canadian Armed Forces members and their families. Tax-free income for members—
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- May/31/22 3:02:45 p.m.
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I am going to ask the minister to stop for a second. I think everybody wants to hear the answer to that question, especially the hon. member for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake. Maybe we will let the minister start from the top so that everyone can hear the answer.
The hon. Minister of National Defence.
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- May/31/22 3:03:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will try this again. After significant cuts made by the previous Conservative government, we are delivering results for our Canadian Armed Forces.
Some of these results are the tax-free income for members deployed on international operations, close to $200 million to improve access to health care and implement a joint suicide prevention strategy, $6 million per year in new funding for military family resource centres, which means more child care hours, and enshrining a victims' bill of rights in the military justice system.
This is our top priority.
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- May/31/22 3:03:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, academic research is essential to the advancement of science, and it greatly enriches our societies. It is critical that the process for hiring research chairs be based solely on the candidates' qualifications and the nature of their research.
However, in the Canada research chairs program, Ottawa forgoes this quest for excellence and prioritizes diversity considerations. Does the minister agree that discrimination should never influence the assessment of competence?
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- May/31/22 3:04:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for allowing me to speak about the investments we have made in science.
In recent years, we have seen what an important role science, technology and innovation play in finding solutions to the great challenges that humanity faces, from climate change to COVID‑19. We have also seen the key role that diversity and inclusion play in scientific research.
That is why we expect the research councils to put the right policies in place to achieve this goal.
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- May/31/22 3:05:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois believes that research funding should be allocated based on skill. The federal government thinks it should be allocated based on diversity.
Visible minorities represent 51% of the population in Toronto and only 2% of the population in Rimouski, but both regions are subject to the same criteria.
Our universities are scrambling to recruit and reflect diversity, but we have to be realistic. Why not trust the universities and fund scientific research based on scientific capabilities?
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- May/31/22 3:05:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
We, on this side of the House, do indeed trust our universities. That is why we are making massive investments in science, research and innovation because those things are important.
My colleagues in the House want the scientific community to reflect Canada's diversity. That is why we asked the research councils to implement the right policies to ensure that scientific research represents all Canadians.
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- May/31/22 3:06:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is an urgent need to take action on the labour shortage. There are solutions, but this government has lost control.
For example, a temporary foreign worker who has been coming here every year for the past 10 years has to attend an eligibility interview this year. However, he has been coming here for 10 years now. Another example that I have is a manufacturer with plants in Ontario and Quebec. It takes four times longer to get the permits in Quebec than in Ontario.
This is not Quebec's fault, and this government needs to come up with another excuse. What is the problem with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada?
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- May/31/22 3:06:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's question.
We know that immigration plays a key role in combatting the labour shortage. IRCC is prioritizing jobs in high-demand occupations. I would like to point out again that in the first quarter of this year, the department processed more than 100,000 work permit applications, which is nearly double the number processed over the same period last year.
We will continue to ensure that Canadian employers have access to the workers they need to secure Canada's and Quebec's economic recovery.
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