44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 6, 2022 11:00AM
Mr. Speaker, it is the height of irony to hear an hon. colleague representing the Conservative Party of Canada talk about law and order when Conservatives put forward an agenda that has been repeatedly struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada in failed MMPs, when they cut nearly $1 billion from front-line RCMP officers and CBSA, which we had to put back, and we did, to protect our communities.
I hope that colleague will look at Bill C-21 and vote for it. That is how we will protect communities.
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- Jun/6/22 2:47:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are struggling to afford housing in cities across Canada, but the government is still allowing illicit foreign funds to make things even worse. For eight years, Chinese property developer Runkai Chen used wire transfers to launder tens of millions of dollars into Canadian banks. Canada has a broken system for tracking money laundering. The lack of action from the government only brings more hardship for everyday Canadians.
When will the government help Canadians by cracking down on money laundering?
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- Jun/6/22 2:48:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for shining a light on the need to make sure we are putting resources into law enforcement so we can root out money laundering and so we can make sure Canadians are not being exploited in new non-conventional platforms. That is precisely what we are doing in budget 2022, where, among other things, we are going to advance the important work being led by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and my department when it comes to the creation of the Canada financial agency. We will make sure Canadians are protected in the financial sector by taking these steps.
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- Jun/6/22 2:48:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are struggling to pay their bills. Rising costs are making it nearly impossible for them to put food on their tables. A recent survey found that people are struggling to afford basic groceries, things like bread and pasta. Over the weekend, gas costs went through the roof again. While big box stores and oil and gas companies are making record profits, the government is not responding urgently to Canadians.
Will the government help by doubling the GST tax credit and the child benefit to get hundreds of dollars back in Canadians' pockets?
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- Jun/6/22 2:49:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government absolutely understands that affordability is a challenge for Canadian families. That is why this budget includes some very strong measures to help Canadians: a $500 payment for Canadians who are facing challenges with housing affordability, dental care.
I am glad the member spoke about the CCB, which is indexed to inflation. Thanks to that, a single mother with two children will receive up to $13,666. When it comes to seniors, the OAS is going up by 10%.
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- Jun/6/22 2:49:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how crucial access to high-speed Internet is as we live in an increasingly digital world. Canadians across the country need reliable high-speed Internet to access services, supports and opportunities.
Can the Minister of Rural Economic Development update the House on the work being done to connect more rural households like mine in my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche?
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- Jun/6/22 2:50:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague from Madawaska—Restigouche for his question, as well as for his commitment and leadership on this issue.
While visiting the beautiful area of Miramichi this past week, I was pleased to announce a federal investment of $55 million to connect 11,000 underserved households in New Brunswick to high-speed, affordable Internet.
We are well on our way to connect 98% of Canada by 2026. We know the future of rural Canada lies in affordable, reliable high-speed Internet and we are well on our way.
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- Jun/6/22 2:51:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, would the minister responsible please explain the mandate rule for unvaccinated travellers who wish to access federally regulated ferries such as Marine Atlantic?
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- Jun/6/22 2:51:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand and answer the question from my colleague, who has been great to collaborate with on the health committee.
I do not have any data in front of me with respect to ferries, but I am happy to look it up for him. I would also like to say that right now Nova Scotians are 65.7% triple vaccinated, so there is still room for improvement. I hope my colleagues opposite will continue to consider encouraging their constituents to get a third dose, because that is the best way to protect us and our communities from COVID‑19.
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- Jun/6/22 2:51:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps I should sit on that side as a minister, because the rules are very easy to find. They say that for essential travel under 24 hours on a Marine Atlantic ferry, unvaccinated people can access ferries. Why air travel is different from marine ferry travel I do not know. There are no 24-hour flights inside of Canada, nor indeed around the world. Sadly, this indicates clearly that the ongoing mandates for air travel are only vindictive political punishment.
When will the Prime Minister allow Canadians to return to prepandemic normal?
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- Jun/6/22 2:52:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, the travel vaccine mandates have been changing over the last seven or eight months. They change regularly. They are constantly reviewed and are all subject to looking at various considerations.
I have to say that in the last month alone, 1,700 Canadians died from COVID‑19. It is important to recognize that as much as we want COVID‑19 to be over, it is not there yet.
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- Jun/6/22 2:53:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has been months and the fiasco at our airports continues. Believe it or not, it is getting worse. There are more cancelled flights, longer lineups, more delays and lost economic activity, and our international reputation is in jeopardy. The minister blames travellers and is telling us that things are just as bad in other countries. Despite all the chaos, experts are saying that dropping the restrictions and mandates must happen to clear the backlogs.
The government is keeping these unjustified federal mandates in place until June 30. If experts are already telling it to drop the virtue signalling, what happens on July 1?
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- Jun/6/22 2:53:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is right about one thing: We are seeing delays at airports across the entire world. We are seeing an increased demand and appetite for people who want to travel, and the supply is trying to catch up. However, we are not resting until we fix these delays. We have increased resources at CATSA, CBSA and airports. We are working with airports, airlines and all stakeholders and will do everything we can to ensure that travellers have a smooth experience.
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- Jun/6/22 2:54:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister is playing catch-up by hiring a fraction of those who were fired because of these mandates. The information disclosed by the government revealed that it failed to spend nearly a quarter of CATSA's budget last year, despite record lineups, delays and staffing shortages at our airports.
We know that the Liberal vaccine mandate is keeping millions from flying. Are domestic travel restrictions being kept in place because the government does not want to deal with additional travellers, or is it just a way of punishing Canadians who do not agree with it?
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- Jun/6/22 2:55:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are going through an identity crisis. They do not know what policies they support and what policies they oppose. The only thing they know is they want to inflame anger and frustration. They have no idea how to address the current challenges we have.
Our government is a responsible government. We are working with stakeholders, airports, airlines, CATSA and the CBSA, and are offering real, concrete solutions to address these issues. Our government is on the job while all the Conservatives can do is yell and scream with no ideas.
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- Jun/6/22 2:55:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, people are outraged about having to wait so long to get their passports.
Even for emergency services, they are waiting in line for hours, only to be sent home. People are even camping out in front of the passport offices to make sure they get a place in line.
Passports are not concert tickets. This is a public service paid for by tax dollars. Will the government at least open its points of service on weekends to deal with urgent cases at no extra cost?
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- Jun/6/22 2:56:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the question.
As we know, this is an unprecedented time, when many Canadians want to travel at the same time. Many passports expired over the past two years, and we are in the process of ensuring that Canadians can travel because we know that is what they want to do.
As I have already mentioned in the House, many offices across the country are open in the evening and on Saturdays. We are doing what we can to provide this service to Canadians.
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- Jun/6/22 2:56:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the number of passport applications is definitely high. There was a travel ban for two years. Anyone could have seen this increase coming, except for this government. Once again the government is not proactive; it is reactive.
This crisis could have been avoided, but it is too late. Will the government fix this mess by temporarily opening offices on the weekends, free of charge, for people leaving the country within 48 hours?
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- Jun/6/22 2:57:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is really reassuring to hear the Bloc talk about Canadian passports. We are in the process of hiring more employees. Since January, 600 employees have been hired. We are now hiring another 600, and 600 Service Canada employees are being redeployed to ensure that we can better respond to Canadians' needs.
We will continue to change the process because we know that it is important for all Canadians across the country to have access to their passports.
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Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer tabled a study on the estimated cost of implementing Bill C‑13 on official languages.
Treasury Board, Canadian Heritage and IRCC refused to provide the PBO with their planned expenditures for implementing this bill.
This is public money. It is money given to us by our citizens. This is a question of transparency and integrity.
What are they trying to hide?
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