SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 102 - Sep/26/22

Sep/26/22 8:20:58 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I absolutely agree with everything my colleague just said. Obviously, the Bloc Québécois agrees, since it has been saying for such a long time that we need to move away from fossil fuels. Other solutions exist and it is not as though we are empty-handed. No, there are other ways. We promise to work with stakeholders; we promise a fair transition. At least, that is what the industry is asking for, that is what workers are calling for. They also know that they will have to make sacrifices, but they are prepared to do that. It still takes leadership from the top, however. If the federal government does not want to move forward with the transition, the communities, the cities and provinces cannot do it alone. The government really needs to make a serious commitment and one commitment that could be done quickly, immediately, would be to end fossil fuel subsidies. Canada not only favours these energy sources, but it continues to take money from taxpayers and hand it over to these companies that are already making billions of dollars on the backs of consumers. I think that this type of measure would send a strong message from the Liberal government, who claims to be a partner in the fight against climate change.

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Mrs. Julie Vignola (Beauport—Limoilou, BQ)

Sep/26/22 8:22:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague, myself and several members opposite have pointed out that, at this time, hurricanes are being fuelled by the rising temperature of the ocean, which is not normal in the North Atlantic Ocean. We also see that the frequency and strength of tornadoes is increasing in Canada. There have been tornadoes in Quebec. Some sectors in Gatineau have been devastated by tornadoes. That said, as my colleague mentioned in her speech, we are suffering the consequences of these hurricanes, but there will be other impacts in future months and years, especially on the economy and tourism. I would like my colleague to elaborate on the impact of climate change on our economy and tourism.

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Ms. Kristina Michaud

Sep/26/22 8:23:22 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague is our critic for tourism, and I had the opportunity to welcome her to my riding and the Gaspé Peninsula this summer. She knows full well what everyone loves about the Gaspé region. It is the scenic drive that loops around the entire peninsula. It is a wonderful feature, and what draws so many folks to our region. However, parts of highway 132 were washed away by waves. Parts of it eventually collapsed because of shoreline erosion. We had to rebuild highway 132, the only road that leads to Gaspé, Percé and Bonaventure if you want to go all the way around. This is having a huge impact on our economy and on tourism. If we want to remain a tourist destination, we have to be able to take care of ourselves, provide emergency services, and make sure that the economy continues to function and that trucks can get through. I talked about Murdochville earlier. It is pretty much the only town in the middle of the Gaspé Peninsula, right in the parc national de la Gaspésie, and there is no network access on the road. Power cables and trees fell on the road. It was a major safety issue in addition to high winds and rain. There would have been serious consequences for anyone unfortunate enough to be on the road in the middle of that. It happened last weekend, and it will happen again. We have to be prepared for that. As I was saying, the government is already aware of all this, and it already has the tools to launch real adaptation.

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Mr. Kody Blois (Kings—Hants, Lib.)

Sep/26/22 8:24:59 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to be here today. I would like to thank my parliamentary colleagues because tonight we are talking about the impact that hurricane Fiona has had on Atlantic Canada, and I certainly recognize eastern Quebec as well. I want to start by recognizing that I will be sharing my time this evening with my hon. colleague for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour. It was difficult to try to prepare exactly how best to tackle this debate tonight, given the gravity of what we are still seeing on the ground in Atlantic Canada. Yes, as an Atlantic Canadian member of Parliament, I am here, but many of my colleagues are not. They are actually at home working with their constituents directly in their ridings, to be able to address the real and severe consequences of hurricane Fiona, which found its way to our shores Friday night and carried on throughout the weekend. I suspect that many of us, those in the House and, indeed, Canadians watching at home, have seen the gut-wrenching images from across the region, whether it was in Port aux Basques, where individuals' houses were finding their way into the ocean and where a woman has unfortunately passed away, or in Prince Edward Island, where massive trees, hundreds of years old, have been ripped out, almost as if they were play toys. That is the velocity and ferocity this hurricane has presented itself with. There remains across the region a number of residents who are without power. They, indeed, would have no hope of even watching this debate here tonight because they are worried about trying to keep their houses warm. They are worried about trying to make sure they have the supplies needed to move forward. Before I go too much further, let me thank the first responders, volunteers and professionals who are on the ground doing all that they can to help support those who are in need clean up from this significant storm. I had the opportunity to be in my riding yesterday. I talked to workers from Quebec and Hydro-Québec. Public services from Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario and Maine all coordinated their efforts. It was amazing to see the way in which we as Canadians come together, and I really want to thank those who are working away from their own families to make sure that our families in Atlantic Canada are protected. I hope to use my time tonight to cover three distinct areas. One, I will talk about the impact on my riding of Kings—Hants. I do not want to sound disingenuous, because the impact was significant and severe, but it really does pale in comparison to northern Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island and western Newfoundland. I will talk about those three distinct areas as well as Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine in Quebec, but first I will speak a little about Kings—Hants. I was fortunate enough to get home last week from my work in Ottawa just before the storm arrived. We sustained winds of around 130 kilometres an hour at its peak in Kings—Hants. The house was shaking, and we have a relatively new home in a new area in our community. Frankly, we did not get much sleep, and I know many people across Atlantic Canada did not either. We saw significantly damaged trees, with some fallen on electricity lines, which put a lot of people out of power. Some of that is returning in my riding. In fact, by and large it has returned, but there are some who still do not have power. They are hoping to be connected either tomorrow night or Wednesday. I often speak about the agriculture sector in Kings—Hants. When we think about the Annapolis Valley, as was mentioned today during question period, we think about the significant fruit-growing industry and apple orchards that we have. This is also the harvest season for those fruits. I had the opportunity to be with Andrew Bishop of Noggins Corner Farm, and yesterday I visited Alex Sarsfield and Dave Power, farmers in my riding, to see the damage, which is significantly better than it was after hurricane Dorian. In some instances, almost across the entire industry, 90% of the apples had fallen from the trees, which made them no longer marketable in the same way they would have been had they been picked off the trees. Thankfully, in many cases, that is not the case in the Annapolis Valley, but there is some significant damage on certain farms. On the telecommunications piece, in the first 36 to 48 hours, it was very difficult to make a phone call or send a text message. I remember waking up Saturday morning to survey some of the damage. I wanted to get around in my riding to engage with my community to see how best we could help at the Government of Canada level and with different local authorities. I was unable to even participate in the conference call that the Minister of Emergency Preparedness had arranged, because of the fact that the cellular connection was not in place. I understand this is a nuanced subject and it is challenging for telecommunications, but I do think it has to be one of the lessons learned from hurricane Fiona regarding our telecoms. When power goes out and the Internet is not available, many people do not have a landline anymore. It is their cellphone that is their connection to their community and to emergency services. What could we do to make sure those cell towers stay up as long as possible, even though we know service will not be perfect because of the nature of these types of storms? Northern Nova Scotia is home to my colleague, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the MP for Central Nova. We have seen some of the pictures of the impacts on farming and forestry infrastructure in that particular part of Nova Scotia. Sydney was hit particularly hard. I am happy to report to the House that the member for Sydney—Victoria has let us know in our Nova Scotia caucus that power has been returned in his community. I know that Prince Edward Island, for example, is still struggling to get the lights on. I do not have a current update, but I know we are continuing to work in that domain. I do not have words for Port aux Basques. The number of houses lost is certainly over 25. I think about the member of Parliament for Long Range Mountains, the Minister of Rural Economic Development, who is on the ground. If she is watching today, I want to make sure that she knows we are thinking of her. To lose 25 houses and to lose a member of the community in that fashion, I could not say anything today that would do justice to what that means. I want to talk about what we are doing in terms of responding. It is under three major elements. The Canadian Armed Forces are already on the ground in Atlantic Canada. As the provinces put forward requests, we were there to provide support. I give credit to the Minister of National Defence for mobilizing those folks to be able to help with the cleanup. The member for Cumberland—Colchester talked about how important that is. I agree. That is exactly is why, and impressively, within 48 hours we have Canadian Armed Forces on the ground helping. I give a tip of the cap to them tonight. For the next 30 days, the Government of Canada is going to match private contributions to the Canadian Red Cross. That is an important program. I suspect the government may be open to extending that window, depending on the circumstances and the extent of the damage, once that is assessed in the days ahead. We really welcome that measure and the fact that it was rolled out very quickly. Finally, there is the disaster financial assistance arrangements program. For example, there was a $5-billion package that the Government of Canada helped roll out with the Government of British Columbia when we saw those atmospheric rains and the major impact on the interior of British Columbia. That is the model that the Atlantic provinces and the Government of Quebec, if they choose to do so, could enact so that the Government of Canada would be there to help with the repairs and to help with the rebuilding of communities. I just want people at home to know, if they are able to watch this debate tonight, that the Government of Canada is going to be there to help support the rebuild of their communities. We are going to roll out these programs as soon as possible. We know that there will be logistical challenges. We think about rural communities and capacity, such as having the construction companies and the labour to make this happen. It will not happen overnight. However, we will be there and we will be steadfast in working with members of Parliament in this House, with provincial governments and with local authorities to make that happen. Perhaps a member could ask me about the agricultural impact. As the chair of the agriculture committee, I would be happy to answer. My key conclusion is that the Government of Canada will be there. I know all members of Parliament will support those initiatives for us to be there with communities on the ground in Atlantic Canada. Now is an important time, when we look to rebuilding certain communities that have been the hardest impacted with a lens on making sure the infrastructure is climate resilient. I know those words can be really cliché, but it is about making sure that what we build back, whether it be houses, arenas or schools, is able to withstand future storms. I will leave it at that.

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Mr. Rick Perkins (South Shore—St. Margarets, CPC)

Sep/26/22 8:35:13 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I was pleased to hear the member for Kings—Hants's report about a better situation this time than with Dorian for the apple growers. Indeed, that is really good news. It was a large issue. The member for Kings—Hants talked about the trouble getting cellphone service. We know that after Dorian this was a huge issue. Cellphone tower batteries actually died, and we had no cellphone service. At that time, the federal public safety minister Ralph Goodale was in Nova Scotia and was getting an earful from Nova Scotians about that. His response was that he understood they were a necessity now, but if people had a complaint they really should complain to the CRTC. It does not appear that anything was done to improve the situation because here we are three years later and we still have the same issue happening.

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Mr. Kody Blois

Sep/26/22 8:36:14 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is a really important question because, as I mentioned, a number of individuals do not have landline service and are not able to be connected. If the electricity goes out, that is their true lifeline from a pure public safety sense. I am aware of hurricane Dorian. It was before my time in Parliament with the minister he mentioned, the Hon. Ralph Goodale. However, now is the time for all parliamentarians to be asking those questions. I certainly want to give the benefit of the doubt that telecommunications companies are working in earnest to be able to improve this, However, if not, that is our job as parliamentarians, whether it is through the mechanisms of committee or by engaging with the minister when he is back from Japan and the funeral of the prime minister there. Those are the questions we can ask and they are important ones so that we can make sure we avoid this situation, moving forward.

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Mr. Yves Perron (Berthier—Maskinongé, BQ)

Sep/26/22 8:37:13 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I want to assure him that we are offering our heartfelt co-operation. He knows that is the case under normal circumstances. Considering the extraordinary circumstances of this evening, it is doubly true. I would like him to tell us more, as he so eagerly hoped to do, about the consequences this hurricane has had on the agricultural community in his region. What concrete measures will be taken to quickly provide support to farmers? My colleague knows what I want to hear.

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Mr. Kody Blois

Sep/26/22 8:37:53 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague knows that normally I would love to engage with him in French, but at this hour of the night and on this subject, with a lot to handle, I am going to just answer in English. We are still assessing the damage in Atlantic Canada. In Prince Edward Island in particular, the corn crop has been extremely impacted. A number of supply-managed barns, dairy and poultry, had major structural damage, so these are programs that we have to be able to put in place. I mentioned a disaster finance arrangements program. That is an extraordinary program that can be established for a whole host of industries, including agriculture. My hon. colleague would know about AgriRecovery and about different programs that are cost-shared between the province and the Government of Canada as it relates to agriculture specifically. However, we do have mechanisms on extraordinary costs above and beyond that and this might be a time when we have to evaluate whether that is indeed the case, so we can get that support right away. Again, I want to manage expectations. When we talk about the rebuilding of barns, we have a labour shortage right now in this country and we have to be mindful that it is not going to be easy, particularly in rural communities, to have the capacity to build this overnight, but we will get to work right away.

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Mr. Richard Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay, NDP)

Sep/26/22 8:39:07 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to talk about the experience I have had in my riding in Grand Forks, where we had flooding in 2018. The regional district did a study as to what could and should have been done better to help the recovery process. There were things that came up as things that hindered the recovery and the rebuilding process. One was the inflexibility of the federal government in taking into account local solutions. The local governments were putting forward innovative solutions that would have helped people quicker and at a lower cost, but the federal government programs were totally inflexible. Four years later, the City of Grand Forks is still waiting for the full amount of money that was guaranteed to it, and those people are very frustrated.

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Mr. Kody Blois

Sep/26/22 8:40:08 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member as he played a role in helping make sure tonight's debate happened. I have a couple of things. I heard him reference this particular question earlier and I thought the problem was the 20% contribution from local government, which is another aspect here. Yes, the Government of Canada has to provide financial support, but it has to be in co-operation with different levels of government. I am not familiar with that particular case, but I can say that any time the Government of Canada can work collaboratively in supporting provinces and local governments, it is important. My understanding of how these programs are designed to work is that the province actually sets the parameters of how we can work, but I am happy to take this conversation off-line and see what lessons can be learned.

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Mr. Darren Fisher (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors, Lib.)

Sep/26/22 8:40:57 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am rising today to speak about how hurricane Fiona has impacted my home region of Atlantic Canada and how our government is supporting Atlantic Canada through what may be the worst storm we have seen in our history. My heart goes out to the loved ones, friends and communities of those who have been lost due to this terrible storm. I want to recognize those who have lost their homes, lost their sanctuaries. They are in my thoughts and I know that all orders of government in every affected province will stand together, work together and support them and their families through this incredibly challenging time. I also want to say respectfully that now is not the time for political games. I have heard more than a few members, some who do not normally say much about Atlantic Canada, choosing to bring hyperpartisan politics into this incredibly important discussion about the impact of hurricane Fiona on Atlantic Canadians. Now is not the time. Now is the time, however, to work together and support those who have been affected by this brutal storm. Now is the time to recognize the incredible challenges that many residents in my home region of Atlantic Canada are facing due to this hurricane, and now is the time to show Atlantic Canadians how we can put partisan politics aside and work together on their behalf. Atlantic Canadians are incredibly resilient. We heard many Atlantic Canadians say that tonight. We know how to prepare for storms. We batten down the hatches. We make sure we have supplies on hand, but it is clear that storms are getting more and more severe and hurricane Fiona ripped through the best-laid plans and preparations made by so many residents. I do not believe that anyone can say all of the ways that this storm has impacted Atlantic Canada yet or everything that is needed yet. Today's debate seems premature as the winds are still strong in parts of Atlantic Canada and, as we stand here in this place, provinces are still working hard to determine just what needs to be done and how our government can best assist their efforts. However, I can say that, leading up to this storm, during the storm and now in its aftermath, our government has been there to support the provinces. We have been in constant communication with the premiers of affected provinces because when the provinces need our help, government must answer the call. The government received requests for help from Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and P.E.I. and swiftly mobilized Canadian Armed Forces personnel and equipment to assist. I want to thank the Prime Minister, the Minister of Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of National Defence for moving faster than the speed of light. Joint task force Atlantic, the 5th Canadian Division, Canadian Rangers, the reserves, the Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft and crew, Royal Canadian Navy ships and more are all ready to support. In my home province of Nova Scotia, the Canadian Army reconnaissance team has already been on the ground in Cape Breton viewing and evaluating damage and determining how best the military can assist. The provinces are leading the way and the Canadian Armed Forces are ready to help them with everything from bridges and roads to helping re-establish electricity. At the request of the province, as I speak, the HMCS Margaret Brooke is sailing from St. John's to conduct wellness checks in four communities on the south coast of Newfoundland, and the Canadian Armed Forces will assist on the ground in Newfoundland, working with local authorities to ensure the well-being and safety of residents in the province. At the request of Prince Edward Island, the Canadian Armed Forces are there to help remove trees and other debris from roadways so workers can get the lights back on across that province. They will also help repair roadways, as needed. From debris removal and clearing roads to conducting flyovers to assess damage and checking in on those most vulnerable, the Canadian Armed Forces are ready to support the provinces in their efforts to help those hit hard by this brutal storm. I thank so much the Canadian Armed Forces personnel who are working hard to support Atlantic Canada and those who are on the way. We recognized Military Family Appreciation Day earlier this week, but I want to thank the military families of those who are deployed to communities in Atlantic Canada and those who are also, as I said, on their way. I know that military families are often forgotten, but they are so important and they deserve our gratitude. They have my gratitude. I know that many of them are in Atlantic Canada and perhaps are struggling with some of the challenges others are facing. I thank them for all they do. I mentioned before that Atlantic Canadians are resilient, and other members across the aisle have said that as well this evening. This attitude shines through in the incredible acts of kindness that we are seeing in all of our communities. In my riding of Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, businesses like Stone Pizza and Chanoey's Pasta are giving away free hot meals to folks in need, like those without power. Others have been giving away hot coffee or providing places for folks to charge their phones. When people see power crews arriving from outside the province, they have been cheering and thanking them for their help. People are even offering them hot drinks and snacks along the way. Neighbours with power have been setting up charging stations on their lawns, with seating and hot coffee to support people while they are charging their phones. People in my community have no power. I am one of them. My family is home today and is unable to watch this because we have no power. Of course, no one is more popular right now, as I think was mentioned earlier tonight by a member from across the way, than the gangs of chainsaw owners who are volunteering to help people with their many downed trees. I want all Canadians who may be able to listen to these speeches tonight to know that our government is matching donations made to the Canadian Red Cross through the hurricane Fiona appeal. If people are able to donate, their donations will help those who may have lost their homes or are in need of humanitarian assistance. I would like to end by thanking those who have been working so hard during and after the storm to help, from the first responders and volunteers to the health care workers and power crews to the helpers who are seen throughout our communities. These are people who in times of crisis do everything they can to help each other out. I thank them for all they are doing to make this terrible situation as bright as it can be.

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Mr. Rick Perkins (South Shore—St. Margarets, CPC)

Sep/26/22 8:48:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour has, if I understand it correctly, an urban mixed riding with an important fishing community. After Dorian, within a week the federal government had supplied, in Nova Scotia, 700 soldiers to help clear the trees from the power lines, which is still the most important and major issue going on right now, at least in our province, so we can get power back. However, the government has only provided 100 currently. Can the member comment on why there is a differentiation when the devastation is arguably just as dramatic if not worse?

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Mr. Darren Fisher

Sep/26/22 8:49:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member has one of the most beautiful ridings in all of Canada. I have spent an awful lot of time on the south shore of Nova Scotia. The federal government responds to requests from provinces, and the provinces make requests of the federal government. The ministers that I mentioned in my speech moved at the speed of light to get those requests filled. Boots are on the ground. I cannot speak to the fluctuation of numbers, but I can say that every request that has been made of the federal government has been listened to, heard and provided.

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Ms. Kristina Michaud (Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, BQ)

Sep/26/22 8:49:58 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I agree with him. I mentioned earlier that the government was well prepared, at least in the short term, this weekend to help and work with people on the ground. What worries me more is the medium- and long-term preparation. As we heard earlier, everything is connected. The greenhouse gases emitted by the Canadian oil and gas industry are directly connected to the rising temperatures around the world, which are connected to the rising temperature of the oceans, which is causing extreme weather events. I think that we need to be prepared not only in the short term but also in the medium and long term. Does my colleague agree that Canada needs to take action against climate change if we want to be prepared and improve things around the world? The government must stop funding the oil and gas industry and must do more to get our greenhouse gas emissions down. Does the member agree that the government is not doing enough to prepare for the long term?

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Mr. Darren Fisher

Sep/26/22 8:51:13 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member's riding has a long title and I wrote it down. I listened to her speech very closely, and I spoke about using politics within speeches during crises like hurricane Fiona. She made suggestions and came up with ideas, so I want to single out the member for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, because her speech was the least partisan and least political speech that I have heard this evening. I want to thank her for that. As far as climate change action goes, she is speaking to the choir.

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Mr. Richard Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay, NDP)

Sep/26/22 8:51:59 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, just to follow up on the theme of planning ahead, again, in my riding we have had serious disasters, flooding especially but also fires. One of the issues that really constrain us in responding to those is the fact that there is no available housing in my riding before there is a fire or flood. Suddenly, we may have hundreds of people who have been evacuated from their homes with nowhere to go and people who have lost homes who want to stay in the riding and there is nowhere to go. I am wondering if the member could comment on the need for some real, serious planning ahead to get affordable housing built in Canada so that we will not have these serious constraints when it comes to a disaster.

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Mr. Darren Fisher

Sep/26/22 8:52:59 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is no secret in the House that if we asked every member whether housing is one of the number one issues in the country, they would say it absolutely is. We need to come forward with a large amount of affordable housing. We need all types of housing stock. That is not necessarily related to the conversation we are having tonight about the crisis in Atlantic Canada, so I want to take a quick moment, if I could, to single out a few people back home who are probably working this very moment. The mayor of Halifax, Mike Savage, has been, day and night, at the EOC looking after the folks in HRM, and the mayor of CBRM has been astonishing throughout this crisis. I will also say that the local MLAs of all parties, the local councillors and all folks from all orders of government have been wonderful to deal with. Their first concern is taking care of those who are displaced and those who have lost their homes.

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Mr. Rick Perkins (South Shore—St. Margarets, CPC)

Sep/26/22 8:54:03 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to speak in the emergency debate on our situation in Atlantic Canada as a result of hurricane Fiona. For those who have not been through this kind of situation, in the last 20 years of my residency on the south shore of Nova Scotia, I have seen four hurricanes and a number of tropical storms hit. Besides the storm chips that everybody buys, there are a number of routines, unfortunately, that we get into to prepare for a storm and then some once it happens. When people live in the country on a well and septic system, there are a few things they have to do. They have to fill the bathtub with water so they can use the water to flush the toilet. They also have a generator, and if it is one of those big fancy ones, maybe it covers the whole house. However, if they are like me, they have a generator that will power the refrigerator and maybe the microwave, and it has to be filled every once in a while. One of the hazards of this job, I am finding, since this is my first term, is that my wife is at home in this situation now having to fill the generator with gas to keep it going and do all the things we have to do. I live on St. Margarets Bay, and some members may not know it is where Peggy's Cove is. Nova Scotia Power workers came down our street today because we do not have power, as we lost it at midnight on Friday. They looked at the devastation of the trees on our street and on the power lines, including on my property. They said 11 o'clock tonight was when the power would be coming back, but then said, “Well, we're not going to fix this street today; there's too much work. This is the worst street in St. Margarets Bay. We'll be back in the next day or two. We have to replace lines and all kinds of things.” It is a very difficult time, and the limited power affects everything, and things we do not think of. During the calls I was making in my riding on the weekend, I talked to a family whose mother had a stroke. They had to rush her to the hospital, but the hospital did not have enough power to run the MRI machine. The doctors could make assumptions and could give her medication, but they could not do all the things we would normally expect to get done in such a serious situation because the hospital was running on emergency power. I am sure my good friend, our doctor colleague from Cumberland—Colchester, saw this many times in the hospitals when he had to deal with these storms in his riding in his previous life. The member for Kings—Hants spoke a little earlier about the impact on agriculture in his riding. In Cumberland—Colchester, we have a thriving grape-growing industry and make some of the best wine in Canada. We just got a report from one of the largest wineries that 20% of its grapes are on the ground and that because of limited power, it only has 25% power and cannot harvest the remaining grapes. This is a problem for the business this time of year, given the damage that some of the vines sustained with the wind and trees, and the processing facility challenges with the roof. This is a flavour of what local life is like. Everyone is getting together on my street. The guys are getting the chainsaws out and helping where they can. For every guy I know, including me, if there is a chance to use a chainsaw they will and they are. However, besides the ways we band together in these kinds of crises, and what we do in Atlantic Canada and most of Canada when these things happen, there are some really difficult things. I would like to begin by my sending my condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in this storm, one of whom is a 73-year-old woman from Port aux Basques. There are reports of waves of, on average, 10 metres. I was phoning fishing communities on the weekend throughout Newfoundland, P.E.I., New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and the folks I spoke to in a southwest Newfoundland fishing community said that the occasional wave came in at 30 metres high, which helps explain why we see some of this devastation. We feel for the family of the woman who was lost at sea and has been found. The member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour would know where Lower Prospect is. We found out today in my riding that one of my constituents from Lower Prospect is now missing and presumed to have been washed out to sea. They have not found him yet. On top of that, obviously homes have been destroyed by flooding and by trees, mainly trees. The power is still out for hundreds of thousands of people in Nova Scotia alone. My understanding from the latest update is that out of 82,000 homes in Prince Edward Island, 80,000 of them still do not have power. Most of their power comes from New Brunswick. My thoughts obviously remain with my fellow Nova Scotians and all of the Atlantic Canadians who are still reeling and dealing with this disaster. As I mentioned in the House earlier today in question period and during my Standing Order 31 statement, hurricane Fiona was not the first hurricane to hit Atlantic Canada. As I said, I have experienced four in the last 20 years, but there have been over 30 since 1951 and quite a few before that, dating back as early as 1775, although the science on that is a little tough. There have been tropical storms and extratropical storms, and we know how to prepare for these. I can give some examples of a couple of famous ones that happened. People close to the fishing community will know of the “gales”, as they called them, of 1926 and 1927, when over 300 fishermen were killed on the Grand Banks when two hurricanes came in. One hurricane made landfall in Yarmouth and the other one landed in Port Hawkesbury. Those were in 1926 and 1927. Hurricane Cindy, in 1959, moved ashore in New Brunswick. There were similar ones throughout the decades that we could talk about. In 1950, hurricane Able went ashore at Goodwood in Halifax, which is also in my riding. In 1940 there was one that was called the Nova Scotia hurricane, and it went ashore in Lockeport in my riding. We have these kinds of storms. They are growing in intensity, but we have had them for centuries in Atlantic Canada. They always bring tragedy, but Fiona was different in the sense that it was geographically larger. I was in the south shore when hurricane Juan hit in 2003. When it hit, it was intense, but it was compact and it moved fast through the region. It did a lot of devastation at midnight with a high tide and a full moon. The Halifax waterfront was destroyed. However, this one was larger and slower-moving, so the winds stayed around longer. Hurricanes affect the ocean in two ways, in waves of surges. One is when the power actually moves the water and then another is when the wind also pushes the waves. It is sort of a double impact that happens. When it is more sustained over a period of time like that, there are more intense waves, which is what happened with Fiona. I would also like to reiterate our leader's comments from earlier today when he asked the Prime Minister how we, as opposition members, can best support Atlantic Canadians who are in dire need right now. Everyone—not only in this House, but all Canadians—can help us, and I must express my gratitude to the federal government for its constant communication with opposition MPs and its rapid response to requests for military assistance. I would also like to thank the municipal leaders in my community whom I have spoken to. They have done diligent work in communicating over the past few days with me and also with their residents about how to be prepared and what to do afterward in providing services to our residents. We can all get better results from our constituents when we work together with open lines of communication. In times like this, we depend on the power workers, who work around the clock to restore operations as quickly as possible. Never before have we seen this many downed power lines posing a threat to workers and the public. It could be weeks before some of the Nova Scotia Power workers get a full eight hours' sleep, I suspect, and we owe them our thanks. On top of that, we are welcoming more than 300 power workers from other provinces and even, as we heard earlier, power workers from New England. It is is our tradition in Atlantic Canada of supporting New England and of New England supporting us in times of crisis. Atlantic Canadians have a reputation of helping out our friends in need, and we always get that same treatment from other parts of the country. Additionally, I want to extend my appreciation to the police, paramedics, firefighters, the Coast Guard and members of our armed forces for everything they are doing to keep our communities safe and to try to help us rebuild. In typical Maritime fashion, the community is coming together in light of the disaster. Warming centres and evacuation shelters are being staffed and supplied by generous donations. Nova Scotians are tough, and the character of our communities is most present in times of tragedies such as this. As we start to rebuild, I know the resolve Nova Scotians and Atlantic Canadians have will not be diminished. I have been impressed with many groups and organizations that have swiftly begun assessing the damages of the storm. In Atlantic Canada, that includes industry groups representing many of our farmers, fishers and forestry workers, all of whom are reeling from the damage. Of course, in coastal communities in Atlantic Canada, big storms always pose a threat to our wharfs and small craft harbours. I heard reports from constituents and people in coastal communities around the region about the extent of the damage they have witnessed at wharfs. I have talked to mayors in Newfoundland, ministers in P.E.I. and fishing associations in New Brunswick to understand the early assessment. A lot of those groups are really only getting on the water now and getting out to see the extent of the damage to the wharfs, the fishing gear and the farms because it is relatively safe to do so now, bar running into downed power lines. As well, I spoke over the weekend and today with the Maritime Fishermen's Union, the FFAW-Unifor in Newfoundland and the PEI Fishermen's Association in my capacity as shadow minister for fisheries. They have conveyed to me that the situation in southwest New Brunswick is serious and that the north shore wharfs in P.E.I. have had major damage. As well, we have seen the destruction in southwest Newfoundland, which is complete and devastating. I have had reports from fishermen in P.E.I. that they hauled their boats in preparation for the storm, and when they went to see their boats, they were not there anymore. I have had fishermen tell me that the shed where they store their halibut gear and lobster gear is completely gone. I know New Brunswick fishermen were out in the water today, and will be tomorrow, trying to find the lobster gear they left in the water in the fishing areas. That will be a big challenge. David Sansom, president of the Red Head Harbour Authority in P.E.I., said: Our lower wharf, the tide bumped so high, it pulled it right out and destroyed that. And our east wharf this evening, the tide came up and lifted it right out of where it's secured. He continued: Just everything is loose and everything is unusable at this point. On top of that, gear has been lost, and some fishers will lose out on days, if not weeks, of fishing due to the infrastructure damage. They may even lose a season. The P.E.l. summer lobster season is ongoing, as is New Brunswick's, but as we await the assessment of damaged wharfs, it looks like some fishermen may not get back out this season. They have three weeks left in the season. That is why the fisheries minister must take a serious look at extending the seasons in those communities and keep in mind the severe financial setback the hurricane is causing fishing families. The Department of Fisheries must also immediately begin to prepare plans to repair wharfs under its jurisdiction and expedite permits to get vessels back at the docks as quickly as possible. FFAW-Unifor, which represents many inshore fishers in Newfoundland, issued a news release this morning on the situation in southern Newfoundland. I will read the brief release it put out this morning, which reads: Professional fish harvesters on the southwest coast of the province are left reeling after post-tropical storm Fiona made landfall in the area on Friday and Saturday. The damage left in Fiona’s wake has impacted multiple enterprises, leaving significant damage to gear, boats, motors, and sheds. FFAW-Unifor is seeking financial support from federal and provincial governments to assist these inshore harvesters in their rebuilding efforts. “The damage from Fiona has been felt in particular by folks located between La Poile and Port aux Basques. Some inshore harvesters have lost all their gear, motors, boats, and sheds – just washed away with the storm. As small-scale operators, they have no financial recourse through traditional insurance channels and we are therefore asking for financial relief from our federal and provincial governments,” explains FFAW-Unifor Secretary-Treasurer, Jason Spingle. “Support following hurricanes and tropical storms has been provided to inshore harvesters in the past, and we expect that Fiona will be no different. These fish harvesters will require financial help to replace their lost investment in order to resume fishing next season,” Spingle says. Harvesters in this region rely mainly on lobster and halibut as their primary, and in many cases, sole source of income. Rebuilding infrastructure and replacing lost gear and other equipment will be paramount to the region’s ability to rebound from Fiona’s destruction. In the immediate-term, FFAW-Unifor is communicating with members on the ground to continue to assess the full impact of damage, and to ensure our members and their families have their basic needs met in the coming days and weeks. The Union will also be approving a donation to the Canadian Red Cross via the Executive Board as soon as possible.... “Recovery on the southwest coast will certainly not happen overnight and we acknowledge that there is significant work to do. What our members need now is commitment from our elected officials that support will be given to the inshore harvesters that need it. Without that commitment, their livelihoods will be lost,” concludes Spingle. From our perspective, as the official opposition, we are advocating that support. Commercial fishing organizations and their members and those who manage port authorities are doing an inventory of the wharves damaged in the hurricane. Some concerns that have been expressed to me by port authorities are that under normal situations, the federal government cost-shares repair work with port authority revenue through small craft harbours funding. The concern now is that many port authorities do not have their share of funds to pay half the cost of repairing the damage, and in some cases replacing a destroyed wharf. They will be looking to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to provide sole-source funding from small craft harbours to pay 100% of reconstruction costs to help these port authorities bring back infrastructure to proper safety and operating standards. As the fisheries minister is aware, but perhaps not everyone in this House is, there are a number of active fisheries that are open currently, and many fishers are attempting to assess damaged and lost gear. The fishing organizations I have spoken to want to know up front if the financial aid will be there. The Minister of Fisheries is well aware that the fall lobster fishery in LFA25, between New Brunswick and southwestern P.E.I., is open. The season is short and is almost over, but the loss of these few days has had a big impact. As we asked in the House today, we are asking for the minister to extend the season so that they can complete it. I will ask the government again tonight if it will consider extending that season. As I said in the House earlier today, our small craft harbours are the Trans-Canada Highway of our oceans, and without them, boats cannot get on the water, which means seafood cannot be caught, which means there is less Canadian product on supermarket shelves and less income for our coastal communities. The men and women on the sea who feed us deserve a government that will remove the bureaucracy, cut up the red tape and get our wharves functioning again. These commitments from the government are serious and must be upheld. In light of the situation, we as legislators must come together, listen to what is needed on the ground, and deliver quickly to Atlantic Canada what they need to recover from this hurricane in a time that would allow people to resume their ability to earn an income and support their families.

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Mr. Adam van Koeverden (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport, Lib.)

Sep/26/22 9:13:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for the great speech this evening and express condolences to his community and everybody across Atlantic Canada, throughout the Maritimes as well as in Quebec, and to all those who have been impacted by this tragic storm. Like many members of this House, I have spent a lot of time in Nova Scotia. My brother was born there. We lived in Dartmouth for a couple of years. That is why I get to sit next to this fine fellow. I got to visit this summer as well. A lot of Canadians, and certainly people back in my riding, feel very disconnected from the storm, and they want to know what they can do. Our government has set up a matching program through the Canadian Red Cross, an organization that has demonstrated the ability to distribute funds to community-level organizations quite effectively. What would the hon. member suggest that I could pass along to my constituents so that they could be helpful in this “build back better” plan for all Nova Scotians and Atlantic Canadians?

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Mr. Rick Perkins

Sep/26/22 9:14:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for the offer and the kind words. I am sure he must have spent a great deal of time on Lake Banook, given his past life and previous success. The Red Cross obviously is a great initiative the government has set up. I am sure there will be more charities coming through in the next few days that will be looking to help. I hope the government would consider matching funds for those as well. The hon. member has family there, and what matters most is that when people know somebody in Atlantic Canada, they should just reach out to them and call them to let them know they are thinking about them and to ask what they can do as a friend or a family member to help them out. We tend to feel isolated in a situation where people are not going through their normal routines anymore, so for all those watching, if they have friends and family in Nova Scotia, and I am sure many people have already reached out, they should try to do that as much as they can over the coming weeks.

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