44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 6, 2022 10:00AM
Madam Speaker, I want to start by expressing some deeply held emotion. I love this country, every square metre of it, in English, in French, in indigenous languages and in the languages of the newly arrived.
The characterization of the bill as jurisdictional creep is simply not the case. In fact, the opposite is true. The Government of Canada has added leaves to the national table. This is an addition, not a subtraction, and it is inclusive, not exclusive. It seeks to unite, not to divide.
My respect for Parliament has grown by leaps and bounds. The wisdom of inviting witnesses to add thoughtful commentary and an opposition that has been respectful though occasionally dissenting are what a democracy is all about, and it is always rooted in strengthening the national fabric, woven as it is from those mini threads that make Canada the envy of the world. With resources, natural and human, comes responsibility to each other and to the world itself. How could we not be humbled by the greatness of this magnificent country?
If I have a favourite part of this bill, it is the report back to Parliament it would require. In one year, those who occupy these chairs, which will be filled with so many who for too long who have been denied, must be heard, and they must be heard with all of the magnificence of this diversity, which truly is the envy of the world.
I invite members to travel, as we all have, and let the conversation turn to what Parliament represents to so many in faraway places, many of whom, given the choice, would rather be here than where there are. They would look at this chamber as a place where people gather to improve themselves, where we look at accomplishment and we take the personal accomplishment to the national one, and it is no small feat. It is woven from these strands of all of the diversity that makes this the most magnificent place on earth.
For me personally, this is a wonderful moment. I listened to my friends in the Bloc talk about the French language, the identity of the French language, how deeply enmeshed language is with their culture, their identity and their sense of belonging in ways that make us whole. In my little corner of this country, on the Prairies, we strive to create wealth and a sense of belonging across a wide range of natural and human resources.
In wrapping up this debate, I want to thank the people of Winnipeg South Centre, without whose confidence this would never have been possible. For all those who raised their voices in support of this idea, some may say it is aspirational idea, and I can handle that. I can handle aspirations, especially when they are shared, and that is at the centre of what this bill is all about.
It is with gratitude, thanks and a deep respect for this institution that I humbly present this bill to my colleagues in Parliament.
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- Dec/6/22 7:01:10 p.m.
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The question is on the motion.
If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or wishes to request a recorded division, I invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
The hon. member for Winnipeg South Centre.
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- Dec/6/22 7:01:39 p.m.
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I request a recorded vote, Madam Speaker.
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Pursuant to an order made on Thursday, June 23, the division stands deferred to Wednesday, December 7, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.
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- Dec/6/22 7:02:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am rising tonight to call out the hypocrisy of the government.
In the way it treats Canadians and the way it treats itself, there is, needless to say, a profound dissonance between those two things. On the one hand, we have a Prime Minister who clearly loves to travel. He went to London this year and he or a member of his entourage spent $6,000 a night on a hotel room. We have actually tried to get information from the government about the carbon emissions associated with all the Prime Minister's travel, because he is raising the carbon tax. In fact, he plans to triple the carbon tax on Canadians, while he benefits from a whole bunch of publicly funded travel.
It is part of his job to travel, but the government was not even able to provide to the public accounts committee information about the level of greenhouse gas emissions generated by the Prime Minister. We would think he would be willing to be transparent about the cost and the carbon emissions associated with his own personal travel, but he does not want to do that. Instead, he wants to impose burdens and extra costs on Canadians by tripling the carbon tax that they have to pay when they travel, on their own dime, to visit family members, to go to essential functions or to have some time away. Therefore, we see the hypocrisy already from the government on that.
While the Prime Minister has been travelling all over the world and staying in outrageously expensive hotels, we have the government imposing the ArriveCAN app on Canadians, which was making it very difficult to travel. The ArriveCAN app was full of glitches and, in cases I hear from constituents, people who met all the rules such that they should not have had to quarantine were nonetheless ordered to quarantine by this piece of technology that did not work. This app, despite all of its problems, cost $54 million.
The government spends $54 million on an app that does not work and that forces many Canadians to stay home, including, in certain cases, even Canadians who have complied with what are supposed to be the rules and are still being forced to stay home. Meanwhile, we have the Prime Minister being able to take advantage of all this publicly funded travel, so that is more hypocrisy from the government. The government is grounding Canadians, increasing their taxes and imposing the ArriveCAN app on them, while the government's own largesse is truly out of control.
In response to my questions about the government's outrageous spending, about the ArriveCAN app and other things, we were told by a member of the government that this app saved lives. He claimed the app saved lives, which is particularly bizarre because we have specifically asked the government, in a written question, to show us the data that supports the travel restrictions it put in place. It turns out, according to the government's own responses to questions, that it did not even track the travel-based transmissions of COVID.
Regarding the various restrictions the Liberals imposed on Canadians with respect to being in airports, being in train stations and going back and forth, on which they imposed all sorts of restrictions, we asked how many cases of transmission they had seen in these environments that would justify the restrictions they put in place. It turned out that the Liberals were not even gathering data on the level of transmission in airports, train stations, etc.
In other words, the government is making these outrageous claims that this glitchy $54-million app saves lives, and it does not even have the data. Will the government account for this complete hypocrisy?
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- Dec/6/22 7:06:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am thrilled to address this question in the adjournment debate.
Our government understands that many Canadians are worried about our economy as it faces a period of slower economic growth due to the global challenge of high inflation and higher interest rates.
We recognize that Canadians are feeling the pain of inflation when they go to the grocery store, fill up their tanks and pay their rent. However, my colleague opposite prefaced his question tonight on the basis of hypocrisy, so I am glad that earlier today I had the forethought to print off the campaign commitment that the member and all Conservative members made to Canadians in the last election in the platform that the then leader of the Conservative Party put out. It is entitled “Secure the Environment”.
The member wants to talk about pricing carbon. I just want to read the promise that he made to his constituents in the last election campaign. It reads, “We recognize that the most efficient way to reduce our emissions is to use pricing mechanisms. However, having a market-based approach means that we cannot ignore the fact that our” North American partner does not have one. That is a good point. We indeed do have pricing mechanisms. He also committed to suggesting they “will put a price on carbon for consumers” which is what we have. He also ran on a commitment to increase the price on pollution to $50 a tonne, which is the current price as well. As I flip through the commitments that my colleague made to his constituents in the last election, I find a lot of similarities between the commitments that he made and what is currently in place.
I do want to suggest that there is good news for Canada right now. Inflation is slowing down. It was 8.1% in June and now it is under 7%. That is less than we see in many peer economies. In the United States, just south of the border, it is still almost 8%. In the Euro area it is 10%. We agree that inflation at 6.9% in Canada is still far too high but the reality remains there are still some difficulties ahead for Canada's economy. That is why we are moving forward with targeted measures that are already putting money back in the pockets of those who need it the most when they need it the most.
For example, individuals and families receiving the GST credit started receiving an additional $2.5 billion in support last month. Over 11 million families will see support through that measure. I would point out, as we have a couple of times in this House, that the members of the Conservative Party voted against that measure to support Canadians and their families. It also means that Canadians without children are receiving up to an additional $234 and couples with two children are receiving an extra $467 this year. Seniors are receiving an additional $225 on average.
When the member opposite speaks of hypocrisy, I want to point out that not only did he vote against all these measures to support Canadians, which put hundreds of dollars back into the pockets of Canadians, he also ran on a commitment in the last election to price carbon at $50 a tonne, which is the current price. The arguments about how we are not supporting Canadians do not hold any water for me because, when given an opportunity to chime in, to provide amendments, to make some suggestions on a bill that is tangibly right now supporting Canadians with rental supports, dental supports and a doubling of the HST credit, he voted against it.
An analysis by the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates the recent increases in temperature and precipitation, combined with future changes in weather patterns, will reduce Canada's real GDP by almost 6% in 2100. That is an atrocious thing that we can curb. We can fight climate change. Our government understands that.
I hope that whenever there is another election, the member opposite will continue to run on a platform of carbon pricing and sound economic and environmental policy. It will create a better future for all Canadians.
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- Dec/6/22 7:10:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I think the member thought he was answering a different question. I, of course, spoke about the government's carbon tax, but primarily about the ArriveCAN app, about the hypocrisy we have seen from the Prime Minister and about the Prime Minister's spending. There was no response whatsoever on any of those issues. Clearly, the government cannot explain why it spent $54 million on a glitchy app that it had no data to support whatsoever.
As to the government's spending, it is very interesting the way members of the government talk. They say, “We are spending all this money. We are giving people more money with nary a thought about where the money comes from.” Where does the money that the government spends come from? Oh, it takes it from people first.
We had a report from the Auditor General today. The Auditor General's report shows that over $30 billion went to people who certainly or very likely did not meet eligibility criteria. The government creates programs that are supposed to go to one group of people but then billions of dollars out of that spending go to people and the government does not know who they are. The government is not tracking that. The Auditor General was able to identify that many of those people do not actually meet the criteria the government has set out. We have a big problem.
The government says it is being generous. It is being generous with taxpayers' money by giving it away, but it does not know who is getting it and it does not have any spending—
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- Dec/6/22 7:11:49 p.m.
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The hon. parliamentary secretary.
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- Dec/6/22 7:11:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, an old saying comes to mind: Those in glass houses should not throw stones. When given an opportunity, every Conservative member voted against all these measures to support Canadians tangibly.
The constituents and neighbours of ours who are struggling right now are receiving support, whether that is through rental supports, dental supports, the doubling of their GST credit or increases to their old age security and guaranteed income supplement. We are there for Canadians, but we recognize there are some difficult times ahead. This has been one of the most disruptive couple of years ever, certainly in my lifetime and even, I would say, over the last century.
Canadians can count on us to continue to support them. I do not know what they can count on from the Conservatives. It has been mostly slogans and no solutions from them over the last couple of months. I guess that is the influence the new Conservative leader has had on them. They have really lacked any substance in any of their arguments.
We will continue to do all we can in a way that is responsible. This is about balancing fiscal responsibility with compassion and real support for Canadians. As the Deputy Prime Minister explained in the fall economic statement, we are going to continue in the months ahead to work hard to build an economy that works for everyone.
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- Dec/6/22 7:12:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on February 17, 2022, the Chief Electoral Officer appeared before the procedure and House affairs committee, which was studying the 44th general election.
He stated that the Canada Elections Act enables Elections Canada to work with government security agencies to understand and mitigate foreign interference in our electoral processes and identify and address misinformation committed by domestic or foreign entities. The Canada Elections Act also prohibits the use of foreign funds for partisan purposes, including the propelling of like-minded puppet candidates seeking party nominations and running in elections. Any suspected wrongdoing is then referred to the Commissioner of Canada Elections.
Can the parliamentary secretary confirm that the Elections Canada CEO and the Commissioner of Canada Elections were fully consulted, along with CSIS and the RCMP, to determine if the 2021 election was compromised by foreign interference?
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- Dec/6/22 7:14:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to be back in the House for Adjournment Proceedings this evening. I thank the member down the way for the opportunity to address concerns of foreign interference in Canada.
Canada is a country of an open political system, a democratic process, much social cohesion, academic freedoms and prosperity. While these are reasons why people choose to come to Canada, they also makes Canada an attractive target for foreign interference. The government takes these threats very seriously, and we will not tolerate any foreign interference from any actor.
We are aware that certain foreign governments, including the People's Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation, may attempt to threaten and intimidate individuals in Canada or their relatives abroad and that some of these tactics employed include harassment, intimidation, detention of family members abroad and refusal to issue travel documents or visas. When individuals in Canada are subjected to intimidation, harassment or manipulation by foreign states or their proxies, these activities are a threat to Canada's sovereignty and to the safety of communities and individuals in Canada. That will never be tolerated.
Where there is evidence of state-backed harassment or intimidation, CSIS and the RCMP apply the full measures of their mandates to investigate threats to Canada and to Canadians. CSIS investigates and may take measures to reduce foreign interference threats, including those involving threats to Canadian communities. The RCMP also collaborates with police of jurisdiction to investigate harassment, intimidation and other offences reported at local levels that, upon further investigation, reveal a nexus to foreign interference.
For example, in response to reports of so-called police stations being run by the People's Republic of China, the PRC, here in Canada, the RCMP has confirmed that it is currently investigating. If a member of the public feels that they are in immediate danger from a person suspected of acting on behalf of a foreign state, they are strongly encouraged to call 911 or contact their local police of jurisdiction. If a member of the police suspects criminal foreign interference activities that do not pose an immediate threat to life, they should report it immediately to the RCMP or CSIS through phone and online reporting channels, including the national security information network web portal.
Finally, we recognize that democratic institutions and processes around the world, including elections, are targets for foreign interference. Over the course of the 2021 federal election, CSIS and the RCMP worked closely with partners as members of the security and intelligence threats to elections, or SITE, task force to coordinate efforts against foreign interference by raising awareness, assessing threats and preparing the government's response to them.
While I cannot provide any more detail regarding specific threat activity, I can assure Canadians that our security and intelligence agencies investigate allegations of interference in Canada's democratic institutions or processes by a foreign state in accordance with their mandated authorities and that the RCMP investigates foreign actor interference further to its mandate.
Canadians can be assured that, while we cannot always make our actions known to the public, the safety and security of Canadians is absolutely always at the heart of our approach.
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- Dec/6/22 7:17:09 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, a simple yes or no would have sufficed. As more media attention focuses on the porous defence and the lackadaisical attitude that the government has toward confronting foreign operators on our soil, along with the reluctance to safeguard Iranian Canadians and Chinese Canadians who are being intimidated, has the government abrogated its duty to protect its citizens and election process?
Is the government also content for Canada to put up permanent doormats for Iranian and Chinese governments to do whatever they want?
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- Dec/6/22 7:17:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I reject the premise of the question 100%.
We have taken swift action against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we continue to be extremely strong against the People's Republic of China in their attempts to interfere in our elections or in any other course of due action in Canada.
I want to make it clear that the Government of Canada remains committed to combatting foreign interference by any foreign state seeking to harm Canada or our citizens. We protect our citizens and communities targeted by hostile state actors, safeguard our democratic institutions and promote economic security.
Canada takes a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, domestically and abroad, to strategically counter foreign interference activities. This includes the work of security agencies like CSIS and the RCMP, but this also includes our work with the G7 rapid response mechanism, which identifies and responds to foreign threats to democracy, as well as resources like “Foreign Interference and You”. It is available to the public in multiple languages through the Canada.ca website.
I would just close by acknowledging that the member down the way is a former member of the military and he knows—
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- Dec/6/22 7:18:52 p.m.
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The time is up.
The hon. member for North Island—Powell River
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- Dec/6/22 7:18:59 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, as always I am honoured to be here in this place and talk on behalf of the constituents of North Island—Powell River. I am really sad to be here today. I never thought I would be sharing concerns with the House of Commons that constituents of mine are now afraid because of the total lack of health care.
The federal government has paid less and less into health care transfers, and provinces and territories are struggling. We knew, and it has been talked about in this country for a very long time, that we had an increasing population of people who are aging and that there are challenges in recruiting and retaining health care providers, and we still have not seen any meaningful action from the government.
I have spoken about this issue before in the House, and I will continue to do so. We are in a significant crisis. People in my riding are paying the price of that crisis. I receive emails and calls daily from remote communities in my riding, like Port Hardy, Port McNeill and Alert Bay, especially because their emergency rooms are being closed far too often.
All night long, emergency rooms are closed. That means if anyone has any serious health issue, they have to travel quite a distance to get somewhere that can help them. People who live in Alert Bay are on an island, so that is even more problematic.
Just last week, a constituent with serious health issues got themselves to the Port Hardy hospital. They arrived and, upon arrival, found out that the emergency room was closed. They collapsed. An ambulance was called, and they had to be taken to another community to be served.
Closures of emergency rooms are directly linked in our riding to a lack of staff. They are tired; they are burnt out, and they are leaving. The federal government must stand with its provincial counterparts to support strategies to both attract and retain health care professionals across Canada's rural communities. It is not sustainable, what is happening right now, and it is not safe.
Constituents are sharing stories of having to travel a long distance to get basic care. This cannot continue. Recently, an article came out about rural communities and pregnant people having to travel a long distance to get the services they need. When they do so, the pregnant person is paying out of pocket for a place to live and something to eat. Often, they are left alone, because their spouse or partner is back home looking after children or working, doing the things they need to do to sustain the family.
Someone who shared their story was from Port McNeill. Her name is Darci. She told a terrible story of being left alone and missing her partner, who was doing everything he could to support her. Finally, she gave birth to their child without her partner.
This issue is long-standing, but we are seeing it across the board, an increasing closure of so many services. For example, in Campbell River, the hospital lab is closed many days due to a severe shortage of staff. This means outpatients are arriving and finding it closed, and we know that overworked staff and exhausted lab staff are ready to leave and are looking for other opportunities.
We also know that doctors, nurses and health care professionals across the board are exhausted, tired and wanting to leave. We do not have a meaningful attraction strategy to bring newcomers and other folks from across Canada to be in our communities.
I want to thank the Citizens for Quality Health Care and other health care advocates from north Vancouver Island and Powell River, who have been warning about this for over three years, since before the pandemic. This is serious, and it needs to be addressed.
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- Dec/6/22 7:23:03 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for the opportunity to discuss this very important issue.
The impacts of the health worker shortage are reverberating across all areas of the health system, but they are particularly clear right now in our hospitals. It gets harder to watch as children are affected. Understaffed emergency rooms have led to long wait times and even closures.
Our government is working with the provincial and territorial governments and key health sector stakeholders to find both immediate and long-term solutions to the health care worker shortage.
Health Canada convened a stakeholder symposium this spring to better understand the challenges facing the health workforce, and we are currently engaging with stakeholders to refine and align solutions.
I would also point out that over the last six months, the prime focus of the health committee, on which I serve, has been the human resources in health care crisis. We have been studying how to remediate this challenge, and literally nothing is off the table.
Rural communities, like the one my colleague serves in, require unique solutions to their health care challenges. That is why the government is providing $26.2 million in funding to increase the forgivable amount of student loans for doctors and nurses who would like to practise in rural and remote communities.
We have also committed $115 million over five years, with $30 million ongoing, to expand the foreign credential recognition program, which will help 11,000 internationally trained health care professionals per year get their credentials recognized and find work in their field.
My colleague opposite raised the point that we are not doing anything to help people enter the health care sector. She says we are not doing enough to attract people with foreign credentials and qualifications. We are investing and hundreds of millions of dollars in these areas. It is a prime area of focus.
There is still much work to be done, and our government will continue to work with the provinces and territories.
We are committed to working with provinces, territories and experts to find ways to recruit new health care workers and improve working conditions to retain and make better use of our existing health workers.
I look forward to working with my colleagues, the provinces and the territories in the weeks and months ahead to improve the funding and delivery of health care services.
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- Dec/6/22 7:25:26 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am very concerned to hear again “Let us have a round table” and “Let us have a conversation.” We need action in our communities.
Rural and remote health care is hurting because of many specific challenges. I am happy to inform the member that finding a family doctor is getting harder and harder. Accessing walk-in clinics is harder. Waiting too long for much-needed surgery in rural and remote communities is a long-term challenge. There is delay in medical test results and other medical services due to a lack of medical personnel. It is harder to attract people to rural and remote communities. This needs to be addressed in a more profound way.
Having to travel very long distances outside of the community to access regular and specialized medical services is very hard on families. Seniors waiting for long-term care are often in the hospital because they cannot get into a long-term care facility. There is a complete lack of mental health services that are comprehensive and support people in my riding. So, I am—
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- Dec/6/22 7:26:26 p.m.
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The hon. parliamentary secretary.
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- Dec/6/22 7:26:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising this very important issue.
Rural areas are indeed facing an unacceptable shortage of health workers. Our government will continue working on addressing the shortage as well as improving health care in rural areas generally. The needs of Canadians in rural and remote areas are foremost in our minds, and we will work with provinces and territories in the coming weeks and months to improve our health care system.
However, we must not cherry-pick from the list of things that I mentioned tonight. We are creating solutions across the board in staffing, in health care transfers, for the pipeline and for education. No stone has been left unturned.
Our health system needs further investment. We also want to make sure that our tax dollars are being spent in the most effective way possible. Throwing more money into a broken system is not the best path forward, and we can improve the way that we deliver health care to eliminate inefficiencies and get better health outcomes for all Canadians.
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- Dec/6/22 7:27:21 p.m.
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The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).
(The House adjourned at 7:27 p.m.)
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