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Mr. Kevin Vuong (Spadina—Fort York, Ind.)

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

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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Mr. Kevin Vuong

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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Mr. Adam van Koeverden

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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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

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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Ms. Rachel Blaney (North Island—Powell River, NDP)

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

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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Ms. Rachel Blaney

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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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Dec/6/22 7:26:26 p.m.
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The hon. parliamentary secretary.

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Secretary

Mr. Adam van Koeverden

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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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

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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