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House Hansard - 142

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 6, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 142 - Dec/6/22
The Speaker
  • Dec/6/22 10:02:35 a.m.
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It is my duty to lay upon the table, pursuant to subsection 19.1(2) of An Act to provide further support in response to COVID‑19, a report of the Auditor General of Canada. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(g), this report is deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
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Context: House Hansard - 142 - Dec/6/22
Hon. Diane Lebouthillier (Minister of National Revenue, Lib.)
  • Dec/6/22 2:22:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government did not hesitate to take action to help Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic and we made the right choices. We thank the Auditor General for her work and we thank her for confirming that our COVID-19 benefits were well targeted and effective. The report clearly indicates that these benefits helped the economy bounce back quickly and contributed to fighting poverty. Canadians know that we had their backs and will continue to be there for them.
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Context: House Hansard - 142 - Dec/6/22
Hon. Diane Lebouthillier (Minister of National Revenue, Lib.)
  • Dec/6/22 2:24:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government made decisions that unquestionably saved lives and the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the past several months, the CRA has been verifying recipients' eligibility. The Auditor General's findings are consistent with what the CRA has said. The verification and recovery process will take years. While the Conservatives are left to deal with their leader's ridiculous advice about cryptocurrency, we will continue to deliver for Canadians.
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Context: House Hansard - 142 - Dec/6/22
Ms. Melissa Lantsman (Thornhill, CPC)
  • Dec/6/22 2:33:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government will blame everyone else for its inflationary spending, but when the Auditor General confirms that a minimum of $32 billion in COVID overpayments and suspicious payments need more investigation, there is little argument that this mess added to inflation. The Auditor General has sounded the alarm bells on the lack of control on COVID spending. There are lots of checks and no balances, and the government is continuing the same approach with current legislation and current programming. How can Canadians trust the government?
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Context: House Hansard - 142 - Dec/6/22
Mr. Adam van Koeverden (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport, Lib.)
  • Dec/6/22 2:43:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's COVID-19 procurement strategy was undertaken at a time of considerable uncertainty, with a goal of protecting the health and safety of Canadians. That is what we did. While Canada's overall COVID-19 immunization strategy has been a success, with modelling suggesting that public health measures without vaccination could have seen over 16.5 million cases and nearly 500,000 deaths, improvements can and will be made to ensure continued success and future preparedness. However, there was no waste. That is a false claim. To suggest we did not act expediently is outside the—
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Context: House Hansard - 142 - Dec/6/22
Mr. Adam Chambers (Simcoe North, CPC)
  • Dec/6/22 2:45:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General stated that the process the government relied on to distribute COVID benefits led to $4.6 billion in overpayments to ineligible individuals, and at least another $27 billion that needs to be investigated. How much of this $32 billion can taxpayers expect to recover? How much money is the government going to spend in administrative costs to recover money for taxpayers?
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Context: House Hansard - 142 - Dec/6/22
Mr. Adam van Koeverden (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport, Lib.)
  • Dec/6/22 2:47:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we share the frustrations and concerns of parents across Ontario with the wait times at hospitals, particularly for kids. It has been a really challenging flu, RSV and COVID season, with all of those piling up. We recognize it has been extraordinarily challenging for health care workers as well. We believe, on this side of the House, that all someone should need to get health care in Canada is their health card, not their credit card, so we will always stand up for our public system. Canadians are proud of our system. It is one based on need, not on ability to pay.
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Context: House Hansard - 142 - Dec/6/22
Hon. Randy Boissonnault
  • Dec/6/22 3:02:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me repeat that our government respects and honours the work of the Auditor General, and that we accept her report. Let me share point 10.23 from the report. I quote: We found that the COVID-19 programs achieved their objective to help Canada avoid a more severe contraction of the economy and the social consequences of, for example, a significant increase in poverty. This financial support allowed the economy to rebound and return—
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Context: House Hansard - 142 - Dec/6/22
Hon. Diane Lebouthillier (Minister of National Revenue, Lib.)
  • Dec/6/22 3:07:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, allow me to reassure my colleague. If there is anyone who does not lack courage, it is most certainly the people of Gaspésie and the Magdalen Islands. That said, CRA is working very hard to make sure that everyone who collected COVID‑19 benefits was eligible to do so. Our robust audit and recovery strategies will be thorough and compassionate. This report only goes to show that our estimates were correct.
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