SoVote

Mrs. Cheryl Gallant (Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, CPC)

May/9/23 12:00:23 a.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise on behalf of the brave women and men serving in the Canadian Armed Forces. I asked the defence minister why 700 soldiers, including the base hospital, at Garrison Petawawa were left without heat or hot water. She did not have an answer. She could not answer, because she never bothered to find out why hot water was not deemed essential. Her job is to be accountable to Parliament. When something goes wrong in a department, the minister is responsible. That does not mean she was the one turning off the hot water. It just means it is her responsibility, her sworn duty, to come to this House and give an account of what went wrong. Being responsible and accountable when we make mistakes is how we avoid making the same mistakes again. However, instead of being responsible, the minister retreated to her safe space and just started listing off spending announcements as evidence of the Liberal commitment to the Canadian Armed Forces. It is a crass and vulgar way to go through life thinking commitment can be measured in dollars and cents. Imagine someone telling their loved ones that they measure their commitment by how much cash they spend on them. Of course, the irony is that the Liberals do not even spend the cash they have committed to the military. The Liberals cannot procure new equipment. They cannot even process payments for per diems when soldiers are stationed overseas. The minister claims they are committed, but the Prime Minister tells a different story behind closed doors. Privately, the Prime Minister claims there is no political will for Canada to meet its commitment to NATO. Building political will to do the right thing is what real leaders do, but the Prime Minister would rather go surfing. The truth is that there is no support for the military in the Liberal Party base. The Canadian Armed Forces is currently under an unprecedented reconstitution order. Recruitment is cratering under the Prime Minister because Canadians know the truth. Why should they put their lives on the line in defence of Canada when the Prime Minister will not even defend the idea of Canada? How can we have a “national” defence if the Prime Minister believes we live in a post-nation state? The Liberals believe Canada is a racist colonial oppressor state. When radical extremists pull down statues, the Prime Minister sides with the vandals. He strips historic names from buildings while a taxpayer-funded foundation named for his father takes donations from dictatorships. He would rather apologize for the country than celebrate it. This country strips out symbols of our heritage from the Crown and replaces them with a snowflake. What message do we think that sends to potential recruits? The minister left our recruits out in the cold. The Prime Minister treats our military like a phallic joke. Why would people lay down their lives to defend this country when the government does not even seem to like this country? The Liberal Party has become so hostile to democratic accountability and freedom of speech that it passed a resolution requiring government approval to publish unnamed sources. Defending freedom and democracy used to be the best rallying cry to join the Canadian Armed Forces, yet the illiberals seem hell-bent on persuading Canadians that believing in freedom and democracy is an unacceptable view. Nothing symbolizes the “illiberal party” contempt for the military than its leaving our women and men in uniform out in the cold and dressing them up in snowflakes.

600 words

Mr. Bryan May (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, Lib.)

May/9/23 12:04:23 a.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, the identification of essential staff at Base Petawawa was negotiated with the Union of National Defence Employees and the Public Service Alliance of Canada, in consultation with the Canadian Forces Housing Agency. When strike action temporarily shut down the base's central heating plant, staff at the base moved quickly to ensure additional shower facilities with integral heating were opened up and alternative heating sources were brought in. The Department of National Defence, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the Union of National Defence Employees also worked together to deem additional staff essential so that the central heating plant could resume operation, which it did. This also gives me the opportunity to highlight some of the ways we are supporting the members of our Canadian Armed Forces on the bases and wings where so many of them live. Base Petawawa has seen a number of new investments in recent years, investments that are not only improving the daily lives of our military personnel, but enhancing their operational readiness as well. That includes a new $60-million health services centre, which opened up last year. This new facility has improved supports for the physical and mental health of our forces' members at Petawawa. It consolidates medical, dental, physiotherapy and mental health services into one centrally located facility, making it easier for members to access the help they need. In 2021, we opened a 10-building complex on the base to give the Canadian Special Operations Regiment a dedicated place to train and store equipment. Also that year, the Royal Canadian Dragoons moved into a new, renovated facility that will better meet their operational requirements. Investments like these are not just happening at Petawawa. They are happening across the country. In March, the Prime Minister announced a $7.3-billion investment to upgrade and build new infrastructure that will house Canada's fleet of F-35 fighter jets, as part of our NORAD modernization plan. This new construction will take place at bases and wings across Canada from Goose Bay to Comox, in the north and especially in Bagotville and Cold Lake. We also continue to upgrade bases and wings through a series of energy performance contracts. These contracts are retrofitting military facilities to the highest standards of energy-efficient design, while guaranteeing savings over time. We have implemented 13 such contracts since 2015, including at Base Petawawa, which are lowering the military's carbon footprint and contributing to Canada's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. We will continue to ensure our people in uniform have modern facilities in which to live, work and train. They deserve nothing less.

442 words

Mrs. Cheryl Gallant

May/9/23 12:07:32 a.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary spoke for four minutes and still did not answer a simple question: Why were the soldiers left out in the cold by the government? It is no surprise that woke Liberals would adopt a snowflake as a symbol of Canadian sovereignty. What is a surprise is that they think this will help them recruit people willing to fight and, when necessary, kill people who hate Canada and hate what we stand for. Maybe that is their dirty little secret. The Liberals think that if we do not stand for anything, if we roll over to appease hostile regimes and treat their diplomats with kid gloves, we do not really need a military. Considering the way the Prime Minister likes to import American culture wars and American political celebrities, maybe he just sees us as a vassal state. The truth is we can only guess because they say one thing in public and another thing in private.

161 words

Mr. Bryan May

May/9/23 12:08:32 a.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, upgrading bases and wings is just one way we are supporting our people in uniform. We are also helping military personnel and their families day to day through the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services. The Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services offer a wide range of vital supports, 24-7 mental health services, resources for parents and children, benefits that help with relocation and more. These are available virtually or in-person across the country. Canada's defence policy of “Strong, Secure, Engaged” makes it clear that our people in uniform are a top priority. Indeed, they are. As we update this defence policy, supporting the physical and mental health of our Canadian Armed Forces will continue to be job number one.

127 words

Ms. Bonita Zarrillo (Port Moody—Coquitlam, NDP)

May/9/23 12:09:26 a.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, I am here tonight to speak to operational funding for transit in Canada because it is essential. Transit allows people to have reliable and efficient service. Maintaining the capital assets and upgrading infrastructure such as buses, trains and stations, as well as investing in new technologies and equipment, are certainly important for transit, but for those to function, operational funds are needed. Communities across the country are looking for the government to step up and show leadership with operational funding for transit. Without sufficient funding, transit systems can become outdated and overcrowded, which leads to delays, breakdowns and reduced accessibility for passengers. I want to share a story from my community, which happened just recently, where transit has not had the operating funds to keep its equipment fully accessible. A resident in my riding recently tweeted that they were stuck at a transit station because the shuttle bus was broken and the wheelchair lift was not functioning. The resident was then forced to get onto a transit bus, and that, too, had a broken ramp. This is about not having the operating funds to maintain the product. I also want to talk about the fact that so many residents in my communities of Port Moody, Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra are looking for simple bathrooms in transit stations. With no operating funds, the transit authorities have not built the bathrooms required because they cannot afford to keep them operational. This is a human rights issue. There should be bathrooms at transit stations. In addition to improving these services, operational funds are critical for ensuring that transit remains accessible. Riders rely on public transit as their primary mode of transportation, and without adequate funding, fares are becoming prohibitively expensive, especially in these times times when there is so much inflation and we know that folks are struggling to pay the bills at home. Next week, the TransLink mayors are coming in from the Lower Mainland in Vancouver, and the TransLink Mayors’ Council is also asking Ottawa to step up with necessary transit funding for operations. This will also help us meet our climate goals. As we see the approach of the TransLink Mayors’ Council coming from B.C., I just want to raise tonight that we need operational funds for safety as well. We all know that there has been quite a few horrific stories recently of people who have died or have been severely hurt on transit. This is something that needs to be addressed, and it needs to be addressed with operational funding. Security and the ability to have conductors on buses and trains are very important. Lastly, operational funding plays an important role in supporting the growth and development of Canadian communities. Transit systems provide access to jobs, education, health care and other essential services, and help to connect people across different regions and municipalities. By investing in transit, government can stimulate economic growth, improve quality of life and create more resilient communities. Why does the government continue to fail Canadians by avoiding the steady, reliable and meaningful transit operational funds communities have been asking for?

521 words

Mr. Bryan May (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, Lib.)

May/9/23 12:13:13 a.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, public transit and active transportation infrastructure enable Canadians to go places, to get to where they need to be, to connect with friends and family, to travel safely to and from work and school and to take family members to their medical appointments. Our government is committed to helping all Canadians make that journey safely, efficiently and affordably. Since 2015, we have provided over $20 billion in federal funding to support public transit projects in communities across Canada. This is a historic investment for municipalities and provinces; it is creating jobs, making communities more accessible and improving quality of life for Canadians. To ensure that Canadians continue to have access to efficient transit, the Government of Canada introduced the permanent public transit program. This program will provide federal funding support to projects that deliver expanded urban transit networks, affordable zero-emissions transit options, transit solutions for rural communities and additional active transportation options. The program provides $14.9 billion over eight years, including $3 billion per year ongoing, starting in 2026-27. It builds on support already available for transit across the country from existing federal programs. In addition, our government continues to leverage other programs to support communities, transit authorities and other groups providing essential services to Canadians in the public transit and active transportation sectors. The five-year $2.75-billion zero-emissions transit fund advances the Government of Canada's commitment to help procure zero-emissions public transit and school buses across the country. The five-year $400-million active transportation fund aims to expand and enhance active transportation networks in communities large and small, as well as to support Canada's national active transportation strategy. The five-year $250-million rural transit solutions fund addresses unique mobility challenges in rural communities through support for the planning and development of locally tailored mobility solutions. To date, the investing in Canada infrastructure program has approved $25 billion for 5,500 projects, including funding to enhance public transit systems through the acquisition of over 4,200 public transit vehicles, such as buses, subway cars and light-rail transit trains. Budget 2023 reaffirms the Government of Canada's commitment to advancing infrastructure projects across the country. We have worked diligently with our provincial and territorial partners to ensure that the $33.5 billion in funding under the investing in Canada infrastructure program was fully committed by March 31, 2023. With these allocations, we will be continuing to make investments that get results for communities. An update on the program will be provided later this year, including next steps for the permanent public transit fund that will ensure Canadians can get to where they need to be.

448 words

Ms. Bonita Zarrillo

May/9/23 12:16:35 a.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, although I see that the member had a prepared speech, I want to reiterate the fact that if capital investments are being made in transit infrastructure, the operating funds need to be assigned at the same time. I want to revisit the safety aspect. Will the government support the ATU's call for a Canada national transit safety task force to deal with the surge in violence on transit?

71 words

Mr. Bryan May

May/9/23 12:17:09 a.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is committed to supporting public transit, and that commitment is for the long term. That is why we introduced the permanent public transit program to ensure continuing support for projects that will expand urban transit networks, deliver affordable zero-emissions transit options, provide transit solutions for rural communities and offer more active transportation options to Canadians. The program provides $14.9 billion over eight years, including $3 billion per year ongoing, starting in 2026-27. It builds on support already available for transit across the country for existing federal programs. The Government of Canada's continued investment in transit will help provide options for Canadians. Our investment in public transit is helping to provide an essential service to many Canadians to generate billions of dollars in economic benefits and help Canada meet its climate change targets as we approach 2050.

146 words

The Deputy Speaker

May/9/23 12:18:14 a.m.
Watch

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until later this day at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1). (The House adjourned at 12:18 a.m.)

40 words

SoVote

House Hansard - 192