Question Period – March 4, 2022

[Applause] [Music] mr speaker this morning canadian families have a big issue this morning canadians woke up and learned that the cost of gas is skyrocketing in my riding in quebec gas is 1 85 a liter it's two dollars a liter in bc and the prices continue to rise the government can do one thing at the very least to help reduce this burden for canadians can the government commit to not increasing taxes as of april 1st thank you very much mr speaker i'd like to thank my colleague for his question i would like to remind this house however that our economy has seen 6.7 percent growth in the last quarter and it is rebounding strongly and we are here to tackle the issue of inflation i'd also like to remind people that other countries worldwide including the u.s have inflation rates much higher than that of canada and our government knows how to manage our economy cautiously and responsibly thank you the other member for louisiana what's rebounding uh this morning is not what the member has said but rather the cost of gas and all that all canadians are facing this 45 percent increase that's unacceptable the government keeps hiding behind figures but the reality of canadians and everyday life means well transportation affects everyone inflation is increasing because of that can the government well the question is simple commit to giving some oxygen to canadian families and not impose tax raise increases for april 1st yes or no the honorable parliamentary secretary mr speaker our track record as a government is clear we have been here for canadians who are the most vulnerable and we're here to support them and what the conservatives are proposing was is austerity and that's what they did during the pandemic and that's what not what canadians wanted we will ensure that our economy will continue to growth as i said earlier the economy is doing well and we will continue our work thank you the honourable member for luis senegal mr speaker quite sincerely i have a simple question there's going to be a tax hike slated by this liberal government on april 1st regardless of what's happening in the u.s or in gdp or inflation the reality is that taxes will go up on april 1st the reality is that it costs a liter of gas costs 45 cents more now can the government to commit to managing the tax increases slated for april 1st the honourable parliamentary secretary mr speaker we have canadians backs we're here to support our seniors our families and we created the canada child benefit and we increased it this week c12 received royal assent to ensure that seniors benefits will be delivered mr speaker we are here for the canadians and the austerity being proposed by the conservatives doesn't have its place here member for barry andersfield thank you mr speaker life under this liberal government is quickly becoming unaffordable for canadians high inflation means that prices are going up twice as fast as wages middle-class canadians are struggling to avoid falling into poverty seniors are also hurting and to make matters worse the prime minister's tax hikes on everything from gasoline to home heating is scheduled to take effect on april 1st how about showing a little empathy maybe a little compassion to the millions of canadians who are struggling to make ends meet because people can no longer afford to pay their bills will the government cancel all of these hack tax hikes on april 1st the honorable parliamentary secretary speaker i'd like to thank the member opposite for his question i'd also like to remind him that the federal carbon price is revenue neutral in fact with the climate action incentive families in uh the prairies will get close to a thousand dollars back uh and as the governor of the bank of canada reminded us at finance committee just this week that climate change itself is also causing inflation something that the conservative party shouldn't ignore honourable member for berrien is built cold comfort for barry ennisville residents who this morning are paying a dollar 72.9 per liter for gasoline but instead

of helping canadians the liberals are actually going to increase the carbon tax by 25 percent increasing taxes now mean that out of control grocery prices will go higher the liberals claim they're concerned about inflation but their prob their policies are making the problem much much worse why are the liberals implementing policies and tax hikes that are punishing canadians and seniors at a time when they can least afford it will they cancel the tax increases on april 1st yes or no the honorable parliamentary secretary to the deputy prime minister and minister of finance mr speaker i'm happy to remind that member again that the federal carbon price is revenue neutral i'm also happy to remind that member that while our government is concerned about inflation we also understand that this is a global phenomenon we know that canada's rate of inflation is lower than the united states lower than the uk lower than the g7 the g20 the oecd average and at the same time we're taking efforts to address affordability measures on housing measures on child care measures for seniors all measures that that party in fact votes against mr speaker the honourable member for ce jean speaker in the face of war in ukraine the government can count on the bloc we work together to extend work and study permits for ukrainians let's work once again together to welcome families fleeing the war i welcome the government's emergency travel authorization but it takes effect only in two weeks and that is an eternity in wartime in the current situation we need to at least make sure that as of day one there will already be planes on the ground to transport families will the minister launch a full-scale air operation [Applause] mr speaker this is a war against liberty and democracy for the interpreter would like to note that sound quality does not allow for interpretation at this point is pretty bad there so i don't know whether it's where the boom is placed or not i'm going to let you uh back up and maybe uh maybe just finish up to finish up the question there and hopefully we'll be better the honorable minister thank you mr speaker to conclude the interpreter still notes that the sound quality is not allowed for interpretation at this time thank you not just allow people to come but facilitate their entry into canada okay all right we're still having a problem with that so maybe we'll try to get uh we'll let the minister get get get caught up here and because i'm guessing the next question is probably for the same minister we don't know who's next we'll take a small break to make sure we have someone the honourable member for senja mr speaker europe expects the number of refugees to reach seven million people seven million people so the government has no choice but to be ready in two weeks when the new measures take effect they have to implement a historic equivalent of an airlift by charting all possible air capacity otherwise the good measures they've announced won't work otherwise there'll be millions of people half of whom will be children who will be still stuck in refugee camps will the minister deploy a large-scale air operation minister of immigration [Applause] thank you mr speaker and in response to that question i think it's very important to say that we have taken unprecedented measures to fast track all immigration measures over the last several weeks and have announced increased uh measures which will take place within the next two weeks to ensure that canada does its responsible activity in ensuring that all ukrainians have a chance to have a new life in another country right now there's also refugee crisis and canada will do its part and more than its part to ensure that refugees find safety in our world the honorable member for north island powell river 60 of canadians say they are struggling to feed themselves and their families mr speaker under the liberals the ultra rich are thriving while canadians feel abandoned while people are forced to pay more on food ceos of huge grocery sheets and other big box stores like walmart and canadian tire are making billions in profit during the pandemic but the liberals have repeatedly refused to make the ultra-rich pay their fair share when will the government stop protecting corporate profit and start standing up for canadians the honorable parliamentary secretary mr speaker we care deeply about the issues of affordability and we also want to make sure that uh organizations pay their fair share and we've made commitments as such but with regards to affordability i'll remind that member that we in fact lower taxes in the middle class while increasing them on the top one percent we created the ccb that lifted 435 000 children out of poverty in fact we implemented a comprehensive poverty strategy lifted 1.3 million canadians out of poverty we're going to continue working with the party opposite and the member opposite to make sure that affordability is top of mind because it's a priority for our government the honorable member for vancouver east thousands of afghans were in refugee camps in ukraine now they are forced to flee their second humanitarian crisis as putin invades the country camilla safi walked hours to the border less than 48 hours after she gave birth her family was rejected six times trying to leave ukraine at the slovakian and polish border facing racial discrimination the application to seek refuge in canada didn't even get a response from the government their situation is not unique will the liberals help resettle afghans and other visible minorities fleeing putin's war the honorable minister of immigration and mr speaker i thank the honourable member for her question and i would share that it is completely unacceptable and egregious behavior that anyone fleeing war would be discriminated against on the basis of the color of their skin or their country of origin we have to date already resettled the number of afghan refugees who've transited through ukraine to the extent there are individual case files of course the timelines can differ depend on the complexities of those cases but we are working to make good on our commitment to resettle forty thousand afghan refugees regardless of which country we transit through because we've stated that publicly and we will not go back until we've completed our efforts successfully remember for calgary forest lawn mr speaker ivana fled ukraine following the russian invasion hiding in bulgaria trying to reunite with her husband in vancouver she applied for visitor visa but was refused because rcc wasn't satisfied though she would return to ukraine havana's story is not unique i'm hearing people calling the hotline or applying for visas are getting stuck in the same liberal made bureaucratic mess afghan refugees are facing 140 countries around the world have lifted visa requirements why are the liberals ignoring ukrainian canadians and opposition mp's calls to implement visa free travel for ukrainians the honorable minister of immigration mr speaker i thank the honourable member for his question and his uh conversations with me over the past number of days uh the reality mr speaker is we've announced a program that is going to allow for the fastest and safest way for people to resettle in canada with respect to the timelines that people are operating under i would point out that as of today there's already 6265 ukrainian nationals that have arrived in canada since the beginning of january we started moving the moment we knew this was a potential influx of newcomers who'd be seeking to come to canada fleeing putin's war we will continue to do everything we can to ensure we process people efficiently and take down the barriers that may lead to an unjust refusal honourable member for a calgary forest lawn mr speaker if this government didn't cancel the northern gateway and energy east pipelines and had stood up for the keystone xl to be built canada would be oil self-sufficient regulatory delays excessive taxes and costs have lng projects struggling and partners selling out canada could be entirely natural gas self-sufficient if this government would just get out of the way with the completion of these projects canada would be in a position to supply the world with clean ethically produced energy how is the government going to fix its regulatory systems to help the world reduce its dependence on russian energy the honorable parliamentary secretary mr speaker the current situation in ukraine underscores the importance of energy security of our allies in europe and across the world building more pipelines to increase oil and gas capacity this would take a number of years and wouldn't address the current crisis in ukraine the real solution is to quickly deploy renewables in cleantech to reduce dependence on russian oil and gas now and into the future and i would direct the member opposites attention to the independent energy agency's 10 point plan which specifically points to renewables as a solution the honorable member for sherwood park fort saskatchewan mr speaker the parliamentary secretary says that building pipelines takes too long that's been our point for a very very long time mr speaker let's speed up that process and let's put in place these measures for the long term europe's reliance on russian gas has constrained its ability to sanction russia and some european countries are less dependent on russian gas but rely heavily on coal europe needs energy mr speaker and canadian natural gas is safer than russian gas and it's cleaner than coal so when will the government realize the need to significantly increase energy exports to europe and put in place the measures to ensure that going forward the honorable parliamentary secretary to the minister of natural resources thank you mr speaker and again i would like to direct the member opposite to the the international energy agency's actual report a 10-point plan to reduce european union's reliance on russian natural gas it points to renewables it points to wind and soiler it points to many solutions that they have made and that they are working on renewables are part of the solution to the energy security issue in europe the honourable member for sherwood park for saskatchewan mr speaker it needs to be all of the above and canada needs to get in the energy export game to europe mr speaker many ukrainian canadian organizations are doing incredible work confronting the humanitarian crisis in the ukraine the government's matching program only applies to the red cross we've seen previously how such as in the case of lebanon the government's matching program excludes canadian charities with strong on-the-ground experience and this is a missed opportunity for those charities will the government expand and broaden their matching program to at least include established organizations like the ukrainian canadian congress and the catholic near east welfare association good question the honorable parliamentary secretary thank you mr speaker and we all thank the ukrainian canadian congress for the incredible work that they are doing i would note that the 10 million dollar matching fund program for the canadian red cross is just one part of what we are providing there is also 50 million dollars in humanitarian aid already announced plus the u.n flash appeal of a hundred million dollars where canada is leading the world in terms of what we are providing this is going to provide support for displaced populations with essential life-saving services like shelter water sanitation and food mr speaker we are doing our part and we will continue to do that thank you the honorable member for edmonton west mr speaker when asked in question period about russian navy's 40 armed nuclear-powered icebreakers roaming the arctic the defense minister said basically don't worry about canadian sovereignty because quote here we have the coast guard working for us now does the minister of national defense realize that our coast guard as good as they are is a civilian service and is not an armed naval vessels because i'm pretty sure the russian naval or the navy is aware of that the honorable parliamentary secretary thank you mr speaker canada's sovereignty in the arctic is long-standing and well established we are making landmark investments to increase our ability to operate in the arctic including conducting joint exercises in the arctic purchasing six arctic offshore patrol ships and enhancing surveillance and intelligence capability in the arctic we will remain firm and unwavering in defending canada's sovereignty and the peoples and the communities of the north and our national interest mr speaker thank you the honourable member for southshore st margaret's mr speaker windmills and fairy tales have not gotten germany and other countries off of russian oil this kind government's doing nothing and the northwest atlantic fishery organization which governs uh what we can catch internationally including the grand banks off of newfoundland russia sits on the executive of that organization and it's a multilateral forum that we all abide by yet and yesterday at the fisheries committee unanimously my motion to have them removed from that executive was approved since russia no longer abides by the international rules of order will this government lead the charge to expel russia from the executive of napoleon the honorable minister of fisheries mr speaker russia's war on ukraine is a war on freedom democracy and the rights of ukrainians and this aggression will not go unpunished earlier this week our government announced a ban on all russian owned or registered ships and fishing vessels from docking in canadian waters i'm aware of the motion the member opposite brought before the dfo committee yesterday russia stepped down as the chair of nafo we're examining this issue closely and will always stand with the people of ukraine against russian aggression the honourable member for monique mr speaker even today new mothers who find out during their parental leave that they're losing their jobs are not entitled to employment insurance even though they've just started a family and they're losing their income ottawa is abandoning them as the federal government has refused to address this injustice for years six women has to have taken the government to court and won but instead of fixing the problem ottawa is going to appeal the case and it's taking young mothers who have lost their jobs to court mr speaker why not help them instead the honorable minister mr speaker we understand that it's very hard for women who do not have access to employment insurance the court conducted an independent review and however our commitment does not change we are still commit committed to doing better to modernize the employment insurance system to bring it up to the 21st century the old member for shepard right now this i find this very cheap the minister cannot hide behind the commission it is the parliament that can amend the act and the commission itself has said that it's the minister's exclusi exclusive responsibility there are exceptions to the act that allow people who apply for e.i to calculate their income over two years rather than 52 weeks people who are unable to work because they're sick injured or incarcerated are entitled to this why shouldn't new mothers who have lost their jobs also be entitled to it isn't it not simple the honorable minister of employment mr speaker we understand the situation of these mothers it's really hard and that is what is motivating me to change the ei system we can absolutely do better the way canadians work mr speaker which is why we are spending so much time and effort on our modernization efforts for ei and we have heard from many mothers in this situation and we are working to make things better more equitable and fair for women for all workers in canada the honorable member for monmanny lisilette camarisca riverdale mr speaker over the past few days the cost of gas and my riding has reached almost a dollar 80 a liter groceries have increased by more than a thousand dollars a month for the next year it's already been announced and for this year costs are skyrock rocketing everywhere i'm not just talking about housing but just for these two things and it means that with these 50 billion in deficit debt rather by this government inflation continues to rise steadily when will the government tackle inflation truly the honorable parliamentary secretary mr speaker we understand that there is inflationary pressure globally right now our government is here to support vulnerable canadians and yes we are here with programs to help everyone including seniors and families mr speaker my colleague who's a member from quebec should know full well that we're also facing a climate crisis globally and we have to make sure that we are protecting the environment thank you mr speaker member for elgin middlesex london thank you very much mr speaker mr speaker newfoundland gas prices to skyrocket friday windsor housing costs reach new heights in february farmers concerned as cost of production soars a second mortgage record gas prices strained consumers struggling with rising cost of living inflation rates continue to jack up the cost of living mr speaker these are the headlines in canada today and result of failed liberal policies over the last six years things are getting harder for canadians what is the government's plan to tackle the cost of living and the out of reach increases in inflation the honorable parliamentary secretary mr speaker the conservatives often accuse us of over investing in canadians but i'll remind the member opposite that in the last election the conservatives actually promised to spend more than what our government is actually investing and at the same time their promise uh policies were assessed by experts who were noted done deliver on housing under deliver on climate change under deliver on on child care we have renewed the inflation target of two percent with the bank of canada and we will continue to focus on affordability for canadian families going forward mr speaker honourable member for kelowna lake country thank you mr speaker well that response was completely out of touch with what canadians are going through the last time canadians saw inflation surpassed five percent they were hearing the word internet for the first time our finance minister continues to ignore and only compare canada to others to justify canada's inflation other countries in the g7 including the u.s germany and the united kingdom acknowledged their high inflation and have announced various plans to tackle inflation in their countries when will the minister of finance announce her plans on how she will tackle inflation in canada parliamentary secretary to the minister of the minister of uh to do that again to the minister of finance thank you mr speaker um the member knows that uh inflation is in fact a global phenomenon and anything that affects affordability is important to our government uh we know that while inflation in canada is at 5.1 percent it

is lower than the uk's lower than the us it's lower than the g7 average as well as the g20 and the oecd our government is taking measures to make life more affordable that includes cutting taxes for the middle class that includes the ccb which has lifted 435 000 children out of poverty it includes making tuition more affordable it includes increasing the oas and gis and indexing those to inflation for seniors these are all measures that the conservatives have voted against if they care about affordability the honourable member for pitt meadows maple ridge two dollars a leader mr speaker two dollars a leader for the first time ever in vancouver that's the price of regular gas and we know what happens when gas goes up the price of everything goes up and it's what happens anytime this government rolls out its policies whether it's their anti-energy obsessions whether it's their reckless fiscal plans the result is the same canadians pay more will this government admit that they are the problem or they simply brush it aside and say that it's just inflation the honorable parliamentary secretary speaker inflation is a problem and our government is focused on making life more affordable for canadians but with regards to that particular question i must remind that member that the carbon price is revenue neutral that we have rolled out the climate action incentive and the fact is that climate change also causes inflation we need to make sure that we continue to make life more affordable but we also take meaningful action on climate change something that the conservative party is not willing to do honourable member for churchill kiwani ascii mr speaker the infrastructure bank is broken liberals know it canadians know it everybody knows it the ipcc report is clear the window to secure a livable future is rapidly closing we must act now we need to shift from diesel green energy to green energy across the north we need infrastructure support to fight forest fires and all-weather roads with whose melting is leaving indigenous and northern communities stranded we need a climate change mitigation strategy now my climate bill does exactly that by making the infrastructure bank work to tackle the climate crisis will the liberals stand with indigenous and northern communities fighting climate change will they support this bill parliamentary secretary [Applause] mr speaker we know that every dollar spent on infrastructure is an investment in our communities it's an investment to fight climate change mr speaker when it comes to the canadian infrastructure bank this bank has uh has received over 6.7 billion dollars in private and institutional investments those investments are going to go a long way to ensure that we are building the type of infrastructure that is truly transformational and addresses climate change and creates an economy for the future thank you mr speaker the honourable member for windsor west the gordy howe bridge being built in my riding of windsor west offers huge potential for the creation of good canadian jobs and to boost our economy however this government is considering using foreign steel for two parts of this project despite promises that canadian steel would be the priority instead of creating canadian jobs it's unconscionable that the liberals would consider using sources with poor environmental records poor human rights records and trade barriers to canadian steel why won't this government keep its promise to use canadian steel and create jobs for canadian workers and their families especially since canadian taxpayers and families are paying for the entire project parliamentary secretary mr speaker when it comes to infrastructure of course we're always going to focus on the ability to create good canadian jobs here at home are as i said previously every dollar invested in infrastructure in this country is an investment in our economic growth it's an investment in our communities and it's an investment for workers and canadians right here that is our focus that has been our focus since day one and we will continue to do so honorable member for london west mr speaker march 8th is the international women's day a time to celebrate women and girls and girls achievement and crucial contributions to our society international women's day is also a moment to raise awareness of the progress made towards gender equality and look to the work that remains to be done to the equality of all women in canada and abroad can the minister of women and gender equality and youth comment on the importance of the international men's state honourable minister for women and gender equality and youth here i thank the honorable member from london west for the question next tuesday canada joins the world in celebrating international women's day this year's theme is women inspiring women everywhere in every area of our communities women inspire us with their leadership and contributions to the fabric of our country but inequalities abound and impact women the most it's why international women's day is also a call to action mr speaker a push for all of us to create real change that means working to eliminate gender-based violence discrimination and harassment in the workplace and reducing the cost of child care it's also a time to reflect on trailblazers like mikhail jean and roberta bondar we thank them for paving the way and lifting as they rose the house will not be in session next week so i will take the opportunity now to say happy international women's day the honourable member for hastings lenox and eddington last week i spoke with a local business owner in bancroft jeff like thousands of others in my riding received his heating bill and was dumbfounded at what he had seen his bill has doubled over the previous month owning and operating a business is 24 7. this government's policy of taxation on top of taxation is gouging rural canadians many businesses and family families are mere months away from bankruptcy mr speaker when will this government commit to stopping the planned tax increase on april 1st the honorable parliamentary secretary mr speaker our government is committed to the success of small businesses i'll remind that member that carbon pricing is revenue neutral federally but also remember i remind that member that our government has had businesses back throughout the greatest economic shock that we've had since the second world war that's why there are actually more businesses today operating than there were uh before the pandemic even started a member for hastings linux and addington yesterday i spoke with scaletta hallage a small company in tweed that hauls mostly agricultural products they are close to a point where they will have to park their trucks because the cost of fuel is hitting them too hard last month it was twelve thousand dollars to fuel two trucks this month twenty five thousand dollars to fuel those same two trucks they wonder does the government really not care about the little guys keeping this country moving mr speaker when will this government stop blaming others take some ownership and present a plan for canadians yes the honorable parliamentary secretary mr speaker we take supporting small businesses seriously i would remind the member opposite that was our government that lowered small business taxes from 11 to 9 we've listened closely to businesses during the pandemic and make sure that we had a suite of measures in place and in fact we focused on a health-based recovery and that's actually helped us have an economic based recovery uh even though we lost three million jobs during the depth of the recession we've now recovered 101 of that well the united states has only recovered 87 the honourable member for bose mr speaker the people in my riding are not second class citizens the lack of cell phone coverage is inconceivable the gap between rural and urban canadians continues to grow the prime minister has yet to address this issue in his mandate letters to either the minister for rural economic development or the minister for science and innovation let alone the minister for public safety which demonstrates the government's disconnect from rural canada this is not only a lack of equity but also a lack of public safety when will this government take action and show true leadership on this issue thank you mr speaker and i'd like to thank my colleague for the question our government does understand rural canada since i've been appointed member i've done 37 roundtables all throughout the country the number one issue i hear is connectivity we know that connectivity with reliable affordable high-speed internet is the number one thing to build back better in rural canada we need it for keeping in touch for kids doing homework for our businesses and frankly we're getting it done thank you the honorable member for yellowhead mr speaker my constituent darren sent me the following message on how inflation is affecting his life he said with payments registration repairs and fuel to drive to work there isn't much motivation to keep working then the government takes two-thirds of my income for income taxes cpp e.i and the carbon tax i will have to soon borrow money to be able to stay working mr speaker when will this liberal government start listening to canadians and stop these continual tax increases the argument the honorable parliamentary secretary mr speaker our government has been focused on affordability issues and issues around inflation since taking office in fact it was our government that implemented a thorough poverty strategy that lifted 1.3 million canadians out of poverty

we're investing in programs like child care that's going to lower the cost of child care in bc by 50 by the end of this year we're investing in a national housing strategy to make sure people can afford a place to live these are all measures that the conservatives are not supporting but we're going to get it done mr speaker the honorable member thank you mr speaker mr speaker we're fishing is an important intangible heritage for the charlevoix region in quebec only two capital and fishermen still keep this ancestral know-how alive their season in the saint lawrence estuary begins early april but ottawa makes no distinction between our last two traditional fishermen and those from newfoundland 2000 kilometers away and prevents them from fishing before the end of may or early june there's no kepler in the st lawrence if the season is not moved up for our two fishermen this national tradition will disappear will the minister authorize kaplan we're fishing in charlevoix as of april 1st the minister for fisheries and oceans mr speaker i would like to thank the member for her question and i will take this opinion into account we use best scientific data available to us consulting with industry in order to determine the opening dates for all fishing seasons i recognize the importance of fishing for our coastal communities and i would like to work with fishers in order to ensure their economic viability in the long term thank you the honourable member for barcode thank you mr speaker there is a world of difference between a fisherman in newfoundland who catch 9 000 tons of capital in a year and our two traditional fishermen in quebec who catch less than 50 tons yet ottawa puts everyone in the same proverbial boat our last two weir fishermen were never invited or consulted during scientific consultations on the start of their fishing season they must be included in the decision-making process but in the meantime will the minister give them a special authorisation for this year urgently so they can fish starting on april 1st the armor minister thank you mr speaker and i has as i have already mentioned we use best scientific data available to us we consult industry from coast to coast to coast from east to west to the north that is a clear rule we follow we will determine the opening dates based on science and what scientists have to say the ones we consult and we will ensure that fishing is fair for halliburton kawartha lakes brock speaker despite some of the highest vaccination rates in the world the federal government refuses to remove their travel mandates canadians returning home from the u.s at land border crossings without a covet test result could be fined five thousand dollars yesterday 15 border mayors called for an end to the testing requirements many european countries and canadian provinces have already ditched their mandates canada's chief medical officer of health said that we need to empower people to make the best choices to protect themselves so can the health minister tell this house what information he has that other jurisdictions already returning to normal don't here they are the honorable minister of health thank you mr speaker i'm delighted to be able to answer that question as a member may know i come from the wonderful city of quebec and i'm very proud of the strong workers and and people and partners working for my tourism industry and i understand it's also an important industry for him so i look forward to further measures but i would also point out that on monday just a few days ago we announced important measures that are going to protect workers and travelers and invest in our tourism industry the honorable member for kenora mr speaker tourism is vital to the economy in northwestern ontario with the vast majority of visitors being americans who cross at the land border unfortunately the government's current covet testing requirements mean many of the regular visitors are once again going to choose to stay home this season mr speaker when is this government going to do the right thing and put an end to the arbitrary and unscientific testing requirements for vaccinated travelers at our land border crossings the honorable minister of health thank you mr speaker i'm obviously very pleased to hear one more colleague who cares about the industry of tourism i also do very much as i just said and that's why we're working to protect both the health and safety of workers and travelers but also to make sure that our on our tourism industry can strive we know how hard it's been for workers and small businesses during the last 22 or 23 months now and that's why we look forward to further investing and further supporting our tourism industry the honorable member for haldeman norfolk ontario has announced that they are dropping their vaccination policies as of april 4th and public servants will be returning to work in person i keep hearing from my constituents how exhausted and frustrated they are with these mandates and that they just want their lives to get back to normal when will this government follow the example of of ontario and finally restore the freedom of canadians by removing these unscientific and undemocratic vaccine federal mandates [Applause] 1.1 million mr speaker that's a number which a recent harvard study told us what would have been the additional number of people dying in the united states without vaccination in canada it's about 400 000 people who would have died in 2021 if a we didn't have vaccination and b we didn't have strong public health measures fortunately we were not there unfortunately we're elsewhere today because of the hard work the heart commitment of vaccinators and all the 30 million plus canadians who got vaccinated the honorable member for yukon mr speaker the official languages act enshrines the official language rights of all canadians however the act requires bite in order to protect these rights could the minister for official languages tell the house whether the government's modernization of the official languages act includes provisions to make it stronger and more effective the honorable parliamentary secretary thank you mr speaker i would like to thank the honourable member for uconn for his defense of the official languages of all canadians our modernization of the act will strengthen the powers of the commissioner of official languages including the power to impose monetary penalties in addition for the first time ever we are centralizing the coordination of the act under a single minister who will have access to the resources of a central agency canadians told us that these measures were necessary and i am proud to say that we have acted the honourable member for prince albert baker this past weekend i visited with a federal corrections officer who had just lost his job because he refused to reveal his covet 19 vaccination status his hope is to be hired at the prince albert penn country without loss of seniority and pay grade with copenhagen with covet 19 mandates now being left in saskatchewan and other provinces can the minister please inform permit when all mandates for all federal employees will be lifted good question the honourable minister of public safety uh thank you very much mr speaker and i want to thank my colleague for the question of course i'm very pleased to report to this chamber that uh corrections officers have taken up vaccinations to a very high rate that is a clearly a reflection of their belief as is the governments that the best way to get out of the pandemic is to become vaccinated we'll continue to follow all of the evidence in the science that has allowed us to make this progress and obviously we want to thank the corrections officers for their work on the front lines thank you very much mr speaker the honourable member kamloops thompson caribou mr speaker i recently spoke with a veteran named nicole for day after day for many years she was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice now nicole was medically discharged from the military after developing ptsd after being sexually assaulted caseworkers at veterans affairs canada are overworked so much so that calls often can't be returned like nicole's nicole's story is a sad one but it is a common one will this minister stop talking about historical investments and tell nicole when she'll get a call back the honorable parliamentary secretary i thank my colleague for his question our government places the highest priority on ensuring veterans and their family have the support and services they need when they need it we have increased funding to for case management services and we have hired over 400 case workers since reform government we also have improved the tools and processes to reduce administration allowing frontline staff to spend more time in directing services to veterans and their families and if the colleague wants to have a conversation aside about the individual we can follow up on that individual as well as well but i can assure you our government has been focused on veterans and we will continue to do the work that we need to do to support our veterans and their families thank you honorable member for oshawa mr speaker yesterday i met with ukrainian leaders in oshawa who are mobilizing to help anywhere and everywhere they can to bring humanitarian aid to ukraine but also to help their family members and friends come to canada for refuge our government needs to do more to facilitate a speedier safer pathway for ukrainians to come to canada oshawa is asking what is this government going to do to allow ukrainians to come to canada visa free today time is of the essence lives depend on it honorable minister of immigration mr speaker i thank the honorable member for his question and for his concern for the well-being of ukrainians seeking to come to canada i'm pleased to share that we started working on this important file in mid-january and since the beginning of this year there are now 6 265 ukrainians who have already arrived in canada we're going to continue to prioritize any applications from ukrainian nationals and just yesterday i announced a new pathway that will make it easier and it's the fastest and safest way possible for more ukrainians to get here as quickly as possible mr speaker we will leave no stone unturned and canada will be there to welcome ukrainians fleeing this unnecessary and costly war of aggression honorable member for st john's east mr speaker broadband connectivity plays such an important role in the economic recovery from the covet 19 pandemic our government has committed historic amounts of investment towards connectivity improving connectivity across the country yet sixty thousand households throughout newfoundland and labrador are still struggling without reliable high-speed internet can the minister of rural economic development provide an update to this house on the government's progress in delivering high-speed internet to my province of newfoundland and labrador and across the country the honourable minister of rural economic development thank you mr speaker and i want to thank my colleague and friend from st john's east i'm proud to collaborate with the government of newfoundland and labrador to invest up to 136 million dollars to connect the rural and remote communities throughout the province they're joining the governments of quebec ontario and alberta as the fourth government province to sign agreements with us to deliver our goals faster these investments are going to make all the difference in the world for kids doing their homework businesses accessing new markets and frankly keeping in touch mr speaker we have a plan to connect all canadians and it's working the honorable member for courtney alberni mr speaker a ship breaking facility has opened up in the community of union bay in my riding this process involves the dissembling of large vessels container ships and barges for the extraction of raw materials mostly for scrap the lack of federal regulations to protect workers and the ecosystem are apparent and has caused huge concern from local residents local government and first nations while the us eu and other countries have signed on to international agreements canada is without these necessary protections will the minister of transportation commit to ensure facilities like these have strong standards in place to keep workers and the local environment safe the honorable parliamentary secretary thank you mr uh uh president um uh and thank you to my colleague for this very important question our government has taken a number of steps to make sure our oceans and waterways are safe included the wrecked abandoned or hazardous vessels act the international maritime organization has adopted the hong kong convention which aims to create new requirements for disposing and recycling of ships although the convention is not yet enforced transport canada is currently analyzing it in context of strengthening federal regulations labor and environmental protection and areas related to provincial and territorial jurisdiction that does it for a question for you today eliana rappella thank regular mo hello there's a point of order the honourable member for sanjaya

2022-03-06 23:35

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