44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 26, 2021 10:00AM
- Nov/26/21 11:16:54 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and privilege to rise for the first time in this House today, having been elected by the good people of Brantford—Brant. I have so many people to thank, more than I have time to mention today.
First, I would like to extend a special thanks to my wife Angela, my twin daughters Jennie and Emma, and my parents Larry and Mary Brock for their love, encouragement and ongoing support.
I am also truly grateful for my team and all the volunteers for their tireless efforts during my nomination and campaign.
Finally, I offer my sincerest appreciation to the voters of Brantford and Brant County, the Six Nations of the Grand River and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation for placing their trust in me to serve them in Ottawa. I promise to stand up for the issues that matter most to them and be a strong voice for our community in Parliament.
Our official opposition was elected to hold the current government to account, and I am ready to take on this responsibility. I am honoured to be part of a strong Conservative team, and together we will ensure that Canada's best days are still ahead.
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- Nov/26/21 11:18:02 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my heart goes out to the families and communities affected by the extreme flooding last week in British Columbia. This 100-year flood brought catastrophic damage, laying bare the shortcomings in our current system. As climate change worsens, this will happen not every 100 years, but every 10 years or less. We need to invest in adaptation and mitigation of climate change so we are better prepared in the future. The inclusion of a national adaptation strategy in the Speech from the Throne is a significant step forward.
It is with great sadness that I inform the House of the passing of Jan Rustad of Kaleden, British Columbia. Jan was well known and considered by many to be the global expert on rotary-wing advanced flying techniques. Jan trained many pilots from the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP and many other countries.
Known as skilled, patient and humble, Jan Rustad will be missed by his family and several generations of helicopter pilots from around the world.
I offer my thanks to Jan.
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- Nov/26/21 11:19:37 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your appointment to the Chair.
COVID‑19 cases are on the rise in Quebec and Canada. Many countries have started to administer third vaccine doses to all adults.
A new variant out of Africa is generating enough concern for the WHO to hold an emergency meeting today. Israel and the United Kingdom have closed their borders to six countries.
We have gotten used to the Liberal government's delayed response to urgent warnings. What is the government's plan to keep our economy open?
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- Nov/26/21 11:20:14 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the COVID‑19 situation around the world continues to be volatile and unpredictable.
The PCR tests required for entering Canada are able to detect this variant. The purpose of this morning's WHO emergency meeting was to determine next steps. This afternoon, the minister will inform Canada of those next steps.
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- Nov/26/21 11:20:55 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that response gives Canadians cause for concern.
Our economy has been devastated. Thousands of businesses have closed. We have record unemployment. You will recall that the Liberal government was slow to warn Canadians, close borders and provide vaccines. Today, we still have to protect Canadians, who are fed up with lockdowns and closures.
What is the government's plan to prevent a fifth wave, which will have disastrous consequences for Canadians' health and our economy?
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- Nov/26/21 11:21:33 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our screening requirements at the border protect the health and safety of Canadians.
We know that the fight against COVID-19 is not over. We are working with our partners around the world to protect Canadians. The situation is evolving quickly, and we are working closely with our international partners, the provinces and the territories to monitor this emerging variant.
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- Nov/26/21 11:22:05 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, lessons learned from the past must guide our actions now, not tomorrow or next week.
In February, the government allocated $53 million to the Public Health Agency of Canada to conduct research on the variants. Today, there is no recommendation of any sort about this variant on the agency's website. The Minister of Health is shockingly silent while more and more people are calling for action to prevent this wave.
The economic cost of the government's foot-dragging is in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Canadians are still paying and will continue to pay for a long time. Can the government tell us right now what is its plan to protect Canadians and our economy?
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- Nov/26/21 11:22:51 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that our government from day one took decisive action at our borders to protect Canadians and we have put together different measures to protect Canadians. However, forgive me for not taking advice from the Conservative Party. They cannot even ask their own MPs to get vaccinated and they have been asking us to remove PCR testing from pre-departure.
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- Nov/26/21 11:23:24 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are learning disturbing news today concerning a new COVID variant out of Southern Africa. Countries like Germany, the U.K., India and Israel have already taken decisive action to close their borders to incoming flights and implement quarantine and testing requirements for those travelling from areas of concern, yet the government has not even updated its travel advisory yet.
We are wondering what is going on. What is the plan to keep Canadians safe? We have heard nothing this morning of reassurance for Canadians. We want to know what the plan is.
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- Nov/26/21 11:24:01 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 situation around the world continues to be volatile and unpredictable. We continue to monitor the situation very closely. We will not hesitate to take action to protect Canadians. The PCR tests required to enter Canada are capable of detecting this variant. There are currently no direct flights to Canada from South Africa. The WHO held an emergency meeting this morning and we will hear more from the Minister of Health this afternoon.
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- Nov/26/21 11:24:34 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that answer is unacceptable. Countries like Germany, the U.K. and India did not have to wait for direction from the World Health Organization to keep their citizens safe.
We have seen indecision from the government before. It was Conservative members of opposition who called on the Liberal government to close the border back in January 2020 for the coronavirus. The government waited three whole months to do so and, by then, COVID had spread across the country. Canadians do not want to see that mistake being made again. They do not want to go back into lockdown. The mental health of the nation and the economy of the nation cannot handle that again.
Canadians expect decisive action from the Liberal government. Is there a plan? What is the plan to keep Canadians safe from the African variant?
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- Nov/26/21 11:25:20 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is a plan. Canadians have seen our plan over the the last year and half, while we have been doing everything to protect their health and safety.
I want to reassure Canadians that there are currently no direct flights from South Africa to Canada. However, I want to ask my hon. colleague where they stand on this. Do they want to open the border or do they want to close the border? Do they want to remove the PCR pre-departure test or do they want to implement PCR tests? I am not sure what they want, but we will take advice from our doctors and experts.
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- Nov/26/21 11:26:00 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development released a report yesterday that is quite damning for the government. The commissioner noted that it is going to take more than just lofty language to avoid climate catastrophe. While the government brags about its outstanding work, the commissioner was unequivocal.
According to the commissioner, Canada “has become the worst performer of all G7 nations”. This has happened only since the Liberals came to power. How can the government brag when, really, it is the worst in the world?
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- Nov/26/21 11:26:37 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we welcome the report from the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development. We commend his work, especially his latest report, which paints a truly dismal picture of the Harper years. The commissioner did not look at our 2016 plan or our 2020 plan, or the 100 or so measures we have put in place, or the nearly $100 billion we have invested.
All of these measures will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 million tonnes by 2030. That is equal to nearly half of Quebec's emissions.
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- Nov/26/21 11:27:11 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment wants to talk about the Harper government, so let us talk about it. The crux of the problem is that, like Stephen Harper's government, this government is trying to claim that if we subsidize oil companies to make them cleaner they will be able to produce even more without any issues.
The commissioner of the environment and sustainable development has said that increasing production would in turn increase emissions, which runs counter to the commitment Canada has made to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
When will the government realize that the energy transition is not about transitioning from oil to more oil, but transitioning from oil to renewable energies?
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- Nov/26/21 11:27:48 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we agree on the matter of subsidizing fossil fuels. That is why our country committed to eliminating these subsidies by 2023, two years before our G20 partners' goal of 2025. In Glasgow, we also announced that we, along with many other countries, would stop financing international fossil fuel projects.
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- Nov/26/21 11:28:18 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, seniors in Canada who receive the guaranteed income supplement are some of the poorest in this country. Many work to subsidize their meagre income. Like every other working Canadian, they asked for help during the pandemic. Now they are being punished. Seniors like David, who is 71 years old, had $1,000 cut off his income. He cannot afford his food. He cannot afford his medication.
How can the Minister of Seniors sleep at night knowing that these seniors are going hungry and are not getting their medication every day here?
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- Nov/26/21 11:29:26 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my thanks to the member for her advocacy of seniors.
From the very beginning, our government has worked extremely hard to support those most vulnerable seniors, including strengthening their GIS. We know that GIS adjustments have been hard on some seniors this year. I can assure the hon. member that we are working on this issue to find the right solutions to support those affected. We will be there for them.
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- Nov/26/21 11:29:55 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and ministers, in a last-ditch effort, finally went to the United States to deal with buy America's attack on Canadian auto workers. Instead of improving the situation, their results have the U.S. doubling down on softwood lumber duties that devastate our industries and steal our future jobs.
For years, the Liberals have failed to protect families and their livelihoods, and now they are letting them take it on the chin from U.S. protectionism. When will the government wake up and truly support value-added industries, not just with talk but with real plans to support our workers and their families?
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- Nov/26/21 11:30:36 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with the hon. member as he is my hon. critic.
In a relationship as large and significant as the one that Canada has with the United States, of course there are challenges. However, we have worked together over many years to resolve many of these challenges and we have been successful. We are going to do that again here, whether it is with electric vehicles, softwood lumber or in our relationship in fighting the things we have in common, like climate change and finishing the fight against COVID-19.
Let me be clear: We are always going to have the backs of Canadian workers and businesses. We have always done it. Today is no different. We are always going to do it.
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