SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 16 - Dec/13/21

Ms. Soraya Martinez Ferrada (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (Housing), Lib.)

Dec/13/21 7:33:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to talk about our government's commitment to housing. From our very first day in office, we have been clear that all Canadians deserve to live in dignity, with a roof over their heads. We also recognize that the affordable housing shortage is one of the biggest challenges our country faces as we also work on securing an economic recovery. This issue was exacerbated by the pandemic, and we will continue to make unprecedented investments in fixing it. Our government is committed to working with its partners to deliver real results, such as increasing the number of affordable housing units and putting an end to chronic homelessness. That is why we developed Canada's first-ever national housing strategy. It is a 10-year plan supported by investments of more than $72 billion. The strategy funded a housing complex located in Brockville, in the riding of my colleague from Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes. Together with the provincial government, we invested $2 million in joint funding to create 88 new affordable housing units for seniors in the community. These seniors will have stable and affordable housing, pay rent based on their income and be able to remain in their community, close to family and friends. We have also negotiated bilateral agreements with every province and territory. As my colleague may know, Ontario was the first province to sign an agreement with us under the Canada housing benefit. This program helps low-income families pay their housing costs and is supported by a joint investment of up to $1.4 billion over nine years. Since it was launched on April 1, 2020, more than 5,200 households have had their applications approved. As stated in our throne speech, we are committed to continuing our efforts to make housing more affordable. Our government is making significant, sustainable investments in housing because everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. It will be a pleasure for me to work with my opposition colleague on housing, an issue that concerns us both.

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Mr. Michael Barrett

Dec/13/21 7:35:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to have this debate with the parliamentary secretary this evening, and I congratulate her on her appointment to this position. I am pleased she mentioned the work being done in my community with respect to affordable housing, particularly the program between the federal government and the provincial government that saw affordable housing units created. That is where we see what the government can do. When the government is spending Canadians' tax dollars and we are seeing half a trillion dollars in government spending, those are the kind of results we expect to see: real results where people can see the change in their communities. We need government to make smart choices that help the folks who work to end homelessness and work to create affordable living spaces. However, we do not want to see skyrocketing debt and deficit with no plan to bring them under control, which unfortunately has very much been a hallmark of the government.

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Ms. Soraya Martinez Ferrada

Dec/13/21 7:36:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, far too many people need housing. The pandemic has only made an already difficult situation worse. Our government is committed to building a stronger, healthier housing system, especially for those in vulnerable situations. We are tabling a strong plan and making unprecedented investments. I now call on my colleague and members of the House to work with people in their communities to ensure that they take full advantage of the many programs offered as part of the national housing strategy.

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Mr. Bernard Généreux (Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, CPC)

Dec/13/21 7:37:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I wanted to participate in tonight's adjournment debate because I am still dissatisfied with an answer provided by the former minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, who has been the Minister of Public Safety since December 3. My original question was about temporary foreign workers, but obviously, the immigration program is a much more complex program and has ramifications throughout the entire immigration system. I will use the example of an applicant I spoke with just today. Nazar Mackendi, an immigrant of Haitian origin, has been in my riding for some time now. He is still waiting for approval on his application for permanent residence, which was duly submitted in August 2019, over two years and four months ago. Waiting for a bit is fine, but two years and four months is a ridiculously long time to wait. On top of that, his work permit is going to expire soon. If Mr. Mackendi leaves the country to visit his family, which we are currently advising against, not only for this reason but also because of the pandemic, he may not be able to return. Also, since nothing is happening on his permanent residence file, he will have to pay $438 by January 31 to renew his work permit in order to remain in Canada legally and continue working. My question is the following: What would the minister or his parliamentary secretary do in Mr. Mackendi's place?

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Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Lib.)

Dec/13/21 7:39:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup on his re-election and very much look forward to working with him in the House of Commons. Earlier this month, Statistics Canada announced that the unemployment rate had decreased to 6%, within 0.3 percentage points of February 2020 levels. As our pandemic recovery continues, employers across the country are seeking to hire in increasing numbers. Quebec, however, continues to experience workforce recruitment challenges, which predated the pandemic and have only been exacerbated over the past year. That is why I am happy to highlight progress on the implementation of our government's pilot project with the Government of Quebec to provide the province's employers with temporary measures under the temporary foreign worker program. As part of this collaborative effort, first announced in August of this year, a measure designed to streamline advertising recruitment requirements for specific in-demand occupations was implemented on December 6. The Government of Canada has also committed to implementing additional measures as early as January 2022, including an increase in the maximum number of temporary foreign workers that employers in specific sectors can hire. The occupations and sectors selected by Quebec for this pilot have been identified following consultations with labour market stakeholders as part of the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail. This was done to ensure that the flexibilities established under the pilot project are representative of labour market needs in the province and do not displace opportunities for Canadian workers. In addition to these measures and as part of this initiative, the governments of Canada and Quebec, in consultation with Quebec labour market partners, will also be adding to the list of occupations that are currently benefiting from a simpler process to hire TFWs. These additional flexibilities are expected to be introduced in early 2022. The implementation of these key measures under this pilot project with the Government of Quebec signals the important progress the Government of Canada is making to balance flexibilities under the temporary foreign worker program with the labour needs of Quebec employers. Access to temporary foreign workers is an important element of the shorter-term labour market strategy for many employers. As Canada continues on the road to economic recovery, our government will continue to help ensure that workforce recruitment needs are being met, all while ensuring the health and safety of temporary foreign workers. We will keep working with our Quebec counterparts and we will do what needs to be done to ensure Quebec gets the workers it needs.

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Mr. Bernard Généreux

Dec/13/21 7:42:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his response. However, he did not at all answer my question or Mr. Mackendi's question. The reality is that there are people in 2020‑21 who have already found out about their permanent resident status. Their applications have already been approved, no problem, while his has been dragging on for two and a half years. My question is very simple: When can Mr. Mackendi expect his file to be reviewed and approved? It is outrageous to see a file drag on for practically two and a half years. That is terrible.

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Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk

Dec/13/21 7:42:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes the importance of balancing the labour needs of employers and ensuring that workers in Canada have first access to available jobs, while protecting the rights and health and safety of temporary foreign workers. That is why our government has been working with the Government of Quebec to find ways to address its labour shortages and prevent companies from relocating or investing elsewhere, while protecting workers in the economy. This pilot project with the Government of Quebec will allow for short-term flexibilities from employers under the TFW program to address these labour shortages. The progress of the pilot project and its impacts will be monitored to ensure the improvements made to the program work for employers, workers and the Canadian economy.

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The Deputy Speaker

Dec/13/21 7:43:32 p.m.
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The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1). (The House adjourned at 7:43 p.m.)

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