So V ote

Jan/31/22 4:16:26 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time this afternoon with the member for Kitchener South—Hespeler. Happy new year to you, Madam Speaker, to my colleagues and indeed to all Canadians as we return to Parliament. Normally, I debate and provide my remarks in the House quite off the cuff. However, today I have sought to choose my words very carefully, because the circumstances warrant that I do. Today, we are debating the Speech from the Throne, the document that laid out the priorities of this government and was read by the Governor General before Christmas. The document is intentionally broad in its scope, outlining the issues of the day: climate change, reconciliation, economic recovery and, perhaps most important in the short term, getting us collectively through to the other side of this pandemic. The government launched a series of measures: first and foremost, the procurement of vaccines for all Canadians and booster shots to combat the wave of the omicron variant; then vaccine mandates for professions under federal jurisdiction; continued purchasing of rapid tests for provinces; and income supports for individuals and businesses who have been impacted by health protocols, all to prevent our health care system from being overwhelmed. Most Canadians have embraced vaccinations, with over 80% of our citizens vaccinated, one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. However, I would be remiss if I did not use this opportunity to provide my thoughts on those who have objected and who have chosen to protest at events like we have seen this weekend and which continue outside this chamber as we speak. My father was a truck driver. His name was Gordon Douglas Blois. He left high school at a young age and worked hard to provide for our family. I am so proud to stand here today as a member of Parliament whose dad drove a truck. Let me go on record thanking the men and women who are truck drivers and other essential workers, who show up for work to make an honest living, contributing in an invaluable way to our society. If there has been perhaps one silver lining of this pandemic, it may be the greater emphasis and understanding of the importance of our sometimes unsung heroes. What is my take on the so-called “Freedom Convoy” that has arrived in Ottawa? Let me first acknowledge that I am sympathetic to Canadians who are tired, frustrated and, frankly, want this pandemic to be over. I share that desire too and, frankly, I think we are all waiting to get to the new normal. I am also sympathetic to an individual who wants to protest and make their voice heard on government policy and decision-making. We live in a democracy where freedom of assembly is a constitutionally protected right. However, what we saw this weekend was not simply truckers showing up for a protest. We saw swastikas and Confederate flags, both symbols of hate. We saw people harassing journalists, urinating on and disrespecting the National War Memorial, intimidating and stealing from a food bank, and desecrating a statue of our national hero, Terry Fox. While there may be truckers as part of this crowd, they are certainly not sanctioned by the organization that speaks for truckers, and the prevailing voice of the past four days is one of a much more sinister crowd and outlook. The goal seems to be less about raising the issue of vaccine requirements at the border, and more about overthrowing government and eliminating any public health measure to protect against COVID-19. While I have concerns as to why individuals do not want to follow public health advice and do not want to get vaccinated, we must balance individual freedoms with collective freedoms. Let me explain. No one in Canada is being forced to take a vaccine. However, for those who choose not to vaccinate, there are consequences to those individual choices. Provincial and territorial governments along with the Government of Canada are imposing restrictions on those who have made an individual choice to not vaccinate in order to protect the collective well-being of those who have made their own individual choice to follow the recommendations of public health, to follow the science and to be vaccinated. The protesters outside have freedom. They just do not like the consequences of their choice. Why is all of this being done? It is not a global ploy to control the masses. It is not governments installing microchips through the vaccine. It is because there is an overwhelming disparity among those who are unvaccinated in the number of ICU cases in the public health system across the country as a result of COVID-19. In Nova Scotia, 44% of ICU cases are from a population representing just 9% of Nova Scotians: those who are unvaccinated. This brings us back to freedom. Where is the freedom for individuals whose life-saving surgeries have been delayed because hospital beds are being taken up by individuals who chose not to follow the recommendations from public health? One of my constituents, Mark Clark, a dedicated community volunteer, requires open heart surgery, but he must wait because there is a lack of beds in Nova Scotia. Where is his freedom? Who is protecting his right to life, liberty and security? It is certainly not the individuals who are screaming of freedom outside. It also bears repeating that the policy that was supposedly the impetus for this protest, the inability for unvaccinated truck drivers to travel across the border, is being imposed by the United States, not the Government of Canada. Yes, Canada is reciprocating for American truck drivers; however, these decisions are driven to protect our collective well-being. The world will not fall apart. Our supply chain will continue to be strained, as is the case around the world, but we will not go hungry in this country for the decision of the 10% of individuals who are exercising their choice to not get vaccinated. Perhaps what is most concerning is how certain members of this House have sought to give credibility to what we have seen this weekend, in particular the member for Carleton. Not only has he not condemned the blatant disrespect of a national war memorial and our national hero Terry Fox, but he has also not made clear whether or not he supports eliminating all health-related protocols to the pandemic, as this group of protestors is calling for. In fact, it raises the question of where the Conservative Party of Canada stands on this issue. Does it support the idea of eliminating all health-related protocols immediately? How long will these individuals stay in Ottawa? We heard from the government House leader earlier today the call for these protestors to go home. The mayor of Ottawa has certainly called for the same thing, as have local residents. Members will recall in early 2020 there were protests across the country following a dispute on Wet'suwet'en territory that led to a blocking of highways, bridges and railroads. Many Conservative members of this House were quick to call for the police to intervene. I agree with that proposition, that protestors, regardless of their issue, should not be allowed to shut down public infrastructure. What hypocrisy it would be if Conservative members in the House were to stay silent and not call for these protestors to remove their vehicles from the downtown. Sure, if these individuals want to continue to demonstrate and picket on Parliament Hill, they can fill their boots, but shutting down the corridor of our capital city cannot continue. I believe it is incumbent on all governments of all levels and all political stripes to be mindful of the importance of demonstrating and explaining in detail to Canadians how health-related protocols will help get us to the other side of the pandemic. This ties back, of course, to what I said, which is that there is a growing frustration and fatigue. As fatigue sets in, it will be important for Canadians who understand the importance of collective sacrifice to see the path beyond COVID-19. We colleagues, as parliamentarians, and indeed all elected officials, need to be mindful that our actions and our words have consequences. Of course, we must stick to our principles and beliefs, but we must not drive rhetoric or half-truths simply for partisan gain. It undermines our collective ability to come together, and it further fragments society and the communities and constituencies we represent. Finally, Canadians are closing in on the two-year anniversary of COVID-19 going from a far-flung concern in Asia to impacting our lives directly. Governments have worked to protect our collective well-being by implementing a series of measures to reduce the spread of a novel virus. Has the government done this perfectly? It has absolutely not. Have there been impacts and sacrifices? There undoubtedly have been. However, in a short period we have developed vaccines that give us greater protection. We have avoided a complete collapse of our health care system and saved thousands of lives in the process. While our sacrifice is different, there are parallels to the collective effort of the nation during the world wars. Generations before us have met their own generational challenge, and we too must continue to rise to meet our challenge of today. Together, we will get to the other side and, collectively, we will all be better off as a result.

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All Topics

Jan/31/22 4:27:36 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for calling out the hate symbols that we saw this weekend. Again I would articulate that there are some well-intended people who are part of that crowd. The problem is the rhetoric and the noise coming from the group, by and large, has a much more sinister view. The member mentioned hospitals. I appreciate the question. This government, over the past two years, has poured billions of dollars into supporting the provinces with COVID funds. We do not build hospitals. We provide that money to the provinces to roll out. Any suggestion that all of a sudden we can fix the health care system overnight at a time that we are dealing with the pandemic is a bit foolhardy, but we have been there. We have provided billions of dollars to help support and strengthen the health care system through this time.

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Jan/31/22 4:29:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my French is so-so, but I will try to reply in French. First, I am happy to hear that my colleague's father is also a truck driver. It is a noble profession, and that is great. Let me just say that all federal parliamentarians, including the Prime Minister, as well as all our provincial colleagues, should try very hard to keep their arguments reasonable. In the days to come, that will enable us to figure out how to end the pandemic through necessary measures that protect our colleagues, friends and neighbours from COVID‑19. The vaccine is absolutely necessary to finding a way out in the days to come. I think it is incumbent upon all members to understand people's frustrations and concerns with respect to provincial policies, as well as—

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Jan/31/22 4:31:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will try to respond very quickly. This government introduced important measures for guaranteed income supplements in the 42nd Parliament. We strengthened old age security. We have a platform commitment to increase GIS by $500 per year. We did announce as part of the economic update before Christmas that we would be addressing this issue. Our government will stay true to its word, and I appreciate the member raising it here today in the House.

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Jan/31/22 5:05:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his remarks in the House today, certainly regarding his Scottish lineage and a lot of his family background. He mentioned agriculture. As a member who sits on the agriculture committee, I want to inform him of some of the investments the government has made. Perhaps he can take those back to his constituents and provide a clearer picture of what the government has done. With respect to business risk management, it was the Harper Conservatives who cut this program under the leadership of the then Minister of Agriculture. We have actually installed and increased those programs. Let us talk about supports during the drought that happened in western Canada. We worked with prairie governments to establish programs to help support farmers across the prairie provinces. As it relates to irrigation, we have been there helping to support projects. Although the member may not agree and concord with the government on every aspect, he needs to be fair and honest with his constituents that the government has been there to support projects not only in my area or my riding but indeed across the country, including in his home province of Saskatchewan.

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Jan/31/22 5:10:31 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on a point of order. The member opposite who was just providing remarks certainly talked about the importance of irrigation in agriculture. I have before me a Government of Canada document that relates to the investment of $1.5 billion—

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Jan/31/22 5:36:23 p.m.
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First of all, Madam Speaker, I want to tell my colleague not to worry. The Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion is working actively on EI reform. My colleague mentioned that she does not necessarily support the COVID‑19 measures taken by the Government of Canada to protect public health. Can she specify which ones she does not support?

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