44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 4, 2022 10:00AM
- Mar/4/22 11:28:15 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, 60% of Canadians say they are struggling to feed themselves and their families. Under the Liberals, the ultrarich are thriving while Canadians feel abandoned. While people are forced to pay more for food, CEOs of huge grocery chains 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 ultrarich pay their fair share.
When will the government stop protecting corporate profit and start standing up for Canadians?
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- Mar/4/22 11:28:53 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we care deeply about the issues of affordability, and we also want to make sure that organizations pay their fair share. We have made commitments as such.
With regard to affordability, I will remind the member that we lowered taxes on the middle class while increasing them on the top 1%. We created the CCB, which lifted 435,000 children out of poverty. In fact, we implemented a comprehensive poverty strategy that lifted 1.3 million Canadians out of poverty.
We are going to continue working with the party opposite and the member opposite to make sure that affordability is top of mind, because it is a priority for our government.
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- Mar/4/22 11:29:25 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, thousands of Afghans were in refugee camps in Ukraine. Now, they are now forced to flee their second humanitarian crisis as Putin invades the country. Kamila 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 Slovakia-Poland border. They faced racial discrimination. Their application to seek refuge in Canada did not 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?
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- Mar/4/22 11:30:05 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question and I would share that it is completely unacceptable and egregious that anyone fleeing war would be discriminated against on the basis of the colour of their skin or their country of origin. We have, to date, already resettled a number of Afghan refugees who transited through Ukraine. To the extent that there are individual case files, of course the timelines can differ depending on the complexity of those cases, but we are working to make good on our commitment to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees regardless of which country they transit through, because we have stated that publicly. We will not go back until we have completed our effort successfully.
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- Mar/4/22 11:30:44 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Ivana fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion. She hid in Bulgaria and was trying to reunite with her husband in Vancouver. She applied for a visitor visa, but was refused because IRCC was not satisfied that she would return to Ukraine. Ivana's story is not unique. I am hearing that people who are calling the hotline or applying for visas are getting stuck in the same Liberal-made bureaucratic mess Afghan refugees are facing. Around the world, 140 countries have lifted visa requirements.
Why are the Liberals ignoring Ukrainian Canadians and the calls of oppositions MPs to implement visa-free travel for Ukrainians?
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- Mar/4/22 11:31:18 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and his conversations with me over the past number of days. The reality is that we have announced a program that is going to allow 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 are already 6,265 Ukrainian nationals who have arrived in Canada since the beginning of January. We started moving the moment we knew there was a potential influx of newcomers who would 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.
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- Mar/4/22 11:32:00 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the government did not 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 the 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?
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- Mar/4/22 11:32:46 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the current situation in Ukraine underscores the importance of energy security for our allies in Europe and across the world. Building more pipelines to increase oil and gas capacity would take a number of years and would not address the current crisis in the Ukraine. The real solution is to quickly deploy renewables and clean tech to reduce dependence on Russian oil and gas now and into the future. I would direct the member opposite's attention to the independent International Energy Agency's 10-point plan, which specifically points to renewables as a solution.
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- Mar/4/22 11:33:07 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary says that building pipelines takes too long. That has been our point for a very long time. Let us speed up that process and let us put in place these measures for the long term. Europe's reliance on Russian gas has constrained its ability to sanction Russia. Some European countries are less dependent on Russian gas, but rely heavily on coal. Europe needs energy. Canadian natural gas is safer than Russian gas, and it is cleaner than coal.
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?
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- Mar/4/22 11:33:47 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to direct the member opposite to the International Energy Agency's actual report. It has a 10-point plan to reduce the European Union's reliance on Russian natural gas. It points to renewables. It points to wind and solar. It points to many solutions that it has made and that it is working on. Renewables are a part of the solution to the energy security issue in Europe.
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- Mar/4/22 11:34:18 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it needs to be all of the above and Canada needs to get in the energy export game to Europe.
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 have seen previously how, such as in the case of Lebanon, the government's matching program excludes Canadian charities with strong, on-the-ground experience. This is a missed opportunity for those charities.
Will the government expand and broaden its matching program to at least include established organizations, such as the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association?
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- Mar/4/22 11:34:53 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we all thank the Ukrainian Canadian Congress for the incredible work it is doing. I would note that the $10-million matching fund program for the Canadian Red Cross is just one part of what we are providing. There is also $50 million in humanitarian aid already announced, plus the UN flash appeal of $100 million, 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 such as shelter, water, sanitation and food. We are doing our part and we will continue to do that.
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- Mar/4/22 11:35:32 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when asked in question period about the Russian navy's 40 armed nuclear-powered icebreakers roaming the Arctic, the defence minister said basically not to worry about Canadian sovereignty because here we “have the Coast Guard working for us.”
Now, does the Minister of National Defence realize that our Coast Guard, as good as it is, is a civilian service and does not have armed naval vessels? I am pretty sure the Russian navy is aware of that.
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- Mar/4/22 11:36:05 a.m.
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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, the people and the communities in the north, and our national interests.
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- Mar/4/22 11:36:47 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, windmills and fairy tales have not gotten Germany and other countries off of Russian oil. The government is doing nothing.
Russia sits on the executive of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, which governs what we can catch internationally, including in the Grand Banks off of Newfoundland. It is a multilateral forum that we all abide by. Yesterday at the fisheries committee, my motion to have Russia removed from that executive was unanimously approved.
Since Russia no longer abides by the international rules of order, will the government lead the charge to expel Russia from the executive of NAFO?
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- Mar/4/22 11:37:25 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Russia's war on Ukraine is a war on freedom, democracy and the rights of Ukrainians. 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 am aware of the motion the member opposite brought before the DFO committee. Yesterday, Russia stepped down as the chair of NAFO. We are examining this issue closely and will always stand with the people of Ukraine against Russian aggression.
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- Mar/4/22 11:38:01 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, even now, new moms who were let go from their jobs while on parental leave cannot collect employment insurance.
When these women, who have just started their families, lose their income, Ottawa abandons them. The federal government has been refusing to fix this injustice for years. Six women took the government to court and won. Instead of fixing the problem, Ottawa appealed the decision. These are young mothers who have lost their jobs, and the government is dragging them to court.
Why not help them instead?
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- Mar/4/22 11:38:42 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know it is very hard for women who do not have access to employment insurance.
The Social Security Tribunal is an independent tribunal, and it made a decision. The Canada Employment Insurance Commission, which is also independent, opted to appeal the decision.
None of that changes our government's commitment and our focus on modernizing and adapting the EI system to the realities of the 20th century.
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- Mar/4/22 11:39:15 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, at the moment, it just looks cheap.
The minister cannot hide behind the commission. It is up to Parliament to amend legislation, as the commission itself pointed out. It is entirely the minister's responsibility.
There are exceptions to the law that allow people claiming EI to calculate their income over two years rather than 52 weeks. People who cannot work because they are sick, injured or incarcerated are entitled to this.
Why are new mothers who have lost their jobs not entitled to the same thing? It seems pretty simple to me.
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- Mar/4/22 11:39:54 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we understand the situation these mothers are in. It is very difficult. This is my motivation for changing the EI system. We can absolutely do better.
The system simply has not kept up with the way Canadians work, which is why we are spending so much time and effort on our modernization efforts for EI. We have heard from many mothers in this situation, and we are working to make things better, more equitable and fairer for women and for all workers in Canada.
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