44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 4, 2022 10:00AM
- Mar/4/22 12:01:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I visited with a federal corrections officer who just lost his job because he refused to reveal his COVID-19 vaccination status. His hope is to be rehired at the Prince Albert penitentiary without loss of seniority and pay grade.
With COVID-19 mandates now being lifted in Saskatchewan and other provinces, could the minister please inform Parliament when all mandates for all federal employees will be lifted?
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- Mar/4/22 12:01:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, of course, I am very pleased to report to this chamber that corrections officers have taken up vaccinations at a very high rate. That is clearly a reflection of their belief, as it is the government's, that the best way to get out of the pandemic is to become vaccinated.
We will continue to follow all of the evidence and science that has allowed us to make this progress. Obviously, we want to thank the corrections officers for their work on the front lines.
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- Mar/4/22 12:02:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I recently spoke with a veteran named Nicole. Day after day for many years, she was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. Nicole was medically discharged from the military after developing PTSD after being sexually assaulted. Caseworkers at Veterans Affairs Canada are overworked, and so much so that calls often cannot be returned, like Nicole's. Nicole's story is a sad one, but it is a common one.
Will the minister stop talking about historic investments and tell Nicole when she will get a call back?
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- Mar/4/22 12:03:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government places the highest priority on ensuring that veterans and their families have the support and services they need when they need them. We have increased funding for case management services and have hired over 400 caseworkers since we formed 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.
If my colleague wants to have a conversation aside about the individual, we can follow up on that individual as well. However, I can assure him that 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.
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- Mar/4/22 12:03:49 p.m.
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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 the government is going to do to allow Ukrainians to come to Canada visa-free today. Time is of the essence. Lives depend on it.
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- Mar/4/22 12:04:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his concern for the well-being of Ukrainians seeking to come to Canada. I am 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 are going to continue to prioritize any applications from Ukrainian nationals, and just yesterday, I announced a new pathway that will make it easier, in the fastest and safest way possible, for more Ukrainians to get here as quickly as possible.
We will leave no stone unturned and Canada will be there to welcome Ukrainians fleeing this unnecessary and costly war of aggression.
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- Mar/4/22 12:05:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, broadband connectivity plays such an important role in the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our government has committed historic amounts of investment toward improving connectivity across the country, yet 60,000 households throughout Newfoundland and Labrador are still struggling without reliable high-speed Internet.
Could the Minister of Rural Economic Development provide an update to the House on the government's progress in delivering high-speed Internet to my province of Newfoundland and Labrador and across the country?
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- Mar/4/22 12:05:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am proud to collaborate with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to invest up to $136 million to connect rural and remote communities throughout the province. It is joining the governments of Quebec, Ontario and Alberta as the fourth provincial government 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, for businesses accessing new markets and, frankly, for keeping in touch. We have a plan to connect all Canadians and it is working.
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- Mar/4/22 12:06:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a ship-breaking facility has opened up in the community of Union Bay in my riding. This process involves the disassembling 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 is apparent and has caused huge concern for local residents, governments and first nations. While the U.S., the EU and other countries have signed on to international agreements, Canada is without these necessary protections.
Will the Minister of Transport commit to ensuring that facilities like these have strong standards in place to keep workers and the local environment safe?
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- Mar/4/22 12:07:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government has taken a number of steps to make sure that our oceans and waterways are safe, including the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act. The International Maritime Organization has adopted the Hong Kong convention, which aims to create new requirements for the disposing and recycling of ships. Although the convention is not yet in force, Transport Canada is currently analyzing it in the context of strengthening federal regulations, labour and environmental protection and areas related to provincial and territorial jurisdiction.
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- Mar/4/22 12:07:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, like me, you saw that there were technical difficulties when the minister was answering my first question.
I ask leave to repeat my question so that the minister has a chance to respond.
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- Mar/4/22 12:08:01 p.m.
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Is there unanimous consent for the member to repeat her question?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
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- Mar/4/22 12:08:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government can count on the Bloc Québécois when it comes to the war in Ukraine. We worked together to extend Ukrainians' work and study permits.
Let us work together to help the families who are fleeing the war come to Canada. I commend the government for creating the authorization for emergency travel. However, the problem is that it is going to take two weeks to set up, and two weeks is an eternity in times of war.
Given the circumstances, the least we can do is to ensure that, as of day one, there will be planes there to transport families.
Will the minister launch a large-scale airlift operation?
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- Mar/4/22 12:08:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member, my Bloc Québécois counterpart, for her question and particularly for her co-operation on the Ukraine file.
We are prioritizing applications from Ukrainians. More than 6,200 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since January. Yesterday, I announced new measures that will make it faster, easier and safer for Ukrainians to come to Canada.
I will continue working with my colleagues to facilitate the arrival in Canada of as many Ukrainians as possible.
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- Mar/4/22 12:09:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my point of order arises out of question period. Repeatedly today we heard the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance state that the carbon tax is revenue neutral. With the House's permission, I would like to table pages 17 and 18 of the most recent “Public Accounts of Canada”, volume I, that showed GST collected under the carbon tax was almost a quarter of a billion dollars, and then an extra $98 million taken from the carbon tax was distributed, so it is not carbon neutral.
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- Mar/4/22 12:10:02 p.m.
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The House has heard the hon. member's request to table the document. All those opposed will please say nay.
Some hon. members: Nay.
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- Mar/4/22 12:10:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my point order comes out of question period as well. I raised this point of order with one of your counterparts a few days ago and I still have not received a response.
When the Conservatives talk about inflation, they continue to use language that directly references the Prime Minister's first name. What we know is that we cannot do indirectly what we cannot do directly, and it is very clear that they are trying to use his first name.
I would ask that either the Speaker rule on this now or return to the House with a ruling at a later date.
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- Mar/4/22 12:11:00 p.m.
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The Speaker has previously said that this term should not be used, so there has been a ruling on it already. I hope that satisfies that point of order.
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- Mar/4/22 12:11:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order arising out of question period. The Minister of Fisheries said that the Russian Federation is no longer the chair of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization. Its website still lists it as the chair and it is still listed on the commission.
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- Mar/4/22 12:11:48 p.m.
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I thank the member, but that sounds like debate.
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