44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 28, 2022 10:00AM
- Apr/28/22 10:53:49 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, that is a great question from the member for Kitchener Centre. I do not think we need to create a ranked list of what the biggest crises are. Do we have a housing crisis in this country? Yes. Do we have an affordability crisis? We sure do. Do we have an opioid crisis and epidemic? Definitely. Are we still dealing with the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects? Absolutely, we are.
This is an issue that started two years ago, and we need to—
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- Apr/28/22 2:04:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us not forget them. Let us not forget the far too many workers who lose their lives on the job every year.
Last year, there were 207 workplace deaths in Quebec alone. These 207 workers were parents, brothers, sisters, friends and colleagues who died in the workplace. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would like to extend my condolences to those 207 families today, since April 28 is the Day of Mourning.
On this day dedicated to commemorating people who died or were injured in the workplace, I invite all my colleagues to think of those whose jobs are more dangerous than rising here in the House. Some workers face the risk of death, injury, and also illness. We need only think of the thousands of people who contracted COVID‑19 in our care facilities.
Let all of us, across party lines, make workplace health and safety our main concern.
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- Apr/28/22 2:46:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, despite the blockades at the Ambassador Bridge and Coutts being cleared before the invocation of the Emergencies Act, cross-border trade was up 16%. These figures raise obvious questions about the government's use of the act, a decision the government justified by threats to economic security. The Liberals did not do anything in 2020 during the rail blockades when economic activities stopped.
Does the government only use the Emergencies Act for groups it deems racist misogynists who oppose its heavy-handed COVID restrictions?
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- Apr/28/22 4:07:32 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Madam Speaker, what Canadians want from all of us, Canadians across the country and who vote for all of the different parties represented in the House, is for us to get down to work and do the work of the country. That is what the measures in Bill C-8 do. These measures, frankly, should be receiving unanimous support in the House.
These measures include a tax credit for businesses to improve their ventilation to keep COVID at bay. Is that not a good idea right now, as we are facing a sixth wave? They include an expansion of the school supplies tax credit for teachers, who bought additional supplies during COVID and are now working so hard to get our kids back up to speed. Bill C-8 includes $1.7 billion for rapid tests, which again are so essential as we get down down to living with COVID. They include a tax on underused housing, which is such an important part of our housing strategy.
I would urge everyone to set aside partisan games and partisan posturing and pass this essential legislation.
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- Apr/28/22 4:11:34 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Absolutely, Madam Speaker, and I am very glad to have the issue of tax credits to teachers for school supplies brought up. I raised this in my first answer, and it is one of the reasons that it is really astonishingly wrong that this legislation has been held up for so long.
All of us know how hard COVID was on our children and how hard it was on teachers across the country. Yes, it was hard in B.C., but let me say teachers in my province of Ontario have been knocking themselves out as well. They have really gone the extra mile to help kids learn virtually, and now they are working really hard too, because kids struggled during COVID and there is a lot of work to make up.
I absolutely believe we have a responsibility for the more than 45,000 teachers across this country. It is a priority of our government for teachers to get their tax credits. We are working hard to make it happen. I would urge all members of the House to get to work. Let us support our teachers and really let us not have dilatory tactics to delay this essential legislation.
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- Apr/28/22 4:20:34 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Madam Speaker, let me say this. Our government has provided significant support to travel and tourism. We recognize that sector has been particularly hard hit by COVID. That is why the support has been there and will be there until May 7.
I will also say that I think every single member of the House would agree with me that it is absolutely essential that our country and economy continue to function and come roaring back, even in the face of the continued presence of COVID and a sixth wave among us. That is why it is so important to get Bill C-8 passed. The ventilation, the rapid tests and the support for vaccination credentials are all key to getting through this sixth wave.
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- Apr/28/22 4:26:56 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for the question and for pointing out how our government always tries to work in close collaboration with the provinces and territories, including Quebec of course.
Many measures in Bill C‑8 have to do with the fight against COVID‑19, which is ongoing, and the vital efforts to keep Canada's economy going and ensure that society stays open during the sixth wave of this pandemic. I want to point out that our government, the federal government, is the one that has supported the provinces and territories in this fight.
In March, we sent $2 billion to the provinces and territories to strengthen their health care systems. The bill provides for $300 million to support the proof of vaccination systems implemented by the provinces and territories, as well as $1.7 billion for the rapid tests that we are sending to the provinces and territories for free.
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- Apr/28/22 4:36:11 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Madam Speaker, it is important to support small businesses, because they are the heart not only of our economy but of our communities.
Our measures have worked. We have prevented economic scarring. We have prevented a wave of bankruptcies, which people were concerned about when COVID first hit. Canada has now recovered 115% of the jobs lost to COVID, compared to just 93% in the United States.
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- Apr/28/22 6:30:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, as the member of Parliament for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, home to the training ground of the warriors at Garrison Petawawa, Canada's largest army base, I welcome the opportunity to hold the government accountable for the safety and security of our women and men in uniform.
Earlier this year, I asked a very specific question regarding the readiness of Canadian soldiers now that they found themselves in a situation where chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons, or CBRN for short, are threatened. The lack of response follows the short-sighted decision of a previous Liberal government to shut down the emergency preparedness college in Arnprior. It was confirmed this week by the CBC government propaganda agency that the earliest the Canadian Armed Forces might be properly equipped and trained against these 21st century terrors is 2030. The government does not learn.
The war in Ukraine is today, not eight years from now. It is today. Today, there are more than 200,000 active cases of COVID-19 in Canada. Canadians will recall the decision by the government to send soldiers to Latvia during the COVID-19 pandemic without inoculation. A significant COVID-19 outbreak struck Canadian Armed Forces' members deployed to Latvia.
The majority of the deployed Canadian soldiers were not vaccinated ahead of their mission because of the failure of the government to procure vaccines after a botched deal with the Chinese communists. What limited vaccines were received were given to federal prisoners, rapists and murderers, before they were given to our soldiers.
The official position of the divisive socialist coalition Prime Minister was that our soldiers are young and healthy. They should recover from the virus. They would, dare I say to the censure-loving socialist coalition that does not believe in science, develop natural immunity. What a hypocrite our blackface wearing Prime Minister is when he expects soldiers to develop a natural immunity and not other Canadians. It is a failure to both inadequately prepare and to not urgently respond in a manner that is commensurate with the threat.
Chemical weapons such as nerve agents, once inhaled, can directly attack the respiratory systems of soldiers and be fatal. Thus, even a small exposure to contaminated air can pose a significant risk to soldiers. Soldiers who are exposed to CBRN weapons become casualties. CBRN material is used as an umbrella term for those agents in any physical state and form which can cause hazards to populations, territories and forces. It also refers to chemical weapons, precursors and facilities, that is, equipment or compounds that can be used for the development or deployment of weapons of mass destruction, CBRN weapons or CBRN devices.
Over the past few years, CBRN weapons or CBRN devices have been used, so over the past few years there has been an increase in the number of conflicts globally. This has led to an increase in the demand for CBRN defensive weapons, such as personal protective equipment, detection systems, vehicle-mounted improvised explosive devices detection systems, detonators and decontamination devices. Canada has been ignoring the threat while other countries got prepared. The losses, in terms of life and equipment, have triggered the enhancement of CBRN defences for our troops.
Despite budgetary constraints, our allies in NATO and Europe are investing in improving CBRN defences for both troops and vehicle. In September 2021, NATO held its 17th annual conference in weapons of mass of destruction, arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation in Copenhagen. Canada was warned of the threat. NATO's combined joint CBRN defence task force, a NATO-deployable military asset, is a key part of the alliance's work on CBRN defence. It consists of—
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- Apr/28/22 6:39:55 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, while COVID-19 has impacted some CAF training and recruitment efforts, we have never wavered in in our commitment to operational readiness. We know we must redouble our efforts to ensure that we have a sufficient number of CAF members available for domestic and international missions and that they have the tools and training they need to excel no matter where the task.
To address these issues, the chief of the defence staff has launched a forces-wide reconstitution program that is complementary to our efforts to deliver on the promises we put forward in Canada's defence policy. As we conduct a review of this policy to account for the changing global security environment, we will keep working together to build a Canadian Armed Forces that is ready to tackle our biggest threats today and into the future.
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