44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 20, 2022 10:00AM
- May/20/22 11:55:20 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I find it so ironic when Conservatives stand up in the House and pretend to support seniors. Since 2016, they have voted against nearly every single measure that our government has proposed for seniors. To give an example, there was the GIS top-up benefit of $947 annually for the most vulnerable single seniors, the majority of whom are women, and they voted against it.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- May/20/22 11:55:50 a.m.
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Order. It is very hard for individuals in the galleries and individuals listening to the TV or radio to hear what is going on when there is so much noise. I would ask members to hold on to their thoughts until it is their turn to ask a question.
The hon. parliamentary secretary.
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- May/20/22 11:56:13 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have more: enhancing the CPP by 50% for future retirees. The Conservative Party voted against that. Seniors know who has been there for them and it is not the Conservative Party of Canada.
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- May/20/22 11:56:28 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, clearly the member has not read page six of his platform, but I have.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that Canada has failed its seniors, especially those in our long-term care facilities. The conditions that many seniors find themselves in are deplorable.
What steps is the government taking to address the appalling conditions in our long-term care facilities?
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- May/20/22 11:57:00 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the challenges of long-term care, including gaps in infection prevention and staffing. I personally have seen these challenges. Our government has made significant investments, including $4 billion to help the provinces and territories improve the standard of care in those facilities and $41.9 billion in cash support to the provinces and territories through the Canada health transfer.
We will keep working with the provinces and territories so that we can fight COVID-19 together.
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- May/20/22 11:57:35 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, deficits, monetary expansion and consumer taxes, like the carbon tax, all drive up inflation, and nowhere is this more obvious than in Canada's housing market, where the price of housing went through the roof at a time of massive job loss and shrinking GDP during the pandemic. The government's response has been to pat itself on the back while a generation of Canadians give up on home ownership.
When will the government get serious about reducing inflation, especially in housing?
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- May/20/22 11:58:10 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we know that we need to increase housing supply in this country to give more Canadians the opportunity of home ownership. We also know that we need to help first-time homebuyers with a tax-free savings account so they can buy their first home. We have banned foreign ownership of Canadian residential real estate to free up more homes for Canadian first-time homebuyers.
We have all these measures, and even more investments in affordable housing, but the Conservatives oppose them. They can stand up here and talk about housing all they want, but when it comes to actually doing something about it, they have no ideas and they vote against ours all the time.
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- May/20/22 11:58:50 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, today is World Bee Day, but there is nothing to celebrate because Quebec's bees are dying. Their mortality rate is 60%. An average mortality rate of 60% is unbelievable.
Bees play an essential role in pollination, and our crops depend on them. On Wednesday, farmers sounded the alarm and called for emergency aid for the sector. No agricultural producer can face a catastrophe of this magnitude on their own.
Will the government provide immediate assistance?
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- May/20/22 11:59:27 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I completely understand my colleague's concern.
I can assure the House that we are working closely with the industry. It is true that this year is a particularly difficult one because of diseases and climate change.
That is why we are working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and others to find new, safe sources of bees. We will continue to work with them.
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- May/20/22 11:59:52 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, long-term solutions to bee mortality also need to be found.
That is why I presented a notice of motion to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food to try to come up with solutions. That said, there are producers on the brink of despair and companies on the brink of bankruptcy right now. There was a call for an emergency plan yesterday, or rather Wednesday. The pollination of blueberry, cranberry and other crops has also been compromised by this tragedy. We need to move quickly.
What will the minister do?
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- May/20/22 12:00:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, once again, I want to reassure my colleague.
We understand the importance of the situation. We are working in the short term to ensure that we have enough bees for the season. We are also investing in research and innovation. Together with the industry, we will find short- and long-term solutions.
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- May/20/22 12:00:49 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the whole world is starting to see the COVID-19 pandemic in the rear-view mirror. Governments around the world are starting to ease up on gathering and travelling restrictions. Canadian travellers are certainly back in full force. Too bad their government is not. Look at the long lineups at airports and passport offices.
When will the government start following the science that the rest of the world is following and allow Canadians to get back to normal?
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- May/20/22 12:01:25 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, we know that Canadians are tired, but ignoring COVID-19 will not make it go away.
We understand how frustrating it is for Canadians to experience long lines and delays at airports. Canadians can rest assured that we are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. We have hired approximately 400 new screening officers, who are currently in different phases of their training across the country. We continue to ask that Canadians remain patient as we work hard with CATSA and the air sector to find a solution.
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- May/20/22 12:02:02 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is too bad that answer is not actually helping Canadians.
Last week I questioned the minister about Kristen from Hinton, who, after waiting over two months, ended up having to pay express service to get her three sons' passports. The minister replied that if a person submits all required passport documents and Service Canada is outside of service standards, the client should not be paying extra fees.
Will the minister confirm that Kristen and others who paid extra fees will receive a refund and no Canadian will pay extra fees due to the minister's incompetence?
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- May/20/22 12:02:37 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, as I said last week, that is correct. No Canadian should be paying extra fees if they have submitted all the correct documents and everything is in order with their application, and if their application is not processed within the processing times. If that is in fact the case, there is a refund process.
I would be happy to follow up with the member opposite to share with him how he can share that with his constituents, but it is also available on the Government of Canada's website.
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- May/20/22 12:03:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while the world is getting back to normal, the Liberals are bent on keeping Canadians from returning to work. Their punitive mandates and virtue signalling are in fact imposing poverty upon some citizens. This includes at least four women in east central Alberta who work for FCC and Canada Post.
When will the Liberals allow these women, and all the Canadians they fired, to get back to work like before the pandemic?
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- May/20/22 12:03:41 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, from the beginning of the pandemic, we made a commitment to Canadians to keep them healthy and safe during the pandemic. We have put in place measures to protect workers and communities, and federal public servants stepped up. They got fully vaccinated, up to 99%. This shows that we know we need to continue to make sure that public servants and Canadians are safe.
We are committed to reviewing the current policy and will come back with a decision.
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- May/20/22 12:04:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, every day in this place we see the Liberals play COVID theatre with their masks, only to remove them as soon as they leave the parliamentary precinct, at bars, restaurants and receptions. This is as they insist on continuing never-ending mandates and restrictions.
When will the Liberals stop their hypocritical theatre and end the mandates?
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- May/20/22 12:04:58 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is very troubling to see members on the opposite side deny the existence of a pandemic that is still stealing the lives of so many of our neighbours. Just in the last three weeks, over 1,000 Canadians have died from COVID-19. Masks help and vaccinations help.
Time and time again, we are hearing from the Conservatives that they want to get back to normal. I want this pandemic to be over too. Every Canadian wants this pandemic to be over. However, just wishing it so does not make that happen. We must continue to be vigilant, wear our masks and encourage vaccination.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- May/20/22 12:05:22 p.m.
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Again, it is getting exceptionally loud in here, and I am having a hard time hearing the answers. If the official opposition and the government are going back and forth, I am sure they are not hearing the answers as well. I would ask members to please tone it down.
The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.
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