Parliamentary Speeches

Government Orders

Madam Chair, since the beginning of this crisis, our government has been working very hard to coordinate efforts to ensure that the 40,000 Afghans we promised to bring to Canada will be able to come here safely. So far, more than 3,800 members of the Afghan community have arrived in Canada, and we will continue—

Government Orders

Madam Chair, in August 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. Canada is extremely concerned about the deterioration of the humanitarian and security situation in Afghanistan. We will continue to evacuate the 40,000 Afghans we want to bring to the country. So far—

Government Orders

Madam Chair, again, we are committed to bringing the Afghan refugees and different communities here to Canada. We will continue to work hard to bring the refugees to Canada.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, as members know, our government is committed to bring the 40,000 refugees to our country, as we campaigned and as we are determined. The officials and the government are working very hard to bring these 40,000—

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I would ask my hon. colleague to repeat her question as I missed the fundamentals of it.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, we know that having a fully vaccinated workforce means that not only are work sites safer, but so too are the communities where this large population lives and works. As I said earlier, public servants have stepped up. We will continue to encourage public servants, as well as organizations and businesses across the nation, to continue to say, and to encourage their employees and their…

Government Orders

Madam Chair, as we know, vaccines are the best way to bring this pandemic to an end, and the public servants have stepped up. Over 95% of our public servants have received both doses and over 98% have received their first dose. This is an incredible gesture to demonstrate how important it is to keep Canadians safe and secure. We will continue to encourage public servants and those in other organiz…

Government Orders

Madam Chair, since the 2021 budget was tabled, we have made a number of investments and we continue to invest in the sectors that are hardest hit, including tourism. We will continue to support the tourism industry.

Government Orders

Mr. Chair, as we know, we are currently doing a regulatory review and we will continue to make sure businesses do not have too much of a burden on their—

Government Orders

Mr. Chair, I would love to answer her after I have had a chance to speak with my officials as I do not have that data with me this evening.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, health and safety of our public servants is our number one priority, and continuing to focus on the health and safety of our people is what we need to do to fight this pandemic.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, the supplementary estimates I tabled on November 26 provide details on government spending to parliamentarians and Canadians. They also represent a reconciliation of all the planned spending to date for this fiscal year and of the spending outlook provided with budget 2021.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, today we presented the supplementary estimates (B). We have reviewed all of the expenditures over the past two days. Canadians can visit the website, where they will find all kinds of tools to help them understand the information we presented today. I hope we will be able to deal with it as planned.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, we have a zero tolerance policy on harassment and we continue to work towards the goal of completely eliminating harassment in the workplace.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, when it comes to harassment, our objective is zero harassment. We will continue to implement plans in all departments to ensure we meet this objective.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, ATIPs must meet the expectations of Canadians in terms of making information accessible, timely and reliable, while reflecting today's digital world. We have conducted a full review of the Access to Information Act that was launched in June 2020.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I will repeat that the government remains committed to maintaining the openness and transparency of government during this challenging time. The ATIP program is very important and we will—

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I will continue to say that we are currently doing a review to make sure we can—

Government Orders

Madam Chair, the government remains committed to maintaining the openness and transparency of government during this challenging time. In budget 2021, we committed significant new funding to improve and review—

Government Orders

Madam Chair, as we know, we are reviewing the information. The ATIP review is happening right now and we will present a report shortly.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, again, monthly financial results are reported throughout the year in the “Fiscal Monitor”, and departments provide quarterly financial reporting. We will also table the departmental results reports when they are ready.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, it is the same process as under the previous government, the same high accounting standards, and we will table the public accounts this month.

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, as I am the new President of the Treasury Board, I am currently working with the process that we have and I am always looking for possibilities for improvement. Maybe through a conversation with all of my colleagues we can make sure we have the best process for our government.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his question. We recognize that the aeronautics and aerospace industry and its workers have been particularly affected by the pandemic. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry has been in continual contact with key stakeholders in the sector. We have always stood up for Canada's aerospace workers, and we will continue to do so. By w…

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I will make the necessary inquiries, with my colleague's permission. Things are happening right now, and I want to make sure I have the right answers. I should be able to get that answer to the Speaker of the House shortly. I would just like to say that this evening is really important for us to be able to do our job as parliamentarians, because the Supplementary Estimates (B) are a v…

Government Orders

Madam Chair, we recognize that the implementation of the Phoenix pay system has had an impact directly, or even indirectly, on many current and former employees, and damages agreements have been reached with all bargaining agents to compensate employees for general damages and severe impacts caused by the pay system. Claims processes are in place for most of these agreements, and we are working cl…

Government Orders

Madam Chair, we all know women should receive equal pay for work of equal value, and proactive pay equity legislation will address the systemic undervaluing of work performed by women. For the public service, we will work with bargaining agents and employee representatives to identify gaps between positions held mostly by women and ones held mostly by men that have work of equal value. Once pay eq…

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I want to start by thanking all the public servants who stepped up and got vaccinated to make sure we could continue to fight through this pandemic, and to make sure that the health and safety of Canadians was our first priority. Over 95% of public servants have received both their vaccines, and over 98% have received their first dose. This is a great demonstration that we are moving …

Government Orders

Madam Chair, today I am pleased to table the Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22. The ability to exercise oversight is one of the most important roles parliamentarians can play on behalf of our citizens. In fact, accountability is predicated on parliamentarians knowing how public funds are being spent, so they can hold the government to account for its actions, which is why our government will co…

Government Orders

Madam Chair, we are working very hard to get to that objective and all together we will be able to get there.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, we know, and my hon. colleague knows also, that the pandemic has brought new challenges to our immigration system and we have faced them head-on. We are acting quickly. We are moving from paper to digital, extending visas and adding resources where they are needed most. We have welcomed nearly 100,000 new Canadians—

Government Orders

Madam Chair, as members know, we have brought over 300,000 refugees and immigrant newcomers to Canada. We will continue to get to our objective. I know this is a very important concern and we will provide our report very soon.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, as the hon. colleague knows, IRCC has approved 9,800 people under the special immigration program. Of this number, more than 3,800 Afghan refugees have already arrived in Canada. We will continue to do that and take into consideration the difficulties that we hear are ongoing on the ground.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, we know it is very important that we focus on the Afghans who we are trying to resettle here. The LGBTQ individuals are also very important. We will continue to work with our partners on the ground and in Canada to ensure we resettle them in Canada.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I would like to inform my hon. colleague that we are taking all the necessary measures to bring these Afghans home to Canada. We will continue to ensure that we communicate with them and we will continue to inform the House on how we are doing.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, the Government of Canada is working in close collaboration with trusted international and Canadian partners to implement a second humanitarian stream that is focused on resettling the most vulnerable Afghan nationals. We are going to continue to work with our partners to ensure that we can resettle the objective of 40,000 Afghans.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I think all members in the House will agree on the importance of Canada making good on its commitment to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees. I am pleased to share that by the end of this week, 500 more Afghan refugees will be arriving, including, for the first time, sponsored refugees from Afghanistan in Nova Scotia.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, if I understand the question, there are over 3,800 Afghans in Canada. We will continue to work on ensuring we get—

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I want to convey for my hon. colleague that we are focusing on the safety and security of the Afghan people. We will continue to work very hard to—

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, again I thank my hon. colleague for bringing forward an idea. We always want to improve our system and at this time we will have next week, on December 14, the economic outlook of our country. We will look at the next steps for investments for Canadians and our accountability and transparency as we continue to support them through the pandemic, which we are still in at this time.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for asking this very important question. Accessibility in the public service means ensuring that all employees have the tools they need to do their best at work and to succeed in their careers. This involves identifying and eliminating barriers that prevent people from participating, as well as guaranteeing access to all devices, services, programs and inform…

Government Orders

Madam Chair, it is important to note that, a few months ago, FedNor became a stand-alone agency in northern Ontario. This will enable us to keep increasing the number of jobs in the north and support small and medium-sized businesses that have a lot to offer in northern Ontario.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, we need to make sure that we improve regulations, and make sure that they do not have red tape that they do not need, so that they are able to thrive in our country.

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, as we know, we just went through a very difficult pandemic. We need to look at how we will continue to support Canadians and how we are going to continue to bring our investments forward for Canadians. We will look at the process of our budget cycle as we go along. At this time, as my hon. colleague probably knows, we have the fall economic statement next week, on December 14, and aft…

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for the important mandate we have been given as a government to continue to put gender equality at the heart of our work. Since day one we have done this, and we will continue, for example, to advance the national action plan to end gender-based violence with more investments in our communities.

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I have a very short answer. As members know, we have increased the number of jobs across the region of southern Ontario. We will continue to invest in FedDev to support small and medium businesses in their different sectors.

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the supplementary estimates (B), 2021-22.

Mr. Speaker, I move: That the business of supply be considered at the next sitting of the House. (Motion agreed to)