Meeting Summarizer

Here is a partial transcript of a meeting:
Mrs. Rosemarie Falk: Chair, in May 2019, the Liberals launched their digital charter. One of the principles was strong democracy, a commitment to defend freedom of expression. Will the Liberals hold Joyce Murray's WeChat accountable if it has violated this part of the charter?
Hon. Bill Blair: Mr. Chair, we are absolutely committed to the rule of law and will always uphold it. I think, as the minister has made very clear, she was not involved in this process and has no control over the individual who posted that matter.
Mrs. Rosemarie Falk: Chair, unfortunately I don't believe that was a sufficient answer. This is really a yes or no. Will the government hold Joyce Murray's WeChat accountable if it has violated their part of the charter?
Hon. Bill Blair: Again, Mr. Chair, I want to assure the member that our government remains committed to the rule of law and we will always work tirelessly to uphold the laws of this country.
Mrs. Rosemarie Falk: Is that a yes or a no?
Hon. Bill Blair: Again, I think it was very clear. We will always uphold the laws of Canada.
Mrs. Rosemarie Falk: Still, was that a yes or a no? I'm not hearing a yes or a no.
Hon. Bill Blair: I am doing my very best, Mr. Chair, to answer the question for the House and to assure the member opposite that our government will always remain committed to the rule of law. That is unequivocal.
The Chair: We will now move on to the honourable member. The floor is yours, Mr.Deltell.
Mr. Grard Deltell (Louis-Saint-Laurent, CPC): Thank you, Mr.Chair. I am very happy and proud to be participating in this discussion in the House of Commons today. My question is very simple: how much is Canada's deficit?
Hon. Bill Morneau (Minister of Finance): Mr.Chair, we continue to be transparent with our measures. Of course, we want to make sure that our investments, our economy
The Chair: The floor is yours, Mr.Deltell.
Mr. Grard Deltell: Let me ask my question to the honourable Minister of Finance once more, since he is talking about transparency. My question is really simple: how much is Canada's deficit?
Hon. Bill Morneau: Mr.Chair, our economic situation is very fluid. We have made major investments and we are making sure that our economy is working.
Mr. Grard Deltell: Mr.Chair, the minister's answer is not fluid at all. But the question is really simple: how much is Canada's deficit?
Hon. Bill Morneau: Mr.Chair, it is important to be transparent with our investments. We look at the investments and the figures every day.
Mr. Grard Deltell: Mr.Chair, the Minister of Finance may not know what the deficit is, but one great Canadian does know. And he knows that he knows. Could the Minister of Finance be very clear, very fluid and, above all, very transparent with Canadians? What is Canada's deficit?
Hon. Bill Morneau: Mr.Chair, I want to be very clear with Canadians: our economic situation is very difficult. The situation is fluid. We are making investments to ensure that our economy will be strong in the future.
Mr. Grard Deltell: Mr.Chair, with all due respect to the Minister of Finance, let me point out that, though he is not very clear, Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer was clear yesterday. The deficit is $260billion. That is the real number. Why does the government not have the courage to state it clearly, as the Parliamentary Budget Officer did yesterday?
Hon. Bill Morneau: Mr.Chair, we always want to be clear and transparent. It is very important for the situation to be stable in order to ensure our future. That is our economic approach. We are making investments now so that the situation becomes more stable.
Mr. Grard Deltell: Mr.Chair, I know that the Minister of Finance is very good with figures. But he is not able to give us one. Perhaps he could comment on the statement that the Parliamentary Budget Officer made yesterday, that the emergency assistance must have an end date, and if it does not, we are heading to levels of taxation that have not been seen in this country for generations. What is the government going to do to make sure that Canadians will not be overtaxed after this crisis?
Hon. Bill Morneau: Mr.Chair, we think it's very important to make investments. That way, we will have a resilient economy in the future. That's very important. That way, we know that we'll have a good economy in the future. When we have more information, we will
The Chair: Mr.Deltell, you have the floor.
Mr. Grard Deltell: Mr.Chair, will the minister commit not to raise taxes after the crisis?
Hon. Bill Morneau: Mr.Chair, I have said several times that we do not have a plan to raise taxes. That's very important.
Mr. Grard Deltell: Finally a clear answer! However, I'm not convinced that he will apply it. In fact, the Parliamentary Budget Officer himself has said that there isn't much ammunition left without shifting into a large structural deficit, which can lead directly to tax increases. If the Minister of Finance can't even say today what the deficit is today, how can he be credible when he says that he won't raise taxes?
Hon. Bill Morneau: Mr.Chair, I think what's most important is that during this pandemic, Canadians and companies across the country need the Government of Canada's help. That is our approach. That way, we will have an economy that will function in the future. Of course, this is important for future generations.
Mr. Grard Deltell: When will there be an economic update?
Hon. Bill Morneau:
Mr. Grard Deltell: Mr.Chair, all observers are expecting an economic update to know where we're going. When will that happen?
Hon. Bill Morneau: Mr.Chair, we want our economic update to be accurate. That's why we are looking at information that allow us to make good forecasts.
The Chair: We'll now go to Mr. Hoback.
Mr. Randy Hoback (Prince Albert, CPC): Mr. Chair, the United States, Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Vietnam have created an economic prosperity group to diversify some of their key supply chains away from China. Canada has a free trade agreement with six of these seven countries. Why are we not part of this group?
Hon. Mary Ng (Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade): Mr. Chair, I thank the hon. member for that question. Indeed, we have been working diligently with all of these countries to make sure that we are keeping global supply chains open during this critical time. I think everyone agrees that keeping supply chains open for medical goods, critical agriculture and essential goods is absolutely essential and
The Chair: We'll go back to Mr. Hoback.
Mr. Randy Hoback: Mr. Chair, this government is refusing to come to terms with what COVID-19 will mean for the future of international trade. Why is Canada not at the table with our largest trading partner protecting the viability of our international supply chains and capitalizing on the opportunities of others doing the same?
The Chair: Before we go to the minister, one of the members has his mike still on, and I would ask that he turn it off. I am hearing background noise. The hon. minister.
Hon. Mary Ng: Mr. Chair, Canada has unprecedented access to a number of markets around the world because of the extraordinary agreements that we have made to provide access to customers in those international markets. During COVID-19, we have been working with our G20 partners. I have had two meetings with G20 trade ministers on the importance of keeping supply chains
The Chair: We'll go back to Mr. Hoback.
Mr. Randy Hoback: Mr. Chair, is this payback for the Prime Minister snubbing these countries at the original TPP signing?
Hon. Mary Ng: Mr. Chair, we have a CPTPP arrangement with these countries, and we are looking forward to making sure that we get Canadian businesses growing into those markets.
Mr. Randy Hoback: Mr. Chair, the U.K. will begin applying tariffs at the beginning of next year on Canadian exports such as seafood, beef and cars. These are the items that have had tariffs removed under CETA. Will the government commit to having a new trade agreement with the U.K. in place by January 1?
Hon. Mary Ng: Mr. Chair, we are monitoring the situation very carefully. The U.K., of course, is a very important trading partner for Canada. They are in discussions right now. I want to assure Canadian businesses that CETA continues to apply to our trade with the U.K. during this period while they go through Brexit.
Mr. Randy Hoback: Mr. Chair, after CUSMA, this government guaranteed to the trade committee that they would publish the objectives of any new trade agreement. When will we see these objectives published and actually have a chance to view them?
Hon. Mary Ng: Mr. Chair, we look forward to working to ensure that those objectives are published as we get into future trade discussions.
Mr. Randy Hoback: Mr. Chair, the resignation of the WTO director-general at this unprecedented time is concerning for the international trade community. Is the government committed to supporting a DG candidate who is dedicated to the massive reforms needed to get the WTO functioning again?
Hon. Mary Ng: Mr. Chair, I want to thank the hon. member for that good question. The Ottawa group, led by Canada, is working with like-minded countries on the reform of the WTO. We've been doing this work and we continue to do this work. I look forward to making sure that we are leading the way on those discussions with like-minded
The Chair: Mr. Hoback.
Mr. Randy Hoback: Mr. Chair, last week the President of the United States considered blocking cattle imports. Our beef producers don't need this. They need stability. Three-quarters of Canada's beef cattle exports go to the U.S. Has the government sought out and received assurances from the United States that no such action will apply to Canadian cattle?
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs): Mr. Chair, we have an excellent assurance of our trade with the United States, which is our new NAFTA trade agreement that we have negotiated, thanks to the unprecedented co-operation across this country. It is very important to the Canadian economy and Canadian producers.
Mr. Randy Hoback: Mr. Chair, going forward post-COVID, there are a lot things that will be changing in supply chains. What is this government doing proactively to look at opportunities in these supply chains that Canadian businesses can take advantage of?
Hon. Mary Ng: Mr. Chair, we continue to work with countries around the globe to ensure that Canada's supply chains and those global supply chains, particularly for essential goods, for agricultural products, for medical supplies, continue to remain open. We will keep doing this work.
Mr. Randy Hoback: Mr. Chair, on the agriculture side, canola farmers would like to know the status of canola going into China. Can she update the House on that status?
Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food): Mr.Chair, I want to assure my colleague that we are continuing to work with our industry representatives, our allies and our trading partners in China.
The Chair: We'll now go to Ms. McLeod.
Mrs. Cathy McLeod (KamloopsThompsonCariboo, CPC): Thank you, Mr. Chair. Senior Canadian bureaucrats received very credible reports in early January that China was procuring and hoarding PPE. As a member of cabinet, was the health minister aware?
Hon. Patty Hajdu (Minister of Health): Mr. Chair, from the very beginning of the outbreak in early January we were aware of the challenges our health sector would face, and we immediately began to work with the provinces and territories to understand what the need would be and how we could best prepare.
Mrs. Cathy McLeod: In April, the minister stated there were not enough supplies in the national emergency stockpile. Can she explain why she approved a donation of 16 tonnes of PPE for China on January 31, claiming it would not compromise our supply? She can't have it both ways. We don't have enough; we have enough and it won't compromise it.
Hon. Anita Anand (Minister of Public Services and Procurement): Mr. Chair, we are operating in a highly competitive global environment, and the reality is that we need to make sure we have multiple complementary supply chains operating at the same time, which we have been doing in the past weeks and months, to ensure our front-line health care workers have the supplies they need to keep Canadians safe. That's our priority. That's what we're working on.
Mrs. Cathy McLeod: Unfortunately, this question was directed to the health minister, referencing things she actually stated in terms of the availability of our supplies. Before the she signed off on the donationand it was the health minister who signed off on the donationdid she consult with the health ministers in the provinces and territories?
Hon. Patty Hajdu: Mr. Chair, as the member opposite knows, provinces and territories have their own stockpiles, which of course they use to prepare for incidences of outbreak and other illnesses across their jurisdictions. We've worked very closely with the provinces and territories since the beginning of the outbreak to make sure we can provide any particular additional support. In fact, of all the requests made so far, we have been able to complete them.
Mrs. Cathy McLeod: Health care workers are now having to look at modified full-face snorkels as an alternative to N95 masks. Did it not occur to the minister that our hospitals and care homes could have used that PPE she shipped out, providing a longer opportunity for them to also get procurement done?
Hon. Patty Hajdu: Mr. Chair, as the member opposite knows, the equipment that was donated when China was in its outbreak was an important donation of nearly expired or expired goods that it was in desperate need of in its effort to try to contain the virus. As the member opposite knows, we've been able to work successfully with provinces and territories to ensure they have what they need.
Mrs. Cathy McLeod: Mr. Chair, I would suggest that during February and March our hospitals would have consumed that almost-expired product very efficiently, but I want to move on to another topic. When defending the sale of 22 seniors' homes to the Chinese government, the Prime Minister stated that we have a strong regulatory regime that imposes rigorous standards. He said that this regime ensures the care our seniors get is top quality. That was in 2017. Now he states he is saddened, shocked, disappointed and angered. Was the Prime Minister completely oblivious to the risks, or was he just too anxious to please the Chinese government when he sold those 22 homes?
Hon. Patty Hajdu: Mr. Chair, the homes the member opposite is referring to are in the province of B.C., and I have to commend the province for the early work it did to protect seniors in those long-term care homes. The member opposite is trying to confuse the issue. As she knows, the review we did was entirely separate from the standards to which the province holds the care homes.
Mrs. Cathy McLeod: The Prime Minister does not have authority over seniors' homes, which he has clearly stated, but he does have authority over the act in which he approved the sale. At 18 months, government had an obligation to make sure there was compliance. Was that done?
Hon. Patty Hajdu: Mr. Chair, the long-term care homes in each province fall within the jurisdiction of their own particular act, and those provinces and territories are responsible for fulfilling the inspections required under that act.
Mrs. Cathy McLeod: Under the Investment Canada Act, the government is obligated to review the sale for compliance. Four homes had to close. Since the government approved the sale, it is complicit in the care of our seniors in this country
Hon. Navdeep Bains (Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry): Mr. Chair, I want to make it very clear that we understand how difficult this is for seniors. That is why we follow the appropriate steps, outlined under the Investment Canada Act, to make sure that any measures we take keep seniors and their well-being first and foremost.
Summarize the key events from this meeting in 2 clear and concise bullet points. Each bullet point should be very concise, with no more than 20 words. Use the active voice only. Do not use the passive voice. Order the bullets such that more general bullets come first. Do not include any action items that resulted from the meeting. Do not include speaker names unless it is important to differentiate.

* Discussion revolves around various topics, including government commitments to upholding laws,
addressing Canada's deficit, and international trade agreements amidst COVID-19.
* Ministers and opposition members question each other on topics like PPE donations, senior care 
homes, and economic strategies during the pandemic.