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Results: 301 - 330 of 889
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite does not want to believe my words, let me quote David Parkinson from The Globe and Mail. Here is what he has to say: “For the economy as a whole, there are remarkably healthy signs. Unlike last spring's lockdowns...it appears we've learned how to keep the economy rolling.... The underlying recovery remains largely intact.” Thanks again to all the hard-working, innovative Canadian business owners who have made that possible.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I welcome that question because it gives me an opportunity to share something concrete that we can all do to help small businesses and workers, and that is pass Bill C-14. I would like to quote Dan Kelly, who said that this bill has some important measures for small business and urged all parties to ensure this support is passed quickly.
That is one thing we can all do to help Canada's workers and small businesses.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague just quoted the CFIB.
I will stress once again that the concrete action we can all take to help small businesses in Canada and workers in Canada is to vote in favour of Bill C-14.
This is not a time for partisan disputes. This is a time to unite and help Canadians.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I am so glad the hon. member shares my concern for helping Canadian small businesses. While we continue to fight COVID, they do desperately need our support, and that is why I would like to ask the hon. member, and all of his Conservative colleagues, to join us in getting Bill C-14 passed.
In fact, Dan Kelly, the head of the CFIB, has called on all of us to get this done. He said that the CFIB urges all parties to ensure this support—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, Canada has in fact recovered 71% of the jobs lost in the wake of the pandemic, and that is compared with just 56% recovered in the United States. At 64.3%, Canada today has a higher labour force participation rate than Germany, the U.S., Japan and South Korea.
In January, in the midst of lockdowns, total hours worked in Canada actually increased. Canadians are resilient. They are doing their jobs and getting Canada back to work.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, our government is absolutely committed to supporting small businesses, and I would love to see members of the Conservative Party join us in that commitment. We disagree about a lot, but if we all believe we need to support small businesses, let us get behind Bill C-14. Dan Kelly was out there yesterday urging us all to pass this law. It would deliver concrete support. Let us do that.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the question. It gives me the opportunity to share some good news with Canadians.
This week, the International Monetary Fund published its annual report related to Canada. The report shows that Canada's strong and decisive measures provided essential support to the economy and the functioning of financial markets and helped protect lives and people's livelihoods.
That is not coming from me but from the International Monetary Fund.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, let me be clear about the success of our government's policies in supporting Canadian workers and Canadian jobs.
As of January, Canada had recovered 71% of the jobs lost since the beginning of the pandemic. That compares with only 56% recovered in the U.S. Canada has a 64.9% labour force participation rate. That is higher than Germany, at 56%, and the U.S., at 61.7%. It is higher than Japan and higher than South Korea.
We are doing well in tough times.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that debates in the House are inevitably partisan, and that is why I know that Canadians will be really pleased to learn that the International Monetary Fund, the premier international financial authority, this week published a report with a very positive verdict on our government's policies so far. The IMF said that our government's strong and decisive actions provided crucial support to the economy and helped protect lives and livelihoods. It predicts our GDP will grow by 4.4% this year.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, with respect to vaccines, let me be clear.
Canada has secured 10 doses of vaccine per Canadian, and we have the most comprehensive and diverse vaccine portfolio in the world. To date, Canada has received over 1.4 million doses of vaccine, and we will receive another 400,000 doses this week.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, Canada has understood from the very beginning that it was important to have a plan A, B, C and D. That is why we have the most comprehensive and diverse vaccine portfolio in the world. We decided not to risk depending on just one vaccine.
Health Canada has already approved the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and is currently examining the AstraZeneca, Novavax and Johnson and Johnson vaccines.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, from the start of the crisis, our government has always followed the advice of experts, researchers and doctors. That is our policy, and it is an essential policy during a pandemic.
With respect to the vaccines, we have the most comprehensive and diverse vaccine portfolio in the world. At the same time, we have focused on production in Canada.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government has invested and will continue to invest in vaccines manufactured in Canada and in domestic biomanufacturing.
In fact, Dr. Kobinger received a $1-million grant for his research through the federal government's novel coronavirus rapid research funding opportunity. We will always invest in promising solutions that are made right here in Canada and Quebec.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we introduced sickness benefits so that all workers, no matter where they live or work, do not have to choose between going to work sick or putting food on the table.
This is an important program. Part of our commitment in the safe restart agreement is to provide 10 days of paid sick leave. Under the agreement, the provinces established job-protected sick leave. I encourage all eligible Canadian workers who need this support to apply for it.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I agree with the member opposite that paid sick leave is absolutely essential. It is essential any time, and it is particularly important during this global pandemic, which is why our government was very pleased to put in place, as part of the safe restart agreement with the provinces and territories, 10 days of paid sick leave provided by the federal government. That sick leave is there, and I encourage all Canadian workers who need it to use it.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, let me start by congratulating the hon. member for Abbotsford on his recent appointment as his party's critic for finance. He and I worked together in our previous roles in trade, and I look forward to working with him in this new role.
Let me take this opportunity to encourage the hon. member and all members of his party to end their delaying tactics on Bill C-14, to wrap debate at this stage and to move this legislation, which is really important in our fight against COVID, to the finance committee so it can do its work.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, let me apologize to the translators for that popping sound.
I am grateful for the question because it gives me the opportunity to highlight the report that the IMF released today on Canada's economy. The IMF forecast that our economy will grow by 4.4% this year and found that Canada “took strong and well-coordinated policy actions at the onset of the pandemic that provided crucial support to the economy and the functioning of financial markets, and helped protect lives and livelihoods.” I could not agree more.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I want to highlight the very positive report we received today from the IMF, which says Canada's economy will grow by 4.4% this year.
With respect to Canadian workers, I agree with my hon. colleague that we have to support them, and we can do that by voting in favour of Bill C-14. We must do so because we need this legislation and this help.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify for my hon. colleague that I quoted the International Monetary Fund, a global organization that had really positive things to say about the actions taken by our government.
Regarding the unemployment rate, I would remind the member that 71% of the jobs lost in Canada during the crisis have already been recovered. We have performed much better in that regard than our partner, the United States, for example.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague. The Canada emergency rent subsidy is a very important program that provides support for our Canadian businesses through the pandemic.
When the government implements a program like this one, we need to make sure that it helps as many businesses as possible without compromising the integrity of the program. We are always managing that balance. Our goal is to help all of the businesses that are entitled to this program and need this support.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government knows how to defend Canada, as we showed in our successful NAFTA negotiations and in the 232 tariff fight. By contrast, when the going got tough, the Conservatives lost their nerves.
The leader of the official opposition actually said, “I...believe that many of the Canadian retaliatory tariffs should be dropped as they...are not worth their symbolic nature.” The Conservatives wanted to wave the white flag, but Canadians can trust our government to fight for them.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government absolutely appreciates the importance of the Canada-U.S. trading relationship, and we have shown that we are able to work with a team Canada approach to maintain that relationship. When the going gets tough, we are willing to stand and fight to defend the national interest.
When it comes to jobs, I am pleased to report that Canada has already had a robust recovery from the depths of the COVID recession, much stronger than the one we are seeing in the United States.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government absolutely appreciates the urgency of getting vaccines to Canada. That is why Canada has secured 10 doses of vaccine per Canadian. We have the most comprehensive and most diverse vaccine portfolio in the world. We have already received more than 1.1 million doses. We will receive six million doses by the end of the first quarter, and every Canadian who wants to be vaccinated will be by the end of September.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government will never apologize for doing everything in our power to get Canadians vaccinated as quickly as possible. COVAX has always been part of the Government of Canada's procurement strategy, and the mechanism is working precisely as designed. We have been clear from the start: No one will be safe until everyone is vaccinated. We are focused on getting Canadians vaccinated while making sure the rest of the world is vaccinated too.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with all members of the House that the vaccine issue is urgent, and that is why we have secured 10 doses per Canadian. We have the most comprehensive and diverse vaccine portfolio in the world. Canada will get more than six doses by the end of the first quarter, and all Canadians who want the vaccine will get it by the end of September. COVAX has been part of our plan from the start.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, with regard to COVAX, the government will never apologize for doing everything in its power to vaccinate Canadians as quickly as possible. COVAX has always been part of the Government of Canada's procurement strategy, as it has for other partners such as New Zealand and Singapore, and the mechanism is working. We are on track to deliver at least two billion vaccine doses globally by the end of 2021.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the hon. member from the Bloc, for whom I have a great deal of respect, that our government shares his urgenct concern over the vaccines. That is why Major-General Dany Fortin is sharing information with the provinces and territories and with all Canadians.
I want to note, once again, that vaccines will be available to every Canadian who wants one by the end of September.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, Canada has secured 10 vaccine doses per Canadian, and ours is the most comprehensive and diverse portfolio in the world.
Health Canada has approved the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. In addition, because of our advance purchase agreements, our regulators now have access to three vaccine candidates from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax and are currently reviewing them. That will enable us to vaccinate all Canadians who want to be vaccinated by the end of September.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government will never apologize for doing everything in our power to get Canadians vaccinated as quickly as possible.
COVAX has always been part of Canada's procurement strategy, and the COVAX mechanism is working precisely as designed. We have been clear from the start: No one will be safe until everyone is. We are focused on getting Canadians vaccinated while making sure the rest of world is vaccinated too.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, let me remind the hon. member that our government has stood up for steel and aluminum workers across the country. When the illegal 232 tariffs were imposed, our government imposed dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs, and thanks to that strong response we had those tariffs lifted.
If anyone owes steel and aluminum workers an apology, it is the leader of the official opposition, who called on us to lift those tariffs.
Results: 301 - 330 of 889 | Page: 11 of 30

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