Tony Baldinelli
Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, Bill C-26 gives the Liberal Minister of Finance a blank cheque to spend $1.7 billion with no guarantees of results, targets or accountability to build homes. In fact, the word “housing” is in this bill only twice. My hon.”
“Mr. Speaker, the member speaks about the Liberal commitment to bail reform, justice reform and listening to police and constituents. Would he not agree that we are here today because of Liberal policies that are soft on crime?”
“Let us not forget that former CSC commissioner Anne Kelly, when she appeared before the public safety committee, called Paul Bernardo a “psychopath”. This bill clearly targets the worst of the worst dangerous offenders in Canada. Do the Liberals truly believe Paul Bernardo should be or deserves to be rehabilitated?”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the chamber today to share some final thoughts on my private member's bill, Bill C-232 , before we conclude second reading debate and proceed to an eventual vote.”
“This legislation should be seen as non-partisan and a common-sense legislative response to the concerns expressed by many of our constituents.”
“It was a mistake by the CSC to transfer Paul Bernardo from maximum to medium security. That needs to be corrected. Downgrading the security classification of these criminal monsters is not justice. It is an injustice to victims and their loved ones.”
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“Bernardo was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years for stealing and ending the lives of two teenage girls who had their whole bright futures ahead of them. When he committed these atrocities, he also ruined the lives of their loved ones and sentenced them to a lifetime of inescapable pain, trauma and suffering. So far, Bernardo has applied for parole three times, in 2018, 2021 and 2024. He has rightfully been denied each time. In his most recent parole hearing in November of 2024, Bernardo sought day parole at a halfway house or, at a minimum, escorted absences from prison so that he could attend a community program for sex offenders. He was denied both.”
“In addition to repealing this weak policy, it would strengthen and restore the language of “only the necessary restrictions” that the previous Conservative government put in place when it passed the Safe Streets and Communities Act in 2012. In fact, that legislation, known as Bill C-10 , was spearheaded by my predecessor, the Hon. Rob Nicholson, who proudly represented Niagara Falls for 24 years prior to his deserved retirement in 2019. Mr. Nicholson was the minister of justice and attorney general of Canada at the time. Paul Bernardo is serving a life sentence as a dangerous offender for the horrific abduction, sexual assaults and murders of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy.”
“It is about addressing and resolving a serious flaw in our criminal justice and corrections system that permits criminal monsters like Paul Bernardo, Dellen Millard, Mark Smich and Luka Magnotta, among others, to benefit and be allowed to transfer from a maximum-security institution to medium security. This bill proposes to require that all court-ordered dangerous offenders and mass murderers be permanently assigned a maximum-security classification and confined in a maximum-security penitentiary or area in a penitentiary. It would also repeal the Liberals' least restrictive environment standard for assigning inmates to prison. This standard was adopted in 2018 under the Justin Trudeau government in Bill C-83 .”
“Bill C-232 , an act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, is being debated today because I was inspired to bring this legislation forward after being approached by the loved ones of victims who were shocked and appalled to receive a phone call from CSC on May 29, 2023, about the transfer of serial killer and rapist Paul Bernardo from a maximum-security prison at Millhaven Institution in Ontario to a medium-security prison at La Macaza in Quebec. This terrible decision by CSC Commissioner Anne Kelly not only shocked the country but appalled and revictimized the victims' families, friends and the communities I represent in Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Bill C-232 is about doing what is right.”
“moved that Bill C-232, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders) , be read the second time and referred to a committee. Bill C-232. Second reading He said: Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in this chamber to debate this important legislation that would help restore Canadians' trust and confidence in our criminal justice system and in federal institutions like Correctional Service Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, I recently met with the Niagara Home Builders' Association, and its members indicated to us that bureaucracy will not build homes. One builder has laid off 60% of their staff. They used to build 300 homes but are now building only 30. Their one solution to the housing crisis, and they told us this, was to adopt the Conservative plan of removing the GST on all new homes, not just for first-time homebuyers. Can the member explain to us why the Liberal government will not simply adopt that idea?”
“Conservatives will make sure that there are enough jobs, houses and health care for Canadians before bringing in new immigrants, and we will restore compassion and fairness to Canada's broken and abused asylum system.”
“Mr. Speaker, rejected asylum claimants should not be receiving better health care than Canadians who have paid into a system their entire lives. It makes common sense. At a time when six million Canadians cannot afford a family doctor and are waiting for care, it is unacceptable that bogus asylum seekers are receiving better health care than Canadians. When over 13,000 residents in Niagara Falls are forced to use a food bank, and when our homeless shelter, the Coronation Centre, is bursting at the seams, why is the government providing better health care services to non-Canadians than to citizens who are desperately in need? Conservatives discovered this health care mess, and we proposed solutions, including removing federal benefits from ineligible claimants, except for emergency health care.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague talked about the regulatory harmony that existed between Canada and the United States, which led to the growth of the North American auto sector. With this shift in the EV mandate, the government has moved over to a rebate system. With the regulatory environmental standards that the Liberals are now putting in place, would the member not agree that this will do more harm to the Canadian auto sector and not help it?”
“Mr. Speaker, that member is not talking to the Unifor members in St. Catharines, who had an EV battery engine plant, but GM moved it out because there were no sales. The Government of Canada should not be subsidizing American-made EVs using Canadian taxpayers' money, especially when U.S. actions have already cost 5,000 Canadian auto worker jobs. Will the Liberals simply join us, finally put Canadians first and support our Conservative motion to remove the GST on Canadian-made vehicles?”
“Mr. Speaker, the government's new EV strategy fails to put Canadian workers and automakers first. How is allowing 49,000 Chinese-made EVs into Canada and subsidizing the purchase of American-made EVs going to help the workers who were laid off from GM in St. Catharines? They are worried about the future of their engine plant. GM has been in St. Catharines since 1929. Will the Liberals support our motion to stop forcing Canadian workers to subsidize foreign-made vehicles and remove the GST on Canadian-made vehicles?”
“Today, Mr. Speaker, just in media monitoring clips, there is a story from CTV News: “A new province-wide survey suggests more than half of British Columbians don’t feel safe in their communities, with respondents citing ongoing concerns about crime and violence.” CityNews Vancouver says, “Abbotsford Police calling for justice system changes amid growing extortion”. Those are just stories that are appearing today. I wonder if my hon. colleague could speak to the concerns that his residents are facing and why the government is not taking steps to answer those concerns.”
“Sadly, under the Liberal government, no job is safe. The Liberals promised the Canada-U.S. trade deal to protect Canadian jobs, but instead, they are supporting foreign manufacturers. Donald Trump is smiling—”
“Mr. Speaker, the government's decision to scrap its EV mandate confirms what Conservatives have said all along, which is that a forced 100% EV sales target was unrealistic and only created uncertainty. Bringing back EV rebates now offers little to Canada's auto workers, including those in St. Catharines, when up to $2.3 billion in taxpayer incentives will be subsidizing U.S. auto production and when the U.S. is putting U.S. tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles. Canada's auto sector supports hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs. Decisions affecting it should put Canadian workers who are working in domestic production first. That is what our workers deserve, yet Canadian auto workers are now left asking what their future will be when over 95% of the EVs the Liberal government will be promoting will come from outside of Canada.”
“Mr. Chair, would the hon. member not agree that there could possibly be other policies implemented by the government that have caused crises in the auto sector, for example, the lack of an industrial carbon tax in the United States and the lack of an EV mandate in the United States? The sector is telling all politicians here in the House that no one is going to be able to meet those EV targets and mandates. Why does the government continue to foist this on them, which is only going to make them less competitive? Does the hon. member think there are steps the government can take to assist the auto sector now as well as with the tariff relief that it seeks?”
“Mr. Chair, the member indicated in his remarks that $220 million had gone to Stellantis and $400 million had gone to Algoma, and no guardrails were put in place for those dollars to flow. What does the member think are their main concerns? Why has the government been unable to get an agreement with the United States? It has been 10 years with regard to softwood lumber. Why is the government failing so badly in its negotiations with the United States?”
“Mr. Chair, my colleague's comments build on the weekend comments that he made. He has become a social media star, I would suggest, and it is great that he is doing that. They were great comments with regard to your concerns about this government's actions going from elbows up to, “Who cares?” Your notions about providing—”
“Mr. Chair, I would like to welcome my colleague to the House. He has just come here, and he will probably work with his Liberal colleagues to build on that 10-year record of failure. That is why we voted against these budgets. For 10 years, we have voted against budgets that let the price of housing double. The price of mortgages has doubled and the price of rent has doubled, all during their periods of government, and then the Liberals wonder why we vote against their policies. Their policies have led to the economic demise that Canadians face.”
“Mr. Chair, there is a sense of pride among auto workers in the quality of the products that they produce. In fact, in St. Catharines we do make the V8 engines that go into the Silverado in Oshawa. There is a reason the auto workers call themselves brothers and sisters as members of locals there. I have local 199 in St. Catharines. That is being put at risk by the policies of the government not to support the auto sector. Not only did the Liberals promise to get a deal done with the Americans by July 21 and fail at that, but they promised elbows up and again have succumbed to that. Now, it is, “Who cares?” Then they put in place policies like the industrial carbon tax and the EV mandate, which are helping to drive investment out of Canada. That is a shame for those dedicated workers who want good-paying jobs and want them here in Canada.”
“Mr. Chair, my colleague said it best earlier: It is 10 years of failed Liberal policies. We have the tariff issue to contend with, but the success of the auto sector in this country was based on the regulatory harmony that existed between Canada and the United States since the implementation of the auto pact in the 1960s. What has happened since the tariffs have been put in place? Well, guess what. In terms of regulatory harmony, there is no industrial carbon tax in the United States, and there is no EV mandate in the United States. Why are we punishing our auto sector even further? You are driving them into the United States. You are making it less competitive for them to be in Canada. They want to stay. The GM plant in my community has been there since 1929 and the one in my colleague's riding since 1918.”
“What is it it going to take for the Prime Minister and these Liberals to care? Harmful Liberal policies like the growth-killing EV mandate and the industrial carbon tax have added even more pressure on those trying to invest in building Canada in the face of unjustified tariffs. It is the decisions being made by the government that are making the Canadian automobile sector less competitive. Unless the government takes action to reduce policies such as the industrial carbon tax and its EV mandate, which, to my colleague's point, only enriches people like Elon Musk at the expense of Canadian automakers, and if they do not take steps to correct that, it will not create the certainty so that automakers want to invest in Canada.”
“When we lose auto manufacturing jobs at assembly plants, the ripple effect it has on the supply chains across our economy is massive. Last May, GM announced that it will invest $888 million into its Tonawanda propulsion plant, which is located just miles away from St. Catharines and across the river in New York state. That is investment that is not flowing to St. Catharines. That investment is benefiting our American neighbours in New York state. This is in addition to the $4 billion already announced by General Motors this summer. The American strategy is clear. It was echoed by the U.S. commerce secretary when he stated boldly that the U.S. wants auto assembly done in the U.S., period. After eight months, the Prime Minister has gone from “elbows up” to “who cares” when it comes to trade issues with the United States.”
“A week later, GM announced that they are ending electric van production at the CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, making 1,200 auto workers jobless. GM also announced the elimination of its third shift in Oshawa, impacting roughly 1,000 workers. According to the Center for Automotive Research, every job in the automotive assembly plant supports nine additional jobs. That is the highest external benefit multiplier of any sector in Canada. According to the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association, auto manufacturing accounts for more than 105,000 direct jobs in Canada, with the majority of these jobs located in Ontario. In total, the auto industry is responsible for over 603,000 direct and indirect jobs across the country.”
“Today, our local GM footprint has been reduced to just one plant and a much smaller workforce, roughly 700 Unifor Local 199 members. As a Niagara area MP and the member of Parliament for Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, I have a responsibility to represent the current and former GM workers who reside in my riding. Those proud GM workers were disgusted with the Prime Minister 's reaction to a recent question he faced during the G20 summit in Johannesburg earlier this month, when he said, “Who cares?” and that he does not “have a burning issue to speak with the president about right now”. I can tell members that Canadian auto workers and their families care and so too do all my Conservative colleagues. Just this fall, Stellantis announced that 3,000 Canadian jobs will be heading south to Illinois.”
“Mr. Chair, Canada has a proud history of being an auto manufacturing nation. In fact, Canada's auto industry contributes $14 billion to our nation's GDP. In Niagara, General Motors has been in St. Catharines since 1929, nearly 100 years. However, whether GM will be open for business in St. Catharines to celebrate its century milestone has been cast in a nervous uncertainty, thanks to President Trump's tariff war against Canada, which is targeting auto manufacturing amongst other key sectors of our economy. I am GM proud. I drive a GM vehicle whose very engine was made in St. Catharines at our local GM plant by Canadian workers. In fact, I worked at that GM plant during my university years as a student. At that time, GM in St. Catharines had three plants employing close to 10,000 GM Canadian workers.”
“Mr. Speaker, after eight months, the Prime Minister has gone from elbows up to “Who cares?” when it comes to trade issues with the United States. These comments spark concern in my community, particularly with the thousands of current and former GM workers in St. Catharines who worry about the future of their auto plant. GM has been in St. Catharines since 1929. I can say that Conservatives care, Canadians care and the workers at these plants who depend on these jobs care. What is it going to take? Does Brookfield have to buy General Motors for the Liberal Prime Minister to finally care?”
“In a country where so much is broken after 10 years of the Liberal government, leave it to the Liberals to cut programs that actually work. Tourism builds Canada. Unfortunately, the Liberal budget fails to unleash its full potential.”
“Mr. Speaker, this week, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada is hosting its annual Tourism Congress in Gatineau. This year's theme is “Tourism Builds Canada”. Tourism definitely powers my communities of Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. In fact, Niagara is home to more than 40,000 tourism workers. Across Canada, one in 10 Canadian jobs is in tourism, an industry that generates $130 billion in economic activity, but it could be so much more if not for bad Liberal policies. Under the Liberal government, tourism is simply not a priority. According to the TIAC, cuts to the international convention attraction fund, the tourism growth program and Destination Canada's core funding, and the exclusion of tourism from the capital cost allowance, undermine the sector's potential.”
“Mr. Speaker, the member should talk to the residents in his riding who lost their jobs when GM cut the third shift in Oshawa. This summer, GM announced plans to invest $4 billion in three auto plants. That does not include the $800 million in Tonawanda, New York, just across the border from us, and it is not St. Catharines. As billions of dollars flee Canada for the U.S., Canadian auto workers are watching in dismay. Why does the Prime Minister seem more interested in helping U.S. auto workers than those here at home?”
“Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of Liberal government, Canada has the fastest-shrinking economy of any G7 country. Since the Prime Minister 's visit to Washington, the U.S. commerce secretary stated that car assembly is going to be in America and there is nothing Canada can do about it. The Liberal Prime Minister recently promised the President that $1 trillion of new investment will flow into the United States. Are those the jobs of Canadian auto workers, including those at the GM plant in St. Catharines?”
“Mr. Speaker, General Motors has had a presence in St. Catharines since 1929, nearly 100 years. If the Liberal government does not act, it might not reach the century mark. As billions of dollars flee Canada for the U.S., Canadian auto workers are watching in dismay as their Prime Minister offers up their jobs to the Trump administration, and for what, a free lunch? When will the Liberal Prime Minister stop selling out our Canadian auto workers, or has he already concluded that their jobs are motoring to the United States?”
“Mr. Speaker, Canada has the fastest-shrinking economy in the G7 and the second-highest unemployment levels. If we listen to the U.S. commerce secretary, it is only going to get worse for auto workers, including those at the local GM plant in St. Catharines. In May, GM announced its largest investment ever in an engine plant just across the border from us in Tonawanda, New York. Meanwhile, it was crickets in St. Catharines. Why is the Liberal Prime Minister so hell-bent on selling out our hard-working Canadian auto workers?”
“Conservatives have offered a simple solution, which is to stop the hidden Liberal food taxes on fuel, fertilizer and farm equipment. lnstead, the Liberals voted against our recent Conservative motion. Conservatives will keep fighting for affordability, even when the Prime Minister and the Liberals will not.”
“Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Liberals spend comes out of the pockets of Canadians and inflates the price of everything, including food. The Prime Minister told Canadians when he was sworn in that they should judge him by the cost at the grocery store. Well, the results are in after six months in office. Food Banks Canada has given the Prime Minister and his Liberal government a D on poverty and food insecurity after both rose by almost 40%. Sadly, organizations such as the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto said it expects to exceed four million visits in 2025, twice what it saw two years ago. ln my own community of Niagara Falls, one in seven residents visit our local food bank, Project Share. The Liberals should be ashamed of themselves.”
“This bill would amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to require that inmates who have been found to be dangerous offenders or convicted of more than one first-degree murder be assigned a security classification of maximum and confined in a maximum security penitentiary or area in a penitentiary. Weak and soft Liberal laws are putting the interest and care of criminals ahead of victims and their loved ones. This must change, and confidence must be restored in Canada's criminal justice and corrections system. My private member's bill is an important part of the solution, and I hope members of all parties can stand together and support this common-sense bill to do what is right. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)”
“Bill C-232. Introduction and first reading moved for leave to introduce Bill C-232, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders) . He said: Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. After 10 years of Liberal soft-on-crime policies and reforms, Canadians are now looking to us to restore common sense to our criminal justice system in Canada. My private member's bill would help do exactly that, and it is a response to concerns raised by not only the constituents in my riding of Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, but also those across the Niagara region and across this country. On May 29, 2023, Correctional Service Canada downgraded Paul Bernardo from maximum security prison to medium security. This shocking prison transfer should never have happened.”
“Mr. Speaker, the cities of Welland, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls have all indicated that our justice system fails Canadians when repeat violent offenders are allowed back onto our streets. That is why common-sense Conservatives have proposed a jail-not-bail law, a “three strikes and you're out” bill and more. Today, I will introduce a bill that proposes to keep monsters like Paul Bernardo locked up in maximum security where they belong. Will the Liberals support our common-sense justice reforms to restore Canadians' confidence in our criminal justice system?”
“Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of passing catch-and-release laws that turn criminals loose on our streets, the Liberals are obstructing the passage of common-sense jail-not-bail proposals. Violent crime is up 55%. In Niagara, residents were horrified when they heard the news of Daniel Senecal breaking into a Welland home and sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl while her family slept. On Monday, will the Liberals accept our common-sense proposal on criminal justice reform and pass our Conservative “three strikes and you're out” bill?”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise in this chamber as the first vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Science and Research, representing the Conservatives. Witnesses, committee analysts and parliamentarians from all parties contributed their valuable time and effort into producing this report in the previous Parliament, and I am pleased to see this report being tabled today. His Majesty's opposition did submit a dissenting opinion, which is attached and included in the first report. In essence, Conservatives disagree with the recommendations in the report that called for unfunded spending. With regard to the second report, “Science and Research in Canada's Arctic in Relation to Climate Change”, the Conservatives have produced a dissenting report, and we again, in essence, disagree with the notion of unfunded spending.”
“Mr. Speaker, in May, GM announced a record-setting $888-million investment in one of our local V8 engine plants. The problem is that it is investing it in Tonawanda, New York, just miles away from our very own V8 engine plant in St. Catharines. Workers in Niagara are worried about their future, and now a new report says that the unjustified U.S. tariffs could kill over 50,000 auto sector jobs in Canada. Will the Liberals admit their failure to get a deal with the U.S. threatens to kill thousands of good-paying auto sector jobs in southern Ontario?”
“Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's comments are absolutely correct. The hard-working people of Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake sit around their kitchen table and plan a budget. They plan for the hardships they have been undertaking because of the government. We are in an affordability crisis. People are pinching their pennies, and yet they see a government that wastefully spent $64 billion. On top of that, the government cannot even share with the House a plan, a budget for the future. What it has dropped before us is estimates showing half a trillion dollars in spending, which is 8% up, and yet there is no plan or detail on where those monies, the revenue, is going to come from.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the Bloc for its support for the motion and the upcoming vote on the motion. What is important is that we have put a timeline on it. What we are asking is for the government to act and to act with a sense of urgency. What I mentioned in my remarks is that this is $64 million we could actually recover. With respect to the damage the government did through its ArriveCAN app to the tourism economy, those monies are not recoverable. We owe it to the hard-working taxpayers and hard-working individuals in the tourism sector to get that money back for the impacts the arrive scam app had on my community.”
“Mr. Speaker, I welcome the hon. member to this place. The Auditor General indicated that emergency measures' being put in place does not mean that the government cannot still follow the rules, and it should ensure that it does follow the procurement rules. In this case, it failed to do so, and that was to the detriment of Canadians, not only taxpayers but also the tourism sector in particular, which suffered because of the inept Liberal government.”
“Getting Canadian taxpayers their money back and protecting Canadians from another arrive scam ever happening again by the same company or its founders is the least the Liberal government can do, and that is why I call on all my colleagues in the House to stand in support of the motion.”
“Despite the measures' having been lifted, the Liberal government kept the mandatory use of ArriveCAN in place until the fall, when it finally made the app optional in October, 2022. This delayed action was a self-inflicted attack, there can be no other word for it, by the federal Liberals against the Canadian tourism industry, and it delayed any hope for a tourism recovery that year. Although the costs we are discussing today in the motion focus on the GC Strategies contract, the personal and economic costs incurred by Canadians as a result of the broken and dysfunctional ArriveCAN app that was implemented by the reckless and careless Liberals are enormous, perhaps immeasurable, and they are not recoverable. This is why our Conservative motion makes so much common sense.”
“In fact, the National Airlines Council of Canada stated that “following the requirement to use ArriveCAN, processing times for travellers at Canadian ports of entry were ‘about five times as long as they were before ArriveCAN’”. In addition to the direct impacts of the app, there were also concerns being raised about why the federal government mandated the use of ArriveCAN for as long as it did. In the report, testimony provided by McMaster University's Dr. Zain Chagla shows he openly “questioned the continued mandatory use of [ArriveCAN] in spring 2022,” when some public health measures were being lifted in time to welcome the 2022 summer tourism season, which in Niagara is our peak tourism season.”
“The report says, “The Customs and Immigration Union compared the country’s land borders to ‘parking lots’”, as the mandatory use of the app at the borders caused processing times for all travellers arriving in Canada to skyrocket. As of June 15, 2022, the Customs and Immigration Union observed that CBSA officers were processing 30 cars per hour at the Canadian port of entry, compared to 60 cars per hour in the years preceding the pandemic. Further, the wait times at the Rainbow Bridge rose from about one half hour during the 2019 Victoria Day weekend to just over two hours during the same weekend in 2022. These delays were felt not only at land borders; airports also experienced the pains and significant bottlenecks.”
“It reads, “The Tourism Industry Association of Canada stated that the mandatory use of ArriveCAN and its requirements had a ‘massive effect’ on Canada’s tourism sector, resulting in ‘a drop of 50% or more in the number of Americans coming into the country.’” Further, the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority characterized the mandatory use of ArriveCAN as a “disincentive” and an “inconvenience” to discretionary travel. We felt these economic impacts in my region of Niagara. As a result of fewer American tourists arriving by auto, the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission experienced a 53% drop in auto crossings in June of 2022, compared to the same month in 2019. In addition to lower volume, travel essentially came to a halt.”
“In fact, over 10,000 Canadians were wrongly ordered to quarantine as a result of a glitch in the ArriveCAN app. (1650) This glitch created undue and significant emotional stress and impacted people's lives in different ways, whether it was having to give up work shifts, cancel appointments or miss important family events. In addition to the personal impacts that the dysfunctional ArriveCAN app caused people, there is also the economic cost. In March 2023, the international trade committee, which I sat on as a member, published a report on the economic impacts of ArriveCAN.”
“At times, data coverage on the border can be sketchy; travellers can also accidentally incur expensive roaming fees. Language barriers were also a challenge, and seniors felt disproportionately targeted and discriminated against. The app failed on many occasions, when it glitched or faced other software issues. In fact, this is exactly what happened to Bernadette from my riding, a 75-year-old constituent at the time. Upon arriving in Canada from her trip to the U.S., Bernadette was told she would have to be quarantined for 14 days, despite being double-vaccinated and having a booster. Shortly after returning home, she began receiving threatening phone calls from the Government of Canada, harassing her to complete her testing requirements or face jail time and/or a $650,000 fine. Bernadette's case was not the only one.”