Kevin Vuong

[Supplementary Estimates (C), 2021-22, March 24th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I agree to apply the results of the previous vote and vote in favour.

[Supplementary Estimates (C), 2021-22, March 24th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I agree to apply the results of the previous vote and am voting in favour.

[Diversity and Inclusion, March 23rd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, on January 28, the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion announced the government's intention to appoint a special representative on combatting Islamophobia.

Last week, on March 19, Canadians saw yet another attack, this time at a mosque in the GTA. We remember Quebec City. We remember London. Racism is alive and well in Canada, and more must be done to combat it.

Could the minister inform this House when the special representative will be appointed?

[Foreign Affairs, March 21st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for expanding on the support we have been providing to Ukraine and to neighbouring countries. Not only do we have to stick together; we must stand together, and we will win together. I thank the member and the government for all we are doing to support Ukraine, Poland and our neighbouring NATO allies.

[Foreign Affairs, March 21st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the answer I received to my initial question, one that I support, outlines Canada's efforts to assist people trying to flee the violence in Ukraine. I support our nation's legacy of providing shelter to those in dire need. Forty years ago, it was my parents and other refugees who were being generously welcomed to Canada. I would not have the honour of standing before members today if not for the compassion of Canada.

However, my question was not on Canada's effort to assist Ukrainian refugees to come to Canada, but on whether Canada would be providing assistance to Poland and other NATO allies that have opened their borders to the Ukrainian exodus. Three weeks ago, when I asked the government if it would assist, there were 115,000 refugees headed for Poland. Today, 3.3 million Ukrainians have fled their country to seek sanctuary. Poland has welcomed more than two million of them.

Poland is a nation of honour. The Polish know what it is like to stand up to aggression and they know what it is like to stand up to tyranny. It is why the first line of the country's national anthem is “Poland is not yet lost”. It is why the country's historical unofficial motto is “for our freedom and yours”.

I have seen first-hand the courage and honour of the Polish people as a proud member of the Warsaw Security Forum community. I see the efforts of my friends in Poland who are doing everything they can to support Ukrainians who have sought shelter in their country, but resources are being stretched to the brink. Thus, my question remains relevant: Will Canada support our allies at this tragic time?

I am asking if my hon. colleague can inform the House whether Canada will be providing help to those nations that have opened their borders to the sea of humanity seeking safety. That is my question that I am asking again, both of the government and of my hon. colleague.

[COVID-19 Economic Measures, March 1st, 2022]

Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague said that I am late to the game. The province is starting to open up. When is this national convening going to happen? The inaction by the government has led to us losing Canada's most successful musical, Come From Away. In our hometown of Toronto, it has closed.

I want to localize the impact this has had due to inaction. Come From Away attracted more than a million patrons to Toronto. Box office sales surpassed $115 million with $15 million in HST. The show created jobs over 9,000 employee weeks. This was for the cast, stage managers, musicians, crew members and front of the house team members.

When will the national convening happen?

[COVID-19 Economic Measures, March 1st, 2022]

Madam Speaker, it has been nearly a month since I asked the Minister of Canadian Heritage whether he would consider hosting a national conference on the future of art. Since then, performing artists have continued to reach out to me about how their livelihoods are imperiled. The arts community is an integral part of our economy, and while the additional funding by the government via the Canada performing arts workers resilience fund was a positive step for sector resilience, we are far from the end of the crisis. This is why I called on the minister to convene a national conference on the future of art, because it is clear that we have to find a way to live with COVID. It is clear also that every industry is different and that we must develop a targeted approach to how we will support different sectors and how we will support the arts community.

I will give an example. When the Province of Ontario initiated a lockdown in response to the omicron variant, the arts were lumped into the same bucket as sports arenas. It did not matter that when we were watching Come From Away or when I went to see The Nutcracker, I and other audience members were doing so quietly and we were masked. It did not matter that this was an experience vastly different from that of the Scotiabank Arena, where audiences are eating and drinking and cheering for the Raptors and the Leafs.

Let me be clear. I know that everyone here will appreciate that this fell within provincial jurisdiction. However, it is federally, not just in funding but also in leading and in convening, that the government can take action because, unfortunately, the decimation to the arts community is sadly not just exclusively in my riding and not just in Ontario but all across Canada. This is why Canada needs, and again I reiterate my call for it, a national conference to forge the path forward on the future of art in our country.

Like my hon. colleague, I have been at the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, where we have heard from many witnesses about the need for this because of the crippling impact that COVID has had on their sector. In fact, quite a number of the witnesses whom the heritage committee has heard from were from my riding of Spadina—Fort York, such as Ms. Kendra Bator of Mirvish Productions and Ms. Barbara Diabo, chair of the grand council of the Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance, to name but a couple. The statements provided by them and other witnesses were startling.

The cost that COVID has levied on the Canadian arts community is alarming, and we must act, because the cost of inaction is not just on Canadian art and culture, which I would suggest is priceless; the price of inaction will mean jobs lost, local businesses continuing to be devastated, and forgone tax revenue.

Let me share some of the stats that Kendra from Mirvish, which is our country's largest theatre production company, shared with the heritage committee. In 2019, over 1.8 million people attended a commercial theatre production. On tickets alone, audiences spent over $160 million, generating over $19 million in tax revenue. This does not even include a billion dollars spent on additional travel, hotels, restaurants, parking and retail.

When people support the arts community, they are also supporting Canadian small businesses. When they support the arts community, they are also supporting Canadian tourism. When they support the arts community, they are supporting Canadian jobs and culture.

Does my hon. colleague not agree that we have to take action and that the government must convene a national conference on the future of art?

[Foreign Affairs, February 28th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, last week I met with Ilya and Liudmyla in my constituency office. They will soon be Canadian citizens and are excited to begin the next chapter of their lives. However, Liudmyla also told me that she is worried about her mom and her family, who are living in bomb shelters. In Ukraine, others are in long lines of refugees at the Polish border. Over 115,000 refugees are heading for safety in Poland. Thousands are also going to Romania and any EU country offering sanctuary. However, resources are being stretched to the brink.

Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs inform the House if Canada will provide assistance to countries opening their borders to the Ukrainian exodus?

[Emergencies Act, February 21st, 2022]

Madam Speaker, what is essential is people's livelihoods. What is essential is people's ability to afford rent, put food on the table and take care of their families. For three weeks, there were people who did not feel safe going home. For three weeks businesses were closed and disrupted. People's livelihoods are essential. That is why it is essential for the Emergencies Act to be implemented in a measured, limited, targeted way.

[Emergencies Act, February 21st, 2022]

Madam Speaker, as I emphasized during my comments, it was very vital that action was taken so that not just our neighbours and communities here in Ottawa, but our country could move forward, with certainty and confidence in communities that have already been impacted, like Windsor, as my colleague was referring to, and others, because people's livelihoods and businesses are at stake. As a former entrepreneur and business owner, I cannot imagine what that experience has been like for those whose livelihoods and dreams have been impacted. Again, that is why I support the targeted, measured, time-limited use of the Emergencies Act.