Debates of June 12th, 2012
House of Commons Hansard #139 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.
Topics
- Question Period
- Government Response to Petitions
- Interparliamentary Delegations
- Income Tax Act
- Holidays Act
- Income Tax Act
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act
- Pooled Registered Pension Plans
- Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act
- Democracy
- Classy Concoctions
- Republic of the Philippines Independence Day
- Taxation
- Republic of the Philippines Independence Day
- New Denmark Founder's Day
- La Cloche--Manitoulin Lighthouse Association
- Women and Leadership
- Year of the Fransaskois
- Angels in Pink
- Republic of the Philippines Independence Day
- Portneuf Relay for Life
- Europe
- Captain John Russell
- Europe
- Official Languages
- Europe
- The Environment
- Health
- The Budget
- Fisheries and Oceans
- Public Safety
- National Defence
- Ethics
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Pensions
- The Economy
- Ethics
- National Defence
- Shipbuilding Industry
- Culture
- Riel House National Historic Site
- Budget Implementation Legislation
- Riel House National Historic Site of Canada
- Canada Post
- Health
- Artifacts
- Bill C-38
- Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act
- Privilege
- Jobs, Growth and Long-Term Prosperity Act
- An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act
- Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act
- Search and Rescue
Ethics
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Andrews Avalon, NL
Mr. Speaker, no one is going to take any ethics lessons from that parliamentary secretary. He made a personal commitment to resign just after serving two terms. That was eight years ago, four elections later, and I can tell by the monotone noise over there, he is still here.
The Prime Minister's PS and ethics spokesperson must come clean immediately or the Prime Minister must take away his responsibilities.
My question is for the Prime Minister. What is it going to be? Is he going to stand up and defend his parliamentary secretary or is he going to send him packing?
Ethics
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Nepean—Carleton
Ontario
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for reminding me of that particular commitment, which I made in a university essay many years ago. I am glad that he is reading my essays because I believe he has a lot to learn from them. In fact, I can send him over a whole package.
The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister has already done exactly the same thing. He provided all of his election financing to Elections Canada almost four years ago. They were approved, they were audited. We stand by him. He is doing a terrific job, and we are proud of his work.
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett St. Paul's, ON
Mr. Speaker, 70% of Inuit preschoolers live in homes where there is not enough food. Nutrition north has been a total failure. The Minister of Health designed it and she stubbornly refused to fix it.
My question for the Minister of Health is this. Why is she not standing up for hungry northern children? Why is she refusing to stand in the House and commit here and now to fix this problem she created?
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Vancouver Island North
B.C.
Conservative
John Duncan Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to providing northerners with healthy food choices at affordable prices—
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Liberal
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Speaker Andrew Scheer
Order, please. The hon. Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development has the floor. If there is one time when the member for St. Paul's should listen to the answer, it is when she has asked the question.
The hon. Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Conservative
John Duncan Vancouver Island North, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are 10% of this place and make 90% of the noise in this place.
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Conservative
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Conservative
John Duncan Vancouver Island North, BC
Mr. Speaker, we are investing approximately $60 million in 103 communities to lower the cost of nutritious food. We created the Nutrition North Canada Advisory Board, which is made up of northerners, to take stakeholder concerns and provide recommendations to the government. As the program continues to develop, it has resulted in lowering the cost of a healthy food basket for northern families.
Pensions
Oral Questions
June 12th, 2012 / 2:40 p.m.
NDP
Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Mr. Speaker, millions of Canadians have done honest work all their lives, earning enough to make ends meet and setting a little money aside for their old age. They looked to the future and dreamed of a well-deserved retirement.
But the Conservatives have decided that they are going to change the rules right in the middle of the game and that those workers will just have to wait a little longer.
Can the Conservatives account for their arbitrary choice of 2023 as the year in which they are going to start stealing money from seniors? Why not 2030 or 2020? We want details and we want to know why.
Pensions
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Simcoe—Grey
Ontario
Conservative
Kellie Leitch Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour
Mr. Speaker, in order to maintain the sustainability of OAS, the age of eligibility will be gradually raised to the age of 67, starting in 2023 and gradually increasing to 2029. Our government is committed to sustainable social programs and a secure retirement for all Canadians.
Pensions
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
NDP
Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Mr. Speaker, what we gather from that answer is that the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour is unable to account for the details of the changes to old age security.
The program is sustainable, but that doesn't matter; they will still steal $24,000 from seniors. In that way, they can give even greater tax cuts to the companies that make the biggest profits in the country.
If the Conservatives have any doubts about how to fund the program, we can help them. The NDP has solutions that do not involve stealing money from seniors at all.
Why are the Conservatives making seniors and future generations pay for their poor economic choices?
Pensions
Oral Questions
2:45 p.m.
Simcoe—Grey
Ontario
Conservative
Kellie Leitch Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour
Mr. Speaker, I will be very clear. We are about ensuring that there are sustainable social programs for all Canadians. That is why we are gradually increasing the age from 65 to 67 over a six-year period.
I would like to ask the NDP why it is that every one of these initiatives that we take to support seniors and young people in our country it never seems to want to support them.
Pensions
Oral Questions
2:45 p.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen London—Fanshawe, ON
Mr. Speaker, the system is already sustainable. It is Conservative arrogance that is not.
Canadians pay into OAS their entire working lives. Now Conservatives tell them that is just not enough.
These changes will affect Canadians regarding the GIS, veterans benefits, aboriginal benefits and corporate pension plans. Furthermore, widows and widowers will have to wait two extra years for survivor benefits.
The OAS system has already been proven sustainable. Why are the Conservatives forcing Canadians to work longer and pay more?