Debates of Dec. 9th, 2014

Employment Insurance

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, it seems that the NDP has the same solution for every problem: hire tens of thousands of government union members.

We, on the other hand, believe that we need to deliver public services efficiently. That is why we have reduced the costs for processing each EI application by 42% through automation and other improvements. We are hiring more staff and we are continuing to speed up the process.

I would like to once again thank my parliamentary secretary for his recommendations on this file.

Pensions

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, far too many Canadian seniors reach retirement and find they do not have enough savings to live comfortably.

Public pensions just have not kept pace with rising costs and changing workplaces, leaving seniors struggling to meet their most basic needs, and the situation is just getting worse. Yet still the Conservatives refuse calls from the provinces and from millions of Canadians to boost the Canada pension plan.

Why is the minister still blocking action? Does he not agree that all Canadian seniors deserve to retire in dignity?

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians do not want to pay higher taxes.

Ontarians should be aware that the Liberals' new mandatory deduction would force a family with two workers to pay as much as $3,200 more each and every year. That is the opposition way. It consistently asks us to raise taxes. It consistently is looking for ways to take money out of the pockets of Canadians. We will not let that happen.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, more and more retirees are finding it difficult to make ends meet. People approaching retirement are realizing that the Canada pension plan has not kept pace with the cost of living. Canadians and some provinces are calling for better coverage. Our retirees deserve to live in dignity.

Why are the Conservatives refusing to co-operate with workers and the provinces to improve the Canada pension plan?

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, we just answered the question. Again, we recognize on this side of the House that Canadians do not want to pay higher taxes. Payroll taxes, income taxes, whatever the taxes, Canadians do not need higher taxes or this Ontario new plan that would take up to $3,200 from each family where there are two people working.

The Liberals and the New Democrats keep looking for new ways to tax. On this side of the House, we are going to keep looking for ways that we can keep money in the pockets of Canadians.

The Economy

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, an OECD analysis confirms that reducing income inequality boosts economic growth. Government policies should focus on low-income families and lower middle class families. The OECD also noted that Canada is among the countries that have the largest income inequalities.

Does the Conservative government understand that its ideological policies are hampering our social and economic development?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, since this government was elected in 2006, the number of low-income Canadian families has dropped considerably.

In fact, we have lowered taxes for more than 800,000 families. With the Prime Minister's announcement last month, we are giving an additional $1,200 a year to the average family. This will help low-income families in particular.

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yet another report from the OECD highlights that Canada's wage gap is at an all-time high and warns of the negative impacts of growing income inequality. Liberals presided over a 94% increase in income inequality over the past 35 years, and the Conservatives accelerated the trend. At a time that our economy has been growing, more and more Canadians have fallen further behind. Why will the minister not take action to fight this trend by raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, we are proud that there are more than 1.4 million fewer Canadians living under the poverty line than when this government took office. The number of Canadians living below the low-income cut-off line, at 8.8%, is at its lowest level in Canadian history.

The best strategy to address income inequality and to help people in low-income situations is to ensure that they have good jobs, and that is exactly what this government is focused on; jobs that would be killed by the NDP's idea of a massive hike in the minimum wage. Instead, we are cutting people's taxes.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, such lefty bastions as the TD Bank, C.D. Howe Institute, and now the OECD have all shown not only that income inequality hurts the far too many Canadians who are left behind, but the growing gap is a direct threat to our fragile economy. We know the Minister of Finance is not so keen on doing any actual analysis of his programs, but rather than make things better, Conservatives invent new ways to make things worse and give more money to the wealthiest Canadians. Will the minister finally drop his $3 billion income-splitting scheme that would do nothing for more than 85% of Canadians and help out poor people in this country, for once?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, here is some analysis.

We have the lowest number of Canadians living in poverty in our country's history. There are 1.4 million fewer Canadians living in poverty than under the previous Liberal government. Canadians' wealth has increased dramatically, with the median net worth of our families increasing by 45% since this government took office and by almost 80% since 1999. Families benefit by an average of $3,400 in tax cuts, which would be enhanced through the family tax cut that would give low-income families with two young kids $3,800 a year just in the childcare benefit. Why does the NDP vote against these policies to help families?

Veterans Affairs

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs has overseen the clawback of over $1 billion that Parliament approved for veterans. He has cut front-line services that veterans desperately need. He has rewarded staff with thousands of dollars for denying veterans access to mental health services.

Does the Prime Minister really believe that no one else in the Conservative caucus can do a better job than the current minister? What message is he sending to Canadians who elected the other Conservative MPs?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our government has delivered, and today there are more services, more programs, more benefits, and more points of service for our veterans and their families.

Here are the facts. Opposition members voted against funeral and burial funding, they voted against career transition services, plus they voted against the children of deceased veterans education assistance program. On this side of the House, we stand up for our veterans, not for—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Westmount—Ville-Marie.

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, over the past three weeks, we have learned that Veterans Affairs Canada has clawed back over $1 billion, that it has laid off one-quarter of its staff, that veterans are waiting for months or years for mental health services, that the minister misled us regarding the funding of $200 million that is really going to be spread over 50 years, and that the so-called cuts to administrative services are really going to affect front-line services and employees.

When will the Prime Minister remove this incompetent and insensitive minister?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for that gracious question.

We have brought, in fact, real services, meaningful programs for our veterans and will continue to do so. The reality is that they voted against the disability and death compensation, voted against the earnings loss and supplementary retirement benefits, and voted against the veterans independence program and a host of other programs and services.

On this side of the House, we deliver for our veterans.

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after 10,000 complaints last year, HRDC is getting 400 new staff to deal with the mess it created, and ministerial staffers are up 21%. Meanwhile, Veterans Affairs cut nearly 1,000 jobs, most of them front-line service delivery, the kind identified by the Auditor General as causing delays in veterans receiving the help they need. Veterans' calls are not being answered and their benefits are delayed and denied.

Why do veterans always come last with these Conservatives?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, since our government came into power, we have, in fact, increased substantially the benefits and services and programs available to veterans.

The short story, of course, is that while opposition members vote against certain issues, we are promoting veterans' programs and services flat out. We continue to do that. We are very focused and will continue to provide services and programs to our veterans on the front line, where they count, not in the backrooms.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today the Assembly of First Nations honoured Rinelle Harper, a survivor of a horrific attack, who just a month ago was left for dead on a riverbank in Winnipeg. This courageous young woman shows strength and compassion by asking people to remember these words: love, kindness, respect, and forgiveness. She also asks for a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.

Will the government honour Rinelle Harper and call an inquiry?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, what happened to Rinelle Harper was an appalling and horrific crime. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with this brave young woman, and her family, who shows tremendous courage today and, I am sure, will in the future. Thanks to this family's brave actions, working with police in the local Winnipeg area, they were able to apprehend her attackers. The police deserve significant recognition for what they did.

Now Canadians can count on this government to make sure that we take violent crime, including against women and girls, very seriously.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today Rinelle Harper courageously added her voice to those of the thousands of people calling for a national public inquiry into what happened to 1,200 missing and murdered aboriginal women. She stands with the victims' families, the provinces and civil society, which all understand that in order to move forward, we have to understand the underlying causes of this violence.

Will the government honour and listen to Rinelle Harper and thousands of others and launch a national inquiry?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said several times in this House, our government has moved forward with actions that families have specifically asked for. Let me quote one of those families.

This Action Plan is something that our families have been waiting for. I would like to thank...the Government for their commitment to addressing this issue.... We've had numerous studies on this issue and the time for action is now. We can't stand idly by and talk about this without taking significant action. This Action Plan will have a direct impact on families and it will help keep our women and girls safe.

Now Bernadette Smith and her family are very focused on action, as are many across the country. Our government is taking that action.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Sadia Groguhé, NDP, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today, the High Commissioner for Refugees is organizing a meeting in Geneva to promote the relocation of 100,000 refugees of the Syrian civil war. The United Nations is calling on Canada to do its part. So far, only 163 refugees sponsored by private groups have arrived in Canada.

Why are the Conservatives refusing to heed the call of the United Nations? Why are they refusing to help the Syrian people?

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, with the resettlement of more than 22,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees over the past few years, Canada has done more than its share and will continue to do so.

As the Christmas season approaches, we still have a long way to go: there are more than 50 million refugees and displaced persons around the world, especially in the Middle East where several million people fled the brutality and violence of the Islamic State.

Why does the NDP oppose Canada's engagement in a military effort that might save the lives of millions?

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about the worst humanitarian crisis the world has seen in decades. Yet, despite pleas from the United Nations, calls from Canadians, and warnings from groups like Amnesty International, and despite his own department telling him that Canada could do much more for many more Syrian refugees, the minister sits idly by and does nothing. This is unconscionable.

How can the minister justify his refusal to act when so many lives hang in the balance?