Carole Freeman

[International Day of Older Persons, September 30th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow will be the 20th time we have celebrated the International Day of Older Persons.

In Quebec, 15% of the population is aged 65 and older. In 20 years, that proportion will exceed 25%.

We must do everything we can to allow our seniors to thrive, stay healthy, feel safe and actively participate in the economic, social, cultural and political spheres of life. We must also tackle the problem of poverty, which affects far too many seniors.

When FADOQ called on the government to increase the GIS by $110 a month, the government replied that it had already done all it could for seniors and refused to even meet with that organization. Yet ensuring that all retired people have a decent standard of living is a matter of justice and dignity.

Let us take the time today to recognize the key role our seniors play in modern society, and promise to defend their rights and help them enjoy full and rewarding lives.

[Information Rights Week, September 29th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, this week is Information Rights Week in Quebec and Canada. Information rights are critical to any democracy because they tell us how healthy a democracy is and reflect the authorities' willingness to be transparent.

Since the Conservatives came to power, there has been widespread criticism about the government keeping too tight a lock on information and having a culture of secrecy. Examples of this are many: Parliament was prorogued to prevent access to the Afghan detainee file, many senior public servants who dared to criticize the government have resigned, organizations that criticized the government have had their funding cut, and a unilateral decision was made to scrap the mandatory long form census to make it easier for the government to impose its ideology.

I should also note that three ministers, including the Prime Minister's Quebec lieutenant, have been the subject of priority investigations by the information commissioner.

According to the commissioner, “delays threaten to render the entire access [to information] regime irrelevant”. This government has to drop its obsession with controlling information—

[Infrastructure, September 27th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, apparently the minister did not understand the question in French.

While there is a desperate need for infrastructure, the government insists on maintaining arbitrary deadlines. The RCM of Roussillon and the Town of Châteauguay recently passed resolutions calling on the government to extend the deadline for Preco, the pipeline renewal program.

Will the government listen to this call from the municipalities who say they are unable to meet these deadlines?

[Committees of the House, June 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister truly believes he is above the law.

Does he realize that by digging in his heels and preventing his director of communications from testifying, the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics will have no choice but to draft a report and initiate the process to find him and Dimitri Soudas in contempt of Parliament?

[Committees of the House, June 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, like you, the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of the House of Commons has said that the parliamentary committees have the power to call whomever they want in order to accomplish their work. Today is the deadline for Dimitri Soudas to appear before the ethics committee.

Will the Prime Minister maintain his irresponsible position and continue to order his director of communications not to appear before the committee?

[Elder Abuse, June 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and I would like to draw the attention of the House to the suffering some seniors face.

Elder abuse is often of a financial nature, but it can take many other forms: negligence, physical abuse or unwanted medical treatment.

Some statistics are particularly worrisome. For instance, nearly half of all people who commit suicide are 65 or older. Of course money does not solve everything, but having greater financial means would allow many seniors to live with additional dignity.

For some time now, the Bloc Québécois has been calling for measures that will allow seniors to become more autonomous, such as a $110 monthly increase in the guaranteed income supplement, as well as automatic registration of persons 65 and older.

Let us take the opportunity we have on this special day to think about what we can do for our seniors. Above all, we must remain vigilant.

[Georges Gagné, June 10th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute to Georges Gagné, who has spent 60 years of his life serving the people of Delson, in Montérégie.

A municipal councillor from 1949 to 1973, he served nine consecutive terms as mayor of Delson, from 1973 to 2009.

His longstanding commitment to political life and the excellence with which he served make him a real model of perseverance for all elected representatives in his area and all across Quebec.

Among his achievements was the creation of the Delson industrial park, which today is home to more than 250 businesses.

On behalf of all my constituents, I want to thank Mr. Gagné for everything he has done for our community and wish him a happy retirement.

[Elder Abuse Awareness, June 9th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I must point out that June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Our fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles and aunts are the ones who built our society. They laid the groundwork for the development of Quebec society, which moved into the next stage with the Quiet Revolution. They are the ones who ensured that our family history will be passed down from generation to generation. What could be better than hearing our elders recount their version of our history?

However, despite the respect that most of us have for seniors, there are unfortunately far too many cases of mistreatment, which can go as far as physical or emotional abuse, fraud or neglect. The mistreatment of seniors is a taboo subject. Some experts estimate that 10% of seniors are subject to mistreatment. They cannot or choose not to inform the authorities or loved ones who can help them. Some witnesses keep quiet, do not know what to do, or do not have the wherewithal to react appropriately.

In Quebec, the SOS abuse information package launched in January 2010 provides stakeholders and seniors with a host of abuse detection tools as well as material on prevention, training and intervention. The Association québécoise de défense des droits des personnes retraitées et préretraitées and the Réseau québécois pour contrer les abus envers les aînés launched their project in January 2008 through Quebec-wide consultations. The results are now available in the 18 administrative regions of Quebec and close to 1,300 stakeholders are benefiting from it.

The Bloc Québécois is proud to acknowledge today the support provided by these agencies that are so crucial to social cohesion in Quebec.

These are not the only initiatives on the matter that have been taken in Quebec. In the coming days we are waiting to hear the results of two consecutive years of consultation by Quebec, which will launch its own plan to fight elder abuse. Quebec will acknowledge this international day on June 15 in its own right, as it has done in the past.

The Bloc Québécois joins Quebec in underscoring the desire of Canadians to do their part to raise awareness about and prevent elder abuse and would like its colleagues in the House to show the same openness to what is already being done in Quebec.

This is a day on which we must join forces and stand up for what we believe in so that our seniors may lead their lives to the full and in dignity. Dignity must be our common goal, and dignity is inevitably dependent on the income available to seniors. It is undeniable that the living conditions of each and every one of us are dictated by income. It is no different for seniors. Be it food, housing, health, travel or social life, financial independence is key to living a full life.

I see that my time is up, but I just want to say that—

[Committees of the House, June 9th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the ethics committee now considers that the Prime Minister's director of communications has been summoned to appear. However, Dimitri Soudas has rejected the motion passed by the committee on Tuesday, and he still has no intention of explaining his behaviour to the parliamentary committee.

Can the Prime Minister tell us if he instructed his director of communications not to appear before the ethics committee despite the motion that was passed on Tuesday?

[Committees of the House, June 8th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague that the law is the law, and no one is above the law.

The government's game is very clear. It is creating a crisis to be able to say that Parliament is not working, while failing to mention that it is the one responsible for the crisis. The height of cynicism in this whole affair will probably be when Dimitri Soudas reappears after his weeks-long game of hide-and-seek and the government announces a prorogation or election because Parliament cannot do its work.

Is that not the government's game, creating an artificial crisis to serve its own partisan interests?