House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2019, with 50% of the vote.
Canada Pension Plan November 14th, 2016
Madam Speaker, that is a very pejorative interpretation of what the bill intends to do. As I mentioned, I spoke to many high school students. I told them that we had an aging population that would need medical assistance, that would retire all at once and that they would have to foot the bill or incur the cost of that. They agreed we should prepare for that situation right now. It is prudent for our government to put these parameters in place so they will not have to incur those costs later on.
Canada Pension Plan November 14th, 2016
Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise in the House to speak to Bill C-26, an act to amend the Canada pension plan, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act and the Income Tax Act.
Since being elected a little over a year ago, I have had many conversations with my constituents in Mississauga—Streetsville, ranging from security for seniors to things that concern youth. However, one of the more consistent concerns that has been brought to my attention is what our government is doing to help working-class Canadians who are looking to retire.
Many of my constituents have contacted my office and explained to me that even though they have been working hard their entire adult life, they are not confident they can safely retire. I know my constituents are not the only Canadians who have such concerns. All across the country, middle-class Canadians are working harder than ever, yet they are deeply concerned that they do not have enough money saved for a stable retirement.
More than one-quarter of Canadian families are nearing retirement and each year fewer and fewer Canadians have workplace pensions to fall back on. This leaves approximately 1.1 million families facing the intimidating risk of not having enough money saved to maintain their standard of living when they retire.
These Canadians fear that because of this, they will have to work for longer than they had planned and ultimately miss out on spending precious time with their families. As a result of this, a grandfather may not be able to take his grandchildren on a camping trip or may miss their sporting events because he could not get time off from work. A mother may have to cancel the road trip she was planning with her daughter for years, because she was called in for a last-minute shift. Ultimately, many Canadians will miss out on many important moments.
However, it is not just families nearing retirement that are concerned with this issue. Over the past year, I have met with any young Canadians who are just finishing school and are about to enter the workforce. They are concerned that with fewer jobs offering workplace pension plans, they will find it difficult to save enough of their earnings for a stable retirement.
It is no secret that Canadians are living longer lives. Although we should be grateful for this, longer life expectancies ultimately mean that the level of savings required to achieve a stable retirement is increased. With the population of my riding expecting to grow by 4% over the next 15 years and 6% over the next 25, there will only be more constituents with the same concerns if these issues are not addressed. However, I am confident that this bill addresses the concerns of my constituents and many Canadians across the country.
With all nine Canada pension plan participating provinces confirming their support, I know I am not the only person who has confidence in the bill.
Once it takes effect, Bill C-26 will increase the maximum Canada pension plan retirement benefit by roughly 50%. Currently, the maximum benefit is $13,110. However, after this enhancement, the number will increase by roughly $7,000 for a maximum benefit of $20,000.
Bill C-26 would do two very crucial things. It would increase the amount of money Canadians would get from their pension from one-quarter of their earnings to one-third. This means that a hard-working Canadian making $50,000 annually would received $16,000 annually in retirement. The bill would also increase the maximum income range covered by the Canada pension plan by 14% so that those who earn more will receive more in retirement.
We have heard from our colleagues that they are concerned that the cost of the bill would put a significant strain on taxpayers. To answer this, the government is ensuring that the changes in contributions will be phased-in slowly over seven years, which will give individuals and employers sufficient time to adjust to the minor increase. For low-income workers who may be concerned about the change in contributions, the legislation would provide an enhancement to the working income tax benefit designed to provide additional benefits that would offset the incremental Canada pension plan contribution.
Furthermore, it is important to note that contributions to the enhanced portion of the Canada pension plan will be deductible. Providing a tax deduction for new employee Canada pension plan contributions will avoid increasing the after-tax cost of savings for Canadians. For employers, employer contributions to the enhanced portion of the Canada pension plan will be deductible for income for tax purposes. For self-employed Canadians who contribute both the employer and employee share of the Canada pension plan, they will be able to deduct both the employee and employer share of contributions to the enhanced portion of the CPP.
Last week, I visited many local high schools and spent time speaking to hundreds of students. When discussing the proposed Canada pension plan enhancement, these young individuals overwhelmingly supported the legislation. They understood and supported the idea of small, incremental increases in contributions to ensure a secure and stable pension.
It is young people like the ones I met last week who will be inheriting the policies and programs we create today. The support of these young people should be a testament as to why all members in the House should support the bill. We, as members of Parliament, must think of them when debating legislation in the House. I am confident the bill will have a positive impact on the future of young Canadians, which is why I am proud to be speaking to the bill today.
During my campaign last year, I had many young volunteers helping me. When I was elected, I promised to be their advocate in Ottawa. By standing here today to speak to the bill, a bill that would have a positive impact on their future, I know I am fulfilling that promise. The positive impact the bill can have is truly significant. The bill would ensure that every Canadian worker could retire with a safe and secure pension. Young Canadians entering the workforce could enter with confidence, knowing that legislation would be in place to ensure they would have enough saved when the time comes for them to retire.
Union Park October 6th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to recognize the opening of Union Park, a new community park in Meadowvale. I would also like to commend Councillor Pat Saito and the City of Mississauga employees who made this project possible.
In 1957, the Union Natural Gas Company of Canada constructed a gas transmission facility that was operational in the 1960s. In 2012, the City of Mississauga obtained the land from Union Gas. It is now one of the most innovative parks I have ever seen, complete with a new playground, shaded canopy, walking paths, a dog run, and a multi-sport court with basketball nets that turns into one of two hockey rinks. The fun does not stop there, as the park also includes a water feature, adult exercise stations, a tobogganing area, and a skate park with a half-pipe.
I would like to encourage all residents to get out and enjoy this park.
Criminal Code (passive detection device) September 21st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I would like to thank my colleagues for their contributions to the discussion and their thoughtful insights.
Before discussing the bill, I would like to mention the human aspect.
In 2015, during the campaign, I heard that a teacher in my riding had lost his life at the hands of an impaired driver. Shortly after being elected, a constituent of mine asked me to do something about this.
The second part of the bill is called Kassandra's law and was formerly introduced by my colleague , the member for Langley—Aldergrove.
Unfortunately, Kassandra, too, lost her life at the hands of an impaired driver. I had the pleasure of going to British Columbia and meeting Kassandra's parents. They are working with Families for Justice. They have collected over 100,000 manual signatures in support of ending drinking and driving.
As we can see, this is a real concern of Canadians across the country.
To speak to the first part of the bill, on the passive alcohol sensor, for the most part, this device is already at the disposal of peace officers. It is a device they have. It can be used in conjunction with their sensors or as a complete alternative, but it will help establish the reasonable grounds we need at a higher accuracy rate, especially when it comes to the RIDE program.
The second part of the bill is called Kassandra's law. It is asking that the Criminal Code be amended so that the offence of impaired driving causing death is called vehicular homicide as a result of impairment.
This may seem innocuous, but I believe it sends a strong message that parliamentarians believe that we should call this what it is, which is homicide. That is why I implore all parliamentarians to support the bill, because we know that the criminal offence of impaired driving is still the leading cause of criminal death in Canada.
Once again, I would like to thank my colleagues. I look forward to any suggestions the committee may have.
Streetsville Founders' Bread and Honey Festival June 7th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I had the pleasure of participating in the annual bread and honey festival in Streetsville.
Since its inception in 1973, the bread and honey festival has celebrated commerce in the local community, originated in part by the flour mills. Having so many bee yards existing at the time, it was only natural to add honey. Even today, everyone enjoys bread that is specially baked by the local milling companies and generously coated with local honey.
The weekend long festival is filled with events and activities for all ages, kicked off by a parade through the main strip of the village. I have attended this event for 31 years, this being my first as the member of Parliament.
It was especially nice to see kids enjoying the festival, as I did growing up. I would like to thank the organizers and volunteers for making this year's bread and honey festival possible and for keeping the local tradition alive.
Fort McMurray Fire May 16th, 2016
Madam Speaker, I want to bring to the attention of the Prime Minister and the House a little Canadian with a big heart.
An elementary school student, Malachy Haran, while participating in an annual village cleanup held by local Councillor George Carlson, with his father, asked me for a donation to help those affected by the Fort McMurray fires. In his blue Tupperware container, he had already collected $100.
I do not need to remind the House of the devastation that the Fort McMurray fires have brought. However, it is uplifting to see young Canadians like Malachy willing to take it upon themselves to get involved and make a difference.
I was happy to hear that the idea to raise money for those affected came from Malachy himself. If there are more young Canadian leaders like Malachy, the future of Canada is in good hands.
Criminal Code May 3rd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, we should always use technology as it advances. As I mentioned, the passive alcohol sensor has been around for quite some time, but before it was a self-contained unit. Now it is a feature in the approved screening devices that many of the agencies carry.
It is a tool at their disposal, and at the moment it is not being used. It is available for them. We should use these technologies to stop drunk drivers.
Criminal Code May 3rd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to hear of the member's loss. As he said, MADD does endorse the bill. I have spoken to a number of police agencies. I have yet to have an official endorsement, so I would rather have them unnamed at the moment, but I am working in consultation with them. I hope to have those endorsements soon.
Criminal Code May 3rd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, to the best of my knowledge, it is being used in the United States, specifically California. I believe similar devices are being used in Australia.
I do not know of any charter challenges that may have occurred in those jurisdictions, but I believe this passive alcohol sensor would survive a charter challenge, as I stated in my speech, due to Dedman v. The Queen. It pretty much states that it is a reasonable limit to regulate, because when one has a driver's licence, it is pretty much a privilege, and in order to keep others safe, that is a reasonable grounds to interfere on someone's rights of driving.
Criminal Code May 3rd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, when using the passive alcohol sensor, not only would we speed up the RIDE program but we would have a greater degree of accuracy. It would allow the current approved screening device to use the feature of the passive alcohol sensor to pretty much detect whether there would be alcohol in the ambient air around an individual's face with greater accuracy. Once there is that greater accuracy and speed, the police would be able to go through a greater number of people, thereby capturing potential drunk drivers