Evidence of meeting #53 for Finance in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was colleges.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
Thank you very much for your presentation.
Thank you to all of you.
We will start members' questions with Mr. McCallum, for seven minutes.
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome to all of you.
This is not our last meeting of the tour, but it's our last meeting of the day.
Perhaps I could start with the VON. My mother used to be a VON nurse, so I know a little bit about it.
I totally agree with you that this issue of unpaid family caregivers is critical and will become more and more important with an aging population, obviously. I was not aware, though. Are you telling me that the existing tax credit is not refundable?
President and Chief Executive Officer, VON Canada (Victorian Order of Nurses)
With the current tax credit, if you don't earn anything you don't get a tax credit. In Quebec, if you have the expenditure and you earn zero, you get it as a benefit.
I see our esteemed colleague there nodding his head, and he probably knows far more about it than I.
President and Chief Executive Officer, VON Canada (Victorian Order of Nurses)
Yes. You guys are all public servants, and you came to it to do the right thing, so I really have a lot of respect for you. I do.
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Okay. Well, I certainly agree with the thrust of what you said, and I'm particularly disturbed that it's not refundable, because I don't think people with lower incomes should be deprived of this assistance by virtue of having low incomes. So it seems to me it's long overdue that it be refundable.
President and Chief Executive Officer, VON Canada (Victorian Order of Nurses)
There are two things. One is the fact that they just can't submit a claim. If you have no income, you don't submit a claim, right? The second is the gradual phasing out at the income of $18,000—the credit gradually gets lower and lower and then at $18,000 you are at zero. Who can live on $18,000? And there are at least two people if you are a caregiver.
Liberal
President and Chief Executive Officer, VON Canada (Victorian Order of Nurses)
I agree.
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
And I'm sure it can be fixed, given money.
Now to Allyson Hewitt, I really like this idea. I've had some discussions with Tim Draimin and Paul Martin about this idea. I think it's great. And the fact that the U.K. and the U.S. have been doing it for some time suggests that we are behind. I think this idea has been pushed for some time.
My question is perhaps a slightly unusual question. Why has it not already happened in Canada? What is the main source of resistance? Is it the bureaucrats in the finance department? Is it politicians? What is it?
Director, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Innovation Generation
I think it's basic awareness. I really think people don't have a sense that there's a social enterprise sector in Canada and how vibrant it is. In the U.K. we've had some great champions. They've been able to push it through a social finance agenda. We have been without those champions, or certainly to date we've been unable to find them.
But you're right, Paul Martin is absolutely someone who has emerged in this space. I think if we can narrow down exactly what it is that we want, it'll happen.
It's really quite confusing—
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Well, maybe this problem is partly that you haven't formulated it clearly enough.
Director, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Innovation Generation
I agree. It's all quite new, and I think just learning from what's happening in the U.K. and the U.S., we can now.... They've been doing it for a couple of years, particularly this new hybrid structure. We can take their learnings and accelerate their learnings for Canada, make it our own.
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Okay.
On the CNIB, I won't ask you a question because I had the pleasure of visiting with two of your colleagues in my office the other day, but I certainly think it's a great project and I'm in support of it.
Director, Government Relations, Canadian National Institute for the Blind
Thank you very much.
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
A number of you were talking about poverty issues and that kind of thing. Let me just say I believe that while we may be technically out of the recession, we're not nearly out of the recession in human terms, because the jobs always lag behind other things. Most economists think that joblessness will continue to rise and probably reach 10% next year. So we're going to have what you might call a jobless recovery, which isn't a real recovery.
Regarding a lot of the things you are saying, the importance of them are strengthened by that point.
So what's my question?
Liberal
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
On the question of paraplegics, you say that you wish the government to renew the residential rehabilitation assistance program for persons with disabilities. That seems to be a core program, a core part of what your requirements are.
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
When does this program end if it is not renewed? And do you have any indication yet from the government as to the likelihood of renewing?
President, Canadian Paraplegic Association
I don't think we have received that indication. If anyone is able to enlighten us or clarify that, that would be great. But we certainly feel that its ongoing renewal is critical, and in fact, we are recommending that it be expanded, given the unmet need that exists.
I just want to say, on the poverty thing, that if the disability community had a 10% unemployment rate, I think it would die and go to heaven, actually. We have an unemployment rate of close to 50% in the disability community. I just want to respond to that particular piece, because it would be great for us if we could get even to 10%.
