Evidence of meeting #5 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was families.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Evan Siddall  President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Louise Levonian  Chief Operating Officer, Service Canada, and Senior Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Employment and Social Development
Lori Sterling  Deputy Minister of Labour, Department of Employment and Social Development

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

MaryAnn Mihychuk Liberal Kildonan—St. Paul, MB

All right.

The issue that came up was that those areas could not meet the needs of the companies and we were vulnerable to losing many of those businesses and the work they were conducting.

The previous system set up by the Conservative government was not sensitive enough to deal with the pressure, and there is a precedent for this extension, in that it was also done last year, under the Conservative government as well.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bryan May

Thank you.

We'll move on to Mr. Sangha.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Ramesh Sangha Liberal Brampton Centre, ON

Mr. Duclos, you mentioned in your speech that the budget announced a lot of new programs for families, including middle-class tax cuts and child benefits. Can you expand on some of those programs that will help families and make their lives easier? Second, what are the expected outcomes of those programs?

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Jean-Yves Duclos Liberal Québec, QC

Let me mention four different aspects of the budget that are more relevant to families. The first one wasn't in the budget, but it was just before the budget, and that was the reduction of the tax on middle-lass families. We know that it will decrease taxes by an average of about $330 per adult for those nine million citizens who will benefit from the cut in their income taxes.

Second, there's significant investment in families with the Canadian child benefit. It's a budget of $23 billion. We know that this will benefit nine families out of ten by an average of $2,300. We also know that it will take 300,000 children out of poverty. As I said earlier, it will bring Canada to the lowest level of child poverty ever. It will also be the biggest fall in child poverty through a single measure. That's because it will reduce the child poverty rate from about 11.2% to 6.7%. That's a major outcome when we know that, again, it's not only the short-term well-being that matters. The longer-term impact of those investments is also important.

Third, there's the child care and early learning investment that we want to make. We've now announced resources in the budget for that. As I mentioned just quickly, in February and ever since then, when we've talked to our colleagues in the provinces and territories, we've heard that the involvement of the federal government is extremely important but must be respectful of the diversity of circumstances, interests, and ambitions of our provinces and territories. This is the universal, constant message that we had received and that we are receiving.

Finally, the significant investment in housing will help seniors, indigenous people in our northern communities, and also our families with children, especially those families struggling to make ends meet.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Ramesh Sangha Liberal Brampton Centre, ON

Thank you.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bryan May

You're done? Are you sharing your time?

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Ramesh Sangha Liberal Brampton Centre, ON

I'm sharing my time.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bryan May

Okay.

Monsieur Robillard.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Yves Robillard Liberal Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

Good afternoon, everyone.

Ladies and gentlemen, ministers, I want to thank you for being here with us today, and for your testimony before our committee.

Ms. Qualtrough, you share with Mr. Duclos a mandate to develop a national act for persons with disabilities, to eliminate systemic obstacles and guarantee equal opportunity to all persons with disabilities in Canada.

Could you describe the systemic issues that stand in the way of equal opportunity for persons with disabilities?

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC

Thank you very much for your question. It's a very important one.

As I said in my opening remarks, one of the things that we know is a legislative gap in our current system is the frustration many of us face as advocates when we have to wait until people are discriminated against to help them. We also know that there's a disproportionate burden on individuals with disabilities to address systemic issues through our current human rights structure. We also know that 50% of the complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission are on the ground of disability. So we know that there are systemic issues at play.

I can tell you that those issues include accessibility, as physical access is often denied or minimized, and they are attitudinal, as people have assumptions and incorrect knowledge about others' ability. People really focus on what they don't know about what someone with a disability can do, instead of what we'd like them to know.

By giving me the mandate to create a Canadians with disabilities act—which I have now taken to calling “accessibility legislation”, because I believe that's more inclusive—it gives us a chance to have historic conversations at the national level about disability issues, conversation that have never been had before. This will give Canadians with disabilities an unprecedented opportunity to talk about the sometimes difficult and very personal obstacles they face in their full participation in society.

As we move forward, I would say that this is a historic opportunity for us all to listen, to contribute, and to really make the lives of Canadians with disabilities, 14% of our population and growing as our population ages, better and more inclusive.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bryan May

That's the end of the shared time. We're going back to Mr. Robillard.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Yves Robillard Liberal Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

Could you tell us more specifically about the challenges persons with visual disabilities face, and what you intend to do to assist them?

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC

I have a bit of first-hand experience here. If you could see the font of my speaking notes, you would believe me.

For people with visual impairments, the challenge is often that the disability is hidden. It's not obvious sometimes that someone can't see you. It's not obvious sometimes that people can't read the material you're providing them.

So along with some more concrete accessibility measures, such as our recent introduction in the House of a law to eventually ratify and accede to the Marrakesh Treaty, for which I thank all of you for your support, we need to again challenge the assumptions made around people and their abilities.

There are feelings of severe social isolation that come with not being able to visually participate in the world in the same way as others. There is also a lack of comprehension of how people interact with the world.

In sport, for example, which is my other passion, we know it takes a child who is as legally blind as me—that is, someone who has less than 10% corrected vision—seven times longer than a sighted child to get the same benefit from an experience. It's not enough to teach someone how to run. You have to give them seven chances to do the same skill, and this creates some barriers to inclusion.

We know there are 800,000 Canadians who are visually impaired. Referring back to the Marrakesh Treaty, we know that not having access to printed material in alternate formats means there are barriers to education, employment, and to full participation in political and social life.

I can tell you personally that there were some times during the campaign when I couldn't participate in a debate because they handed out questions that were in a small font, or I had to ask for help, which made me feel very vulnerable. It's off-putting when you're nervous in a new situation.

I think it's important to take the opportunity provided by the consultation process to educate ourselves on the various forms of disability and impairment that our fellow Canadians experience, while being a little more open-minded about their potential and the way people contribute to our society. The more access we have, the more we can contribute. I would encourage everyone to be more open-minded.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bryan May

You again?

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Yves Robillard Liberal Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

No.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bryan May

You're sharing your time, okay.

Ms. Tassi.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Filomena Tassi Liberal Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON

I'd like to echo what everyone has said around the table in welcoming the three ministers here this afternoon. I'd like to thank you for your opening remarks and express my thanks to your support teams. I know work as a minister is very challenging, and I thank each of you for all you've done to meet these challenges.

My question is for Minister Qualtrough. Let me start by saying I appreciate the passion you bring to the ministry with which you have been charged. It's refreshing and wonderful to hear how much you care about the Canadians you're serving.

I'm going to ask a question with respect to accessibility. For people not living with disabilities, many of these difficulties are invisible. You have just mentioned that. I have worked with high school students for the past 20 years as an advocate and a counsellor. I know the very things you have mentioned. They often have trouble coming and asking for help with different issues—things such as not having a working automatic door, needing help in the bathroom because the sinks aren't at the right height, and being placed in offices that are not wheelchair accessible. It's not just related to young people, of course. It's all people. But having first-hand experience working with the young, I know that small changes can make their lives a lot easier and that they can be integrated into the workplace and communities.

How does the government plan to help working environments and communities to adapt their facilities to ensure better integration of all Canadians? You mentioned the accessibility fund. If you can also speak a little bit about that, I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say.

4:45 p.m.

Liberal

Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC

The enabling accessibility fund is designed for exactly the purposes you're talking about. To increase accessibility in smaller projects, we have a $14 million annual budget. I'm excited to say that in budget 2016 an additional $4 million was added over two years. With this, we can help employers and communities across the country make those accessibility improvements that really are barriers to full participation. Adding $4 million over two years, we anticipate around 80 small projects across the country. If you think that each time there is a bar or a ramp or an automatic door and somebody doesn't have to ask for help but feels included, it's a big bang for your buck.

4:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bryan May

Thank you, Minister.

We're going now to Mr. Warawa.

4:45 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC

Thank you to the ministers for spending some time with us today.

As the critic for seniors, they will be the focus of my questions, but I appreciate each of your being here. Just before I get into that, I think it's important that each of us be willing to work with one another and that our comments are respectful of one another. I think you can get a lot done if we're all rowing in the same direction, so to speak.

Regarding EI premiums, Minister Mihychuk, I think it was in your mandate to give a break in those premiums to employers to hire younger workers into permanent positions. I think that's one of your priorities. I agree with that but I don't see it in the budget. I would hope it is something you would consider. It's never too late to change the budget until it passes.

Also, compassionate care is a passion of mine. I think it's very important that we take care of people in the last days of their lives, showing them love, respect, and dignity. The EI compassionate care benefit is one of those ways. Minister Robillard was in a previous government, when it was very restrictive who would qualify for compassionate care. Working with departments we were able to change the very prescriptive criteria. For example, a sister could not take care of a sister, a sibling. We changed that, letting the dying person choose who was going to provide the care. Now it's been expanded even more as far as time is concerned.

When I go around and meet with and consult seniors, I'm hearing that a lot of seniors are being cared for. Somebody is taking care of them, and it's not from EI, but people are doing it out of their own goodwill. However, there's a cost associated with that. They are not able to work and support themselves, or they're working part-time. It's physical, emotional, and hard work. It saves taxpayers money. If they could get a tax benefit in some way, if the government could look at that...I'm hearing that from Canadians.

Minister Duclos, your mandate is a national housing strategy, a poverty reduction strategy, and to improve Service Canada's delivery of services. Just recently, I've heard of people calling at eight o'clock when Service Canada opens. They phone immediately and then within seconds they're getting a recorded message saying that due to the high call load, their phone number.... I was quite shocked too, Rodger.

I think Service Canada will need to look at that because people are being put immediately on a long waiting list to try to get through. These are people who need help.

Minister Duclos, I have a question for you with regard to the extra support for a senior who is alone. I think you mentioned that you planned to provide additional benefits under the guaranteed income supplement for seniors living alone, by nearly $1,000 a year.

A lot of seniors are not living alone and also need the guaranteed income supplement. They may be living with their partner or spouse and have just as much need. Why would we exclude somebody living with a spouse or partner who is a senior in poverty, who needs and qualifies for the guaranteed income supplement?

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

Jean-Yves Duclos Liberal Québec, QC

Let me start by also showing a sign of respect. You started by signalling the importance of being respectful. I agree. I share with you the view that the more respect we show to each other, the better the chance that we'll work appropriately together, and the better the chance that we'll make this important forum very useful for our respective mandates. I certainly hope to be able to count on this committee in the forthcoming work and to draw guidance and support from you, whatever position we happen to have in this particular Parliament.

On the issue of seniors and Service Canada, you haven't asked a question. You've made a comment. I can certainly say that it's a very important aspect of my mandate, and I have some very good officials around me who would love to manifest the types of ambitions and the types of circumstances we have in mind at this particular time.

More than 70% of seniors living in poverty now are single. Among that 70% of single seniors living in poverty, more than 70% are women. For that particular reason, we have chosen to address the issues faced by those single vulnerable seniors, because more of them are currently living in poverty. There's also, in most cases, a greater situation of vulnerability because they don't have a spouse on whom they can rely or with whom they can collaborate. Both the economic and the social vulnerabilities of these single seniors—again, the majority of whom are female—happen to be quite large. We have heard that over the last year. We heard that in the campaign. That's why we have committed to assisting them in the budget.

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bryan May

Thank you.

4:50 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC

Do I have any time?

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bryan May

Actually, we allowed it to go 45 seconds past.

4:50 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC

Thank you.