Evidence of meeting #22 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was benefit.
A video is available from Parliament.
3:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Thank you, Minister.
Thank you, Ms. Chabot.
Next we have Ms. Gazan for six minutes, please.
3:05 p.m.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Thank you, Chair.
It's nice to see you today, Minister.
Recently, our community was funded for a 24-7 safe space for women, girls, 2SLGBTQQIA folks [Technical difficulty—Editor]. In fact, I personally referred three women in crisis today, as a life-saving measure.
You spoke with your colleague about the need for investment in housing, particularly for women. I would agree with you on that, particularly in the riding I represent, which Minister Bennett called “ground zero” for MMIWG. We currently have projects on the go, waiting to be funded, for women, girls, 2SLGBTQQIA folks—some coming from refugee communities, who have had to flee their countries because of sexual orientation.
Is your government committed to dealing with this critical crisis, particularly in ridings such as Winnipeg Centre, where women continue to lose their lives, including two who lost their lives during this past month?
3:05 p.m.
Liberal
Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON
Mr. Chair, I want to thank the honourable member for that really important question. I recognize how real the need is for safe and affordable housing in Winnipeg, especially in the member's constituency, and that this is a priority for her community. That is why we've already invested $228 million in the city of Winnipeg, representing over 6,200 units.
Just last week I joined Mayor Bowman of Winnipeg in announcing $22.8 million through our rental construction financing initiative for 87 new housing units; 29 of those units are deeply affordable.
To support those who are in dire need, we quickly provided over $20 million [Technical difficulty—Editor] $12.5 million through the rapid housing initiative just for Winnipeg, so that they may use it the way they see fit for rapid housing solutions.
March 16th, 2021 / 3:05 p.m.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Minister, because we have a limited amount of time, I want to remind you that the PBO report just came out citing a shortage of 9,000 core housing units and indigenous families in core housing need. Although I appreciate the investments—I will take any investment, because we are in a crisis—we lost two other women the other week. It is a very pronounced crisis, and in fact the worst in the country.
I have another question in regard to that. For over 30 years, the federal government has promised to eradicate child poverty. Your government actually renewed this promise in 2018 and published a national poverty reduction strategy, with subsequent poverty reduction legislation in 2019.
Your strategy called for a human rights-based approach to poverty reduction, one that reflects principles that include universality, non-discrimination and equality. Yet the Canada child benefit, a crucial mechanism for reducing child poverty, excludes parents with precarious immigration status, even though many work in Canada legally and file personal income tax.
This is a very pronounced problem, certainly in my riding, where families are just struggling to get by because they do not qualify for that tax benefit. Is it normal for a human rights approach to poverty reduction to exclude refugee claimants and parents with undocumented immigration status?
3:10 p.m.
Liberal
Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON
I can speak, of course, to our government's ambition to eradicate child poverty and to make sure that we continue our investments in the Canada child benefit. You've seen, in the fall economic statement, our commitment to increase the Canada child benefit for families with children under the age of six. You saw in July 2020 that we increased the Canada child benefit permanently yet again. Then on May 20, 2020, we had a one-time payment of up to $300 for each child receiving the Canada child benefit.
We'll continue to—
3:10 p.m.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
I'm sorry, Minister. Again, I appreciate those investments. This still doesn't respond to those who are being left behind, those with precarious immigration status.
I'm wondering whether, to ensure that families with precarious status receive access to the child benefit to support their children, your government would commit to acting immediately by repealing paragraph 122.6(e), which ties eligibility to immigration status.
3:10 p.m.
Liberal
Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON
I would say that our government is committed to eliminating child poverty and including as many families in the Canada child benefit as possible.
3:10 p.m.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
I ask this because families come to Canada, certainly with a great debt to come into Canada, struggling. We have many homes across the country, including in my riding, that are horribly overcrowded because of lack of financial support, knowing that child poverty is inexcusable. I ask this because I wonder how many high-income families accessed the one-time $300 increase to the Canada child tax benefit in 2020.
3:10 p.m.
Liberal
Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON
I'll turn it over to Deputy Graham Flack for that answer.
3:10 p.m.
Graham Flack Deputy Minister, Employment and Social Development, Department of Employment and Social Development
We'd have to get back to you on the precise income distribution statistics for this.
3:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Thank you, Mr. Flack, and thank you, Ms. Gazan.
Next we're going to go to Mr. Tochor, please, for five minutes.
3:10 p.m.
Conservative
Corey Tochor Conservative Saskatoon—University, SK
Thank you very much.
This is to the minister, to start off. I'd like to give you the opportunity to commit to getting back to Mr. Vis in response to his last question.
3:10 p.m.
Liberal
3:10 p.m.
Conservative
Corey Tochor Conservative Saskatoon—University, SK
It's Brad Vis's last question. Can you commit to getting back to him in writing?
3:10 p.m.
Liberal
3:10 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
I'm happy to confirm it.
3:10 p.m.
Conservative
Corey Tochor Conservative Saskatoon—University, SK
Okay, great. I'll start my five minutes now.
As the seasons change, things can be quite predictable. The snow is melting, the Leafs are tanking now into the spring, and the Liberals must be planning a fall election, because they're bringing up the faulty idea of a national child care program.
I'd like to get the minister's comments on why, in the economic statement in 2020, your government said “Quebec can show us the way on child care” and promised that in budget 2021 you'll lay out a plan for national child care.
Minister, are you aware of some of the issues surrounding this campaign promise, which has been made for five elections and never implemented during a majority or minority Liberal government? Why would you say that we're going to follow Quebec's lead on this?
3:10 p.m.
Liberal
Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON
It's because Quebec has achieved child care affordability and has closed the gap between men and women participating in the labour market. If you are opposed to that, that's fine, but—
3:10 p.m.
Conservative
Corey Tochor Conservative Saskatoon—University, SK
You're aware of some of the issues though, Minister, are you not? Are you aware of some of the research?
3:15 p.m.
Liberal
Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON
When we say that the Quebec system is the model, we will learn from both the successes as well as the challenges.
3:15 p.m.
Conservative
Corey Tochor Conservative Saskatoon—University, SK
It's not the challenges, but some of the research that's coming out on the outcome, unfortunately, for these children.
One study is “Non-Cognitive Deficits and Young Adults Outcomes”. Are you aware of that study?
3:15 p.m.
Conservative
Corey Tochor Conservative Saskatoon—University, SK
Really? I'm surprised.
Just quickly, it's a study by professors from U of T, UBC and MIT—professors Baker, Milligan and Gruber. I'm just shocked that your officials didn't brief you on what they found.
Their report.... I'll just quote a little bit so that you have some background information on it:
...striking evidence that children are worse off in a variety of behavioural and health dimensions, ranging from aggression to motor-social skills to illness. Our analysis also suggests that the new childcare program led to more hostile, less consistent parenting, worse parental health, and lower-quality parental relationships.
I'd like to point out that the work of these professors won the Canadian Economics Association 2009 Doug Purvis prize. This is not a Mickey Mouse study or questionable outcomes that have been exposed when looking at the actual outcome of the child.
Are you not aware of these issues that researchers have found?
3:15 p.m.
Liberal
Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON
I think, Mr. Chair, the honourable member is philosophically opposed to early learning and child care through public funding, and we'll just have to disagree on that, because I believe that—
3:15 p.m.
Conservative
Corey Tochor Conservative Saskatoon—University, SK
Minister, I'm not opposed to the child care system, even in financial terms. We know that it would be expensive, and you guys love to spend money, but it still begs the question. You've fought five elections with the concept of national child care and have never implemented it.
You guys blow money on everything. I suspect it's not for a financial reason that you haven't done it. I believe that there are probably people in your department who know that unfortunately, the health outcomes and the issues that children face, if they—