Human Resources Committee on Dec. 4th, 2023

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Ms. Zarrillo.

That concludes our first round.

Before we suspend, I want to thank you very much, Mr. Moss and Dr. Conway. Your testimony was extremely informative. I appreciate it.

We'll suspend for three minutes while we transition to the next witnesses.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

The committee will resume for its second hour of witness testimony.

I would like to welcome Shiven Khera, the treasurer of the Age-Link Society, and Christina Bisanz, the chief executive officer of Community and Home Assistance to Seniors.

We will begin with an opening statement from Mr. Khera for five minutes.

[Shiven Khera, Treasurer, Age-Link Society]

Thank you.

Good afternoon, honourable members. Greetings to all of you.

First of all, it's an absolute honour to be here, and I appreciate all of your ongoing efforts and work for people all across Canada and beyond.

My name is Shiven Vinod Khera, and I am representing the Age-Link Society. I am a former student at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. I completed my graduation just last year, in 2022. I am a member of Age-Link's board of directors and have the honour to be the board treasurer.

The Age-Link Society is a registered non-profit organization operating in the Okanagan in British Columbia. Here's a fun fact: The Age-Link Society was started as a student club at UBCO in 2016, and it was later registered as a non-profit organization in 2021.

When I was elected vice-president of the students union in 2021, I used to work very closely with the Age-Link student club.

What does the Age-Link Society do? We promote intergenerational social connections and friendships in our community through organizing social events such as picnics, galas, board game events, trivia nights and coffee socials. Our main membership is made up of students and seniors. Our goal is simple. We create events and invite both seniors and students, so we can create a well-bonded community together.

Over the years, we have successfully reached more than 200 seniors and more than 1,000-plus students in our community. Seniors volunteer their time to mentor, inspire, guide and support students and share their wisdom and time with the students. On the other hand, students share their skills, time, stories, culture and experience with the seniors. Both seniors and students have reported that Age-Link provides them the opportunity to enrich their social connections, improves their mental well-being, gives them joy and purpose and broadens their life perspectives.

As financial times become harder with the cost of living and individuals debate whether to attend our event or take an extra shift at work, we have received more and more regrets from members who would have otherwise wished to participate in our activities or volunteer. Economic hardship has affected seniors and students alike. I know about two amazing student leaders who were heavily involved in the organization as volunteers last year but who have not yet attended any of the more than seven events we have organized this year because they're busy working and prioritizing their financial stability—and justifiably so.

Students are picking up more and more jobs, given rising rent and the cost of living expenses. This means that some seniors have missed the opportunity to connect and volunteer with these students and, for those who are already connected, the students might have turned down invitations to continue socializing and maintaining their intergenerational friendships.

For seniors, our interactions are very recreational, but, anecdotally speaking, we know one senior who has gone back into the workforce and is seeking freelance consulting, given the rising costs that he and his wife are facing.

Volunteering is important and critical to the operations and thriving of organizations like the Age-Link Society. The Age-Link Society has been able to make events barrier-free by having all our events as free admission. This has been helpful; however, volunteers are human beings with needs and, once faced with economic hardship at the individual level, they will prioritize activities that address that need over our barrier-free events, which they would have otherwise wished to attend.

We appreciate all the work all of you are doing and the programs and schemes you are bringing forth to tackle affordability, and we're hopeful that you will shed light on some of the most vulnerable populations—students and seniors—in your plans as well.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Khera.

Now we'll go to Ms. Bisanz.

[Christina Bisanz, Chief Executive Officer, Community and Home Assistance to Seniors]

Thank you very much.

Good afternoon to the HUMA committee.

We appreciate the opportunity to be here, and we thank MP Van Bynen for bringing forward intergenerational volunteerism for consideration by the committee.

I'm the CEO of CHATS, Community and Home Assistance to Seniors, one of the largest multicultural non-profit seniors organizations in Ontario, serving some 8,000 older adults and their caregivers in York Region and South Simcoe. Our mission is to enable seniors to have the choice to live with dignity in their own homes and communities for as long as possible.

We believe the power of intergenerational volunteerism is tremendous. We see the benefits every day in our work as we strive to improve the health and well-being of seniors in our communities.

This discussion is timely for three reasons: first, demographic shifts in the older adult population impact the pool of seniors who are volunteering; second, increasing social isolation amongst older adults calls for renewed approaches to engaging both young and old in supporting seniors in the community; and finally, intergenerational volunteerism has considerable potential to address systemic ageism in our society.

Seniors are an important part of Canada's volunteer workforce, but demographic changes have also impacted volunteerism. Older adults are more likely to contribute more hours on average than any other age group, with an average of 218 hours annually. Those who do volunteer report better overall physical and emotional health and well-being.

However, older adults are remaining in the labour force longer. We have seen workforce participation rates for those 65 and older more than double in the last 20 years, and this impacts their availability for volunteer activities. The potential decrease in the pool of seniors as volunteers is important, because one of the most pressing issues among older adults is social isolation. Numerous studies have shown that social isolation can have significant consequences on the physical and mental health of seniors, and it's not just a matter of loneliness. It can lead to an increased risk of chronic diseases, depression and a diminished quality of life.

Intergenerational volunteers bring fresh perspectives, energy and enthusiasm that can breathe new purpose into the lives of seniors. Connecting younger generations with seniors fosters not only a sense of community but also invaluable support and companionship. Our programs at CHATS illustrate this impact. Students have engaged in activities, meals, social interaction and relationship building. Of note was a digital storytelling initiative that supported connections between elderly clients and youth.

Prior to the pandemic, CHATS would have monthly visits from preschool-aged kids and weekly visits from students from St. Andrew's College. We partnered with 360ºkids, an organization that supports youth at risk, engaging them in preparing and serving meals to our adult day program clients. The pandemic did impede the in-person engagement of our young volunteers, but we're slowly gaining them back. This year, students from Pickering College have been collaborating with our clients to build birdhouses.

The benefits of intergenerational volunteerism are not one-sided. Studies show that youth who engage in volunteer activities with seniors gain a greater appreciation for the wisdom and experiences of older generations. This fosters empathy, understanding and a stronger sense of community among our youth.

This brings me to my third point: the value of intergenerational volunteerism as a way to address systemic ageism in our society.

I'd like to refer you to the Government of Canada's 2022 discussion guide on ageism in Canada, which identified young people, health care professionals, government policies and employers as groups most often demonstrating age-based discrimination. It's important for us to understand these trends and to adapt our strategies to engage different age groups effectively. By spending more time with older adults and providing meaningful engagement opportunities that bring the generations together, we can encourage a sense of understanding and respect between them.

CHATS recently launched a new initiative called the volunteer program refresh, made possible with funding from the Government of Canada's community services recovery fund. The purpose is to create and implement a new vision and model for CHATS' volunteer program. As we build our program back to full strength following the pandemic, we're actively working on engaging a broader volunteer demographic and expanding our volunteer activities.

Because of the enormous benefit from volunteers, our federal government can continue to play a crucial role in promoting and encouraging intergenerational volunteerism, and I'd like to share three opportunities to continue growing the area.

First, through policy and funding, our government can encourage participation in programs that bring different generations together. An initiative such as the New Horizons for Seniors program is an excellent example of the direction we must continue to pursue. While the program rightly supports community-based projects that are designed for seniors by seniors, I believe we could also include youth-driven proposals or collaboration projects to find new models of intergenerational activity.

Second, education and awareness will also foster this much-needed connectivity. The creation of Intergenerational Day provides a launch pad for numerous opportunities and education to raise awareness and garner support.

Third, the federal government should form long-term partnerships with organizations that promote intergenerational connections. These partnerships would benefit from resources that allow for scaling, promotion and collaboration.

Intergenerational volunteerism is not just about helping others. It's about enriching our communities and ourselves. It's about learning from each other, sharing experiences and building a stronger, more inclusive Canada.

I urge each one of you to consider that intergenerational volunteerism is not just a solution. It's an investment in the well-being and vibrancy of our communities. The rewards are immeasurable and the impact profound.

I thank you for your time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Ms. Bisanz.

We will open with Mrs. Gray for six minutes, please.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, witnesses, for being here and for the good work that you do.

My first questions are for Shiven at Age-Link Society.

The unique thing about your organization is that it was actually founded to connect different generations, which is really unique compared to other non-profits. I hear from students on campuses in my community that they're facing severe affordability challenges. UBCO, where you said that you went to school, even has a food bank now to help students with food security. You talked about cost of living challenges making it more difficult for Canadians to volunteer, and you even mentioned seniors having to go back to work.

My question is this: Have you had to reduce services or maybe not grow them as much as you'd like with the activities you're doing due to the lack of availability, to not being able to grow your volunteer base?

[Shiven Khera]

Absolutely. I think we've been lucky that, with UBCO being a 10,000-person university, we've been able to find volunteers one way or another. However, finding volunteers has absolutely been challenging for us, given that people are a lot busier—at least the students. They're doing more part-time jobs. They're working longer hours to fuel their funding for rent as well as for the cost of living in general—for groceries and other things. We've definitely seen challenges.

Overall, our programs, thankfully, have gone through. We've been able to do the events that we've had, but it's definitely been challenging for us.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Thank you for those insights.

Do you believe that if people had more disposable income, and maybe if they didn't have to have that second job or take on a lot more hours just to feed themselves, they'd be able to support more non-profits like yours?

[Shiven Khera]

I think so. It would absolutely be extremely beneficial if that was the case, because we've seen that. We're an organization that's been running since 2016, at least as a student club, and we've seen the number of volunteers who used to come to our events. What we're noticing is that, obviously, a reduction in volunteers is a big problem for us, and it would be very beneficial if people had more disposal income so that they could come to events. Our events are barrier-free. It's just the time and availability that we want to see.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

That's great. Thank you very much.

I want to say thank you again for the good work that you're doing. I did have the opportunity to actually attend one of your events to see first-hand the connection between the different generations and how happy everyone was to be there, so I want to thank you for the good work that you're doing.

It is important to hear testimony here at this committee, and we've had the witnesses make statements. This committee does have other work that it does as well, so, Mr. Chair, I would like to move a motion.

I move:

That, given that:

(a) the carbon tax threatens the income security of farmers, farm workers, and employment in the agricultural sector;

(b) the Senate is expected to vote on Bill C-234 to remove the carbon tax from grain drying and barn heating;

(c) Canadian farmers have called upon the Senate to pass this important legislation;

(d) Bill C-234 would save farmers one billion dollars, and help lower food prices for Canadians;

the committee call upon Senators who are delaying the passage of the legislation to stop playing political games with the livelihoods of Canadian farmers, recognize the decision of the elected House of Commons, and pass Bill C-234 into law without further delay.

Part of the mandate of this committee covers income security programs.

That is the entirety of the motion. It has been circulated to the committee members.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

I have been advised by the clerk that the motion is in order.

Mrs. Gray, continue.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

As I was saying, this committee does deal with income security programs. We're responsible for issues of income security that include government policies that affect cost affordability for Canadians, including the affordability of food.

In fact, we will have bills coming to this committee dealing with food security and food costs. We know the results of increasing carbon taxes on farmers puts Canada's food security at risk and increases the food costs for all people in our communities. Removing the carbon tax from all farm fuels is important to help address this.

We know that food costs for Canadians continue to rise. In fact, some of the testimony we heard here today from not-for-profits was talking about the cost of inflation, the cost of food, the needs of not-for-profits and how volunteerism is so important to serve not-for-profits. It is directly within the mandate of this committee.

We know that the Parliamentary Budget Officer reports that farmers will pay just under a billion dollars in carbon taxes between now and 2030. We know that this is increasing the cost of food for Canadians. A lot has been reported around costs for farmers with how much they are paying in carbon taxes. For example, we have one farmer with a chicken broiler business who said that the cost of the carbon tax to their company was $120,000 in 2022. It will be $180,000 in 2023. Once the carbon tax reaches its full amount, it will be $480,000 to that individual business.

This legislation is really important to pass, so that we can start addressing the inflation and affordability crisis that Canadians are dealing with.

We know that other organizations have talked about how much they're paying in carbon taxes. A mushroom farm talked about paying $150,000 in carbon tax alone. As this increases to the 2030 level, that farm will be paying over $450,000 per year in carbon taxes.

This is affecting the price of food that Canadians are paying. As I mentioned, this does directly flow into a lot of the work of this committee, because we look at a lot of affordability issues directly affecting Canadians.

Another example I want to provide is a poultry farm in Alberta that had talked about the increases in its carbon taxes. We see this right across the country. I know that I've heard it from businesses in my community as well. At a saskatoon berry farm in Alberta, their energy bills went from $12,000 a month to almost $27,000 a month.

We know that we are an exporting nation for a lot of the products that we farm here. This is making us uncompetitive. We are exporting, the prices for our farmers are higher, the food costs are higher and this making us uncompetitive and less productive. Passing this legislation will help somewhat in putting our farmers on more of an equal ground than they are on right now.

We know that when we're looking at inflation, food inflation is actually considerably higher. The thing with food inflation is that it's by each specific category of food, so some types of food are up higher than others. We can look at turkey, for example, which is up 67%. Green salads are up 33%. This is higher than the inflation rates that we've seen over the last couple of years. Food inflation is consistently higher than the inflation rate. Beef, pasta and fruit are also up.

We have to remember that, with inflation, it's compounding, but the worst kind of compounding. With investments, you want your investments to compound positively. This actually compounds negatively. If we have inflation at roughly 3%—we know that food inflation is higher than that—that's on top of last year, where inflation might have been 8% to 10% during that month. It's not like it's going back down to a zero level. It's actually compounding every year.

For our farmers, who are having to pay this onerous carbon tax, it only will keep increasing the cost of food for Canadians.

We've heard the finance minister talking about not wanting to pour fuel on the inflationary fire. In fact, policies like increasing the carbon tax every year do that. This legislation that we're calling on the Senate to pass is one step in starting to counter that.

The largest contributor to year-over-year CPI increases includes food purchases. Grocery prices rose faster than overall inflation, as I've said. Overall consumer prices have risen by 11.4% over the last two years. According to StatsCan, Canadian food prices are growing at the fastest pace in 40 years. The carbon tax is part of that. The continual increasing of the carbon tax is increasing the cost.

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

We've brought in a witness here. I'm challenging relevance. We're trying to talk about volunteerism. We've had some excellent witnesses. I'm asking that you rule on relevance, and we get on with the business of this committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Van Bynen.

I've been following closely. Mrs. Gray's comments are relevant to the motion currently on the floor.

I want to remind witnesses that I'm not sure of the timing on this. The member has the right to introduce the motion, which she has. The motion must be dealt with by the committee before we can return to the business of the committee, which was hearing testimony on the study.

I would ask for your patience until we either conclude with the motion, or we reach one o'clock.

Mrs. Gray, please stick to the relevance of the motion.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I appreciate that, and it's unfortunate. The way that committees work is that we have such limited time every week. We only have two committee meetings for a couple of hours each, and we have to address a lot of different things during that time. This is a normal part of our committee practice.

I do appreciate the fact that we have witnesses who have been able to give a statement, so thank you.

Back to my motion, when we're looking at the cost of food, which, as I said, directly flows into the study that we're discussing right now, we've heard testimony on how there's a crisis of volunteering in Canada, and we've heard testimony here today from multiple witnesses that some of that is due to the cost of inflation and the affordability crisis that we're having in Canada. One way to help address that is to remove the carbon tax from the farmers who are producing our food.

We heard from a previous witness regarding the crisis in volunteering right now and how volunteerism has decreased. A lot of not-for-profits are having trouble finding volunteers because of inflation and because of an affordability issue that ties directly into the motion that I have on one way to bring down the price of food.

We've heard that there are a number of comments being reported out there where, for example, the Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver have kids with no adults to connect with them. They no longer accept children into this mentorship program in Surrey, B.C., due to a shortage of volunteers.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Mrs. Gray, speak to the motion, please.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Going back specifically to the price of food, which is what the motion is, this is a motion looking at one way to bring down the price and the costs of the farmers producing our food. Food Banks Canada released a report saying that food banks were visited nearly two million times during one month alone, an increase of 79% from 2019.

Statistics Canada published a study into food insecurity that showed that the number of families who are food-insecure increased by more than 12% from 2021 to 2022. Again, the motion that I have before us is one way to look at addressing the cost of food.

According to Feed Ontario's annual hunger report, Ontario has seen food bank use “explode”—that's their word—as Canadians struggle to keep their heads above water amidst skyrocketing inflation and interest rates. Between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, over 800,000 people in Ontario alone accessed a food bank, and in total there were 5.9 million visits to a food bank in this time period.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Mrs. Gray, I would reference your motion, which is security of farmers, farm workers and employment in the agricultural sector, so could your comments address the actual substance of your motion?

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Going back to the farmers themselves, we've heard that these carbon taxes, which I quoted earlier, in the hundreds of thousands for many of these farms, then reduce their ability—

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

I'd like some clarification, because I understand that the motion is about influencing the Senate. It doesn't have anything to do with the content of the bill. It has to do with parliamentary influence over the Senate.

Could I just get some clarification on the motion? Is it in regard to the Senate, or is it in regard to the content of the bill?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

The motion you have before you, Ms. Zarrillo, is correct in that the motion, if adopted, is asking the committee to call upon the Senate, which is delaying the passage of the legislation. That is the substance of the motion.

Mrs. Gray, Ms. Zarrillo's intervention is correct. Please limit your comments to the motion that you introduced.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

We know that—

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

The reference in this motion is with respect to delays similar to what's happening in this committee. Is that correct?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

I'm sorry. Can you clarify?