Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to speak to Motion No. 197 regarding the treatment of worker's compensation payments and consideration given to including these payments in the definition of pensionable employment within the meaning of the Canada pension plan.
First, I would like to congratulate my parliamentary colleague from Churchill for bringing the motion forward.
The treatment of injured workers is an issue of great importance to my riding of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke. So is the need to allow individuals the opportunity to accumulate the necessary savings to retire with dignity.
The troubling aspect that the motion, by virtue of it coming forward, alludes to is the manner in which the Liberal Party administers the Canada pension plan.
I believe I speak on behalf of members from all sides of the House when I suggest that the manner in which the Canada pension plan is administered, particularly to those individuals who through no fault of their own find it necessary to apply for CPP benefits, is done so in a callous and uncaring manner.
Of all the casework that I deal with on behalf of my constituents in the riding of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, Canada pension plan cases make up the bulk of the complaints directed at the Government of Canada.
It is a well known fact that it is not until the third appeal, after being rejected for benefits the first two times, is an application even seriously considered. The fact that Canadian citizens are treated so outrageously by their own government is a national scandal.
I challenge the federal government to tell Canadians the number of applicants which are successful after a single CPP appeal, no matter how long that takes. I then challenge this heartless, uncaring government to tell Canadians how many people have died waiting for the benefits.
Finally, Canadians would like to know why, if an appeal board finally grants a Canada pension, the government could not do a proper, thorough job in the first place and grant the pension when it was applied for, rather than putting individuals through the stressful process of fighting a huge, uncaring federal bureaucracy.
I would like now to read into the record a letter that I received from a medical doctor on behalf of a constituent from the town of Renfrew, which is located near Ottawa, along the river, in my riding of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke. It states:
Dear Member of Parliament:
Mr. Constituent has made at least four attempts to the CPP tribunal board for acceptance of CPP benefits. He has been denied on all four attempts. There is sufficient evidence to support his claim that he is totally disabled.
Once again we are writing to say that Mr. Constituent is totally disabled and has been for a period of twelve continuous months due to a re-injury of his back. He is unable to perform regular duties of full-time occupation for which he was employed prior to his injury date.
Mr. Constituent is now very depressed due to lack of function and the inability to obtain any financial help. His wife is having to work two part-time jobs to make ends meet. He suffers from insomnia, as he can't shut off his mind due to financial worries. He has had to go on anti-depressant medication now to control this.
I hope you can help this fellow obtain some sort of financial help. He is desperate.
This individual eventually ended up on welfare, but not before he was forced to cash in all his RRSP retirement savings, which is an ironic twist to the motion we are discussing today. The letter I received was from his medical doctor. Unfortunately it is the front line medical providers who in many cases bear the frustration of a system that does not work.
This is a real life situation that members of Parliament are called to act upon each and every day. I have no doubt that in the day to day responsibilities as an MP, the member for Churchill was approached by an individual whose only desire was to retire with dignity, and it was a genuine desire.
I know the member for Churchill would agree with me, as do most reasonable Canadians, that the fair treatment of injured workers is all a question of priorities. The Liberal Party can find a billion dollars to waste on a useless gun registry. It can find billions of dollars to waste on its fat cat friends in big business in so-called forgivable loans to profitable companies that never seem to have to repay them.
How about giving a few of these forgivable loans to the injured workers so that they can feed their families and put a roof over their heads? If the government could experience the hardship it insists on inflicting on some of the more unfortunate in our society, maybe fairness would prevail.
The expense claims of the former executive assistant to the heritage minister alone could feed a family of six in my riding for three years, as was pointed out to me by a family that is already scraping to make ends meet. It is all a matter of priorities. With the government, it is handout to friends. They are a greater priority than treating Canadians fairly.
The one observation I would like to make, as a form of constructive observation, is whether reforming the CPP in the way the motion suggests is the most beneficial way of dealing with the issue of retirement benefits.
In the province of Ontario workers' compensation is not even available for certain classes of employment. In these cases the individual's needs are provided for by private insurance companies that tailor policies to meet the specific needs of their clients.
I believe we need to consider whether the CPP as it stands can provide the flexibility to respond to the different levels of government in different provinces which have constitutional ability in some of these areas.
In closing, I would like to thank the member for Churchill for bringing forward her motion to allow me the opportunity to participate in the debate.