House of Commons Hansard #41 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pfos.

Topics

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Steven Fletcher Conservative Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB

Mr. Speaker, the issue of the shortage of family physicians is extremely important. This government is committed, along with the wait time guarantee, to concurrently work on increasing the capacity of our universities to graduate more doctors. We will work with the provinces to ensure that happens because education is a provincial responsibility.

We will also work with the colleges of family physicians in each province to facilitate the integration of international medical graduates. There are many people in this country who have the skills or are very close to having the skills necessary to practise medicine in Canada. There are also a substantial number of Canadian born, foreign trained medical graduates. We will help facilitate their integration.

There is another issue when training doctors. Not only do we have to increase the medical school spots, but also the residency spots. In order to become a doctor, students need to spend a certain amount of time in residency positions. There needs to be an increased capacity there as well. We are looking at creative ways to do that in urban and rural areas and in the north to ensure that Canadians will get in time the care and the doctors needed.

The 13 years of Liberal mismanagement and the deliberate cut of doctors graduating from universities during the Liberals' time in office caused a major problem which will take time to fix.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:20 p.m.

Simcoe—Grey Ontario

Conservative

Helena Guergis ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to respond to the opposition motion currently before the House. I appreciate this opportunity to participate in today's dialogue.

The issue of seniors is one the government takes very seriously. I would like to focus my attention on the particular matter of seniors housing.

A paper recently released by Statistics Canada indicates that under some recent population projections there is a high likelihood that the number of seniors age 65 and over in Canada will be more numerous than the number of children we have by 2015. While the paper also noted that Canada's population is younger than in other G-8 groups of industrialized countries, it made clear that, like our G-8 partners, there is no disputing that seniors and senior-related issues will become an increasingly important part of the public policy agenda in the coming decade.

Appropriate housing and access to the necessary support services can improve the quality of life for seniors. Living in their family home helps seniors maintain a sense of dignity and comfort as they age. It can also reduce public costs in other areas, such as health care.

The rapid aging of the Canadian population, along with new developments in health, social and economic conditions, has important implications for Canada's future housing requirements. Canada's housing requirements will need to reflect the rising number of seniors in the population who have specific housing needs due to their age.

In Canada the task of meeting the housing needs of seniors requires coordinated action by all levels of government, non-government organizations and others.

Our government is doing its part. We provide funding and we promote partnerships that will increase the supply of affordable housing. In addition, we help maintain the existing housing stock and support research that identifies new ways to ensure seniors' housing needs are met.

The recent federal budget provided for a one time investment of up to $1.4 billion toward helping Canadians find safe, adequate and affordable housing in all provinces and territories. This investment will be made through the establishment of three housing trusts with the provinces and territories to invest in affordable housing. This provides a significant source of funding for those in need, including older Canadians.

As I mentioned previously, coordinated action among all levels of government is needed to address this issue.

Provincial governments play a pivotal role in the provision of housing and support services, including health care. Municipal governments, civil society groups, community associations and others participate in this continuum of support by helping with on the ground deliver and management of the housing and associated services.

The government is aware that the preference of many seniors and people with disabilities is to remain in their own homes for as long as possible, whether they rent it or own it. Many of them also want to stay in familiar communities where they have lived their entire lives, and they should be able to do so.

I would now like to provide more details to the House about how our government works through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, CMHC, our national housing agency, to meet the housing needs of seniors.

CMHC's renovation programs contribute to the quality of life of many seniors in this country. Often, a few simple renovations are all that is needed to ensure an existing home can accommodate the needs of an aging resident.

To help address these issues, CMHC is making an important contribution through its home adaptation for seniors independence program, also known as HASI. HASI helps homeowners and landowners pay for minor home adaptations. This means that seniors with low to moderate incomes can extend the time they are able to continue living in their own home.

Adapting a home so that it can accommodate the needs of an aging resident can involve a few relatively simple measures. They might include installing handrails, lever handles on doors or grab bars in the bathtub. These are all examples of the sorts of home adaptations made possible through HASI. These changes may seem minor but for the seniors who can benefit from them, they can make a real difference in the quality of their life.

Another CMHC program serving the needs of seniors is the flex housing initiative, which encourages innovation at the design and construction stage. Flex housing demonstrates how prudent planning and design and construction can allow homeowners to occupy their homes for longer periods of time and adapt to changing circumstances.

Secondary and garden suites can allow seniors to continue living independently. In rural Canada and in our smaller towns, such as my riding of Simcoe—Grey, these suites often make up a vital part of the supply of rental housing, especially where there is a lack of conventional rental housing.

When it comes to the housing needs of seniors, CMHC also provides assistance through its research program. A sizeable portion of CMHC's research has been dedicated toward studying and analyzing the housing needs of seniors. This includes, for example, guides such as planning housing and support services for seniors. These guides and information products provide practical and objective information to help seniors become fully informed about the choices available to them.

One current study at CMHC is examining the implications of Canada's aging population on housing and communities, an issue I alluded to earlier. Another is looking at trends in the housing needs and preferences of older Canadians, as well as the issue of how Canada's smaller communities and towns will be able to meet the needs of their residents as they get older.

Yet another research project is studying alternative forms of accommodations that can enable seniors to live close to their relatives and friends, if they should choose to do so. Through this option, seniors can benefit from the support and care of their loved ones. The CMHC research also examines alternative forms of housing tenure, such as life lease tenancies or resident funded retirement housing.

The CMHC has found many ways to disseminate this research by sharing its information with seniors, as well as their families, friends and other caregivers. The CMHC has also developed training seminars for architects, housing professionals and health professionals on designing homes for the growing number of aging consumers.

I began today by describing how seniors and senior-related policy issues will become more and more important in the years to come. As my remarks today demonstrate, this government is taking action to ensure seniors' housing needs are met. I thank the hon. member for raising this important matter today.

Mr. Speaker, I have consulted with the sponsor of the motion and she has agreed to the following amendment. I move:

That the motion be amended by inserting after the words “government should” in the first line, the words “work with the provinces to”.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

It is my duty to inform hon. members that, pursuant to Standing Order 85, an amendment to an opposition motion may be moved only with the consent of the sponsor of the motion. Therefore, I ask the hon. member for Hamilton Mountain if she consents to this amendment being moved.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:30 p.m.

NDP

Chris Charlton NDP Hamilton Mountain, ON

Mr. Speaker, in the interest of ensuring we get support from all sides of the House to push forward the agenda on seniors, I accept the amendment.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Bruce Stanton Conservative Simcoe North, ON

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and the member for Simcoe—Grey who happens to share a part of Simcoe county with my particular riding. I know she is fully aware of the kinds of issues that are impacting seniors in our part of Ontario.

I wonder if she might share with the House some of the initiatives that have come to the forefront in her part of the world with respect to seniors' issues, especially as it relates to how seniors can work to protect their precious incomes that have been under so much pressure in recent years.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Helena Guergis Conservative Simcoe—Grey, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if the hon. member knows this, as we have only recently come to know each other, but my history with seniors' issues goes back some 10 years. Having been involved in a policy process with the provincial party for many years and then, of course, as a member of Parliament and being appointed as the deputy critic for seniors' issues, I had the opportunity to not only meet with many seniors in my own riding, but with many seniors' organizations across the country.

For seniors housing has always been near the top of their list but also one issue that I hear quite often, as I know members in the House often do as well, is the issue of income splitting. Income splitting is where in the past one member of a traditional family household has decided to stay home to raise the children and take care of the home and the other spouse works and brings dollars into the household. If our seniors in particular were able to split that income, it would mean that they, on average, could have perhaps $3,000 to $4,000, even $5,000 more within their households a year. This is substantial and something that we should all continue to work together on.

I would also like to give a special thanks to a gentleman by the name of Dan Braniff, who is with the Georgian Bay chapter of CARP in my riding of Simcoe—Grey. He has done some significant work on this.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

June 15th, 2006 / 1:30 p.m.

NDP

Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member mentioned the CMHC. Does she have any concern that the recent budget allows private insurers to move into mortgage insurance? This definitely will not improve the affordability of mortgage insurance but rather cause CMHC's income and resources to decline, hence making affordable housing less possible to deliver.

Could the member also comment on the cuts to the EnerGuide program, which would negatively affect seniors?

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Helena Guergis Conservative Simcoe—Grey, ON

Mr. Speaker, in conversations with the Minister of Finance it was my understanding that we would not be making changes and that we would continue to support the role the CMHC plays in providing insurance. Perhaps we can discuss this a little further later on, but my understanding is that there have not been any changes.

With respect to EnerGuide, those programs will continue to be in place for our seniors. I appreciate her question but my understanding is that we are continuing with those programs.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:30 p.m.

Langley B.C.

Conservative

Mark Warawa ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, I too appreciate the comments made by the parliamentary secretary for international trade. I have seen her passion over the last couple of years working on seniors' issues. As we live life we learn from others, and her involvement with seniors is an example to all of us.

Having elderly parents in their eighties, one finds out about the need for things like railings in the house and in washrooms. Her announcement, ensuring things like the CMHC and what is happening there, that they are helping in caring for seniors is encouraging.

We have heard a number of announcements from the government on seniors' issues. Could the member tell us whether seniors in general support the policy of the government? Are they happy with the direction in which we are heading? I am very positive on what we are doing but we want to hear from seniors and I would like input from her.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:35 p.m.

Conservative

Helena Guergis Conservative Simcoe—Grey, ON

Mr. Speaker, in the conversations I have had with seniors, they are relatively pleased with the direction this government is taking. They are very pleased with the leadership that our Prime Minister is showing, not just with issues that pertain to seniors, but with the direction the entire country is taking as a whole.

I want to take this opportunity to go back to income splitting because it is something they are always talking about. The fact is that they do not have the dollars to continue with the cost of living increases. Income splitting is the right thing to do. It is not only a family friendly policy but it is the right thing to do in order to help our seniors with the ever-increasing costs that they have on a regular basis.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:35 p.m.

NDP

Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Discussions have taken place between all parties and I believe you would find consent for the following motion. I move:

That at the conclusion of today's debate on the opposition motion in the name of the member for Hamilton Mountain, all questions necessary to dispose of this motion be deemed put, a recorded division deemed requested and deferred to the end of question period on Tuesday, June 20, 2006.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:35 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:35 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

(Motion agreed to)

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:35 p.m.

NDP

Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am sharing my time today with my colleague from Burnaby—Douglas.

Senior women face harsh realities upon retirement. The poverty rate for senior women is almost double the poverty rate for senior men. In particular, unattached senior women remain very vulnerable. They make up 60% of seniors living below the poverty line.

In 2003, according to a Government of Canada report, 154,000 unattached senior women lived in poverty. The guaranteed income supplement, or GIS, which is supposed to help, forces many seniors, especially those unattached, into poverty. In its own report, the Government of Canada states that in 2003 an unattached person only received old age security and GIS at a rate of $12,031 a year. That is not enough money to live on, especially in our cities, which have an increasingly higher cost of living.

Alarming this same study maintains that many Canadians are not prepared for retirement. One-third of Canadians between the ages of 45 and 59 feel that they are not prepared financially for retirement. Furthermore, these concerns are more prevalent among women, those widowed, separated or divorced, recent immigrants, tenants, those without private pension coverage and not surprisingly, women with low wages.

How do our mothers and grandmothers end up living in poverty? There are many reasons. Women's unpaid work makes their risk of poverty higher and results in less access to private pensions. Older women tend to have lower incomes because they live longer, which leaves them at greater of using up their savings as time goes by.

Immigrant women are particularly vulnerable. Many over the age of 65, who have lived in Canada for less than 10 years, are without any income at all. Senior women receiving smaller pension incomes because of the wage difference between men and women are also at risk. Most divorced women do not claim a portion of their former spouse's pension even though they are entitled to it. Many retirement plans do not compensate for absences to raise children or look after sick relatives, absences are generally taken by women.

The ratio of male to female earnings tells a story of persistent systemic inequality between male and female incomes, whether from employment or pensions. Women are concentrated in low wage and part time jobs where there is rarely pensions available.

However, women who are able to work are still at a disadvantage. Women in our country work for about 75% of their potential working years, whereas men work 94%. Women consequently have less opportunity to save for their pension. More men than women save through RRSPs because men tend to make more money and are thus able to put more money aside for retirement.

It is very important to emphasize that these senior women living in poverty did not end up there the day they retired. It is the poverty in their youth or the near poverty that prevented them from setting aside money for retirement that is the real source, the genesis, of this problem.

With the last several years or Liberals cutting away at our social safety net, our working poor are at risk of being left in poverty when they retire. The Conservative government has not proposed anything that will truly help alleviate poverty in our country.

One of the key issues raised this week by the Canadian Labour Congress was that child care and specifically child care spaces were needed to help women stay in or get back into the workforce. This is critical for the senior women of the future. Safe, affordable, not for profit child care would provide them the opportunity to work and even pay into a pension, and thus enable them to retire with a pension that actually provides the resources they need and deserve.

We have all heard the Conservative government touting its true choice in child care, but it does not create a single child care space. It is obvious that the plan is to give a tax credit to those families rich enough to have one parent stay at home. These women, and, yes, they are mostly women, are not paid for their labour in raising a family.

I know many women would say that they do it out of love and do not want the money. However, the material point is that these women do not receive remuneration for their hard work and are not contributing to CPP. Therefore, they cannot collect any funds even though they have worked hard and faithfully to raise children. They too could be at risk in their retirement.

Senior women, whose spouses pass away, face a reduction in their partner's private pension and CPP, a deduction of 40%. This is problematic. Some women may be unable to afford to maintain their standard of living. Expenses for a single person are about 70% of the living expenses for a couple. This has the potential to drive women into poverty, as many senior women depend on their spouses' pension. It is an important part of an adequate income.

Many seniors do not realize what benefits are available to them. Women in particular are three times more likely than men to be late applying for CPP benefits. If they are late in their application, they are entitled to only 11 months of retroactive benefits. One should not be financially penalized for not having knowledge or access to information. In Quebec the retroactive grace period for benefits is five years. This makes far more sense if we are serious about care for seniors.

Equally important, the first step to ending poverty for senior men and women is access to safe, affordable housing. If seniors are spending the majority of their income on their place of residence, this leaves little money for food, medication and other necessities, thus forcing them into a cycle of poverty.

In 2001 more than half of seniors living on their own in rental accommodations were paying more than 30% of their income for housing. In particular, single women were more likely to be living in these substandard conditions. If housing costs are tied to their income level and not to market value, then they have a chance to break out of poverty and live in dignity.

The cost of housing across Canada is on the rise. This year alone housing costs are up by 13%. With no new affordable housing money in the foreseeable future, many Canadians, especially senior Canadians, run the risk of becoming house poor. When housing costs are greater than 30% of their income, they are indeed condemned to live a life below the poverty line.

Previous Liberal governments allocated a substantial amount of money to the provinces and territories, about $474 million for housing. Much of that money was not spent because it had to be matched by the provinces and territories. The agreements were also so convoluted that progress was nearly impossible. Clearly, the Liberals were not serious about creating affordable housing.

The decisions by the former federal government to stop funding of new social housing in 1993 and then to transfer the administration of most existing federal social housing programs to the provinces and territories in 1996 were also key factors in the steady growth of housing insecurity during the 1990s. Housing experts have drawn a direct connection between the withdrawal of the federal government from housing programs in the 1990s compounded by significant cuts in provincial housing budgets to the growing homelessness disaster and affordable housing crisis.

To further compound this, the present Conservative government made no commitment to affordable housing in its recent budget. In fact, Conservatives took the NDP Bill C-48 money and made a one-time payment. The intent of the NDP balanced budget was that the $1.6 billion be available each year for affordable housing. At a time when our senior population is increasing, there will be no money to address the housing crisis many face.

Safe, affordable and accessible housing is the first step in ensuring that our seniors will live in dignity. Our senior women need access to pension dollars whether they work or stay at home to raise a family. Our mothers, our grandmothers, our fathers, our grandfathers, they all deserve this, the right to live in dignity, the right to escape poverty.

I encourage all parties to support the NDP motion that will ensure seniors across Canada have the respect that they so richly deserve.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:45 p.m.

York—Simcoe Ontario

Conservative

Peter Van Loan ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, in my riding of York—Simcoe an enormous population of seniors live in places like Sutton-By-The-Lake and Sandycove Acres. I know I work very hard to represent their concerns. They have done a great deal in contributing to our country, and we have to pay them full respect.

The government has done that with measures in the budget, such as doubling the amount of pension income that is sheltered from income tax, from $1,000 to $2,000. That will benefit nearly 2.7 million taxpayers. As well, the cut in the GST will make a big difference. This is a tax that is paid disproportionately by seniors, who are not necessarily paying a great deal of income tax, but who have to pay GST on everything. So they appreciate that.

I grew up in a environment situation where, while my mother worked, my grandmother raised me, to a large extent. Those kind of informal situations are very common in my riding. There are a lot of grandparents who assist with the raising of their children's children. That is the kind of situation our choice in child care policy is designed to assist. I know my mother, who was working in a very challenging situation, and my grandmother would have appreciated the assistance of a little additional income, the $1,200 each for two children. It would have made a big difference.

Does the member not feel that this kind of benefit could help those seniors to allow them the opportunity, instead of institutional child care as an option, to contribute to their grandchildren's rearing, to be part of their family, to strengthen the family relationships and to allow them to continue to be strong contributing members of society they have always been?

I believe that is the case. I am interested to know if the member believes that.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON

Mr. Speaker, I know have met many of the seniors in Sandycove. I also know they are facing rising rents and an affordability problem in their living accommodation.

In response to his question, in a perfect world we would all have friends, neighbours and grandparents readily at hand to look after our children. That is not the reality of the 21st century. Families are mobile and many young families do not have relatives or friends in their neighbourhoods, so they cannot rely on others. They need and absolutely deserve to have access to safe, affordable, regulated child care so their children can be looked after properly and also experience the value of early childhood education.

This so-called $1,200 gift is not a $1,200 gift at all. If we look at the average moderate income earner, those families will be taxed on the $1,200 and receive something like $400 a year after taxes, after they have lost their child benefit supplement. It adds up to about $1.19 a day. That does nothing for affordable child care, and it is not a choice.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

1:50 p.m.

NDP

Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to take part in this debate today on seniors' issues. I want to thank my colleague from Hamilton Mountain for all the work she has done to bring this before the House today.

It is a very appropriate way to mark Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which we spoke of earlier today during the debate. We know this is one of the hidden problems that seniors face. Anything we can do to bring attention to the problem of elder abuse in our communities and in our families is very important.

I also want to acknowledge my colleague from Windsor West and the work he has done over the years. As well, I want to acknowledge a former NDP member of Parliament, Michelle Dockrill, for the work she did in this area. I know the member for Windsor West, when he visited my constituency to talk about the seniors' charter idea of the NDP, also credited a former member of his staff, Katy Kydd Wright, for the work she did on this important issue. I want to acknowledge the staff contribution to this as well.

The idea of the motion today emerged out of a long series of consultations from coast to coast to coast in Canada, including one that I hosted with my colleague from Burnaby—New Westminster. The member for Windsor West came to a meeting in our constituencies to talk about the main issues facing seniors. The member for Burnaby—New Westminster and I had quite a number of seniors' organizations from our constituency represented at that meeting, groups like COSCO, the Council of Senior Citizens' Organizations, the Network of Burnaby Seniors, representatives from the great senior centres in the city of Burnaby, Confederation, Bonsor, Cameron and Edmonds and also people from organizations like the North Burnaby Retired Society.

They came together to talk about the key issues facing seniors and about ways that we could get those issues on the agenda of Parliament and on the agenda of the government. One of the main things we discussed, an idea to which they contributed, was the proposal for a seniors' charter. Meetings like that helped develop the idea before the House today.

I want to mention what is in the motion. The motion calls for:

(a) creating a Seniors Charter that recognizes older Canadians as creative, active and valued members of our society, and that this Charter shall enshrine the right of every senior living in Canada to the following: (i) income security, through protected pensions and indexed public income support that provides a reasonable state of economic welfare; (ii) housing, through secure accessible, and affordable housing; (iii) wellness, though health promotion and preventative care; (iv) health care, through secure, public, accessible, universal health care including primary care, dental care, homecare, palliative and geriatric care, and pharmacare; (v) self-development, through lifelong access to affordable recreation, education and training, (vi) government services, through timely access to all federal government services and programs, including family re-unification.

The folks in my riding, who got together to discuss this proposal, thought all of those were absolutely fundamental to the quality of life of seniors in Canada. I am proud they are before the House today as part of the seniors' charter idea.

We have also included something very important to ensure that seniors' rights, the charter principles, are promoted and that seniors can access those rights. We have done that by creating a seniors advocate. The seniors advocate, according to the motion, will have the following responsibilities:

(i) conduct public education and awareness initiatives on the rights of seniors; (ii) ensure that all new or revised policies and programs affecting seniors receive public input from older persons; (iii) require that all new policies and programs affecting seniors are announced with specific timelines for implementation; (iv) act as an Ombudsman for seniors with respect to all government services and programs making recommendations as appropriate and...publish and report annually to Parliament on government policies and programs affecting seniors, including the effectiveness of federal funding related to the needs of older persons.

The seniors advocate is an important measure of accountability. It would go hand in hand with the seniors charter. It will ensure that we are not just giving lip service to these ideas, but that we are actually making progress and keeping the affairs, the concerns and the needs of seniors before Parliament. It is a very comprehensive motion in that regard and I am very pleased to have the opportunity to speak in support of it.

Last weekend, six members of the NDP caucus, all of us from British Columbia, visited the riding of Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca. We had the opportunity to have a round table discussion with representatives of seniors organizations from Esquimalt and the greater Victoria area. I was lucky enough to be part of a small group that included Bel Paul, Faye Kemmis, Phil Lyons, Clara Halber and Janette George, all whom are very active as individuals or in seniors organizations in the greater Victoria area. We had an interesting discussion about the concerns and needs of seniors. The group mentioned the things they were working on to improve the lives of their fellow senior citizens.

Some of issues that came out of this group discussion were obvious ones. They are ones we hear about all the time, but have not done enough to address them. Health care was a key one. Emergency care was another. Concerns were brought up about privatized hospital services, the need for long term care beds, home care, pharmacare, preventative care, enforcement of the Canada Health Act and how we hold provinces accountable for the services provided and how federal money is spent. All these issues are included in the seniors charter.

The group also raised other issues such as seniors abuse and the difficulty seniors face in accessing information from the government, especially when it is only provided by phone. Pension income, especially women's pension income was raised. My colleague from London—Fanshawe addressed that. Housing for low income seniors was another issue raised by this group. They also mentioned the need for a guaranteed liveable income as opposed to a guaranteed annual income or some other measures. Concern was raised about Internet access for seniors, since it is such an important communication and organizing tool as well as a key source of information.

The group also talked about the need for advocates for seniors at the local level. An interesting project in the greater Victoria area is underway at the present time in this regard, which merits our attention.

Lots of important ideas came out of the meeting. I am proud to say that the motion before us would go some way toward ensuring that these issues are firmly on the government's agenda.

I want to talk specifically about immigration issues and the concerns around family reunification. There is a huge backlog in parental and grandparental applications in our immigration system. Right now there are over 108,000 applications. We are violating a promise we made to immigrants when they came to Canada. We promised them that they could sponsor their parents and their grandparents to come to Canada. We are not doing very well on that promise. It is taking over 37 months to process an application. Even at the optimum, it will take five to six years to deal with the backlog, although some estimates have it up to 10 years. This is a major concern.

We have a serious problem facing us with respect to this backlog, and the Conservatives have not announced a plan on how to deal with it. They cancelled the pre-election promise that the Liberals made of $700 million to be put toward the backlog. That would have reduced the backlog only slightly. Now we have a backlog of 108,000 parental and grandparental applications and almost 825,000 applications in the system. This is completely unacceptable to those families who take their obligations to their parents and grandparents seriously.

Family reunification has always been a hallmark of our immigration system. Unfortunately, the new minister is leaving that out of his overview of the immigration system. He did not talk about family reunification, when he listed the key aspects of our immigration program. This is a very serious issue. We have to be relentless in ensuring that family reunification and parental and grandparental reunification are priorities of the government.

The issue of the old age pension and new immigrants is also extremely important. New immigrants have to wait 10 years before they become eligible for the old age pension. This puts many of them at hardship. Even after they become Canadian citizens, they are still not eligible until that 10 year threshold. This is unacceptable and it needs to be addressed.

If British people immigrate to the United States, they get an upgraded pension from the British government. If they immigrate to Canada, they are not eligible for this. Canada has to pursue this with the British government to ensure that these people receive a liveable benefit to help them lead the quality of life we all want for them and expect for them.

Many issues need to be on the government agenda, particularly immigration. I suspect I might have a bit more time to conclude my remarks after question period.

Opposition Motion—SeniorsBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

2 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

The time allotted for the hon. member's remarks have expired. However, there will be five minutes for questions and comments.

Elder AbuseStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Conservative

Art Hanger Conservative Calgary Northeast, AB

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to stand here today in recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. This is an opportunity to raise awareness of the mental and physical abuse and neglect to which an ever growing number of our seniors are subjected.

Too many seniors experience one or more forms of abuse or neglect at some point in their later years from someone on whom they trust or rely. The abuse of this trust leaves them with scars that can never heal.

It is a despicable crime, a crime against one of the most vulnerable groups in our society and a crime that we need to confront head on because it so often takes place in the hidden recesses of our communities' homes.

Canada's seniors deserve the utmost respect and they deserve to live out their retirement years in peace and dignity.

Our response to this offence is also critical. Together we, as Canadians, can strive to better appreciate the traumatic experiences that many of our seniors suffer at the hands of their abusers and to act to prevent it.

Tourism WeekStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Liberal

Larry Bagnell Liberal Yukon, YT

Mr. Speaker, Tourism Week in Canada is an opportunity to consider the many benefits tourism brings to our nation. The people in my riding, the most tourism dependent economy in Canada, certainly understand and appreciate those benefits.

The effects of the tourism industry impact every Yukoner and, indeed, every Canadian. For example, it is the largest private sector employer in my riding. Approximately 2,000 jobs are directly dependent on tourism. In fact, 80% of all Yukon private sector employees work for businesses that have some sort of tourism revenue.

Every June, many Yukoners and other Canadians celebrate Tourism Week, excellently coordinated nationally by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, TIAC, and in Yukon by the Tourism Industry Association of Yukon.

I ask all hon. members to consider the value of tourism to their ridings. Tourism Week is a good time to do that. In fact, today and every day is a good time to celebrate what tourism means to Canada.

Manufacturing IndustryStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Bloc

Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC

Mr. Speaker, since 2002, we have noted a downward trend in jobs in the manufacturing sector. There have been some blips in the trend, but the situation has continued to deteriorate.

Just last month, 11,800 jobs were lost in Quebec, bringing the total to 31,900 in the past year.

In my riding of Beauharnois—Salaberry, over the last year and a half, in textiles alone, 700 jobs were lost with the shutdown of Huntingdon Mills and Clyne & Tinker. These closures are in addition to those of other factories, including Spexel de Beauharnois, which resulted in the loss of some 100 jobs.

To date, the most effective decision for boosting employment was the one made by the municipal authorities of Huntingdon to purchase the buildings no longer in use and convert them into industrial condos.

The Bloc Québécois demands that the federal government take immediate action to stop this loss of employment, which is slowly destroying our economy and lives.

Philippine Heritage WeekStatements By Members

2 p.m.

NDP

Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to Canadians of Philippine heritage from coast to coast to coast.

All over Canada, celebrations are taking place, as part of Philippine Heritage Week, to mark the 108th anniversary of Philippine independence. However, none will be more vibrant and exciting than the celebrating taking place in my riding of Winnipeg North.

Winnipeg was one of the first Canadian cities to open its arms to the Filipino community. I am proud to say their culture, heritage and food have all shaped the fabric of Winnipeg.

I have had the great fortune to know a good many members of the Filipino community and they are, without fail, loving, caring, vibrant and active members of our society. It is through them I learned the great joy that is lechon, lumpia and pansit.

Today is a time to say salamat po to Filipino Canadians and a time to remember that our strength as a nation comes from diversity and from the belief that we must never turn our backs on people in need.

As described in this year's theme,“Bayanihan”, community spirit makes seemingly impossible feats possible through the power of unity and cooperation.