Debates of May 4th, 2016

Employment Insurance

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, of course I listened very carefully to my colleague's speech, but not the answer, because my question remains unanswered.

Still, I find it curious that in a four-minute speech, the member said that we are not paying attention to the file, and at the same time, that we know the answers. I see an inconsistency there. I can assure my hon. colleague that I have been paying attention to this file for years now, and I am perfectly aware of what is in the budget. I even referred to some dates earlier.

However, he still has not answered the critical question. The youth unemployment rate is practically double the national average. What can we do to ensure that our young people are able to access the employment insurance system when they need it, when we know that fewer than four out of 10 workers qualify for EI, even though they have paid into it for many years? Will we get an answer to our question regarding a universal 360-hour eligibility standard?

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague for Trois-Rivières should know about removing the NERE, new entry and re-entry, provisions.

New entries are usually young workers, young Canadians. Sometimes it is the first time they have held a job, and the first time they have found themselves out of a job. They no longer need that 920 hours to qualify the first time. All they have to do is comply with regional qualifiers, and that has included a whole other group of young Canadians.

Also, in the budget, we have doubled the amount of money that we put into the summer student employment program. It has been done, as we have seen in the member's riding, and he should see it from past years. I am hearing about it in my riding. More community groups are able to host summer students and give them that opportunity to have their first job.

We want to create more job opportunities for young Canadians. Yes, employment insurance has to be there when they find themselves out of work, but we want to invest in training. We want to give employers an opportunity to create those jobs for young people so that they can continue to grow and contribute to the economy. That is what this government is seized with.

Veterans Affairs

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, after redistribution, many of our ridings changed. I picked up that third nomenclature in my riding name, which is now Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman. It is a riding that I am very proud to represent, including the new part of Eastman, which includes the communities of Pinawa, Powerview-Pine Falls, Lac du Bonnet, Great Falls, and others.

I am glad to get up today to address a question I raised in the House some time ago about the national memorial for Canada's mission in Afghanistan to honour the 40,000 Canadians who served in the Afghanistan mission, and the 158 Canadians who paid the ultimate sacrifice in that mission against al Qaeda, against the Taliban, and against terrorism.

Unfortunately, we still have not heard from the government. We have not heard from the Minister of Veterans Affairs, the Minister of National Defence nor the Associate Minister of National Defence on what the plans are on whether or not we are going to have a national memorial to pay tribute to the longest mission in Canadian history. We are talking about a mission where Canadians went in with the right context and for the right reasons.

Unfortunately, in the answer to my question, the Minister of Veterans Affairs said that his government will get it done since the Conservative government could not get it done in 10 years.

First and foremost, let us revisit the history here on the national memorial for the Afghanistan mission.

The first time we started talking about this was in 2011. At that time, the chief of the defence staff, a number of civilian leaders, and Laurie Hawn, who was the parliamentary secretary to the minister of national defence at that time, raised the issue of having a plan to put in place a national memorial to the veterans of the Afghanistan mission. At that time, our minister of national defence was Peter MacKay, and he said:

When the last troops return home to their families at the conclusion of the mission, the full scope of Canada's contributions in Afghanistan, including all the work of all those who have sacrificed and fallen in the service of their country, will be appropriately recognized and commemorated.

That was in 2011, and of course, the mission was not over yet. In 2014, when the mission came to a close, the minister of veteran affairs, Julian Fantino, announced that a permanent national memorial to Canada's mission in Afghanistan would be located here in Ottawa. The mission, which started under the Liberals, ran from 2001 until 2014.

We have to stay committed to the ideal of “lest we forget”, and we need to back that up with action. We need to have this memorial. We have a national day of honour, and now we need to have the national memorial for all of those who have served and those who have fallen in the service of Canada in Afghanistan. I encourage the government to honour the bravery and sacrifice of everyone who participated in the mission by completing this memorial.

Will the government actually finish the work by 2017 and complete the Afghanistan war memorial, which was initiated under the Conservative government?

[Karen McCrimmon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to answer the question from the hon. member.

I know first hand, and I could not agree more. The men and women of the Canadian Forces quite simply did an extraordinary job in Afghanistan and their contribution deserves to be commemorated appropriately.

Commemoration is a key pillar of the mandate of Veterans Affairs Canada. As the member is well aware, Canadian veterans and those who died wearing Canada's uniform have made invaluable contributions to the development of our country as well as to our peace and security. Commemorative programs and events help to ensure that the memories of these achievements and sacrifices are preserved.

The minister has said in the House that he is committed to ensuring that the memorial to Canada's mission in Afghanistan gets built, but it will be done in a timely and respectful manner. The national memorial to Canada's mission in Afghanistan is indeed a priority in the department's plans and priorities.

More than 40,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan will be remembered in a meaningful way, as well as the hundreds of other Canadians who also bravely performed their duties in this theatre of war.

We will ensure that the memorial is built and it will be built in an appropriate location, a location that will allow Canadians the opportunity to pay their respects to those who served.

Commemorating our veterans' sacrifice is important to this government, but there are many ways in which a grateful nation can acknowledge, pay respect, or show appreciation for sacrifice. Monuments are important, but providing the resources by which veterans and their families can enjoy a secure future with quality of life is equally important, if not more important. This government committed in budget 2016 another $3.7 billion to provide veterans and their families with the care and support they deserve.

In addition, as we all know, nine Veterans Affairs offices across Canada will be reopened and a tent will be created in Surrey, B.C. We are increasing front-line staff and the number of case managers who will be working with our veterans and their families. This will give them access to the assistance they so desperately need and so rightfully deserve.

Canada is entering an important period of commemoration and there are a number of commemorations on the horizon. July of this year commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Battles of the Somme and of Beaumont-Hamel, and next year Vimy Ridge.

Without question, the world is better and safer because of the efforts of Canadians on the field of battle and in peace support efforts. Lasting recognition of those efforts, such as the memorial that we are discussing today, is vitally important. We must ensure that current and future generations have places where they can gather in remembrance to honour the sacrifice made on our behalf.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the parliamentary secretary for her service to Canada as a member of the Royal Canadian Armed Forces and as a colonel and commanding officer.

I really want to get down to the nitty-gritty though, and that is on the question before the House right now, which is on the memorial for Afghanistan veterans. We can talk politics. We can talk about services provided to veterans, which everyone in the House wants to improve and enhance. When the Conservatives were in government, we laid out a clear, concise, and achievable target to have this memorial to all of our veterans of Afghanistan completed by 2017.

The Liberals like to talk the big game on the veterans file, but will they get this project done by 2017 to honour the incredible service made by our veterans in Afghanistan?

[Karen McCrimmon, Liberal, Kanata—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member mentioned that this process was started back in 2011, and from 2011 to 2014 nothing happened, a good three years. We have been in government for six months. I have talked to a lot of veterans about the proposed Afghanistan memorial and I heard no support for it. I heard a fair bit of criticism from the veterans who felt they were not consulted, and what they wanted in a memorial was perhaps not what was in the plan.

We are doing it differently. We feel we need to talk to these veterans. We feel their opinions and their contributions to this memorial, to its design, to its location, are important. We are going to do it differently, but we are going to do it right.

Status of Women

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on March 8, I rose in the House to ask the government when it would come up with an action plan to address violence against women.

During the election campaign, the Liberals promised to develop a strategy and an action plan. Six months later, nothing tangible has been done. In the meantime, thousands of women are paying the price. Every night, 4,600 women and 3,600 children have to sleep in emergency shelters. In fact, I would appreciate it if my colleague would clarify the notion of shelter.

In Quebec, a shelter is a place where a person can spend the night. It is not a place to live. There are also community housing organizations for women in need and, of course, homes for abused women. When we say shelter, we mean all these types of facilities.

Seventy per cent of community housing organizations for women say that their biggest problem is the lack of government support. Every day, shelters turn away 379 women and 215 children because there is no room. In 2016, this should not be an issue.

Women are 11 times more likely than men to be a target of sexual violence and three times more likely to experience criminal harassment. What is more, 1,200 indigenous women have been murdered or gone missing since 1980. Indigenous women are three times more likely than other Canadian women to experience violence. In 2016, it is unimaginable that any woman should have to endure sexual harassment in the workplace or domestic violence.

Canada made a commitment to the United Nations to put an end to violence against women and girls. However, community organizations that provide shelter services clearly do not have the resources they need. It is time for the government to meet its obligations.

New Democrats have always made ending violence against women a priority. The NDP launched an initiative to create a national action plan to address violence against all women. The NDP's plan seeks to ensure that abused women and children have access to shelters and safe houses.

In the last Parliament, my colleague from Churchill—Keewatinook Aski moved Motion No. 444, which sought to establish a national action plan to address violence against women. Unfortunately, the motion was defeated. The Conservative government showed that it did not consider women's safety to be a priority and that it was not prepared to defend women's rights.

Over the past few decades, Liberal and Conservative governments have introduced policies that have put vulnerable women at greater risk. For example, in 1993 and 1996, the Liberals cut off federal investment in new social housing projects. The housing shortage directly resulted in the increased vulnerability of women who must leave situations of domestic violence. Indeed, a lack of affordable housing is the number one reason why women cannot functionally escape the violence they face.

How long will these women have to wait? How many other victims will have to wait before the government actually does something?

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, violence is an everyday occurrence for far too many Canadian women and girls. According to statistics, many types of violence continue to affect mainly women and girls. Statistics also show that indigenous women are particularly vulnerable. They are three times more likely to report being victims of violence than other Canadian women.

Many women and girls end up trapped in a cycle of violence, inequality, and victimization as a result of the combined effect of many factors such as poverty, lack of community support, and lack of affordable or supervised housing. This cycle can be passed on from one generation to the next and can be a source of ongoing suffering for Canadian women and their families. This situation is unacceptable. A life without violence is a fundamental human right. No woman should be deprived of that right.

Our government is determined to address this complicated problem, which will require a comprehensive action plan. As decision-makers, we have a responsibility to find and support innovate ways to address the root causes of violence against women and girls, as well as to come up with positive solutions to stop the cycle of violence from continuing from one generation to the next.

That is why the Minister of Status of Women was mandated to develop and implement a comprehensive federal strategy to combat sexual violence. We are working on developing a strategy that will recognize the range of interventions required, including legislative measures to prevent violence, support survivors and improve the justice system; use federal programs already in place; align with the efforts already being carried out in provinces and territories, or expand them; and include an important monitoring component to enable us to monitor and evaluate progress.

This work is already underway. The minister has started to meet with organizations, people working for the cause, her provincial and territorial counterparts, and international experts in order to discuss innovative ideas for our strategy to fight sexual violence.

These efforts will be augmented by a component of our infrastructure plan. In fact, our government has committed to maintaining and expanding the network of shelters and transition houses. We are taking these steps because when we ensure that women and girls do not experience violence, we eliminate a major obstacle to the realization of their full potential and we can move closer to our objective of gender parity.

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we cannot eliminate violence against women without government help. I am impressed with the government's plan to create 3,000 shelter spaces over the next two years.

However, the fact is that the need is much greater. Three thousand spaces across Canada in over 600 shelters is not enough. If the government decides that something must be done, it should do it right.

Many organizations and volunteer groups are working hard to stop violence against women. One of these is La Clé, a shelter in my riding that has housed over 4,000 women and as many children and received thousands more requests for help.

I would like to acknowledge the amazing work done by all of the volunteer workers who provide emotional, practical, and social support to women and children. I myself have had the honour of working there.

However, because the government has done nothing, hundreds of women are turned away from shelters every day. That is sad but true. Canadian women are paying the price. It is high time we took meaningful action. Women want real action, not empty promises. The time for consultation is past. People need the government to show leadership on this. They are still waiting for a national action plan to end violence against women.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, our government is taking action.

The disproportionate rate of violence against indigenous women and girls is a major concern for our government and Canadians. We have launched an inquiry in order to shed light on the high number of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in our country.

Over the past few months, as part of the design process, the Minister of Status of Women and her colleagues, the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs and the Minister of Justice, have met with survivors and victims' loved ones.

In a few months, we will announce details of this inquiry and how it will contribute to our commitment to reconciliation and the establishment of a renewed, nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous peoples. Our government is determined to prevent violence against women and girls. It is a priority for us.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 9:15 p.m.)