Madam Speaker, a little while ago I asked a question in question period on the topic of the ever-increasing price of groceries. Food inflation is running at about twice the rate of the average rate of inflation in this country, so many people are hurting in a real, tangible and, I might say, painful way.
I made the point, in my 30-second question spot, that food inflation is hitting seniors particularly hard. Many seniors are on a fixed income. I would point out that for the people who are fortunate enough to have an indexed pension, the indexing is to the average rate of inflation, not food inflation, so even those people are hurting in very real and tangible ways.
In my question, I quoted Myrna, and it bears repeating what she had to say to me in an email. She said, “I worked and planned for my retirement my entire life and now it's taking everything I have to live.” That is the painful part of inflation. It erodes people's purchasing power. Myrna did nothing wrong; she did everything right. She saved up for her retirement. It was going to be enough, but then she was facing inflation, and that is a reality for many people.
I could have quoted others, but I had only so much time in my 30-second time spot, so I am going to take the opportunity now to read into the record a comment from Darcy, also from my riding: “I know that you are aware [of] the cost of living and your party knows this; unfortunately [the Liberal Prime Minister] does not.... There are thousands of seniors lining up at food banks and looking for affordable housing.... There are way too many seniors who have to make a choice about whether to buy food or [pay for] rent”.
Laine had this to say: “[Seniors] are also caught up in all the price increases, cost of living and taxes but nobody is being our voice and fighting for our secure and dignified retirement.... When was our last cost of living [increase]?” I am trying to be the voice for Laine and other people like her.
These are just a few examples. I know many seniors are wealthy and have nice pensions and comfortable homes with no mortgages, or maybe they have sold a business and are living comfortably, but I am speaking for those who are struggling, and there are many of them.
That is why I was so disappointed with the answer I got from the Secretary of State for Seniors. This is what she said: “I speak to seniors in my home riding...all the time, and they are proud of what this government is doing, that we have taken action that actually helps seniors in this country to age with dignity.” I do not know whom she has been speaking to; it is probably the wealthy pensioners but certainly not the people who are struggling.
She went on to highlight some of the handouts the government has given. I am sure that people are always happy to get some of their tax dollars back, but it misses a point. She said:
We are cutting red tape. We are building homes faster. We are providing dental care....
On this side of the House, we have a great record.
That is her perspective. It is not the perspective of many seniors who are struggling.
The problem with the Liberals, in my opinion, is that they think they have all the answers. They think they are the solution to the problems, whereas the reality is that they are the cause of many of the problems Canadians are suffering from. This is particularly true for seniors, who are at the wrong end of inflation and are seeing their savings being eaten away by inflation that is caused by the government through overspending and deficit budgets. After 10 years of mismanagement by the federal government, inflation is deeply seated.
My question is this: Will the Liberals acknowledge that their never-ending deficit spending and money printing is causing inflation that continues to hurt Canadians?