Alexandra Mendes

[The Budget, April 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, no, I am not concerned, in the sense that I believe we are right now paying interest on debt that the previous government left us. We have not even started paying interest on the debt that we are incurring ourselves.

However, Liberal governments have, through history, proven that they are very fiscally responsible, and I am very confident that our government will be as fiscally responsible as those before us.

[The Budget, April 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I will not comment on the last part because I honestly have very little to say on that. I do not know enough about it.

However, with respect to the non-refundable tax credit for transit passes, it has been proven that it was not helping in any way to encourage more Canadians to take transit, and people in lower-income brackets were not benefiting from it at all because they do not pay tax anyway. One has to actually pay tax to benefit from it.

[The Budget, April 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful for this opportunity to say a few words about our budget.

Eighteen months ago, our government announced its intention to make Canada a global centre for innovation. We were well aware that this was an ambitious project and that everyone would have to do their part in order to come up with a constructive approach. We therefore asked Canadians to help. The response was overwhelming, with over 100,000 Canadians agreeing to share their opinions.

Canadians said that our plan must create jobs and support services that make Canada a better place to live. They said that this plan must help Canada to adapt and prosper in a period of slow growth and rapid change. Most importantly, they told us that whatever plan we come up with must ensure that all Canadians, not just a select few, benefit from a growing economy.

Budget 2017 takes steps to make Canadians' vision for their country a reality. The innovation and skills plan announced in the budget is an effort to make Canada a world-leading centre for innovation, to help create more good, well-paying jobs, and to help strengthen and grow the middle class. It will ensure that everyone, no matter their gender, their age, or where they live, benefits equally from a more innovative society.

These are the people who drive innovation. Innovation is what happens when smart, creative people find new solutions, from zippers for winter jackets to treatments for rare diseases.

Innovation is also changing the world in which we live. Economies are shifting. Automation is on the rise. The nature of work is being redefined. For Canadian workers to thrive in an innovation-driven economy, they must have the skills they need to succeed. Canada's workforce is one of the most well-educated in the world, but in an increasingly competitive global economy, we need to do more to help Canadians learn, adapt, and find good jobs throughout their careers.

To ensure that training and employment programs help unemployed and underemployed Canadians upgrade their skills and get good jobs in the new economy, budget 2017 proposes $2.7 billion over six years for new federal investments and assistance delivered through the labour market transfer agreements with the provinces and territories.

For those Canadians seeking employment, this measure will give them greater opportunities to upgrade their skills, gain experience, or get some help to start a business of their own. It will also help increase the support offered, such as professional counselling services to help them plan their careers.

In addition, in order to help more unemployed Canadians get the training they need to find a better well-paying job, budget 2017 proposes using more of the measures that make the employment insurance system so flexible, things like allowing applicants to take training, at their own expense, without losing their EI status. This would therefore make it easier for unemployed Canadians who are receiving employment insurance benefits to go back to school to get the training they need to get a new job, without having to worry about losing their benefits, which they need to provide for themselves and their families.

To help more adult workers wanting to go back to school, budget 2017 proposes to expand eligibility for Canada student grants to part-time students and students with dependent children. This translates into more non-repayable assistance for adult workers in order to help them manage the rising cost of post-secondary education while balancing the financial pressures associated with caring for a family.

As a result of this change, roughly 10,000 part-time students will become eligible for Canada student loans and grants every year, and roughly 13,000 students with dependants will become eligible for Canada student grants every year. These measures should be beneficial, especially to women trying to improve their job prospects while raising a family.

No lifelong learning program would be complete without a focus on the future. The youth employment strategy is a government-wide initiative that helps young Canadians start their career on the right foot. Budget 2017 proposes to invest an additional $395.5 million over three years in the youth employment strategy effective 2017-18.

Together with the measures in the 2016 budget, these investments will help more than 33,000 vulnerable young people acquire or develop the skills they need to find a job or to help them return to school. These measures will also create 15,000 new green jobs for Canadian youth and provide more than 1,600 new job opportunities for youth in the heritage sector.

We will also move forward with the youth service initiative to help young people gain valuable work experience, while providing support for communities across Canada. This initiative, which will be launched in the fall of 2017, will include a call for proposals to give youth the opportunity to serve.

The 2017 budget introduces the innovation and skills plan, which provides real and fair opportunities to improve our standard of living and that of our children. The plan includes a range of measures to help adults retrain or upgrade their skills so they can adapt to a changing labour market. The plan includes measures to help young Canadians get the education, skills, and work experience they need to start their careers.

With its comprehensive plan to promote lifelong learning for all Canadians and to help Canadian youth succeed, budget 2017 will make our greatest resource, our people, an even better resource.

This is a great reason for honourable members to unreservedly support this budget.

[Role of Co-operatives, March 24th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of my motion is to highlight the importance of the development and implementation of a strategy to strengthen the co-operative sector, which is so important for our economic growth, as the parliamentary secretary so richly enlightened us. During the first hour of debate, I said that co-operatives are inherently innovative. They are created to meet people's needs and to serve these same people.

The flexibility of the co-operative model and its proven track record of success in creating jobs, filling market gaps, and meeting needs in Canadian communities make co-operatives an important player in long-term, sustainable economic growth.

I would like to thank all my colleagues who spoke in support of the motion, the members of all parties who told me that they would vote in favour of the motion, and all those who are calling on the government to continue to recognize the important role that co-operatives play in the Canadian economy and ensure that Canadian co-operatives continue to thrive.

I would also like to thank the co-op sector for its support. Special thanks to Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada and the Conseil québécois de la coopération et de la mutualité for their assistance along the way. I firmly believe that beyond being a model for economic growth, the co-operative sector has the potential to support a number of government priorities, including the government's inclusive innovation agenda, social innovation and finance, a transition to a low-carbon economy, and indigenous economic development. Motion No. 100 would give the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development the mandate needed to fully explore the opportunities and synergies that a stable and locally based co-operative economy could create in all parts of Canada.

Parliamentarians are elected by Canadians to meet our collective needs. Co-operatives and mutual companies are never imposed on communities. They are created to address common needs and are democratically accountable to their members for their own management.

It is up to MPs across party lines to give the public service a strong mandate so that this plan can take shape and become a reality.

In closing, I would like to quote my esteemed friend, the late Hon. Mauril Bélanger:

I remain committed to supporting the co-operative model as a means of mitigating the adverse effects of growing economic disparity.

The co-operative model is a proven structure that greatly empowers each member, resulting in a wonderful combination of business success and social responsibility, which plays an important role in the economy and in our communities.

I thank the hon. members for listening and for the attention they have given to this debate. I look forward to working with everyone to promote economic growth, increase our competitiveness, and create jobs.

[Privilege, March 22nd, 2017]

Show me one.

[Nowruz, March 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to take a moment to send our thoughts to our colleagues in Britain in Westminster right now who are going through a very scary moment. I extend my deepest sympathy.

I want to take a moment today to acknowledge the Persian new year, Nowruz.

Nowruz is a great time of renewal celebrated by our fellow citizens of Afghan and Iranian descent and by many other communities in western Asia. It marks the first day of spring.

Nowruz means “new day”, which upon reflection can be viewed as a fresh start, a second chance, a time to rejuvenate, and a time for hope.

As springtime begins, although it always seems to arrive a few weeks later in Canada, I remain inspired by the positive changes taking shape across our country. I sincerely believe that we live in one of the best countries in the world, a country that never ceases to get stronger and fairer, a country that is boldly focused on the future. To all those celebrating this special day, Eid-eh Shoma Mobarak.

[National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, March 20th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I absolutely commend the work done by the committee members. It was a very thoughtful process. They took the time to examine and to receive all the witnesses they could to provide as much information as possible in coming up with their recommendations. I think the government was also thoughtful in coming back with some acceptance and some non-acceptance of the recommendations from the committee. I have to commend the work done by the committee.

[National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, March 20th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the member on this side has a good memory and recalls very clearly the 10 years of Conservative government during which the infamous gag order was imposed on us at nearly every turn, and during which that committee never had a chance to see the light of day because the government refused to allow it.

I really do not need any lectures from my opposition colleagues.

[National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, March 20th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague that obviously the fact that the Prime Minister would appoint the parliamentarians that would sit on the committee would definitely not be an indication that they would be limited in the scope both of their work and of their liberty to do the work as fully as necessary to do their job.

[National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, March 20th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to recall that the government has made a point of taking the time to consult its colleagues of other authorities, in order to see what the best practices of those parliamentary committees were. The government’s conclusion that the minister should be allowed certain limits is based on reasons of security. That is why the government is maintaining its restrictions, which are still very limited and must be justified to parliamentarians.