Alupa Clarke

[Canada Pension Plan, October 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Beloeil—Chambly for those very interesting remarks.

There are a lot of seniors in my riding, and I am very concerned about their living conditions. Every week, when I go to my riding, I can see that most of them are living in deplorable conditions. When I work with Meals on Wheels, I see their circumstances up close.

In addition to their fragile economic situation, they lack a stable support network. They are so alone. I think that is due in part to the major social upheavals of the 20th century that led to community fragmentation. Seniors no longer have their cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers, and sisters nearby to help.

Aside from what the state can do to help our seniors, I would like to know if my colleague from Beloeil—Chambly has thought of ways to restore the sense of social solidarity that is fading away or gone altogether.

[Canada Pension Plan, October 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, my colleague from the greater Quebec City area.

Over the past year, the Liberal government has broken a number of its promises. My colleague also talked about the Minister of Finance, who has contradicted himself somewhat, in terms of his current policies compared to what he has written in the past.

I wonder if the member could comment on what he thinks of the Liberals' pattern of breaking their promises and abandoning the convictions they have expressed in the past.

[Veterans, October 7th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, approximately 150 people participated in the veterans summit this week, yet one-quarter of them had never been in the Canadian Armed Forces and nearly half were not recipients of Veterans Affairs Canada programs or services.

Must I remind the minister that the point of this type of summit is to improve the benefits offered by his department, not to serve the Liberal government's own agenda?

The minister told veterans to be patient because he was still working on identifying the most pressing issues.

Why then does he not consult the veterans who are most affected by his department?

[Veterans, October 6th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, what is happening with Mr. Lalancette, one of our veterans? Let me tell you. He has been on a hunger strike for three days and slept outside on Parliament Hill for three nights, but he has not received a visit from either the Prime Minister or his minister.

What the parliamentary secretary said yesterday in the House should worry all members. Some ministers are said to have used a parliamentary committee as a negotiating tool. We all know very well that the committees are mandated to take action beyond the reach of the government.

Why did this government make promises when it knew very well that it did not have the authority to keep them?

[Paris Agreement, October 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague from Vaudreuil—Soulanges on his speech. I have a question for him.

I think my colleague is well aware that many Canadian municipalities, especially in rural areas, sadly have no public transit to speak of. Nonetheless, countless workers have to put gas in their cars to get to work.

What does his government intend to do for the workers who will be unable to afford rising gas prices resulting from the carbon tax? What does his government intend to do to help these people get to work?

[Veterans, October 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday evening I had a visit from Claude Lalancette, a veteran who fought bravely for us overseas. He was in tears, and he is clearly in very serious situation.

He has been on a hunger strike for two days and has slept outside for two nights. The first was at the National War Memorial here in Ottawa, and the second was in front of Parliament itself. This situation concerns all members of the House.

What is the Prime Minister going to do for Mr. Lalancette right now?

[Veterans Affairs, September 29th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, last Friday in Winnipeg, the Minister of Veterans Affairs informed veterans that they were going to have to wait a very long time before getting an answer on the option of a disability pension.

It is becoming increasingly clear that this government was making empty promises during the election campaign. On top of that, this summer it broke its solemn commitment to veterans when it took them back to court in the Equitas case.

When will the minister admit that his promises to our veterans were simply window dressing during the election campaign?

[Business of Supply, September 22nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her question.

I completely agree with her, particularly since, if we want to be completely loyal to our colleagues from Atlantic Canada, we need to recognize that, since 1867, the Atlantic region has been short-changed within the Canadian federation. It has been short-changed in terms of public contracts and wealth creation. The government therefore needs to recognize constitutional conventions, not just in institutions such as the House of Commons and the executive branch, but also in the Supreme Court. These constitutional conventions are extremely important even if it is only to leave a little bit of room for the Atlantic provinces, which are at a numerical disadvantage.

[Business of Supply, September 22nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with everything my colleague said. The important thing to remember is that, in a letter published in a newspaper, the Prime Minister announced his intention to change the process for selecting Supreme Court justices in Canada. That is what we need to remember.

Just this morning, the member for Louis-Hébert mentioned that his colleagues were going to support the motion, but they announced it this morning. This is not just about supporting a motion. It is about appointing a judge from Atlantic Canada to fill the next vacancy in the Supreme Court of Canada.

[Business of Supply, September 22nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to my dear colleague from Louis-Hébert that it is all well and good that the committee will consider regional representation, but that it should not be a consideration. It should be a given for the government, which would do well to accept it and choose a judge from Atlantic Canada.

As for the new consultative groups, I believe that they are puppets whose role is to hide the true interests of the Prime Minister.