Andrew Cash

[Petitions, May 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I have is from folks in my riding who want the government to act on protecting unpaid interns. Currently, there are no federal rules that govern this issue.

The petitioners call upon the government to support a national urban workers strategy.

[Petitions, May 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise on behalf of the residents of the riding of Davenport in the great city of Toronto.

This petition is signed by members of my community from Hope Street, Nairn Avenue, Bartlett Avenue, and Lansdowne Avenue. The petitioners are largely seniors and folks on fixed income, people who do not necessarily use computers.

The petitioners call upon the government to act on pay-to-pay fees. These are the fees that many companies charge consumers to receive their bill in the mail. Imagine that. People in this country are paying money to get their bill in the mail.

This petition seeks government action on that.

[Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, May 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, when many of us first arrived in 2011, we witnessed an argument around time allocation from the government that went something like, “Well, we debated this bill in the last Parliament, so there is no point in talking about it now”.

I do not know where the minister is getting his numbers of 30-odd hours of debate when we have only had two hours, but I will tell the House about some other numbers that the minister is not talking about. When he talks about fraud, he says that we have not acknowledged fraud in the system. That is untrue; we have acknowledged that there is some. What the minister has not acknowledged is to what degree his department is concerned about fraud.

We have 325,000 applicants in the queue. Of those applicants, the RCMP is investigating 5,000 for potential fraud. That is—calculators out, folks—about 1.5%.

Now, of that 1.5%, some may have committed fraud. Some may have, but can the minister tell us how many? Is this truly the focus of this incredibly important and incredibly problematic bill?

[Petitions, May 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, seniors and people on fixed incomes are still getting bills in the mail for which they are charged a pay-to-pay fee to get their bill in the mail. The government said it was going to eliminate these fees, but citizens are still getting these bills with fees attached. This petition calls on the government to stop the practice of pay-to-pay fees across Canada.

[Petitions, May 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, more than half of workers in Toronto cannot access a stable, full-time job. They have part-time jobs, precarious work, and contract employment. This petition is from members of the riding of Davenport. They are calling on the government to support a national strategy for urban workers.

[Petitions, May 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to stand in this place on behalf of the good people of Davenport in the great city of Toronto to present a couple of petitions.

The first one is from very concerned residents, friends, and allies of Oscar Vigil, who came to Canada from El Salvador in 2001. He raised a family here. In fact, his wife and three children are now Canadian citizens. The government wants to send him back to El Salvador. The petitioners request the Government of Canada and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to grant ministerial relief to Oscar Vigil and allow him to remain with his family in Canada as a permanent resident.

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in November, in response to the devastating Typhoon Haiyan, the government promised to fast-track some visa applications, but here we are six months later and the department refuses to say what happened to those applications.

The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration needs to take this issue seriously and start answering some questions. How many visas were approved, how many were fast-tracked, how many were rejected, and how many are still in process? These are basic questions. Why can the minister not stand and answer them?

[Petitions, May 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the final petition is in regard to the government saying it would end pay-to-pay fees. Those are the fees people are charged when they get their bills in the mail. There has been a move to eliminate this fee on some bills, but not on all.

The petitioners from my riding, most of them seniors living on Connolly, Symington, and Russett, want to see real action from the government on these pay-to-pay fees.

[Petitions, May 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition pertains to the fact that just about half of all workers in Toronto cannot access a full-time, stable job. They need a national urban worker strategy. This petition speaks to that need.

[Petitions, May 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise on behalf of the residents of my riding of Davenport in the great city of Toronto to table a few petitions.

The first petition is from people in my riding and right across the city. The petitioners are calling on the government and on the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to grant ministerial relief to Oscar Vigil.

Mr. Vigil came to Canada from El Salvador in 2001. His wife and three children are now Canadian citizens, and we believe the government can do the right thing and keep this family together.