House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2019, with 41% of the vote.
Petitions April 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the second petition relates to the fact that last fall, my community in Davenport awoke to the fact that GE Hitachi has been operating a nuclear fuel processing facility in the riding. Many are very concerned. They would like to see CNSC reopen the licence, and the petition speaks to that.
Petitions April 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.
Recently the United Way and McMaster University presented a report that showed that up to half of all workers in Toronto could not access full-time employment. Therefore, they are working at part-time, freelance, self-employed and contract employment. These jobs come with no pensions, no benefits and no job security. In particular, the members in my community in Davenport are concerned about the lack of access to employment insurance for those who are deemed to be in precarious work.
This petition speaks to that issue and the concern my community has around it.
Committees of the House April 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Fundy Royal for submitting the report on the entertainment software industry and for his work as chair of the heritage committee.
I would like to draw attention to the official opposition's supplementary report, particularly recommendation number 3, which deals with the temporary foreign workers program.
Both inside and outside the House of Commons yesterday, the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration tried to use as cover for his utter mismanagement of the program the entertainment software industry, one of the great new economy success stories. Our supplementary recommendation recognizes the challenges this industry may face, as do many sectors that need highly specialized workers from time to time, but cannot find them.
I want to draw attention to part of our supplementary recommendation, which states:
[The temporary foreign worker program] is failing to ensure that Canadians and permanent residents have the first opportunity for jobs that are created. Therefore, the Official Opposition insists that CIC and HRSDC only permit temporary foreign workers to fill a position when there are no Canadians or permanent residents able to fill them.
Petitions April 25th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, last fall, the people in my community in Davenport awoke to the news that GE Hitachi had been operating a nuclear fuel processing plant in my riding for 50 years, and no one knew that it was there. In fact, the licence requires that GE inform the public, especially those people living right around the plant. Toronto is a very densely populated city.
Therefore, I had written a letter to the CNSC, requesting that the licence be reopened so that members of the public could have their rightful, lawful opportunity to speak to these concerns.
This petition speaks to these concerns as well.
Taxation April 19th, 2013
It is an iPod tax, Mr. Speaker, and that is a fact.
In a city with a crisis in affordable housing, the Conservatives are making it harder for the people in Toronto to afford their mortgage or their rent. They have raised the price of paint, varnish, bathtubs and sinks. One cannot even make soup without paying the Conservatives more because they have even raised the price of wooden spoons.
Why are the Conservatives making life more expensive for already squeezed urban Canadians?
Employment April 19th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, it is assumed that if people live in Toronto, they have it made, that they are on easy street. Indeed, we have made a national pastime out of trash-talking Toronto.
However, a recent report by the United Way shows that almost half of all workers in Toronto do not have stable full-time jobs. Many live in Davenport. They are cab drivers, bartenders, office cleaners, web designers, carpenters, consultants, musicians and professors. They are also workers who thought they had been hired full time, only to find that the company had classified them as self-employed or part time. These urban workers have no benefits, no pension, no job security and are of no interest to the government.
The reality of work is rapidly changing, but the Conservatives ignore half the workers in the biggest city in the country. We need measures that will make a real difference in the lives of urban workers, not more Conservative Toronto MPs sitting on their hands, stuck in the past, while this city and this country races by them toward the future of work in the 21st century.
Taxation April 18th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the GTA is already one of the most expensive places to live in Canada and Conservative GTA MPs are just not getting the job done. They just sit here quietly, while unemployment goes up. Youth unemployment in the GTA is over 15%.
Now Conservatives are raising taxes on over 1,200 everyday items, from brooms to bikes to iPods. Why are Conservatives delivering less and less for cities, while taking more and more money out of the pockets of already squeezed urban Canadians?
Business of Supply April 16th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that many temporary foreign workers could have, in a previous era in Canadian history, become permanent residents. We have always said that temporary foreign workers who come into this country should be accorded that opportunity.
The current government has let immigrants down time and time again. In Toronto, we have taxi drivers with Ph.D.s in civics who cannot get a job because companies are not recognizing their work experience. At the same time, these same companies are bringing in temporary foreign workers. What is actually happening is that Canadian citizens' own credentials are not being recognized while we bring in temporary foreign workers.
It is also important to underline the fact that, while we have serious issues with this program, we stand for the protection of rights for all workers in Canada. Whether they are temporary foreign workers, permanent residents or citizens of this country, we would like to see them all become active and contributing members of our country, if they choose to.
My question is for the hon. member from the Liberal Party. How is it that we could have in Toronto tens of thousands of immigrants with highly skilled qualifications and they cannot find jobs that are obviously available?
Business of Supply April 16th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, it is important to underline the point that when we tackle this issue we do so with the principles of justice and fairness in mind for all workers in Canada: Canadian citizens, permanent residents and temporary foreign workers. That is the NDP's position. It is a position of social justice and fairness for all those who live in Canada.
What we need to underline in this debate is how the temporary foreign worker program feeds into the downward spiral of wages in this country. I have listened to members opposite talk about this program and how fantastic it is, but we have to think about what is going on in the city of Toronto with about one-third of the temporary foreign workers, upwards of 100,000 temporary foreign workers. The government says there are no skilled workers to do these jobs. Between 2004 and 2008 about 45,000 highly skilled, internationally educated engineers immigrated to Toronto. The government is telling us that there is a skills shortage in the city of Toronto. The Conservatives should take a cab in Toronto and talk to the doctors and the engineers and the scientists there.
Business of Supply April 16th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, in Toronto over half the population was born outside of the city and they are listening to this debate with great concern. It is important to underline that in this debate when we are tackling the issues we do so with the principles of justice and fairness for all workers in Canada first and foremost. It is very important that we underline that fact.
In Toronto about one-third of the temporary foreign workers are being deployed. This defies mathematics. For example, between 2000 and 2005 we brought in about 45,000 immigrant workers who were professional engineers. They need these jobs.
Therefore, the system is broken. Could my colleague speak to those issues? There are egregious mistakes in this program.