Chris Charlton

[Petitions, March 27th, 2007]

My second petition, Mr. Speaker, is with respect to my colleague's bill, Bill C-394, the bill that we in the House call the once in a lifetime bill. Family reunification must be a key component of a fair immigration policy. The current family class rules, as we well know, are too restrictive and mean that many close relatives are not eligible.

The petitioners are asking the Parliament of Canada to ensure, by passing Bill C-394, that Canadian citizens and landed immigrants are given that once in a lifetime opportunity to sponsor a family member from outside the current family class as it is currently defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

[Petitions, March 27th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure of tabling two petitions today.

The first is signed by hard-working families on Hamilton Mountain who are concerned about the recognition of foreign credentials. They state that Canada's failure to recognize the credentials of qualified, skilled and professional foreign-trained immigrants is not only hurting the economy and immigrants alike, but it is also contributing to unacceptable levels of child poverty and is increasing the strain on social services.

They are petitioning Parliament to create a foreign credentials recognition agency that will ensure foreign-trained immigrants meet Canadian standards while getting those who are trained and ready to work into the workforce as quickly as possible.

[Income Tax Act, March 27th, 2007]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-418, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (deductibility of remuneration).

Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Hamilton Mountain, and indeed right across this country, hard-working families are increasingly recognizing the existence of a prosperity gap. They do not feel that they are benefiting from the economic growth they keep hearing about. They are right. The numbers back them up. Not only is there a growing gap between the rich and the poor, there is also an alarming erosion of economic security for middle class families.

In 2005 Canada's top 100 CEOs were earning 240 times the salary of the average Canadian worker. By 10 a.m. on New Year's Day, the top CEOs have earned more than most Canadians make in a year. A recent poll showed that 82% of Canadians believe that one of the ways to narrow that prosperity gap is to close the tax loopholes that allow wealthy Canadians and corporations to pay less than their fair share of taxes. That is precisely what my bill does.

This legislation will no longer allow companies to write off against their business taxes the salaries of their CEOs and corporate officers in excess of $1 million. This is particularly important in communities like Hamilton, where companies that are seeking CCAA protection from the courts are protecting the multi-million dollar salaries of their key executives through court-supported KERPs while they are exacting wage, pension and benefit concessions from their workers.

I want to thank my colleague, the member for Winnipeg North, for her support. I hope the House will recognize the inherent fairness of this legislation and pass it quickly.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Petitions, March 26th, 2007]

The second petition, Mr. Speaker, also comes from hard-working families in my community of Hamilton Mountain and it comes in the year 2007 which is the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

These petitioners are outraged at the cutbacks to the Status of Women regional offices, particularly the one in Hamilton. They will be there protesting this Friday morning at 10:30. They are upset about the removal of advocacy and equality from the mandate of Status of Women Canada, long before we have achieved any such equality.

They are petitioning the Parliament of Canada to take some serious steps to ensure adequate funding and support for seven fundamental areas that need redress. These include: violence against women prevention, a national housing plan, support for women's equality seeking organizations, affordable quality public child care, pay equity, access to justice, and support for the voluntary sector agreements with the federal government.

I am pleased to say that these petitions are not just signed by women. They are also signed by many men in my community who are concerned about the future of their daughters, their granddaughters, and the standard of living of their wives, their aunts and their parents.

[Petitions, March 26th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions today. I am pleased to table the first petition on behalf of the hard-working families of Hamilton Mountain about the lack of child care spaces in our community.

On the day that yet another early year study confirms that Canada is dead last in investing in early learning and child care, the petitioners are expressing their frustration with the government's ABC approach to early learning which under the Conservatives has come to mean anything but child care.

The petitioners are asking Parliament to invest in real early childhood education by passing the NDP's Bill C-303 to create significant child care spaces through a national, high quality, universal, not for profit, affordable and accessible child care system.

[Petitions, March 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, my last petition, and I will be very brief on this petition, is again from families in Hamilton Mountain who have been forced to act as caregivers for their families.

The petitioners are asking this Parliament that all Canadians who provide care to a member of their family receive the financial support they need by passing the NDP's Bill C-209 and Bill C-240.

[Petitions, March 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad that you are acknowledging that homelessness is indeed a problem right across the country. I will make my comments much briefer.

The petitioners in this case were from Hamilton and all they ask is that all Canadians have access to secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing by passing the NDP housing bill of rights, Bill C-382.

[Petitions, March 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, my third petition, again on behalf of families in Hamilton Mountain, addresses the housing bill of rights that was introduced by the NDP in this House.

We know that there are approximately 150,000 homeless people in Canada and that does not include the many people in my community who are living in substandard, overcrowded and temporary housing.

Canada is now one of only two developed countries--

[Petitions, March 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, my next petition again is on behalf of these same hard-working families. We know that a decade after the major reforms to the employment insurance program were enacted, it is even more difficult now to qualify and the benefits are less generous.

EI has been repeatedly cut since its high point in the mid-1970s, most recently in the early 1990s, and today only about 4 out of every 10 unemployed workers collect regular EI benefits, down from 80% in 1990.

The NDP has introduced eight bills that target more than 12 elements of the EI Act, including the removal of the waiting period, the 66% benefit rate as well as the length of the benefit period.

To that end, hard-working families in Hamilton are asking this House to enact the legislation introduced by the NDP and reform the EI program, so that it will properly support working Canadians who are out of work.

[Petitions, March 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table four petitions today on behalf of the hard-working families of Hamilton Mountain.

These families are increasingly recognizing the existence of a prosperity gap in Canada. They do not feel that they are benefiting from the economic growth they keep hearing about. Of course, they are right as we know and the numbers are backing them up. Not only is there a growing gap between the right and the poor but there is also an alarming erosion of economic security for middle class families.

To that end, hard-working families have talked to me about the over 200 commercial bankruptcies that are happening every week in Canada, for a total of more than 10,000 bankruptcies a year. We know that this has a huge impact in Hamilton.

Many of these bankruptcies leave behind employees who are owed back wages, benefits and pension contributions. It is estimated that as much as $1.5 billion per year is left owing in back wages and benefits to employees.

These people have worked hard all their lives. They have played by the rules and all they want from their government is a little bit of fairness.

To that end, the petitioners are calling upon Parliament to ensure expeditious passage of my bill, Bill C-270, which would ensure that workers would be first in line in the case of a commercial bankruptcy.