Ed Komarnicki

[Seniors, November 25th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to supporting Canadian seniors who have contributed so much to this country. We would ask the opposition to do the same.

We have tax reductions that have reduced one million low-income Canadians to the place where they do not have to pay taxes, affecting 85,000 seniors. We have made record investments in affordable housing for seniors, $400 million over two years. We are providing OAS and GIS benefits to the tune of $33 billion per year.

What we ask of the member and his party is that they get behind us and support these initiatives.

[Seniors, November 25th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that Canadian seniors have the lowest poverty rate in the world, and we have taken a number of actions to help them. We have done things like increase the GIS, the guaranteed income supplement, twice. We have introduced pension income splitting for seniors. We have done a number of things that that party did not support. We ask it to get behind the things we do that would decrease poverty among seniors.

[Homelessness, November 24th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we have renewed the homelessness partnering strategy with $390 million per year, totalling $1.9 billion over five years. We have consulted all levels of government and listened to local communities and organizations. We have identified priorities and needs for well beyond 2011. We are looking for long-term effective solutions to homelessness. Housing is an important part of that.

We have had significant contributions in investment housing. It is something the member's party has opposed. I ask those members to get behind us in these initiatives.

[Poverty, November 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, all Canadian parents know what is best for their children. The one size fits all model does not work for everyone in Canada's diverse families.

We have invested more funds than the previous Liberal government. In 2009-10, we invested $5.9 billion in early learning and child care. We introduced the universal child care benefit, which provides $100 a month for every child under six years of age. This has lifted 22,000 families with about 57,000 children out of the low income level.

We have done a number of initiatives in this regard.

[Victims of Crime, November 18th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the bill that the Bloc-Liberal-NDP coalition supported is fundamentally flawed. It would allow thousands of EI dollars to be spent to care for a young criminal who might have been injured in the process of committing a crime.

This would simply have the effect of increasing EI premiums when we are trying to freeze them and hold the line. It would end up costing jobs. If we took all of the plans of the opposition on the expansion of EI, it would result in permanent EI premium increases that employers and employees alike would not want to have.

[Poverty, November 18th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we do have a national strategy and that is to create jobs. In fact, the best way to get Canadians out of poverty is to get them working and the economic action plan is doing just that. More than 430,000 jobs have been created since July of last year and 260,000 jobs were preserved through the work-sharing program.

We ask the member to get behind us and not to increase taxes that would have the potential to kill 400,000 jobs.

[Petitions, November 17th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition signed by residents of the province of Saskatchewan who draw to the attention of the government the following: The Canadian port of entry, Big Beaver, at the southernmost point of Highway 34 along the Saskatchewan-Montana U.S.A. border is scheduled for closure in April 2011. This historic cross-border commerce corridor is still intrinsic to the economic health of the Big Muddy district and southern Saskatchewan in general. This area's remoteness requires that residents on both sides of the border be able to access and share as neighbours the business services, the goods and emergency services, health, fire protection, law enforcement, offered within a 150 mile radius of the Big Beaver port.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to refrain from the closure of the Canadian port of entry, Big Beaver, and signed the petition in favour of keeping it open.

[Poverty, November 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we have taken action on a number of fronts. We have enhanced the national child tax benefit. We provided an extra five weeks of EI, helping 500,000 Canadians to date. We have provided 5 to 20 weeks of EI to 190,000 unemployed long-tenured workers. We have made record investments in affordable housing, increasing housing for seniors, persons with disabilities, and aboriginals.

The member and that party opposed each and every one of these initiatives. How can those members get up in the House and say we are not taking action?

[Poverty, November 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we have taken a number of initiatives to address poverty, and many of them included housing.

We have provided funding for the housing of seniors, persons with disabilities, and aboriginals. Sad to say, the member and his party voted against each and every one of these initiatives.

If the member really believes in addressing poverty, he should get behind these initiatives and support these actions.

[Government Priorities, November 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the member is focusing on specific items when she should be focusing on the big picture, by cutting taxes to Canadians so they can have more money in their pockets.

The working income tax benefit, which has helped a number of people over the welfare wall, is in fact supported by one of her colleagues.

Here is what the member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour had to say, “I support very much the direction on the WITB. I think...the working income tax benefit is a very positive thing”.

The then minister of children and youth services had this to say, “I was happy to see...initiatives that will directly improve the quality of life and the standard of living for kids living in poverty”.