House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 38% of the vote.
Petitions November 28th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first is from the Grandmothers Advocacy Network and it has been signed by hundreds and hundreds of residents from mostly Alberta. They are asking the government to pass Bill C-398 without significant amendment to facilitate the immediate and sustainable flow of life-saving generic medicines to developing countries.
Pensions November 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, of course we have a baby boomer demographic coming but that means we plan for it, we do not cut baby boomers off at the knees by destroying OAS.
The member had a number of things to say. She suggested that we did not support her government's initiatives. She may well ask why and I can tell her why. The reasons are very clear. We will support any initiatives that would benefit seniors, not banks. We will support initiatives that will help lift seniors out of poverty. The government did not. However, we will not support initiatives couched inside bills filled with poison pills. We will not support initiatives for seniors that do not provide a benefit to them, in particular those living below the poverty line.
The NDP will be happy to support the government when or if it starts to work for the better interests of Canadians and stops working for the interests of large corporations and its buddies in the financial institutions. The time has come. Let the government put its money where its mouth is.
Pensions November 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my colleague across the aisle to clarify her statements last June. She claims to be taking action to create sustainable programs. I want to know what programs she is talking about. Canadian seniors are not seeing the benefits.
This is the government that brought in cuts to OAS and GIS by increasing the age of eligibility. This puts seniors who are struggling to find employment or unable to work at risk. The $300 million added to the GIS last year has failed to address seniors' poverty. In fact, poverty rates among seniors has not budged at all. Today's rates remain at the 2011 level, before any changes were introduced.
Seniors are struggling. More and more reports are coming in from food banks across the country showing a marked increase in the number of seniors visiting those establishments. These are people at risk who have no ability to make extra money.
The government has also begun an all-out attack on public sector pensions. New hires will be in a second-tier pension plan and will have fewer advantages than their previously hired colleagues. We should be improving pensions in this country and bringing everyone up to an acceptable level, not knocking down decent pensions. We do not need a race to the bottom.
The government's only attempt at improving pensions in Canada is the PRPP, which is a complete failure. Not one province has taken up drafting implementation legislation. Provinces can see that the PRPP is just a tarted-up RRSP and will do very little to help people save for their retirement. The PRPP, like RRSPs, benefit the banks and other financial institutions, leaving people's savings at risk in the stock market. Sadly, PRPPs are not a good investment for low-income seniors and leave them vulnerable, because any meagre benefits are clawed back.
What we need is to increase the CPP. We can, with modest increases in contributions. We are talking about a few dollars a week. We can, if we do this, double Canadians' CPP benefits when they retire. This is the most fair, most generous method for ensuring retirement security for Canadians. We need the government to get to the negotiating table with the provinces and hammer out a deal. Canadians need retirement security and doubling CPP benefits is the way to do it.
My second concern is in regard to elder abuse and I will give some credit to the government because it introduced a program. The program has ended now, but it introduced a program to increase awareness about the abuse of seniors. The government also increased the penalties for those convicted of crimes against older persons.
The Conservatives, however, have failed to address the key issue, the root of the problem, the root of the causes of abuse. Punishing people after the crime is all well and good but preventing those crimes from being committed in the first place is key. One of the best ways to combat elder abuse is to ensure seniors have the financial independence they need and the power to make their own decisions about how they spend their money.
The government has failed to ensure that seniors are treated fairly in this country. They richly deserve retirement security. We can afford it. We need to do it. Retirement security for every Canadian should be the government's first priority instead of banks and other financial institutions.
Petitions November 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from a number of citizens across the country, including Fredericton, Sackville and Saskatoon. They are concerned about the changes to old age security and the fact that the age of eligibility has been increased from 65 to 67. They believe this will have an impact on the poorest seniors in this country. Therefore, they ask the Government of Canada to maintain the age of eligibility for OAS at 65 and to make required investments in the guaranteed income supplement to lift every senior in this country out of poverty.
Petitions November 8th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is in regard to the changes to old age security benefits and eligibility for those benefits .
The petitioners note that OAS and GIS are very important to the financial welfare of Canadians and to force Canadians to work two years longer deprives them of their ability to have a secure retirement.
The petitioners ask the Government of Canada to maintain the retirement age for old age security at 65 and to make the required investments in guaranteed income supplement that would ensure all Canadians are able to retire in dignity and to keep them out of poverty.
Petitions November 8th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions today.
The first petition is from petitioners who are concerned about the Canada-EU comprehensive trade agreement. Their concern is that sub-national governments and public agencies will not be able to procure locally and that would have a negative impact on our economy.
They ask the government to exclude sub-national governments and public agencies, and also to have negotiations regarding the Canada-EU comprehensive free trade agreement suspended until there can be a national consultation.
Veterans November 7th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the government is failing our veterans and trying to hide it from Canadians. The minister would not even tell the Parliamentary Budget Officer how many jobs would disappear from Veterans Affairs or how veterans' services would be impacted by Conservative cuts. What we do know is that injured Canadian Forces members might have to fight the government in court just to get a fair pension.
When will the Conservatives stop playing these games and help veterans get the services and the pensions they deserve?
Veterans Affairs November 6th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, this week before Remembrance Day is not a time for partisan rhetoric. We should be focused on improving care for veterans and their families. We should all agree that impoverished veterans deserve a proper burial service equal to the sacrifice they made for this country.
I would like to ask the minister once again, does he believe that every veteran who serves this country deserves a proper and dignified burial service?
Violence Against Women November 6th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the abuse of women is an unacceptable tragedy that affects women from all walks of life. It is often left unspoken and is swept under the rug. The Shine the Light on Woman Abuse campaign, started by the London Abused Women's Centre in 2010, aims to change that reality and get women the help they need and deserve.
Because of raised awareness during the Shine the Light campaign in November 2011, service demands in London increased by 125%. That demand has remained constant, and during the summer of 2012, more than 600 women, their families or friends called for support or information to help a loved one who was being abused. That volume of calls was unprecedented in the centre's 30-year history.
I am grateful that this very successful awareness campaign has spread to seven communities across Ontario, and I share the dream of shining a purple light in every community in Canada. With everyone's help, we can spread the message of courage, survival and hope. We can finally end woman abuse.
Protecting Canada's Seniors Act November 5th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleague to touch upon two things.
First, he mentioned the incredible people who give of their time, love and energy to work in nursing homes. However, very often they are poorly compensated, there are too few of them because the employer does not provide enough workers, and there are too few hours spent per senior.
Second, this is the only country in the G7, except for Japan, that does not have a national housing program. One of the things we hear over and over again is that decent affordable housing is key to every family managing and having dignity in their life and in their future, and that goes for seniors too.
I would like to hear the member's thoughts on those two aspects.