House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2015, with 30% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, I wonder if the minister could comment on this next question.
Former Stelco president Bob Milbourne just revealed that U.S. Steel is playing shell games to recover its Stelco acquisition costs in order to shortchange the pension plan. I am wondering what the Minister of Finance is going to do to stop this.
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, does the minister believe that workers' pensions are adequately protected in the event that their employers go bankrupt?
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, I wonder if the minister could tell us who has given him that advice that the CPP is unsustainable. In fact, its assets are in excess of one-quarter of a trillion dollars. I just wonder how the minister can square that.
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, in fact, the answer to that question is that the total size of the Conservative cut will be $11 billion.
Can the minister tell us what he thinks about the overwhelming support from Canadians and from the provinces to boost CPP benefits, and why have the Conservatives blocked all of these efforts?
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, it is interesting that he talks about OAS. Because of Conservative cuts to OAS, Canadian seniors will lose $13,000 each, so I am asking the minister, what is the total size of the Conservative cut?
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, in fact, I guess he does not know the answer, but 5.8 million Canadians will see a drop in their standard of living at retirement. This is according to CIBC.
The CPP pays an average of less than $640 per month. Does the minister believe that this is sufficient to live on in retirement?
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, the minister is free to answer questions with yes, no, or I don't know for any of them.
Can the minister tell us how many Canadians will face a drop of more 20% in their standard of living at retirement?
Consumer Protection May 14th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, five years ago, the Conservatives announced their so-called Fairness at the Pumps Act. They promised that 65,000 gas pumps would be inspected annually, but Industry Canada has not yet handed out a single penalty, despite data that show that 6% of pumps fail to dispense the right amount of fuel. Can the minister explain why no penalties have been levied, or was this legislation just more empty Conservative promises on consumer protection?
Business of Supply May 8th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that feminine hygiene products are under the luxury tax category, but that is not what I want to ask the member about.
The government has suggested it will be supporting this motion, but that it will not be doing anything now about it.
I wonder if the member for Churchill would like to make a comment on that.
Employment May 8th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' economic record is nothing short of shameful: 20,000 jobs lost just this month, at a time when a quarter-million more Canadians are unemployed than before the recession in 2008; and another 1,000 job cuts in the auto sector just announced, on top of the 400,000 good manufacturing jobs that have already been lost under this government. Youth unemployment is double the national average, while the Conservatives leave $30 million sitting on the table, unspent, instead of helping young people find jobs. Job quality is at a record low, while far too many Canadian families rely on precarious, insecure jobs to make ends meet.
Instead of a budget plan to help the millions of families struggling under the government, the Conservatives offer nothing but tax breaks and loopholes for the wealthy few.
The New Democrats have proposed practical steps that will help fix the damage done by the Prime Minister and create good jobs and opportunity for Canadian families. Together, we will build an economy that works for Canadians when Canadians elect a New Democrat government this October.