House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2019, with 43% of the vote.
Business of Supply February 15th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, in 2011, when the Harper government won its majority mandate, VAC spending was $3.6 billion a year. In 2015, when that government was replaced by a Liberal government, VAC spending started out at $3.6 billion a year. Within two years, in the 2017-18 budget, VAC spending will be $4.9 billion, an increase of almost 30%.
Why did the previous Harper government never find it in its budgets to increase spending for VAC?
Business of Supply February 15th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, as I have said, we have hired back 460 people, 180 of them are caseworkers. That is not enough. Unfortunately, because the caseload has grown over the years, we are having a hard time keeping up with the change, the churn within the department. We are making changes in the department in order to lessen that.
In terms of the service dog issue, I think the member will find that we have made huge progress. We should be hearing about the efficacy study that was funded. That should come out, I would imagine, in the next couple of months. We are going to be poised to address this issue in the future. It will require some extra work and a different way of thinking about benefits and services, but personally, I believe it is the right way forward for a lot of veterans. This will make a difference in their lives. We have made progress, but there is still more progress to make.
Business of Supply February 15th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my speech, we made a lot of promises to veterans, and we are going to keep them.
I understand that they want things to move faster. They want to get things done. I want to get things done. I want to achieve these promises that we made. Sometimes that leads to frustration. We cannot go back, as I mentioned before, to these boutique, quick fixes. It did not help. What we need is a long-term, sustainable, comprehensive plan in order to help veterans over the long term. That is exactly what we are working on.
Is it going to happen overnight? No, it is not. That kind of significant change takes time. We understand the frustration of the veterans who want things to move along faster. We are doing our best. They are going to be happy with the end product.
Business of Supply February 15th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, today I will be splitting my time with the member for Saint-Laurent.
Two years ago, this government made a pledge to Canadians to do more to support veterans and their families. We promised to ensure that veterans receive the respect, support, care, and economic opportunities they deserve and have earned through their dedication, sacrifice, and service to this country. I stood behind the Prime Minister in Belleville and I stand behind him now as we bring forward $10 billion in programs and services for veterans and their families. We set out to make tangible improvements in the lives of our veterans. In the past two years, this government has come a long way in making a real difference in the lives of veterans and those who care for and love them.
We inherited a department broken from years of neglect and band-aid, boutique, quick fix, photo-op solutions left by the previous government. We need long-term, sustainable solutions. That is what our government is about and that is what takes time to get right. This was a journey that began by listening to veterans, hearing their concerns, and developing a plan to respond to them.
Not only did this government reopen nine of the Veterans Affairs offices that the hon. member for Durham thought were not important, but we actually opened a new one. The Surrey office opened its doors in May 2017. This new Surrey office serves approximately 7,500 veterans, and enables approximately 206 veterans to work in person with their case managers.
Veterans Affairs Canada also reversed the cutbacks in service and hiring. The Conservatives cut over 900 jobs in Veterans Affairs Canada. We have hired 460 more staff in the last two years to deliver services and benefits, answer questions, and help veterans and their families. That number includes more than 180 case managers who work directly with veterans to deliver the services and benefits they are eligible for. We have also increased and improved outreach in every part of the country. In 2017 alone, Veterans Affairs made 12 visits to communities in Canada's north.
This government also increased the maximum value of the disability award for Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans with service-related illnesses and injuries to $360,000, putting more money directly into their pockets. Now, 67,000 veterans are better off. We increased the earnings loss benefit, raising it to 90% of an injured Canadian Armed Forces member's military salary at the time of release from the forces.
I mentioned that the first thing this government did was to listen to and hear veterans' concerns. One message we heard loud and clear was that many of the benefits and services delivered through Veterans Affairs were difficult to access and time-consuming to apply for. They also said that they were often not able to apply for the benefits and services they were eligible for because they did not have the information they needed to even ask the right questions. They also told us that we needed to look after those who were most severely injured first, and that is what we have done.
The department began an 18-month review of the way it delivers services and benefits. That review led to 91 recommended actions to improve service delivery. By the end of 2017, the department had put 37 into action and will complete another 45 by the end of the 2018-19 fiscal year. Most of the remaining nine are beyond the department's direct control and it is working with other organizations to make progress on them today. More benefits and supports will be coming into effect on April 1, which will have even greater impact on the lives of veterans and their families.
Here is an example. Under the former Pension Act, let us say a supply technician with 12 years of service ended up with a 40% disability. Under the Pension Act, that soldier could expect a monthly cheque of just over $1,000, or $12,000 a year.
Under the new veterans charter, that same veteran would get a lump sum of about $124,000, and if the severity of their injuries meant they could not return to work, they would get a career impact allowance in the range of $1,000 a month on top of the $124,000 lump sum. On top of that there are numerous benefits when it comes to rehabilitation, retraining, education, treatment, and care. All of that adds up to a good way to get people launched into a new and rewarding future.
This was a plan that was supposed to evolve with veterans' needs. This was the design of the new veterans charter, but under the previous government, the Conservatives never let it. They were not interested in having that new veterans charter evolve to where it should be.
A critical promise that we have also delivered is re-establishing a monthly option for veterans. Coming into effect April 1, 2019, this pension for life is a combination of benefits and it will provide income support and stability to veterans who experience a service-related illness or injury. Under this change, that retired technician would receive nearly $5,000 a month for the rest of his or her life, that is $60,000 a year for life, and now at 90% of their pre-release salary.
Should they wish to go back to school, they are also entitled to an additional $80,000 to help cover the cost of tuition and then they will have access to career transition services to help find meaningful work and a purposeful life.
When the new legislation comes into force it will represent an investment of nearly $3.6 billion in supporting veterans in addition to the nearly $6 billion this government committed in the two previous budgets. This means that within two years of a majority mandate, this government has put $10 billion into the hands of veterans. We have increased spending at the Department of Veterans Affairs from $3.6 billion a year to this year where it will be $4.9 billion. That is a huge and substantive improvement.
In the same period in the first two years of the Conservative mandate after 2011, they did nothing. It changed somewhere around 5% and we changed it 30%. We will continue to engage with veterans, families, advocates, groups, and stakeholders. We will continue to listen to hear their concerns and advice. We will continue to make concrete improvements in the programs and services and in the well-being of veterans and their families.
We have come far in this journey, but we are not stopping now. We will continue to move forward on that journey and we will honour and commemorate our veterans' achievements, courage, and sacrifice. We will continue to treat veterans with compassion and respect, giving them the financial and service support they need, not empty platitudes and political gamesmanship. We will always remain committed to the well-being of veterans and their families.
The Environment February 13th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, our government has heard the concerns of Canadians, asking for a more robust and comprehensive approach to address the issue of wrecked, abandoned, or hazardous vessels.
On October 30, we did introduce the wrecked abandoned or hazardous vessels act, or Bill C-64. The proposed legislation is intended to protect coastal and shoreline communities, the environment, and infrastructure.
The proposed legislation will fill gaps within our legislative system by making owners legally responsible for their vessels that reach end of life. Ultimately, it is about prevention, helping to reduce future occurrences of wrecked, abandoned, and hazardous vessels and the impacts of those that do occur.
We invite all members to support this innovative and important bill as it goes through the parliamentary process.
The Environment February 13th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her concern for her and many other coastal communities.
I am proud to be here today to talk about the actions this government has taken to address the important issue of abandoned and wrecked vessels, an issue affecting many communities across Canada.
Our government has been looking at the best practices on the issue of abandoned and wrecked vessels. We have considered these carefully and have adopted the elements that make the most sense for Canada into a national strategy on abandoned and wrecked vessels. This strategy was announced as part of our unprecedented $1.5 billion oceans protection plan in November 2016.
In May and September 2017, two funding programs for the removal and disposal of small priority boats were launched, including one with a public education component and a vessel recycling and design research component.
We worked with other levels of government to identify options to improve vessel ownership identification systems and initiated a study on identifying gaps in our vessel registration systems for large vessels.
We have worked with the Canadian Coast Guard to develop a national inventory of abandoned and wrecked vessels and a methodology to assess the risks associated with these vessels.
We have also been engaging Canadians in discussions on options to create a robust polluter-pay approach for future vessel clean up with owner financed funds.
Very important is the fact that on October 30, 2017, our government tabled Bill C-64, the wrecked, abandoned or hazardous vessels act, the key legislative component of our plan.
Bill C-64 is extremely comprehensive in its approach to tackling the issue of wrecked, abandoned or hazardous vessels. The proposed legislation will bring the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks into Canadian law and strengthen vessel owner liability. It will address irresponsible vessel management, including a prohibition on abandonment. It will enhance federal powers to take proactive action on problem vessels.
We will continue to collaborate with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments; indigenous groups; and coastal communities to implement our comprehensive national strategy on abandoned and wrecked vessels. We look forward to all members' support of Bill C-64 as it goes through the parliamentary process to implement this important legislation that will help protect our coasts and shores.
The Environment February 12th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is right. There was an awful lot of work that went into this, and these amendments that created this new Canadian navigable waters act include protections for navigation on every navigable water, including lakes and rivers. Through this legislation, we are delivering on that commitment to restore navigation protection. We are providing for greater transparency and accessibility to give local communities a say in projects that could affect navigation.
We recognize the importance of navigable waters to indigenous peoples and to providing them with opportunities to partner with Canada. That is why we developed a comprehensive and complementary protection regime that will preserve our priceless environment for generations to come.
The Environment February 12th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her tireless commitment to environmental protection. She has made a difference.
Our government committed to restoring navigation protections, and that is what it has done. On Thursday, our government introduced Bill C-69, which contains amendments to the Navigation Protection Act and would create the new Canadian navigable waters act.
This new act is informed by a study conducted by the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, as well as 14 months of listening to Canadians, including indigenous peoples, boaters, industry, other levels of government, environmental non-government organizations, and the Canadian public.
The new Canadian navigable waters act delivers on our government's mandate commitment to restore and better protect the rights of Canadians to travel on Canada's vast network of waters. It will do this by introducing navigation protections for every navigable water in Canada, increasing transparency in our processes, giving indigenous people and communities a say in projects that may affect them, and by providing opportunities for indigenous people to become partners in protecting navigation.
Indigenous peoples have a sacred relationship with waterways and use those waterways to exercise their rights. This is why the Canadian navigable waters act is an important opportunity to advance our government's commitment to reconciliation with indigenous peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership.
Indigenous people have told us they want more information about development on the navigable waters in their traditional territories. The Canadian navigable waters act proposes new notification requirements and the creation of a public registry that would make information available about new projects in all navigable waters in Canada. It also proposes a new process that would allow indigenous people and communities to raise concerns about projects with project proponents, and for the government to assist with resolving these concerns when needed.
The proposed Canadian navigable waters act is aligned with the principles and approaches of the broader environmental and regulatory system introduced by my colleague, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on February 8. Any permitting decisions under the Canadian navigable waters act will be fully integrated into this new impact assessment system so that we can protect our environment, fish, and waterways, rebuild public trust, and create new jobs and economic activity.
Together, we are committed to implementing a new environmental and regulatory system that responds to the needs of Canadians.
The Environment February 12th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, this government takes the safety, security, and protection of life in the marine environment as our key priorities, and that has been the core of various initiatives announced through the oceans protection plan.
Parks Canada has been involved in this cleanup. Funding was provided by Hanjin as part of the debris cleanup. Those funds were provided to Parks Canada Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. I would like to add my thanks to all the groups that helped make a difference.
Moving forward, our measures as part of the oceans protection plan will set Canada's regime as the international benchmark for a robust polluter pay ship-source pollution liability and compensation regime.
The Environment February 12th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, with goods being shipped to and from Canada's coast, it is imperative that these products get to market in a safe and responsible way. That is one reason behind why the government announced the oceans protection plan, a $1.5-billion investment to ensure safe, clean, and efficient marine transportation that protects marine environments and communities. This initiative will allow us to achieve a world-leading marine safety system that can respond to marine accidents that threaten Canada's oceans and waterways. It will allow us to further strengthen the Canadian ship-source oil pollution fund.
Our government is also addressing the risks of other types of hazardous and noxious substances transported by ships and is adopting regulations as the final step toward Canada's ratification of the 2010 hazardous and noxious substances convention.
Altogether, these measures will set Canada's regime as the international benchmark for a robust polluter pay ship-source pollution liability and compensation regime.
The safety and protection of our waterways and shorelines, and the many people who make use of them, are at the heart of these regulations. Canadians, as well as visitors, enjoy our coasts and waterways for a variety of purposes, and we have a duty to ensure that they are protected.
Our government will continue working with marine stakeholders, indigenous groups, and coastal communities to implement the various measures in the oceans protection plan. Indigenous and coastal communities will have many opportunities to participate in responsible shipping. They will contribute to and have access to information on marine shipping activities and will also be offered training and have the opportunity to participate in search and rescue missions, environmental monitoring, and emergency spill response.
It is through the participation of marine stakeholders, indigenous groups, and coastal communities that our oceans protection plan will succeed, and our coast and waters will be preserved for future generations.