Karen Vecchio

[Petitions, December 4th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition from the beautiful and scenic riding of Elgin—Middlesex—London. Petitioners call on the government to ensure that campgrounds with fewer than five full-time employees will continue to be recognized and taxed as small businesses.

[Committees of the House, December 4th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 10th Report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, entitled “Supplementary Estimates (B) 2017-18”.

[Business of Supply, December 4th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I heard the word “rights” used a lot. Some members may know that I worked very diligently on the LGBTQ2 apology. I have opened a lot of doors in that community and people now come to me to share some of their views. Within two hours of that apology, I started being contacted by people who were part of that community, saying they were Muslim gay men and they feared for their lives now with the return of ISIS fighters.

We talk about the rights of ISIS fighters, but I want to know what the rights of people are, those who came to Canada in fear of their lives because these people torture, buried alive, and a variety of other things that specific population. We know that gay men were buried alive by ISIS fighters within their own communities and culture. What about the rights of those people who feel they will be victimized, now they are Canadians, by these ISIS terrorists?

[London Abused Women's Centre, November 28th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Saturday, November 25, kicked off the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. That is why today, I would like to stand and pay tribute to the London Abused Women's Centre for all of the work it does in the community of London and surrounding area.

The London Abused Women's Centre provides assistance for women and children over the age of 12 who have been exploited through prostitution and sex trafficking, abused by their partners and/or exposed to sexual harassment.

It is not just about the centre, but truly the people who work there. Led by my incredible friend, Megan Walker, the team offers informed counselling, advocacy, and support in safe, non-crisis, nonresidential settings.

Throughout the month of November, its campaign, “Shine The Light”, is in full gear to raise awareness of violence against women by turning cities, regions, and counties purple for the month of November. Purple is a symbol of courage, survival and honour, and symbolizes the fight to end women abuse.

We stand in solidarity with these young women and girls and with the London Abused Women's Centre to end gender violence.

[Western Mustangs, November 27th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that the Western Mustangs, after a 23-year drought, were victorious at the Vanier Cup. Saturday's game saw the Mustangs capping off their undefeated record by beating the reigning champions from Laval university with a final score of 39-17. Despite facing down the top-ranked defensive team in the country, Western's relentless offence carried them to a hard-earned victory and a perfect season record in an exciting rematch with the team that stopped them the last time they played for the cup.

To head coach Greg Marshall, quarterback Chris Merchant, defensive player of the game Fraser Sopik, and the entire team, I offer a hearty congratulations. As a former student, I know what it is to be “purple and proud”.

To my colleagues, including the member from Louis-Saint-Laurent, maybe next year, nudge nudge.

Way to go, Mustangs.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 2, November 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, we hear the government talk about the child benefit. I want to know if the Liberals have addressed the results that we are finding in places like Fort McMurray, where many of the families have lost the child benefit because of increased incomes, but the high cost of living is not being taken into consideration. Also the fact that so many people are losing their jobs as well as their homes is not being taken into consideration.

What is the government doing to address those issues where families have a new situation and the government is not there for support at all?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 6th, 2017]

Regarding the proposed tax changes referred to in the Finance Minister’s July 18, 2017 discussion paper: (a) did the government of Canada perform a Gender-Based-Analysis Plus (GBA+) before proceeding with these tax changes; (b) if the answer to (a) is negative, why was such an analysis not performed; (c) if the answer to (a) is affirmative, what was included in the GBA+ of these changes, and was a policy consideration checklist required as a mandatory component of the Memorandum to Cabinet development as constituted in the Government’s Action Plan on Gender-based Analysis (2016-20) and, if so, what was included on that checklist; (d) if the answer to (a) is affirmative, what was the conclusion of the GBA+ concerning how the tax changes will impact men, women and those with other intersecting identities (including but not limited to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education, geography, mental or physical disabilities, and religion); (e) if the answer to (a) is affirmative, did the GBA+ conclude that the tax changes will equally impact men and women and those with intersecting identities; (f) if the answer to (e) is negative, inconclusive, or unavailable, what is the rationale for having the tax changes issued despite being in contravention of the government’s commitment to make GBA+ a key competency in support of the development of effective programs and policies for Canadians?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 6th, 2017]

With regard to the January 1, 2017, policy clarification to the interpretation to eligibility criteria for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) Involuntary Separation Provision: (a) did the government perform a Gender-Based-Analysis Plus (GBA+) when the policy clarification for GIS involuntary separation was being considered, and if not, why not; (b) if the answer to (a) is affirmative, what was included in the GBA+ of the decision and was a policy consideration checklist done as a mandatory component of the Memorandum to Cabinet development as part of the Government’s Action Plan on Gender-based Analysis (2016-20) and, if so, what was included on that checklist; (c) if the answer to (a) is affirmative, what was the conclusion of the GBA+ concerning how the policy clarification will impact men, women, and those with other intersecting identities (including but not limited to race, ethnicity, geography, physical or mental disabilities, sexual orientation, education, religion); (d) if the answer to (a) is affirmative, did the GBA+ analysis conclude that the January 1, 2017, policy clarification for the involuntary separation provision for GIS will equally impact men and women and those with other intersecting identities; and (e) if the answer to (d) is negative, inconclusive, or unavailable, why was the policy clarification issued despite being in contravention of the government’s commitment to make GBA+ a key competency in support of the development of effective programs and policies for Canadians?

[Questions on the Order Paper, November 6th, 2017]

With regard to the January 1, 2017, policy clarification to the interpretation of eligibility criteria for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) Involuntary Separation Provision, not including any changes to the Allowance and not including changes made to involuntary separation of couples who are eligible to receive the Allowance: (a) what was the interpretation error that required the change or clarification to interpretation; (b) how was the new interpretation communicated to relevant individuals (i) at Service Canada, (ii) at government departments, broken down by each department within which the new interpretation was circulated, (iii) to seniors who would be affected by the change, (iv) to Senators and Members of Parliament; (c) what are the details of any directives, memorandums, or communiqué circulated to advise the individuals in (b) of the new interpretation, including for each the (i) date, (ii) recipients, (iii) sender, (iv) title, (v) summary of contents, (vi) file number, (vii) text, (viii) website address of text, if applicable; (d) were any responses received to any directives, memorandums, or communiques referred to in (c) and, if so, what are the details, including for each, the (i) date, (ii) recipients, (iii) sender, (iv) title, (v) summary of contents, (vi) file number, (vii) text; (e) how many groups or stakeholders in total were consulted in order to inform the decision to alter the interpretation of eligibility criteria and to understand the effects it will have on Canadian seniors; (f) what is the complete list of organizations, individuals or stakeholders referenced in (e); (g) how many senior couples currently take advantage of the involuntary separation provision for GIS, broken down by province; (h) how many seniors are currently receiving the involuntary separation provision for GIS based off of the old interpretation of the eligibility criteria, and would have been considered ineligible if their eligibility was under the policy clarification enacted on January 1, 2017, broken down by sex; and (i) considering Canada’s aging population, what is the government’s plan to help the increasing number of seniors who will face this vulnerable situation?

[#IVEGOTYOURBACK911, October 27th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, today I stand to salute co-founders Jill Foster and Shaun Taylor, and their incredible campaign, #IVEGOTYOURBACK911.

On October 1, 2014, the #IVEGOTYOURBACK911 campaign was created. Two paramedics came together to make a difference by launching a social media campaign aimed at increasing awareness and eliminating and reducing the stigma of PTSD within the emergency services.

Over 25,000 likes, over 12,000 Instagram followers, and over 5,000 Twitter followers helped to engage the community. Their reach is incredible including across Canada, Australia, Holland, Germany, Singapore, and the United States. Their online store has already raised $250,000 that has been donated to various organizations that assist first responders. They were also financial supporters of The Other Side of the Hero documentary.

Today, I would like to recognize them in the House of Commons and to share with my colleagues and all Canadians these incredible—