House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 47% of the vote.
Employment April 29th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned already in the House today, budget 2013 focuses on giving skills and employment opportunities to Canadians, particularly young Canadians. The Canada job grant, opportunities for apprenticeships, the 5,000 new internships—these are all opportunities for young Canadians.
I encourage members opposite, that member in particular, to support this budget. They will be providing opportunities for young Canadians.
Employment Insurance April 29th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, whether it be the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development or me or others in this government, we have done extensive consultations across the country. I can list every single place I have been for the member opposite, if he would like.
Really, what is important here is making sure that Canadians have access to employment insurance when they need it, and that is guaranteed with this government. I encourage members opposite to support the budget and make sure that Canadians get the skills they need so they can enter into the workforce and grow the economy of this country.
Employment Insurance April 29th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, those are actually completely false statements. The government has been focused on making sure the changes to EI provide opportunities for Canadians. Budget 2013 actually provides a significant number of opportunities for Canadians to gain skills and enter into the workforce.
I encourage members opposite to support the budget, support the Canada job grant, support apprenticeships and support youth, because those are the things we need to do to make sure Canada's economy is growing.
Old Age Security Act April 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate being invited to participate in this debate regarding Bill C-480.
If adopted, the bill would allow guaranteed income supplement recipients to withdraw up to $2,500 from a registered retirement savings plan or RRIF in order to pay for funeral arrangements in advance without having their GIS reduced.
Let me start by saying that I can understand the good intentions behind the member's idea for moving this legislation. However, I find the proposed legislation has some serious shortcomings.
All members on both sides of the House want to ensure that Canadian seniors obtain financial security. In fact, our government has done a great deal to help our seniors prosper in their retirement years.
As the members of the House are likely aware, the most important financial support we provide to seniors is through our public pensions. Canada’s public pensions are highly regarded internationally, and for good reason. They are credited with playing a very significant role in reducing low-income rates among seniors.
Let us just look at a telling indicator. The incidence of poverty among seniors in Canada has dropped from a rate of 21.4% in 1980 to 5.3% in 2010.
Now let us look more closely at the sources of retirement income, which generally have three components.
The first is old age security. This includes the allowance for the survivor and the guaranteed income supplement, the GIS, which provides additional money on top of the old age security pension to low-income seniors living in Canada.
The Canadian pension plan, or CPP, is a second component for those who have worked and made contributions.
The third pillar consists of personal savings, including employer pension plans, registered retirement savings plans and tax-free saving accounts, as well as other savings and investments.
Together, OAS and CPP are designated to provide a modest base upon which to build additional retirement income. This year, Canadians will receive over $76 billion in benefits through the Canada pension plan, old age security and the GIS.
As I said earlier, the guaranteed income supplement provides extra support to seniors with little or no income and has been a great success in reducing poverty among seniors.
In 2008, we increased the GIS earnings exceptions from $500 to $3,500. This enables low-income working seniors to keep more money in their hands. In 2011, we provided the largest GIS increase in 25 years to the most vulnerable seniors. This measure is helping to lift Canada's lowest-income seniors out of poverty.
More than 680,000 low-income seniors are benefiting from this increase. These seniors are now receiving additional GIS, up to $614 for single seniors and $859 for couples. This year we are providing more tax relief for seniors and pensioners, saving them $2.5 billion.
This measure and all of the others that I have outlined demonstrate that the Government of Canada is taking concrete steps to support seniors.
We are actively helping Canadians prepare for and achieve financial security in their later years. That is why seniors' poverty is at an all-time low in Canada.
As I mentioned earlier, there are some issues with the bill. Currently the calculation of income to determine GIS eligibility is determined in accordance with the Income Tax Act. The proposed exemption for income used for funeral arrangements would introduce a new concept of calculations of income for the calculation of the GIS. This likely would create calls for similar exemptions on other compassionate grounds. This would create a precedent for more costly measures that are not affordable under the current fiscal climate.
It would also raise equity issues for seniors, as this exemption would only benefit those seniors who use RRSPs or RRIFs to cover their funeral expenses and would do nothing for seniors who have no savings. It would only benefit the 10% of GIS recipients who have planned for retirement by saving and would not help the poorest of seniors, who are the ones who benefit the most from the GIS.
Let us be clear on this point. The bill would not be helping the most vulnerable of seniors, but rather those who actually have investments in banks.
The Office of the Chief Actuary estimates that the additional program cost associated with this proposed amendment could be as high as $81 million in the first year, if all GIS beneficiaries with RRSPs and RRIFs used this exemption. The bill would also generate additional administrative costs. It is estimated there would be an administrative cost of up to $12 million each year. This is a total cost of almost $100 million in an era of fiscal restraint.
The guaranteed income supplement is paid 100% by taxpayers dollars. I would just ask where the NDP members are in proposing this $100 million tax increase. I think we know the answer to that: from the pockets of hard-working Canadians. I find it astounding that again and again proposals are brought forward by the NDP, but all they do is increase the taxes on hard-working Canadians.
Lastly, the bill would duplicate allowances for funeral expenses in other jurisdictions. The CPP and Quebec pension plan, for example, provide one-time death benefits of up to $2,500, or on behalf of the estate of a deceased contributor. In addition, some provinces, territories and municipalities also offer subsidies for funeral arrangements for low-income individuals. British Columbia, for examples, offers assistance of up to $3,000 for low-income residents who have little or no assets.
Similar benefits are available in Alberta, Nova Scotia, P.E.I., and for first nations living on reserve. As well, some municipalities, like Toronto, offer similar assistance to cover funeral expenses. In light of these programs, this proposed bill would be doubling the efforts made at all those levels.
Given the considerable cost, the fact that it would fail to provide equity benefits for seniors, and that the assistance would not be targeted to the seniors who are in need of it most, our government will not be supporting Bill C-480. While I understand the good intentions of the member opposite, I would encourage all members of this House to join me in voting against the bill.
Old Age Security Act April 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the member opposite could explain to me and to other members in the House exactly what the cost of the bill would ultimately be to Canadians.
My understanding is that it is approximately $100 million as of 2014 if all GIS beneficiaries use this exemption. It is a significantly high cost to Canadian taxpayers.
I would just like to know what the member's cost estimates were with respect to the bill.
Employment Insurance April 25th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to providing Canadians with the services and benefits to which they are entitled. There are a number of ways in which Canadians can access these services and benefits. By calling the 1-800-O-Canada line, people can reach a trained agent who can answer questions or refer them to someone who can provide specific information. They can access our website, which is updated with accurate information on a regular basis. They can also visit one of our 600 Service Canada centres or visit one of the scheduled outreach sites. In fact, Service Canada's standard is to provide 90% of Canada's population with access to a point of service within 50 kilometres of where they live.
Employment Insurance April 25th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to respond to the hon. member's comments regarding Canadians' access to employment insurance benefits and Service Canada.
Our government is determined to provide Canadians with the benefits and services that they are entitled to receive.
I am pleased to inform hon. members of the efforts that we have made to ensure that Canadians are able to get the information they need about these benefits and services.
Service Canada's standard is to provide 90% of the population with in-person access within 50 kilometres of where they live. Canadians can also access services through the telephone and the Internet. Service Canada's website, as mentioned before, is kept up-to-date with the latest application forms and information on government programs.
Employment insurance claimants can securely access the website to view and update their EI account through My Service Canada Account or they can call 1-800-O-Canada. Canadians can reach a trained agent who can answer their questions on where to find program information or how to apply for benefits.
Canadians can also use the Service Canada website to locate the nearest Service Canada centres or utilize the 1-800 number to do the same.
Scheduled outreach services are offered for smaller communities without a dedicated Service Canada centre. Trained Service Canada employees travel to these remote communities and offer the same services that are provided at Service Canada centres. These employees assess citizens' individual needs in order to ensure that they are aware of the benefits they are eligible for. They also help with the application process for employment insurance, Canada pension plan, and old age security benefits.
Ninety percent of Canadians live less than 50 km from one of our 600 points of service across the country. That is a fact.
At any time, residents can also access information on the government's services and programs by visiting servicecanada.gc.ca or by calling 1-800-O-Canada.
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada April 25th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, as I previously mentioned, this loss of information was absolutely and completely unacceptable. That is why we brought in the Privacy Commissioner and asked the RCMP to investigate. As I mentioned in my previous answer to the member opposite, we have spoken with Equifax and it is providing a service to Canadians.
When the data loss was first discovered, we moved to strengthen and improve what was occurring at the department with regard to the handling and storage of personal information. The protection and security of personal information remains our priority, and we are acting to ensure that such things do not happen again in the future.
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada April 25th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that the loss of personal information is completely unacceptable.
That is why we have taken measures to ensure that such things do not happen again.
The matter has been referred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and it will decide how and when to proceed with respect to this matter.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is investigating, and the HRSDC officials have been instructed by the minister to provide their full co-operation, as we have outlined at committee.
Individuals whose information was involved were contacted by the department, and public notice was given to all Canadians, to reach those whose contact information was no longer valid, to answer the member's question directly.
All affected social insurance numbers are being annotated by the Social Insurance Registry so that at any time a request to modify the SIN record or replace a SIN card is made, agents will ask for additional information and photo identification.
An agreement has been signed with Equifax Canada so that affected clients can request that a notation be placed on their credit files free of charge.
What does this mean? This is to protect credit ratings for those students whose information went missing. When creditors view a credit file with the client's consent, they will see an alert that will advise them to look for additional proofs of identity. This enables the creditor to confirm the identity of the individual they are communicating with, and helps protect individuals from having accounts opened or their names used.
We have implemented stricter security protocols to prevent such things from happening again.
Officials have been instructed to implement disciplinary measures for staff up to and including termination should the strict code of privacy and security not be followed and the new measures include the prohibition of portable hard drives in all departmental offices. Unapproved USBs will not be connected to the department's networks. Mandatory training for all employees regarding the proper handling of sensitive data is being implemented and new data loss protection technology is being developed to control and prevent future sensitive information from going amiss.
These measures are being implemented in order to prevent such an occurrence in the future.
Employment Insurance April 24th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the changes to the EI program were made to help EI claimants get back into the job market, not to make life more difficult for those who are already facing challenges.
We understand that people who want to work at times lose their jobs, through no fault of their own. Employment insurance is there for them, providing temporary income support while they look for jobs or upgrade their skills. The updates that we have made are fair and supportive and are helping Canadians find jobs as quickly as possible.
As I have said many times in this place before, personal circumstances will always be considered and for those who require EI, it will always be there for them, as it always has been.