Malcolm Allen

[Petitions, December 8th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition today on behalf of literally hundreds and hundreds of constituents in my riding who are talking about the inadequacies of the OAS, GIS and CPP and what it is doing for seniors across the country who are living in poverty. The petitioners need this situation addressed today.

The seniors in our region and, indeed, across the country who are living below the poverty line is a travesty, an injustice and a black mark on all of us in this House of Commons, and one that we ought to rectify.

The petitioners are not only calling for an increase, but are saying that when companies go bankrupt, as my colleague from Thunder Bay has done with Bill C-501, we need to put those seniors and pensioners at the front of the line when it comes to creditors. They also say that we ought to ensure that pensions are funded from private enterprises and private companies.

Ultimately, the petitioners are saying that no senior in this country should live in poverty. The petitioners are calling on the government to end poverty for seniors today.

[Employment, December 6th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the extended benefit pilot project was meant to add five weeks of benefits in high unemployment areas, but Ontario has been left out. Unemployment in some parts of industrial Ontario has soared to over 11% and in the Niagara region it is now over 10%, yet the Conservatives refuse to extend EI benefits in Welland, St. Catharines, Oshawa or any part of Ontario.

When will the Conservatives wake up to the job crisis in Ontario and extend this program to all areas with high unemployment? Why are they ignoring the unemployment crisis in Ontario?

[Petitions, November 29th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition comes from literally hundreds of MS sufferers and their families from across my riding and Niagara. They talk about CCSVI, the opportunity to be tested, and the opportunity for clinical trials.

I remind the House that just a couple of weeks ago, a gentleman from St. Catharines, which is part of my riding, died in Costa Rica. He had surgery performed in Costa Rica, came home with complications, went back to Costa Rica, and died on the operating table. I am convinced that if clinical trials had been the case here, this would not have happened to that gentleman.

The petitioners are asking for clinical trials to be set up to allow them to be treated at home.

[Petitions, November 29th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.

The first is from members of my riding who are seeking to end the Internet being used as a place for crimes against children when it comes to pedophilia and the distribution of pornography.

[The Economy, November 29th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, in the communities of my riding where thousands have lost their jobs and the unemployment rate is among the highest in the country at over 10%, less than one-third of those unemployed in Ontario qualify for employment insurance benefits.

Add on the fact that energy costs are skyrocketing and what we see are desperate families and seniors in Niagara who are struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table. A record 870,000 Canadians are using food banks, 80,000 for the first time, only to find many of the shelves are bare.

That is why we have called on the government to drop the 5% federal sales tax on home heating costs and to reinstate the additional five weeks of EI benefits to all regions, based on their need and unemployment rate.

Families and seniors in Niagara are already tightening their belts, and the soaring home heating costs this winter mean things will only get worse.

With temperatures set to drop across Canada, it is time for the government to act and take these first steps to end the affordability crisis for all Canadians.

[Petitions, November 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by numerous folks across this country about banning asbestos.

In my earlier career I had the opportunity to represent the widow of a member of my union who had died of mesothelioma. His disease was caused by and attributed to asbestos in the workplace. We won that claim, but the gentleman had been dead for nine years. It took four years subsequent to his death to actually win that claim.

For the workers around the world who are exposed to asbestos, the petitioners are saying, “Let us ban it”. What they are also saying is that they understand the hardship the workers who are actually in the asbestos business and who are mining asbestos will face. We need a just transition for them, as well.

I present this petition on behalf of not only those workers who have had mesothelioma and have it today, but also for those who have passed and for those workers who are working in that industry who indeed deserve to have a just transition from what they do now to their next career.

[Employment Insurance, November 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, in the communities of my riding, where thousands have lost their jobs, unemployment rates are among the highest in the country and yet less than one-third of unemployed Ontarians qualify for EI benefits. The extended benefit pilot project was reinstated to 21 regions facing high unemployment but the communities I represent were excluded by the government.

When will the government end this regional discrimination and commit to extending the same EI benefits to hard hit communities in Ontario?

[Food Banks, November 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, while seniors and families in my riding of Welland go hungry, the government is spending millions of dollars on treating their friends to rounds of golf and massages at high-end spas, right when folks are struggling the most to make ends meet.

A record 870,000 Canadians are using food banks, 80,000 for the first time. Over the past two years, food bank usage has risen by more than 25%, and 31% of food banks do not have enough food to meet that need.

This winter I will join with community members by participating in the Port Colborne-Wainfleet food bank diet challenge, committing to live off a food bank diet for three days. Organized by Lori Kleinsmith and her team at Bridges Community Health Centre of Port Colborne, this challenge is meant to bring awareness to the desperate situation that so many are facing in my riding.

I applaud the Bridges Community Health Centre's youth health promotion team for organizing this important initiative, because in a country like Canada, no one should go hungry.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 22nd, 2010]

With regard to expenses for all government departments, since fiscal year 2006-2007 up to and including the current fiscal year: (a) what is the total amount spent on hospitality expenses; (b) how much has been spent on (i) leasing expenses, (ii) catering services, (iii) restaurants, (iv) coffee and beverages, (v) bottled water, (vi) petty cash; (c) how much has been spent on overseas travel, (i) in what countries, (ii) on what dates did these trips occur, (iii) what was the purpose of each trip, (iv) what was the purpose of each expense; (d) how much has been paid to third parties to provide hospitality services; (e) what companies received sole-source contracts to provide hospitality services; and (f) how much has been spent on (i) limousine services, (ii) private air service, (iii) executive class commercial air service, (iv) economy class commercial air service, (v) car rentals?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 22nd, 2010]

With respect to Canada's Economic Action Plan (EAP): (a) how much money has been committed since the launch of the EAP (i) by province, (ii) by riding, (iii) by department, (iv) by each program activity; (b) how much money has been spent on projects up to and including September 30, 2010 (i) by province, (ii) by territory, (iii) by department, (iv) by program activity; (c) broken down by province and department, what is the project completion rate; (d) what criteria will be used to determine if municipalities are eligible for project extensions beyond March 31, 2011; (e) what is the estimated economic benefit created by each department and each program as a result of the implementation of the EAP; (f) how many full-time and part-time jobs have been created to date, broken down by province, since the implementation of the EAP; (g) how many full-time and part-time jobs were lost to date, broken down by province, since the implementation of the EAP; (h) how much money has been spent to date on Employment Insurance benefits, broken down by province and by month, since the implementation of the EAP; (i) how many green economic stimulus projects have been supported, broken down by province and department, since the launch of the EAP; and (j) what percentage of EAP projects have been completed to date in rural and urban areas of Canada?