Mike Lake

[Pensions, March 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, our government's amendments to the Pension Benefits Standards Act in 2010 and 2011 brought Canada's pension regulations in line with international benchmarks and best practices. Therefore, our government has demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting workers and pensioners and has taken concrete action to help them.

These changes, as well as our government's sound economic management, have coincided with significant improvements in the financial status of federally regulated pensions.

According to the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, federally regulated private pension plan assets increased by 10% between April 1, 2013, and March 31, 2014. Additionally, as of December 31, 2013, solvency positions of federally regulated pensions improved to 0.98%, up from 0.83% at year-end 2012.

[Pensions, March 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, today I welcome the opportunity to address the question of the hon. member for Montcalm.

It is understandable that hard-working Canadians want their pensions to be protected. That is why our government has taken broad-based action to ensure that these benefits are protected and continue to be protected.

Our government understands the challenges that an employer's restructuring or insolvency can cause for employees and pensioners. The government has taken several steps to better protect Canadian workers when their employers become insolvent.

We have acted to improve the solvency of pension plans and the security of retirement income for Canadians, while avoiding measures that would have negative consequences for the Canadian economy and our shared prosperity.

For example, in July 2008 we introduced the wage earner protection program to guarantee that Canadian workers receive their unpaid wages of up to $3,400 in a receivership or a bankruptcy. We then took additional steps to expand the wage earner protection program to include severance and termination pay.

It is also important to mention that, in July 2010 and in April 2011, our government implemented important pension reforms to strengthen the federal private pension framework in order to benefit pension plan sponsors, plan members, and retirees.

These reforms have enhanced protections for pension plan members, reduced funding volatility for defined benefit pension plans, made it easier for participants to negotiate changes to pension arrangements, improved the framework for defined contribution plans and for negotiated contribution plans, and modernized the rules for pension fund investments.

Our government has also amended Canadian insolvency law to protect hard-working Canadians. Our reforms ensure that insolvent employers pay outstanding pension contributions to their employees' pension plans ahead of the claims of secured and unsecured creditors.

In addition, our government has undertaken a very serious and public discussion with Canadians on their retirement income, now and in the future.

Recognizing that retirement income issues have federal, provincial, and territorial dimensions, finance ministers set up a joint federal-provincial working group to conduct an in-depth examination of retirement income adequacy. Based on the working group's findings, it was agreed at all levels to proceed with analysis of options to improve Canada's retirement income system.

In December 2010, Canada's finance ministers agreed on a framework for defined contribution pooled registered pension plans. These plans will provide a new, accessible, large-scale, and low-cost pension option for employers, employees, and the self-employed.

Pooled registered pension plans are now available to employees in federally regulated industries as well as residents of the territories.

This is an important step forward in helping Canadians prepare for retirement. Pooled registered pension plans will allow many small business owners and their employees to have access to such a plan for the very first time. They establish a large-scale, broad-based, voluntary pension arrangement available to employees, including the self-employed.

Canadian pensioners have worked hard to build this country, raise their children, and prepare for their retirement. As a result of our government's actions, pensioners will have more choice and flexibility in regard to life, work, and retirement.

[Removal of Imprisonment in Relation to Mandatory Surveys Act, February 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to Bill C-625 and the commitments our government made to amend the Statistics Act. Our government committed to removing the penalty of jail time for anyone who refuses to complete the census or any mandatory Statistics Canada survey. We also committed to allowing for the release of historical household survey records related to the census of population.

Currently the Statistics Act provides only for the release of the census of population records. This amendment would allow Statistics Canada to transfer census-related records, including those for all voluntary surveys, to Library and Archives Canada for genealogical and historical research.

A bill on the release of census records after 92 years was debated and passed into law by the House in 2005. That bill ensured that individuals had the choice of deciding if they wanted their census information made publicly available 92 years later. Prior to 2005, many members of Parliament received letters, calls, and petitions of support from Canadians who felt strongly that historical records are a fundamental part of Canada's heritage and should be made available to everyone.

I am sure we would all agree that the reasons genealogists, historians, and researchers want access to historical information are legitimate and important. It is also as important to leave a record of present-day Canada for future generations as it is to have historical records from 1911. This amendment makes it possible for all of us to have a place in history and contribute to the future growth and prosperity of our great nation. However, while there is undeniable value attached to historical census records, an important principle of privacy does come into play.

I would like to take a few minutes to quickly outline the steps that led to the introduction of the census bill in 2005. During the late 1990s, a number of genealogical associations, researchers, and other interested individuals held a campaign to express dissatisfaction with the inability to access historical records for censuses after 1901. The census records up to and including 1901 were not taken with a guarantee of confidentiality, and records were therefore made available to the public 92 years after the event. Census information after 1901 was collected with a promise of confidentiality. As a result, these census records were never made available to the public. It was therefore recognized that clarifications to the Statistics Act were required.

The Statistics Act contains confidentiality provisions that protect all census and survey information collected by Statistics Canada. The 2005 amendments made it possible to release records from the census of population 92 years after the census has taken place. The bill before the House today would extend this provision to surveys related to the census of population. Therefore, it would ensure the release provisions also apply to the 2011 national household survey and any other future surveys related to the census of population.

As with the census, Canadians responding to the national household survey are asked to consent to the release of their personal information after 92 years. If consent is given, 92 years following collection their information will be released to Library and Archives Canada. This amendment allows Canadians to decide if others can have access to their personal information.

Canadians should have the right to decide for themselves if they want their personal records to be made publicly available in the future. If they answer no, their information will never be publicly accessible.

With this point in mind, I would like to assure my colleagues that the addition of a consent question will not impact the timeliness of statistical data from the national household survey. Information that does not identify individuals will be disseminated by Statistics Canada in a timely fashion, as was the case for the 2011 national household survey.

In closing, I would ask hon. colleagues for their support for Bill C-625. This government firmly believes that no Canadian should ever face the threat of jail time for failing to respond to a survey. The bill seeks to remove jail-time penalties for Canadians who fail to respond to mandatory surveys or who do not release administrative data.

The amendments proposed in the bill would remove this threat and ensure that Canadians can respond to surveys in complete confidence. The bill also seeks to make administrative records accessible, provided Canadians give their consent.

I would urge all members to support Bill C-625, to ensure that important records from today can be made available to all Canadians in the future, and to ensure that we remove the unnecessary threat of jail-time penalties.

[FIFA Women's World Cup, February 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, in less than 100 days, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton will welcome the world when the FIFA Women's World Cup begins. This competition is the largest in women's sports, featuring 24 nations from around the globe. We look forward to welcoming them and the approximately 1.5 million spectators who will take part in the festivities.

Having the best of the best in women's soccer competing here on Canadian soil will inspire women and girls to realize the benefits of physical activity and sport. This is a big year for sports in Canada, and our government remains committed to helping Canadians get fit and active. That is why we first introduced the children's fitness tax credit then doubled it last year, allowing more families to get their kids involved in organized sports.

To our Canadian women's soccer team, we are proud. We wish it all the best in its quest for gold this summer. Know that all of Canada is behind them.

[Social Development, February 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, let me reiterate that our colleagues on all sides of the House were saddened by the tragic fire that occurred last January at the nursing home in L'Isle—Verte.

By working together, we can significantly reduce the likelihood that this type of occurrence will happen again.

As members know, it is the responsibility of the provinces and territories to regulate construction and fire safety standards under their respective codes.

As for the model codes, the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes and its volunteers are currently working on the next series of model codes, which will be published in late 2015.

[Social Development, February 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to respond to comments made earlier by the hon. member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup regarding construction and safety standards in this country.

The safety of Canadians is of primary importance for our government. We were all terribly saddened by the tragic fire that occurred at a nursing home in January of last year in L'Isle—Verte, Quebec.

This tragedy brought to all of our attention the consideration of building codes, in general, and sprinklers, in particular.

As members may know, it is the responsibility of provinces and territories to regulate construction and fire safety standards under their respective jurisdictions.

Following a thorough review, Coroner Delâge released his report on February 12. As the coroner's report highlights, tragedies like the fire in the community of L'Isle—Verte can only be avoided through concerted efforts from all concerned parties. He noted in his report that the absence of automatic sprinklers in the nursing home was a contributing factor in this tragedy.

As members may be aware, the Quebec government has decided to make it mandatory for private seniors homes to be equipped with automatic sprinklers.

The role of the federal government related to building codes is to develop model codes, which help ensure uniformity in building construction. These codes are published roughly every five years and, as these are indeed model codes, provinces and territories have the flexibility to adopt them exactly as they appear or, instead, to develop their own.

The process of updating the model codes is managed by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes, which is an independent and public committee. Over 300 volunteers from industry, the regulatory community, and general interest groups make a considerable contribution to our country by ensuring that the model codes take into account developments in their respective fields of expertise. This consensus-based approach leads to a list of proposed technical changes, which are then submitted for public review. Any changes are approved by the commission before they are included in the new model codes.

The current iterations of the model codes were updated in 2010 and require any new or renovated care facility to have sprinklers. Updated versions of the model codes are expected to be released later in 2015.

[Victims Bill of Rights Act, February 4th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, a couple of New Democrats have talked rather hypocritically about how long it takes to get legislation through the House. It is kind of interesting hearing them talk about how long it takes to get legislation through the House, when time after time they obstruct and delay, on a regular basis, the government's measures on free trade, on safety and security, on criminal justice, and on the economic action plan for this country.

The reality is that the opposition parties, the NDP in this case, particularly, are ideologically opposed to free trade. They are ideologically opposed to the security measures and finding that balance between freedom and security that were taken. They are ideologically opposed to holding those who commit crimes to account. They are ideologically opposed to lower taxes. Therefore, they obstruct and delay at every turn.

I want to ask the minister the following question: When it comes to this piece of legislation in particular, why is it so important that we move this legislation forward, that we make sure we get this legislation passed through the House and the Senate before the next election?

[Consumer Protection, December 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, on average, Canadians pay roughly 15% more for goods in Canada compared to goods available in the U.S. These price differences are real. They hurt the bottom line of hard-working families. We will continue to stand up for hard-working Canadian families.

[Consumer Protection, December 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Provencher for the great question. Our government believes that hard-working Canadians and their families should not be charged higher prices than Americans simply because of where they live. That is why we tabled the price transparency act, which would give Canada's Commissioner of Competition the power to investigate price discrimination and expose it.

The intentional manipulation of prices on identical goods for sale in Canada and the U.S. places an unfair burden on Canadians and is simply wrong. This government will continue to and will always stand up for the interests of Canadian consumers.

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 2, December 9th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member comes from a party that has proposed a 45-day work year policy in relation to EI. The NDP policies would drastically increase costs for both businesses and consumers. Every expert in the country who looks at its policy would say that it is the case and would back that up.

We hope the hon. member will look honestly at Conservative policies, which have created 1.2 million net new jobs in our country. The vast majority of those are in the private sector and are full-time. Hopefully, when he takes an honest look at Conservative policies and legislation as it comes before the House, he will vote according to his conscience and with the evidence on those things, instead of doing what his whip tells him to do.