Mike Morrice

[Situation in Lebanon and Israel, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Edmonton Strathcona for ensuring this debate happened today. I also thank her for centring the implications on all civilians, whether they are Lebanese, Israeli or Palestinian.

In the member's speech, she spoke about the need for de-escalation and diplomacy. Obviously, there is a role for the Canadian government in that diplomatic effort. I wonder if she could elaborate on what she would like to see the government do better when it comes to moving forward our role on the world stage toward the diplomatic solutions for which, as she said, there is a sliver of opportunity remaining.

[Privilege, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am seeking a point of clarification from the Speaker. My understanding is that the member for Etobicoke Centre has not been allowed to speak since March 20, and in that case, he has to apologize. I understand that, in this case, the request is to withdraw. Can the Speaker clarify the difference between the two to ensure that all members are being treated in the same way?

[Business of Supply, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Bloc Québécois that more needs to be done for seniors in Quebec and in my community as well. This government can do it by reducing the massive subsidies to the oil and gas industry.

My question is about the best way to do it. The Bloc Québécois wants to increase the old age security base amount, which provides benefits with little variability to seniors who earn of up to just over $148,000 a year. While the guaranteed income supplement is intended to provide seniors with monthly geared-to-income support, low rates still leave many people living in poverty at a time when the cost of living is rising.

Why not focus on increasing the monthly guaranteed income supplement amounts and further increase the income threshold to ensure that additional funds are directed to the seniors who need it most?

[Business of Supply, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I know the member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie is similarly concerned that the Canada disability benefit cuts off at age 65. The NDP joined us in calling for the Canada disability benefit legislation to be amended, because a disability does not end at 65 and neither should the Canada disability benefit.

Can the member comment on the NDP's support for continuing the Canada disability benefit above the age of 65? If we are going to talk about seniors with low incomes across this country, we need to talk about seniors with disabilities, who continue to disproportionately live in poverty.

[Business of Supply, October 1st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the Conservatives said that they were going to support this motion. It will generate an extra $3-billion expenditure. However, the Conservatives also said that for every new expenditure, they would make cuts.

What are the the Conservatives going to cut to make up for the $3 billion in spending included in this motion?

[Business of Supply, October 1st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I agree with the Bloc that more needs to be done for seniors in Quebec and across the country, and we could do it by taking even just a fraction of the money that the government currently gives to the oil and gas industry every single year.

A fair criticism of what is being proposed is that OAS is provided to seniors all the way up to just over $148,000 of income, with limited recovery taxes in advance of that. Another way of supporting seniors is boosting the guaranteed income supplement, both the threshold and the minimum amounts, so that any additional dollars go to seniors with the lowest incomes across the country.

Can the parliamentary secretary comment in this debate, which he has mentioned he is keen on, on whether his level of support would increase if the proposal was to deliver the $3 billion per year to increases to GIS versus OAS?

[Petitions, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we have not had much time for petitions in this place as of late, so I appreciate the additional time.

My second petition is one I have presented before. Some 22% of Canadians have a disability and no building code in Canada currently mandates that housing be accessible. The petitioners describe the implications this has, like hallway medicine and the forcing of folks out of dwellings. More needs to be done to ensure that folks with disabilities have better access to quality, dignified housing across the country.

The petitioners have two very specific calls to action. The first is calling on the Government of Canada to amend the national building code to make universal design mandatory in all multi-unit housing developments across the country. The second is requiring that public funds for housing be delivered for universally designed housing and accessible housing.

[Petitions, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two petitions on different topics.

The first is with respect to safety on our roads. The petitioners note that the best-selling passenger vehicles in Canada are pickup trucks and SUVs, which are characterized by tall, blunt hoods. They recognize that the increasing weight and hood height of pickup trucks and SUVs pose significant dangers to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and occupants of smaller vehicles.

The petitioners describe the increased risk to other road users based on the additional weight of these larger vehicles. They note that Canada's motor vehicle safety standards currently only assess safety for drivers and occupants, neglecting the safety hazards that vehicles pose to other road users, including those I mentioned before, like pedestrians and cyclists.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to do two things. The first is to require vehicle safety testing that evaluates risks posed by vehicles to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and those in smaller vehicles. The second is to improve safety requirements for vehicle size and weight.

[Business of Supply, September 24th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member for Thornhill spoke about encampments. There are encampments right in downtown Kitchener. The number of folks living unsheltered has tripled in recent years and so I share with her that concern, but let us not pretend that this only started in the last nine years. It has been three decades of Liberal and Conservative governments that have taken turns underinvesting in affordable housing and all, of a sudden, a crisis emerges as a result.

Provincial and federal governments have put more and more incentives in place for large corporate investors like real estate investment trusts to buy up housing in my community, raise the rents and renovict folks.

If the member for Thornhill is looking for support to not have confidence in the government, what can she share about truly addressing the affordability crisis when it comes to housing, which involves investing in housing the way we used to decades ago and addressing the financialization of housing in this country?

[Business of Supply, September 24th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the member did not answer the question that the member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford asked. What he asked was specifically about the tens of billions of dollars that the oil and gas industry has made by gouging Canadians at the pumps.

I asked about this last night. I will ask about it again now because the governing party should have better answers on addressing the affordability crisis and addressing the climate at the same time. They can do that by putting a windfall profit tax on these excess profits and use that money to make life more affordable for regular folks, for example, by investing in public transit.

Could the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge speak to what can be done so that we can work together toward a reasonable solution to address affordability, such as a windfall profit tax on oil and gas?