Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my speaking time with my colleague from Beauharnois—Salaberry.
How great. How wonderful. In all the time I have been here this morning and since the debate on the NDP motion started, we have been hearing about the great things the Liberal Party did previously and what the Conservative Party will be doing now. This was all expressed with great conviction. Earlier, we heard our colleague from the Liberal Party say if this and if that. “If we had not been defeated. If you had not done that. If we did this”. There is a saying that if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride. The reality is that the previous government took enough public funds away from people, from taxpayers to cause the sponsorship scandal. Starting in 1994, it made cuts in transfers to the provinces, despite the fact that these were essential to provide services for seniors and everyone else in Quebec and Canada. It has cut everywhere, and now it wants to pass itself off as a champion of seniors.
As for the current government, it lacks the commitment needed to fully recognize seniors. That is the reality. That having been said, I did not rise in the House today to address that, but rather the motion of the New Democratic Party, which, I must say, has got me baffled. It is more like a rambling saga than anything else. For one thing, I find it deplorable that we are once again presented with a motion which, for the most part, contravenes the principle of respecting provincial jurisdictions. While the intention is worthwhile—I admit that it is, I recognize that—once again, this is showing that the New Democratic Party does not understand how important the issues relating to the respect of provincial jurisdictions are.
Instead, the NDP should be addressing issues directly related to federal jurisdiction, such as the guaranteed income supplement, and demanding that it be integrated into the tax return. That way, every eligible person would automatically qualify. They could also have demanded full retroactivity, which the government should grant to people who qualified for the program but never received anything because they were not well informed. They could also have demanded immediate implementation of POWA, the program for older worker adjustment, which was introduced by the Bloc Québécois and passed unanimously last June 9, right here in this House. Instead, in its motion, the NDP is asking us to allow even more crass and insidious meddling on the part of the government in areas of provincial jurisdiction: health, education and recreation.
During the summer recess, I would invite NDP members to find out everything that is already being done in Quebec by and for seniors, because they do not seem to know anything about it. In this, as in many other areas, Quebec is innovative and has taken the lead.
Back in 1992—we did not wait for the federal government or the UN to recognize the importance of the contribution seniors make—we established the Quebec seniors council. The council advises the minister on planning, implementing and coordinating government policies, as well as on programs and services for seniors, and recommends to the minister the implementation of programs and services designed to prevent or correct abusive situations where seniors are victims. Clearly, we do not need the federal government to do this. We are already doing what must be done.
This council is at the origin of the regional round tables of organizations that represent seniors. Also, thanks to its support in many regions, we have set up DIRA, which assists elderly victims of abuse or neglect, the Rose d'Or program, created by the FADOQ, which evaluates seniors’ residences, and various other programs. We also have the CLSCs, as my colleague was saying earlier. These are local community services centres. I do not think they exist elsewhere. Only in Quebec do we have this CLSC formula to meet the needs of citizens. This is unique to Quebec. Information programs are offered there on the dangers of falls in the home, and education and prevention services on abuse of medication. In collaboration with Kino-Québec, adapted exercise workshops are offered in the residences; this is called Vie active. There are also medical consulting, psychological support and community organization services.
And that is not all. Quebec has all kinds of community organizations that enable seniors to continue to be active, to pass on their knowledge and to share their values.
Today I would like to talk about one of these organizations, the Maison des grands-parents de Laval. Since I was one of the founders of this program, I am very familiar with the reasons why we set it up. We wanted to encourage the passing on of values and closer relations between seniors and other generations. In that we have been a great success.
The Maison des grands-parents de Laval has been in existence for five years now. Over those years, we have managed to establish closer contact with a younger clientele, to engage in activities with them and work in collaboration with various practitioners. We work in the schools, where we have programs and projects in which anonymous children write letters to anonymous seniors. These seniors are like secret grandparents, who in their letters can explain to the young people everything that is not going right in their lives. This program is greatly appreciated in the schools. Almost all the elementary schools in Laval are now participating in this program. What is more, the seniors distribute the mail: they go to pick up the letters and take them back. A team of psychologists is also working on identifying the particular problems of certain children, so that they can get immediate help.
In addition to this program, we have various others. For example, grandmothers who knit show children how to knit. Believe it or not, these children like to learn knitting, which is a lost art.
Some people who have left the Maison des grands-parents de Laval recently took part in an exceptional project, in collaboration with the Laval youth protection branch. One grandmother decided that she would make little comfort toys for the youth protection children and the children who are in a reception centre, and have none of their own things. These children go from one centre to another, and have nothing to attach themselves to, no roots. This grandmother started the project with another grandmother. The first toys for the children were left at the youth protection branch a few weeks ago. Some children from the centres were there at the time.
Each comfort toy has a little badge on which the words “Just for you” are embroidered. Each one comes with a little knitted cat or a little knitted doll.
I am telling you this to make you realize that seniors have much to offer, to do and to accomplish. They have not retired from life. They deserve much more than just suppositions and empty promises. We should really be looking after them. Provincial programs, not federal programs, are needed. To that end, the provinces need new money, additional money. This money is slow in coming, as is money for the Kyoto protocol, for greenhouse gas emissions.
Quebec deserves this money because it is taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It also deserves money for programs it establishes for seniors. Quebec deserves this money because it is doing different things in the health field. Quebec is different. I do not deny that the other provinces are also different. We are all unique and we should recognize this. We should not create a single program for things that are very individualized. I do not know if people eat the same things everywhere in Canada, nor do I know if people engage in the same activities everywhere in Canada. But I do know that Quebec looks after its seniors. I also know that to continue to look after them and to enable them to live a rich and active life, there must be money to help them.
Unfortunately, I must vote against the New Democratic Party motion, not because I do not believe in its ideas, but simply because its ideas are not appropriate in this context.
