Rachel Blaney

[Health, November 18th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, 7% to 9% is not low cost.

Over the last two decades, more than 10,000 Canadians have died from opioids and an untold number now suffer from addictions. Will the government agree to take action by creating a national task force and repeal Bill C-2 to remove unnecessary barriers to opening new harm reduction facilities? Will the Liberal government immediately declare the opioid crisis a national public health emergency? Action is needed now to help save lives.

[Infrastructure, November 18th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal platform said that the infrastructure bank would “provide low-cost financing for new infrastructure projects”. It did not say that it would provide high-cost financing so Liberals' Bay Street friends could line their pockets. It did not say that Liberals would take $15 billion from communities like mine, in North Island—Powell River, to create this privatization bank that would do nothing for small communities. Surprise, surprise, it did not mention tolls or user fees. Why were the Liberals not honest with Canadians?

[Public Services and Procurement, November 17th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I just want to be absolutely clear. This is not just about my interest. This is an MP standing here fighting for her constituents' livelihood.

The reality is that the cases continue to increase. The Conservatives were wrong to imagine the federal government could effectively replace its payroll systems with off-the-shelf software from IBM. Instead, they forced through a system that was not ready. Under the Liberals, the drive to save money has left people penniless.

We know that the cost to taxpayers is over $50 million, and thousands of workers are still not being paid properly. Many of them live in my riding. Now we learn that an extra $6 million will go to IBM for not anticipating the result of the implementation.

Will the minister finally take responsibility and quickly fix this mess?

[Public Services and Procurement, November 17th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in this House to talk further on the devastating impacts of the Phoenix pay system. On October 4, I asked a question for the people of my riding of North Island—Powell River and too many of them are still waiting for answers. Across my riding, multiple people are struggling because they are not getting paid. In the past week alone, we have had to open four new files.

I want to share with members the stories of the constituents in my riding. I have constituents who have been told that they must wait until they can prove that they are going to default on payments to be made a priority. Constituents have not been paid because the system has incorrectly identified them as terminated or as having reduced hours, so people are showing up for work every day, doing their jobs, and not being paid because of a glitch in the system. One constituent told me that she was grateful to friends who have had the family over to feed them because they simply cannot afford enough food.

What is most concerning is that we have had more cases come into our office, not fewer. There are some people in my riding who have not been paid in multiple months, there are some who have not been paid any of their overtime, and there are some who have not been paid in full. In fact, a constituent today came to the office and said that because of a mix-up this individual is actually being told that he or she owes money that has not yet been paid. Too many constituents in my riding, as well as people across Canada, have been left with little to no income for an extended period of time. How twisted and unethical can this get? It is embarrassing that the Canadian government is not meeting these basic obligations.

I was an employer for over eight years. If I had not paid my staff, I would have been fired by my board.

My constituents and I have many questions. I am hoping that tonight the member opposite can share with this House the reasoning for the government to ask for proof of financial default to pay its own employees. Can the member explain to me and my constituents why people are being identified as terminated while working and working well, might I add, at their jobs? Can the member opposite explain why families have to be dependent on others for their basic necessities? How broke do employees have to be to get their hard-earned compensation?

At this time, let us take a step back and look at the numbers. We know that the federal government has missed its self-imposed deadline to clear a backlog of 82,000 public service payroll cases. Further, we know that there are 22,000 unresolved cases. Here is my concern. Those numbers represent only the cases as of July. What about the cases since then, like the ones coming through my office?

People in my riding are feeling desperate and the uncertainty is creating significant stress on individuals and their families. Trying to walk through this complex process where their financial existence is always on the edge is reckless to ask of people who work so hard for our public service.

We need to know. Has there been a new backlog of cases growing since July 1, so that the government has missed its self-imposed deadline, which in itself is a fraction of the actual cases that need to be solved? Can we get a clear answer from the government? My constituents deserve an answer and they deserve it now.

[Infrastructure, November 17th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Spadina—Fort York, who claims to be the architect of privatization infrastructure banks, says anyone who criticizes it is “stupid”. Canadians who are concerned about tolls and user fees in their communities, he is calling stupid. Canadians who understand that private investors who will only invest if they see a return, he is calling stupid.

Will the Liberal government denounce these disrespectful statements, or is it stupid of me to ask?

[Infrastructure, November 16th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, in their platform, the Liberals argued that the government would use its strong credit rating and leading lending authority to meet municipalities' infrastructure needs. Mayors assumed that a government bank would lend at a lower rate to help facilitate the building of infrastructure. Yet now we find out that private investors are expecting a return in the range of 7% to 9%, which can only come through tolls and user fees.

When did the Liberals say they would line their Bay Street and Wall Street friends' pockets with tolls and user fees?

[Infrastructure, November 15th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister and eight ministers were in Toronto for a meeting hosted by the powerful, private equity firm BlackRock to discuss what the Canadian government can do to help these investors get a piece of our public infrastructure. Of course, private investors will not invest out of the goodness of their hearts; they will want a big return. The only way they will get that is through tolls and user fees for Canadians. Why did the Liberals hide their privatization scheme from Canadians during the campaign? This is not what Canadians voted for.

[Infrastructure, November 14th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, today, eight cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister are appealing to some of the world's wealthiest investors, but these investors did not amass trillions of dollars by giving money away for infrastructure projects. They will be looking for a big return on their investment. For Canadians, this means user fees and privatization of our public infrastructure.

Why is the government pursuing a massive sell-off of our infrastructure to foreign investors, and why did the Liberals fail to mention this during the campaign?

[World Diabetes Day, November 14th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, today marks World Diabetes Day. November 14 is a significant date. It marks Frederick Banting's birthday, the Canadian who co-discovered insulin and changed the world for so many.

In my riding of North Island-Powell River and across Canada, some people with diabetes are forced to make hard decisions about their illness based on financial considerations. Financial support can be the critical factor that may prevent the development of potentially disabling complications.

Some of my constituents and their children with Type 1 diabetes may be eligible for the disability tax credit, and this can make a big difference. Sadly, there are still some discrepancies on how it is applied across Canada, and this needs to be fixed.

I am proud to have organized disability tax credit workshops in my riding. It is so rewarding to see constituents get meaningful results. I look forward to offering these workshops once again in the new year.

[Business of Supply, November 3rd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, seniors in my riding are facing challenges in paying their bills and paying for their medications. They are disappointed that they have a government that is having cash to play meetings where people with immense power are able to get the ear of the minister.

I am wondering if you could speak a bit about the people in your riding who would love to have a minister come into an intimate group and hear the concerns of real Canadians who are struggling today.