Rathika Sitsabaiesan

[Petitions, September 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, this morning I have the honour to present three petitions. The first one is in support of the Katimavik program.

We know that the Katimavik program is an important program that greatly benefits youth, communities and many non-profit organizations across the country. Approximately 600 youth who were supposed to participate in the program this July did not have the opportunity to participate and were not able to register at post-secondary institutions and have been left in an unfortunate state.

The petitioners are calling upon the Minister of Heritage, the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister to continue to allocate $14 million per year in funding to the Katimavik program.

[Petitions, September 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to table petitions signed by hundreds of constituents from my riding of Scarborough—Rouge River and from ridings across the country.

The petitioners are calling for the creation of a national public transit strategy as Canada is the only OECD country that does not have a national public transit strategy initiative as of now.

[Petitions, June 21st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to present a petition on behalf of the members of my constituency. They call upon the Government of Canada to enact a Canadian public transit strategy to provide a permanent investment plan to support public transit; establish a federal funding mechanism for public transit which would get all levels of government to work together to provide sustainable, predictable, long-term and adequate funding; and establish accountability measures to ensure that all governments work together to increase access to public transit.

[Petitions, June 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition on behalf of over 400 petitioners in the greater Toronto area. The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to urge the United Nations to immediately establish an independent, international and impartial mechanism to ensure truth, accountability and justice in Sri Lanka following the end of the civil war there.

[Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act, June 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her excellent intervention on this topic.

Recently at the World Economic Forum, our Prime Minister announced that there would be major transformations coming to Canada's retirement pension system.

The only transformative change that Canada really needs for retirement security is investment in our Canada pension plan and Quebec pension plan, yet the government once again is proposing another privately administered voluntary savings plan. However, statistics have shown and even members across the aisle have said that people are not participating in it, and that makes it difficult.

My colleague here has many suggestions. I wonder if she could elaborate very briefly on some suggestions that would be equitable, to lift every senior in Canada out of poverty rather than just the wealthy ones.

[Petitions, June 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to present hundreds of pages of the petitions on the topic of justice and human rights. We know of the war that took place on the Island of Sri Lanka over the last almost 30 years.

The UN report of the Secretary General's panel of experts on accountability in Sri Lanka found credible allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes on the island.

The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to urge the United Nations to immediately establish an independent international and impartial mechanism to ensure truth, accountability and justice in Sri Lanka.

[Employment Insurance, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, again, more self-congratulations, but no real help for unemployed young Canadians.

In Toronto, we are still witnessing rising joblessness with an unemployment rate that is higher than the national average. Toronto is home to a thriving tourism industry and many contract workers. However, without any consultations, Conservatives are ramming through EI changes that will hurt tourism and force workers in Canada's most expensive city to take a 30% pay cut.

Will the minister put the brakes on her reckless EI changes?

[Employment, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, summer is approaching and many young Canadians are looking for work. They are looking to put their education to use, get a job and contribute to the economy, but the job market in Canada for youth is very bleak. There are 250,000 fewer jobs for young people than there were before the recession.

What is the response from the Conservatives? They pat themselves on the back as they shut down youth job banks.

It is our universal responsibility to leave more to the next generation. Why are the Conservatives so happy to leave less?

[Situation in Syria, June 5th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, throughout the night we have heard government members say that Canada has played a significant role in the international arena. We have also heard other government members say that Canada's role has been diminished and we are not really big players anymore.

Why does the member think that Canada's international role or position has decreased, and why is it that government members are talking about Canada's international reputation so negatively?

[Situation in Syria, June 5th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, what is the member's view of the opposition in Syria? Who are they and whom do they represent?