Scott Duvall

[Justice, February 28th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I will be asking for the consent of the House in a moment as I need to give some context to the matter in question and underscore just how serious it is. There are confirmed reports that earlier this week, the member for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek engaged in behaviour that could only be described as that of a bully toward a delegation of representatives from the United Steelworkers.

There have been consultations among the parties and I believe that if you seek it, there would be unanimous consent for this motion.

I move that the House condemn the inappropriate behaviour of the member for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, who, according to reports, during a meeting with a delegation of representatives from the United Steelworkers from Hamilton, Ontario, verbally abused the delegation; attempted to physically intimidate them by striking various pieces of furniture and violently slamming his office door; insulted and disparaged the organization, including the retirees of Stelco Inc., and expelled them from his office, and that the House call on the member to give a full and public apology for his unacceptable and unparliamentary behaviour.

[Seniors, February 26th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, over 350 delegates from the Canadian Labour Congress are in Ottawa today to talk about pension security and pharmacare. They echoed similar concerns brought by the coalition of retiree organizations last week in Ottawa.

It is clear that workers and retirees want the Liberals to finally take action to provide real pension security for seniors and to introduce a fully universal pharmacare program. Canadians are no longer buying the empty promises. They want solutions now. Are the Liberals listening?

When will they finally take action?

[Pensions, February 21st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, a coalition of organizations representing Canada's retirees was on the Hill yesterday to urge the Liberal government to protect workers' pensions in case of corporate insolvency. It also called on the government to create a national pension insurance plan and to change federal insolvency legislation to give workers' pensions priority status. The NDP unequivocally supports these initiatives and has been asking the minister over and over to ensure pension security.

Will the Liberals finally listen to Canadian workers and retirees and protect their pensions, yes or no?

[Employment Insurance, February 19th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, not all heros wear capes, such as Elaine Travers, a constituent in my riding, and today I pay tribute to her bravery and selflessness.

Elaine's close friend Cathy was diagnosed with kidney disease 20 years ago. In early 2018, Cathy had 90% kidney failure and Elaine decided to donate a kidney. Surgery took place January 15, and both Cathy and Elaine are doing well. However, this is not an event without unnecessary hardship.

Elaine and Cathy are like most people. They cannot afford an extended period of time off work and our current El system forces them back to work before they are ready. Elaine could only afford to be off for two weeks. A kidney donor requires six to eight weeks recovery, but Elaine is already back at work. Elaine could not afford her income to be cut by 45%, the terms of our current El sick leave. Cathy's recovery is four to six months and she, too, is facing a major reduction in income.

No one should be prevented from getting a life-saving organ transplant because it is unaffordable. Elaine is a hero to us all. We thank her so much and give a big thanks to other donors in Canada.

[International Trade, February 1st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, if the government really wanted to help Canadian workers and small businesses, it would have stood up to Trump and refused to sign a trade deal that would compromise Canada's future. Canadian workers are tired of paying the heavy price of losing jobs because the Liberals failed to do everything in their power to lift the devastating tariffs on steel and aluminum. These tariffs have caused layoffs, and some companies are being forced to close shop across the country.

Why are the Liberals refusing to stand up for Canadian steelworkers and small businesses?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, January 28th, 2019]

With regard to public consultations planned in Budget 2018 concerning retirement income security following the "Sears" case, between February 2018 and November 2, 2018, broken down by month: (a) did the Minister of Seniors conduct public consultations; (b) if the answer to (a) is affirmative, which individuals and organizations did the Minister of Seniors consult; (c) what are the recommendations or conclusions of the persons and organizations consulted, broken down by person and organization consulted; (d) in which municipalities did these meetings take place; (e) in which electoral districts did these meetings take place; and (f) were the Members of Parliament representing the constituencies referred to in (e) invited to these meetings?

[Pensions, December 13th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals failed to protect workers' pensions and Canadian consumers. Under their watch, rich executives and American hedge fund owners have been profiting from Sears' bankruptcy, while Canadians are left behind.

Sears workers and retirees are forced to fight in court to receive their hard-earned pensions. Now consumers are being told the warranties they purchased at Sears will not be delivered, but they have to pay for them, and if they refuse to pay, they get a bad credit rating.

This is wrong, and the government knows it. Why are the Liberals refusing to protect Canadian workers and consumers from greedy, rich corporations?

[Pensions, December 6th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, on Monday this week, the Ontario Superior Court gave the go-ahead for lawsuits to be filed against former owner of bankrupt Sears Canada, Eddie Lampert, as well as the former directors. This will allow pensioners and unsecured creditors to recover at least a portion of their money. The sad part of all this is that if the Liberals had simply changed the laws, then pensioners could have at least been spared the costly process to recover their hard-earned pensions.

When will the Liberals take action and change the laws to protect Canadian workers and retirees from pension theft?

[Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2, November 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague mentioned the Bankruptcy Act. He was talking about pension protection on deferred wages. Did I hear him correctly? Did he say that he is for making sure that pensions are protected and that these are deferred wages and should have a higher priority with respect to a bankruptcy liquidation?

[Request for Emergency Debate, November 26th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, those affected by this morning's announcement do not want to hear about who is to blame. They want to hear about how the jobs might be protected, about alternatives to closing the plant and how the government might step in and offer solutions. They want us as parliamentarians to address how we might protect the well-being of them and their families.

We owe it to the workers and their families to try and find a solution. That is why we must have this emergency debate as soon as possible.