Scott Duvall

[Pharmacare, September 24th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I was honoured to host our leader, Jagmeet Singh, in my riding of Hamilton Mountain this past Friday.

We had the opportunity to meet with Hamilton residents to talk about the NDP goal of universal pharmacare. I would like to thank Hamilton poverty round table members, Linda Gill of the Canadian Federation of University Women, and many others who participated.

We heard about Jody's grandmother who received lifesaving treatment, but then could not afford the $700-per-month drug cost to keep her alive, and the person who relied on the generosity of the drug companies to cover high drug costs that were not affordable. What happens when that generosity runs out? We heard about residents ending up in emergency with an asthma attack, taking up precious emergency room resources because they could not afford their asthma medication.

After hearing the tragic stories of seniors and working families making a choice between paying rent or paying for lifesaving medication, I am more convinced than ever that it is time to implement a universal pharmacare program. We cannot afford not to.

[Accessible Canada Act, September 24th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, the New Democrats think this important legislation. However, my understanding is that this falls under federal jurisdiction buildings for accessibility. The City of Hamilton did a report on where it could help people who had these challenges by making it more accessible for them. In Hamilton, 20% of the population has disabilities. The report said that $157 million were needed to make the city full accessible by the year 2025.

How would this bill help cities like Hamilton to go forward in ensuring this is a barrier-free Canada?

[Business of Supply, June 14th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member mentioned that the Liberals believe in a clean environment. We on this side of the House believe in that also. That is why we have to go forward.

The problem we are having is understanding why the Prime Minister is making contradictory statements. On one hand, he is committed to meeting ambitious environmental targets, and on the other he keeps giving billions of dollars away to oil and gas companies. How does he plan to meet his commitments to the international community?

[International Trade, June 14th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, after the Trump administration imposed devastating 25% tariffs on steel and 10% on aluminum, workers are worried about how they are going to take care of their families. Just the steel industry alone has at least 22,000 direct jobs and supports another 100,000 indirect jobs, especially in Ontario and in my community of Hamilton.

Yesterday the Prime Minister avoided this very simple question, which I will ask again. When will the government announce a support package for steel and aluminum workers, like it did for softwood lumber workers last year?

[Pensions, June 5th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, in September thousands of workers employed in Canada's nuclear industry stand to lose the right to have their pensions protected under the Public Service Superannuation Act.

There is no justification for these workers to be denied a secure and long-standing right. These workers have had their pensions ripped away from them.

Will the government stand up for these workers and reverse this backwards decision before it is too late?

[Thomas “Dubby” Duvall, June 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, on May 5th, I had the honour of taking part in a ceremony marking the induction of an incredible man into the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame, Thomas J. “Dubby” Duvall. Not only was Dubby a well-known athlete, coach, and league organizer, he was also my great uncle.

The stories of Dubby's contribution to sports in Cambridge are legendary. He was a hockey player, a baseball player, and a professional wrestler. He was a respected hockey coach, with one of his teams capturing the Ontario Hockey Association championship.

Dubby also contributed endless hours helping to organize sports in Cambridge and across Ontario. From 1954 to 1956, he served as president of the Ontario Rural Softball Association and the Ontario rural hockey association, the only person in Ontario to hold both offices at the same time.

One of 18 children born in Thorold, Ontario, Dubby died in 1973, much too young, at the age of 67. It was a great privilege to join Dubby's son and my cousin George, and his wife Susan, to pay tribute to a man who was truly one of a kind and a great Canadian.

[Pensions, May 11th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it has been three months since the budget promised that feedback from pensioners, workers, and companies would be gathered, and yet nothing has been done.

Just this week, the finance minister's parliamentary secretary confirmed that there was no plan for obtaining feedback about fixing Canada's inadequate bankruptcy and insolvency laws, and no timeline for developing such a plan. Workers and retirees are tired of the government's fake news in this matter.

Is this a plan with a plan, or is this a plan with no plan, or is this a plan to make a plan? Which plan is it and what is the plan?

[Pensions, May 11th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it has been three months since the budget promised the feedback from pensioners, workers, and companies would be gathered, yet nothing has been done.

[Workplace Injuries, April 26th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, on April 28, we recognize workers who have been killed or injured on the job. The Day of Mourning, created by the Canadian Labour Congress in 1984 and officially recognized by the House of Commons in 1991 through an NDP-sponsored bill, is recognized in many communities across Canada.

As a steelworker, I am proud to have been part of the campaign that resulted in changes to the Criminal Code in 2003 to protect workers in what became known as the Westray law after an explosion rocked the Westray mine 26 years ago in Nova Scotia, killing 26 workers and forever scarring the workers' families and the surrounding communities.

Health and safety is still a big problem in Canada, as 1,000 Canadian workers are killed each year. Many of these deaths are preventable. In the 15 years since the Westray law was passed, only one person has been convicted under the law. That is not good enough. In memory of all those lost each year, I call on the government to stop the killing and enforce the law.

[Pensions, April 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have no plan in the budget. Workers and retirees expect their government to change Canada's bankruptcy and insolvency laws to protect their interests and to end the theft of their pensions. The government and the party's resolutions talk nothing more than consultations. Canadians do not need more consultations. They need action. The NDP has given the government the fix in Bill C-384.

When will the government get on with the job instead of fooling around with these meaningless “calls for inaction”?