Tracy Gray

[Committees of the House, October 31st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, we are discussing a report from an important committee today. A lot of what I spoke about was not in reference to legislation in front of us now or legislation that the Liberals were looking to bring forward. I was speaking about legislation in the past and the fact that the Liberals delayed the implementation of MAID being available to persons suffering from the sole underlying condition of mental illness. As part of that, many persons from the disability community and advocates have come out against this.

[Committees of the House, October 31st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, it is always an honour to rise on behalf of the residents of Kelowna—Lake Country. I will be splitting my time.

I rise to speak in a concurrence debate that was put forth today regarding the report of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying, MAID. Conservatives have put forth a dissenting report on this. I will speak from the perspective of the shadow minister for disability inclusion and will speak to the impending Liberal government law on MAID eligibility, coming into effect after the next election, which will include mental illness as a sole underlying condition.

The Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying heard from a range of experts regarding MAID, including clinicians, psychiatrists, disability advocates and mental health experts. Many expressed the same concern regarding including mental health as the sole underlying condition for MAID eligibility. Many experts are saying it is impossible to clinically determine if a patient will be able to recover from a mental health challenge. Dr. John Maher, a clinical psychologist and medical ethicist, told the committee, “Psychiatrists don't know and can't know who will get better and live decades of good life. Brain diseases are not liver diseases.”

Abandoning people with mental illness to turn instead to medical assistance in dying is wrong, and experts in the field agree. The Ontario Medical Association surveyed Ontario psychiatrists in 2021 and found that 91% of respondents opposed the expansion of MAID for mental illness. Only 2% of respondents supported it. This speaks volumes to how wrong the Liberal government is on this issue.

Disability groups are now sounding the alarm over the drastic negative effects MAID can have on those with disabilities and concerns over looking after the most vulnerable. Recently, the Disability Rights Coalition put out a release detailing how those with disabilities are affected by MAID. This coalition includes major disability advocacy organizations, including the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, Inclusion Canada, Indigenous Disability Canada and DAWN Canada, among others. These are organizations whose missions are to support the vulnerable, and we need to consider their concerns.

In a release, the Disability Rights Coalition stated, “MAID has resulted in premature deaths and an increase in discrimination and stigma towards people with disabilities across the country.” Krista Carr, the executive vice president of Inclusion Canada, stated, “We are witnessing an alarming trend where people with disabilities are seeking assisted suicide due to social deprivation, poverty, and lack of essential supports”. Heather Walkus, the national chairperson of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, stated, “Instead of providing the support and resources we need to live, our government is offering death.”

This release comes after a letter was sent to the justice minister in 2022, signed by 50 disability organizations that called for the expansion of MAID for mental illness to be stopped. In this letter, the signatory stated, “To legalize MAiD for mental illness would pour gas on a fire that is already out of control.”

How can we trust the Liberal government with expanding MAID to include those with the sole underlying condition of mental illness when its record on this issue has been so troubling? There have been numerous reports detailing the increasing prevalence of Canadians seeking MAID for circumstances for which it was never intended. Multiple Canadian military veterans who fought for our country and were seeking help from Veterans Affairs were pressured by Veterans Affairs staff to consider medically assisted dying. One veteran, a Paralympian trying to get a wheelchair ramp, testified that a Veterans Affairs employee offered her assisted dying instead of addressing her concerns. A food bank manager from Mississauga reported that clients asked about assisted suicide without a special physical illness. We also heard testimony at the human resources committee from witnesses who were talking about persons with disabilities considering MAID due to the cost of living.

Most recently, CTV reported on a woman who has health conditions making her unable to work, and she applied for MAID for financial reasons. The editorial states:

“I'm very happy to be alive. I still enjoy life. Birds chirping, small things that make up a day are still pleasant to me, they're still enjoyable. I still enjoy my friends,” she said.

“There's a lot to enjoy in life, even if it's small.”

This is where we are in Canada after nine years of the Liberal government. We have all these issues, yet the government continues, undeterred, in proceeding with expanding MAID for those whose sole underlying condition is mental illness. Experts in mental illness and those who support and advocate for persons with disabilities have come out against this, citing concerns for abuse and concerns over protecting the most vulnerable.

I have been very touched by some of the correspondence from residents in Kelowna—Lake Country who have shared their concerns with me. Judith, from my community, wrote to me with her concerns after hearing about the delay in the planned expansion of MAID for those with mental illness as the sole underlying cause. She acknowledged that many people have brought forth many concerns to the government, and she was surprised that the Liberals were now delaying the expansion and not stopping it altogether.

Not every community has the same mental health services, especially in rural and remote areas. I previously spoke to a young woman who was movably shaken by the thought of medical assistance in dying being made available to individuals whose sole underlying condition is mental illness. His deceased mother had struggled with mental illness, and he was extremely angry to hear that the Liberal government had not cancelled outright the option for people to seek MAID under these parameters.

People were rightly concerned about protecting the most vulnerable in our society. It is because of this that the reckless expansion was paused, but it was not halted and stopped altogether. The public outcry and concern are what forced the government to take the first step on the MAID delay for people with the single underlying cause of mental illness. Unfortunately, the pause in this expansion is only that, a pause.

Parliament would be better served in our responsibility to Canadians, particularly vulnerable Canadians, to altogether abandon the expansion of MAID to those with mental illness as the sole underlying condition. We cannot give up on people experiencing mental illness. We must ensure that support is there for help and treatment.

I do not want to give up on people. There are so many people in my riding of Kelowna—Lake Country who suffer from a mental health issue, and it is heartbreaking to think that the government's solution to these issues is offering assisted death. It is the government giving up on those experiencing mental illness.

We must focus on giving people help and hope. We must focus on treatment for mental illness rather than assisted death. The Conservatives do not want to give up on people. Medical assistance in dying cannot be the most accessible solution for individuals with mental illness or for those seeking palliative care that may either not exist or be very limited in the community where someone lives. There are multiple recommendations with respect to palliative care and persons with disabilities in the joint committee's report we are discussing today.

Also, instead of bringing forth changes to expand MAID to persons with mental illness, the Liberals should be focusing on proposals to bolster mental health support for Canadians, many of whom are facing challenges given the last nine years of the Liberal government, which has made life so hard for so many. We have to remember that it was the Conservative member for Cariboo—Prince George who spearheaded the three-digit suicide prevention hotline, 988, in Canada.

As I mentioned, the Liberals did not bring in legislation to cancel the implementation of MAID for those with the sole underlying condition of mental illness; they just delayed it. Instead of these misplaced Liberal policies, building the mental health support systems that Canadians need to live full, fulfilling lives should be the top priority. This is a top priority for the Conservatives in this Parliament and in a future Conservative government.

People suffering from mental health issues need resources to help them. Recovery is possible, and we must never give up hope on anyone. The Conservatives will always stand on the side of the most vulnerable, their loved ones and those who support them.

[Committees of the House, October 30th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we are continually putting out recommendations, suggestions and announcements with respect to a whole number of ways that we can fix so much that the government has broken. Whether we are looking now at a housing crisis, at crime or at record numbers of people going to the food banks, we are continually making suggestions and recommendations on an ongoing basis. The announcement that came yesterday is another example of that.

[Committees of the House, October 30th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we know that we are in a housing crisis right now and this is under the nine years of the current Liberal government. It was actually the Housing Minister himself who said that the particular fund does not actually build any homes. This is why Conservatives keep bringing forth suggestions for ways to build homes and ways for Canadians to get into housing, in particular for new homeowners. That was one of the recommendations.

The announcement was made yesterday by the official opposition leader to axe the federal tax on new homes built that are under $1 million. This would prompt new homebuilding and would prompt people to get into homes and really help with the affordability and the housing crisis that we are having here in Canada.

[Committees of the House, October 30th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I know that I cannot use a prop in this place, but there is a 61-page report called “Financialization of Housing” that was completed by the committee and I referenced a dissenting report that we did. Of course, any members of the committee can bring forth witnesses to testify and all party members did. We had a very robust study on this in October 2023. Anyone can go online and have a look at that report and view all of the testimony and many recommendations that came out.

[Committees of the House, October 30th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to rise on behalf of the residents of Kelowna—Lake Country.

I will be splitting my time today with the member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon.

Today, we are discussing a report from the human resources committee, or the housing committee. I want to point out quickly that the Conservatives put forth a dissenting report on this, and I will read a couple of points that we made in our dissenting report.

We wrote:

We will not get out of the housing crisis, without building more homes. To build more homes we need everyone pulling in the same direction, the federal government, provincial governments, municipalities, workers, and yes, the private sector. Demonizing, taxing, and blocking private sector involvement in Canada’s housing market, not only keeps us from solving Canada’s housing crisis, but could actually make it worse.

We also referenced some statistics:

To reach 22 million units by 2030, the CMHC says we must build 3.5 million more units beyond what we will build anyhow. The CMHC says that those 3.5 million units that are required by 2030 will require “An investment of at least $1 trillion” to build. The CMHC says we need “increased participation from the private sector” to meet these goals.

Our dissenting report continues, “Conservative members support 60 day average approvals at the CMHC, linking bonuses for CMHC executives to performance metrics, and balancing the budget to lower interest rates so that we can unleash” non-governmental organizations and others.

Here are a few points that I want to make at the onset of this debate here today. I would like to set the template for where housing is in Canada right now. Under the Liberal government, housing has never been more expensive. The Liberals' failure to build homes has created a housing crisis for Canadians. In fact, the House of Commons has said that we are in a housing crisis.

The cost of mortgage payments and down payments have all doubled under the Liberal government, or we could say the NDP-Liberal government because the NDP has been supporting the Liberals. It previously took 25 years to pay off a mortgage, whereas now it actually takes 25 years to save for a down payment. This is one of the reasons young adults, so many of them in the country, are saying that they feel they will never be able to afford a mortgage. It is very demotivating and really frustrating for our young adults here in Canada.

The Liberals' record on housing, mortgages and rents is really nothing for them to be proud of. Instead of building homes that Canadians need, they have been building more bureaucracy. We hear a lot about the bureaucracy of the federal housing agency, the CMHC, at the housing committee. We have done a number of studies recently, and we have had a lot of testimony from different witnesses talking about how the federal housing agency will add costs because of certain building rules that it has put in place, which are far and above actual requirements. It will also add in a number of other rules, which can actually add a lot of cost, time and delays onto building the housing. We have heard quite a bit about this at the housing committee.

We also know that, nine years after the Prime Minister promised to lower the price of housing, rents and mortgages have doubled, and middle-class Canadians are being forced to live in tent encampments. In nearly every city across the country, we are seeing a record number of tent encampments opening. However, the photo ops that we have seen from the Liberal government will not come anywhere near to building the 5.8 million homes that are needed to restore housing affordability in Canada. As a result, home prices have doubled, rent has doubled, down payments have doubled and mortgages have also doubled.

There was a report done by CMHC earlier in October that showed that housing starts continue to trend lower while Canada's population has rapidly increased. When we compare September 2024 to September 2023, the results are even worse. Across the country, housing starts were down 15% this September compared to September 2023. Similarly, in Canada's most expensive cities, the Liberal government's billion-dollar photo op fund has really done nothing to build more homes because housing starts are actually down 20% in Vancouver and Toronto.

Statistics Canada also recently reported that the total value of building permits increased by 7% in August of this year. As well, Rentals.ca recently published its national rent report, which shows the consequences of the Liberal failure. This means the cost of rent has massively outpaced Canadian paycheques. It is just one bad statistic after another.

We can look at homelessness, which is an issue in my community of Kelowna—Lake Country and across the country. The Parliamentary Budget Officer released a detailed report in May of this year outlining the state of homelessness in Canada. The Liberal government committed to eliminating chronic homelessness by 2030. However, according to this report, since 2018, chronic homelessness has actually increased by 38%. The report also stated that the number of individuals living in unsheltered locations has increased by a staggering 38%. These are not just statistics. These are people. These are family members. These are neighbours.

What I would like to discuss now is a recent announcement made by the leader of the official opposition about a plan that Conservatives have to lower the cost for Canadians looking to buy a home. Our common-sense Conservative leader announced that we would axe the federal sales tax, or the GST, as it is called, on new homes sold for under $1 million. This cut would save $40,000, or $2,200 per year, in mortgage payments on an $800,000 house, as an example. This tax cut would spark 30,000 extra homes being built every year.

Common-sense Conservatives would also push provinces to remove their sales tax from new home sales, which would save tens of thousands of dollars more for homebuyers. The move really comes after this housing crisis, as I have mentioned, has doubled housing costs over the nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, which is faster than in any other G7 country.

Back in October of 2015, the month before the Liberals were elected, it took only 39% of the median pre-tax household income to cover home ownership costs. Now it takes nearly 60%. That is a staggering difference and a staggering amount for Canadian families. While it used to be normal for working-class youth to buy homes, now 80% of Canadians tell pollsters that home ownership is only for the very, very rich.

The GST alone adds about $50,000 in cost to a $1-million home. This common-sense Conservative tax reduction would really eliminate billions of dollars in bureaucratic programs that the Liberals admit have not built a single home. That is what will be offset by the difference.

As I mentioned, this tax cut would spark extra homes being built. What is really missing here is the promise of Canada, where many of us are of the generation that, when we were in our 20s, if we had a decent job, we could have a decent car, save up and buy our first place. That dream of home ownership is really gone now for our young Canadians, and it is incredibly sad.

We also know that, in addition to that, we have record-breaking numbers of people going to food banks. It was just reported that now two million people are going to food banks a month. It is just incredibly hard for young adults and families.

On our Conservative proposal, I would like to mention a couple of quotes here. Canadian housing expert Mike Moffat, senior director of policy and innovation of the Smart Prosperity Institute, said, “[This] proposal to eliminate the GST for newly constructed homes selling for under $1 million is the boldest middle-class housing proposal released to date from any federal political party. It will put $4 billion back into the pockets of homebuyers each year.”

The Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association said, “Increasing the GST Rebate threshold will support affordability, increase housing supply, and restore fairness to current and future generations of homebuyers”.

There are more quotes as well. I know that I am running out of time, but this is really important, and we hope that the government will follow the proposal made by Conservatives to axe the federal tax on new housing sold for under $1 million.

[Privilege, October 28th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I am sorry; I do not know the riding name of the member who was just speaking, but he referred to the other member as a word that I do not know if I can say in the House here. It is unparliamentary, Madam Speaker, and you might want to address this.

[Housing, October 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' own housing adviser said this morning that the Liberals' photo op fund, the so-called housing accelerator fund, is either pointless or ineffective. The government has spent billions of dollars. In fact, housing starts are down in Canada's two largest cities. It is down 20% in both Vancouver and Toronto.

Under the NDP-Liberal government, housing costs have doubled. They are rising faster than any other G7 country. This is a made-in-Canada issue. In 2015, it took 39% of the average Canadian's income to cover home ownership costs, and now it is 60%. Conservatives would axe the federal tax on new homes over $1 million.

Will the government listen and stop—

[Housing, October 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberals, they are not worth the cost of housing. They doubled rent, mortgage payments and down payments, and homeless encampments have opened in record numbers across Canada.

Most young adults believe they will never afford a home. The federal GST adds a staggering cost to home costs, and the common-sense Conservatives said today that we would axe the federal sales tax on new homes sold. For example, on an $800,000 house, this would save homebuyers $40,000.

Will the NDP-Liberals axe the federal tax on housing, or will they continue to fund their housing photo op programs?

[Remembrance Day, October 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, this Veterans' Week and Remembrance Day, let us take a moment to recognize the people who have bravely served Canada in times of war, conflict and peace. We gather at Remembrance Day services to honour and pay tribute to Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice defending democracy and human rights around the world, as well as those who continue to serve today. By remembering, we pay tribute to Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP members who serve to defend our values and freedoms.

Kelowna—Lake Country has The British Columbia Dragoons; 39 Signal Regiment; Royal Canadian Legion branch 26 in Kelowna and branch 189 in Oyama; and Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada unit 367, which all play roles supporting veterans and their families and help educate the next generation. The Field of Crosses display, a multi-partner community service memorial project in Kelowna City Park, is an impactful visual reminder of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Buying poppies supports our local veterans. May we never take their sacrifice for granted. Lest we forget.