Yasmin Ratansi

[Postal Banking System, March 26th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, the motion before the House calls for the creation of a special committee to conduct hearings and propose a plan for a postal banking system.

On January 24, 2018, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement announced our government's new service-first vision focused on the renewal of Canada Post. Let me briefly talk about this renewal and the new service-first vision.

Our government is committed to the renewal of Canada Post to make sure that it remains relevant and viable over the long term and that it continues to provide good, middle-class jobs and valued services to Canadians. This renewal is based on a new service-focused vision, in which Canada Post provides high-quality services at a reasonable price to Canadians, no matter where they live. That vision has been reinforced by the decision to terminate the program to convert door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes. As members know, that program was temporarily suspended in October 2015.

Our government also responded to the many concerns faced by seniors and others with mobility challenges vis-à-vis community mailboxes. Canada Post will develop an enhanced accessible delivery program that will ultimately result in improved services for tens of thousands of Canadians.

We have also asked Canada Post to set up a national advisory panel that would include experts and advocates for seniors and people with disabilities as well as Canadians with lived experience, who would provide guidance on improving the existing program.

I also want to reiterate what my colleague said about the importance of new leadership being central to implementing this new vision and renewing this iconic Canadian institution. We know that significant changes are needed to ensure that Canada Post is relevant and financial sustainable over the long run. That is why Canada Post needs to embrace innovation, experiment with pilot projects, adopt best practices, and more fully address market trends, new technologies, and shifts in the needs and expectations of Canadians.

It is about creating a new culture, a new mindset, that encourages greater collaboration and co-operation between Canada Post's management and unions. We know that our chances of success are improved when Canada Post and affected communities, unions, employees, and other stakeholders are engaged in renewal. Collaboration is needed at all levels. It is about a new way of thinking. It is about exploring opportunities to partner across the federal government with other jurisdictions and communities to leverage, for instance, the unique retail network of Canada Post.

This brings me to the issue of postal banking. This motion calls for public hearings on postal banking. Public consultations and engagement with stakeholders were an essential part of the comprehensive, evidence-based review of Canada Post undertaken by the government. As part of this review, postal banking was thoroughly analyzed by the independent task force that was established and by the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. The independent task force met with unions, municipalities, postal experts, and other stakeholders. It carefully considered postal banking in its review and its discussion paper entitled, “Canada Post in the digital age”. We even reviewed the status of postal banking globally.

The independent task force conducted extensive public opinion research in order to get, “a statistically representative view of Canadians and businesses from which conclusions could be drawn”.

To support its fact finding and evidence gathering, the task force also retained the services of experts in areas such as financial analysis and international postal services. For instance, Oliver Wyman, a global management consulting firm, was contracted to identify and assess potential business opportunities, such as postal banking.

The executive summary of the discussion paper prepared by the task force states:

On the issue of postal banking, a comprehensive examination of the proposal was undertaken by third-party experts and informed by the views of Canadians who corresponded or submitted their opinions online, as well as by the presentations of other stakeholders, notably postal unions, that were engaged during the review process.

As I mentioned, the task force conducted public opinion research on postal banking. It found that most Canadians do not feel that postal banking would be a good fit for Canada Post, nor are they likely to use such a service. The task force concluded:

While full-scale postal banking is unlikely to succeed within the Canadian context, a partnership model with banks or credit unions could be considered in corporate post offices in select under-served remote communities...provided financial institutions have an interest in this initiative.

As the vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, I can emphasize that we also heard significant representation from experts and stakeholders on postal banking. For example, in reference to the research conducted by his firm, Mr. Bruce Spear of Oliver Wyman stated:

By and large, what we found with regard to postal banking was that it required too many capabilities that were non-core to Canada Post and would require a significant amount of risk in terms of getting into the lending side of the business.

The chair of the task force, Madame Françoise Bertrand, also appeared before the committee on September 20, 2016. At her appearance she discussed postal banking. She said that postal banking would be costly to operate because of such considerations as IT and security.

The feedback of these and other experts and stakeholders was reflected in the report and recommendations of the standing committee.

Moreover, I would be remiss if I did not mention the work of individual parliamentarians who hosted town hall meetings with their constituents and provided feedback to the government as part of our review of Canada Post.

Overall, we had broad and inclusive dialogue on Canada Post. The government listened to what we heard and carefully considered the findings and recommendations.

I was one of the MPs who read the 900-page report of the experts and was able to put that into the report that we finally prepared. Therefore, I would ask my colleague who spoke earlier, do we need another committee, another round of public hearings, another study on postal banking when a thorough review has already been done?

I believe there is another way, a more practical and realistic path.

I cannot overstate the importance of new leadership in implementing our new service-focused vision for Canada Post. We want to move forward with the long-term renewal of Canada Post.

Canada Post has one of the largest retail networks in Canada, and in some communities, particularly in rural Canada, it is the only federal presence. There are opportunities to leverage that network to help the federal government and other jurisdictions provide improved access to services, especially in rural and remote areas.

Both the task force and the committee highlighted the potential benefits of innovative partnerships, which could potentially include financial service partnerships if a community identifies such a need. We did communicate that to the municipalities.

Our government's new vision for Canada Post is partly based on the development of a stronger and more constructive relationship between the corporation, its workers, and the communities in which it operates. This vision will be pursued by the new leadership at Canada Post, but it will take time.

It is fair to say that all of us want Canada Post to succeed, so let us focus on supporting the new leadership, encouraging more innovation and collaboration, and bringing about positive change.

[The Budget, March 19th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the bottom line is that as an accountant I know that when we have to spend money we spend it in tranches. We do not spend lump sums because it is not possible to spend anything lump sum. We have to be good economic managers to know exactly where. Therefore, we have invested $7 billion, for example, in affordable housing. We have invested in child care. We have invested in various components of the economy and we will keep on doing it in strategic and targeted investments, so that we can get people out of poverty and into well-paying jobs and increase the middle class.

[The Budget, March 19th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's good question allows me an opportunity to read something to him, because he said that jobs are required and that he believes a government that came in two years ago is responsible for some of the policies of the previous government. Here is a quote from economists:

Far from unleashing a business-led boom, Harper has in fact presided over the weakest economic era in Canada’s postwar history. For example, from 2006 through 2014...Canada experienced the slowest average economic growth since the Great Depression.... Harper wasn’t even close to the next-worst prime minister: another Conservative, Brian Mulroney.

As Liberals, we do not really need lessons from the other side on how to manage the economy. We made investments in 2006 and that was, interestingly enough, defeated by that government.

[The Budget, March 19th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has a very solid analysis of what a debt-to-GDP ratio should be. As an accountant, I believe this is an important aspect to show that we are on the right track. For example, in 1993 when the Liberal government took over, the IMF called the then-Conservative government's mismanagement, the economic basket case. Canada was the economic basket case. It took prudent management. It was prudent fiscal responsibility that led to our leaving the next government with $13 billion in surplus. Therefore, the Conservatives can never claim that they are prudent economic managers because according to economists they have never been able to manage the economy.

[The Budget, March 19th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege and a pleasure to rise in the House to speak to budget 2018.

Over the past two years, our government has invested in Canadians and in the things that matter most to them.

In 2015, the economy was sluggish and despite the previous Liberal government leaving the Conservatives with a $13 billion surplus, they had nothing to show for it. They did not invest in the economy and left us with a deficit. Our government decided that investing in people was the best way to boost the economy.

We are now seeing our investments paying off. Our economy has added 500,000 jobs, our unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in 40 years, and the Canadian economy is the fastest growing of all G7 nations. We are following through with our promise to reduce the small business tax rate from 11% to 9%, which will save small business owners an average of $7,500.

In 2015, Canadians made a choice to discard the failed austerity measures and to vote for a government that provided hope. They were in favour of rejuvenating the economy.

How are our investments helping?

Through budgets 2017 and 2018, our government has made targeted and strategic investments for economic development. I will focus on four of these and talk about the impact on my riding.

The first is our investment in housing. My riding of Don Valley East sits on the perimeter of downtown Toronto. The high demand for housing has driven up rental rates and has made it more difficult for Canadians to live and work in the same area. The government's investment in housing is a critical step to encourage a stable supply of affordable rental housing for middle-income households. Budget 2018 is investing $3.75 billion over the next three years in the rental construction financing initiative. This initiative is expected to generate the construction of more than 14,000 new rental units across Canada.

Further, our government's national housing strategy is investing over $40 billion over the next 10 years to create over 100,000 new units and repair 300,000 housing units across Canada. This means that 530,000 households will benefit from this investment and it will reduce the pressures on many municipalities. As well, 435,000 households will benefit from the maintenance and expansion of community housing in Canada. My riding has a large number of these houses, 68 such projects that will benefit.

Through this investment in affordable housing, we hope to alleviate poverty, as one of the root causes of poverty is the lack of affordable housing. As well, with this investment, we will help seniors, single moms, and people with disabilities to have access to good and affordable housing.

The second area is investments in infrastructure. Budget 2017 committed over $180 billion in infrastructure investments. Over $100 million of this are being invested in infrastructure projects in and around Don Valley East. One example is the Eglinton Crosstown LRT that crosses many ridings, including mine. This investment will help connect people, reduce traffic and travel times, and in turn increase productivity and economic opportunities. It will also give families more time to spend with each other in a cleaner, greener environment.

The third area is equality and growth. Budget 2018 is a family-friendly budget that makes significant progress towards equality of opportunity and growth. It does this by taking leadership to address the gender wage gap, supporting equal parenting, and introducing a new entrepreneurship strategy for women.

The women's entrepreneurship strategy is a comprehensive approach to addressing critical growth stages and other challenges that women entrepreneurs face. Our investment will help them grow their businesses and remove barriers to success. A study by the Royal Bank of Canada, RBC Economics, estimates that the size of the Canadian government would increase by 4% if there was equal representation of men and women in the workforce. In addition, a McKinsey study shows that, by boosting women's participation in technology and in the workforce, it would add an additional $150 billion to our economy. These figures are substantial, and it would mean more middle-class jobs and more Canadians who would have the ability to pay their bills and save for retirement.

Canadian women are among the best educated in the world, yet they earn less than men, are less likely to participate in the labour market than men, and are more likely to work part time. A study that I did as chair of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women stands true today. Women earn 30% less than what men earn for doing the same job.

When women have the support and opportunities to fully contribute to Canada's economy, the entire economy does better. One example of our government's policy measure is the Canada child benefit, or CCB, which was introduced in budget 2016. This is making a positive difference for millions of Canadians.

In my riding, there are many women who have to stay at home due to the high cost of child care. The CCB has now made it possible for them to go to work. Over 3.3 million families are receiving more than $23 billion in annual CCB payments. Last fall, the government proposed to strengthen the CCB by providing an additional $5.6 billion, starting in July 2018, in support of Canadian families. The CCB is making a large difference in Don Valley East where nearly 10,000 families receive an average annual payment of $7,500, elevating thousands of children out of poverty. When poverty is alleviated, people are able to contribute more to the economy.

The fourth and last area I would like to talk about is youth. The investment in youth is an important one. As I go around, meeting youth from my constituency youth council, I hear that strong, good jobs for the future are important, especially when they are graduating and have student debt. Our investment in youth initiatives are paying off. Last year the government invested $725,000 in the Canada summer jobs program in my riding, creating jobs for 262 young people and providing them with 60,000 hours of valuable work.

Last week I had an opportunity to visit STEM Kids Rock in my riding where our government's investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is giving impetus to young women to lead. I was amazed at the creativity and innovative technology these young people demonstrated.

In conclusion, as members can see, the government's investment in equality, housing, and infrastructure are providing the boost needed to keep growing the economy and supporting all Canadians, who form the bedrock of our country.

[Employment Insurance, February 28th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the new EI parental sharing benefit represents a major step forward in helping parents balance work and parental responsibilities, as they welcome new children into their family.

Could the Prime Minister explain how this greater choice and flexibility in parental and maternity benefits will help parents provide their children with the best possible start in life?

[Business of Supply, February 15th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member and her family for their service to our country.

I hear from veterans in my riding about how difficult it is to integrate into life after service. It is important we look after not only their mental health but that we provide them with skill sets training so they can integrate into the community in a meaningful manner and contribute. If they are injured veterans, we can help them. If they are families, or wives or husbands of veterans who need to look after them, we are there to support them. That is the key component of what we have done so far.

[Business of Supply, February 15th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I am so glad my colleague from Winnipeg North brought this up. The previous government had the most toxic relationship with veterans during its 10 years in office. It took them to court. It closed down offices. It did not invest in veterans.

We have listened to veterans. We listened to what they had to say about the pain they were suffering. We decided they deserved respect because they had served our country.

We can do more and as a collective body, we should be able to achieve that.

[Business of Supply, February 15th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I am trying to figure out what these two classes of pensions are. We have created a pension for life. We are looking after the mental health, physical health, and well-being of these veterans. Our government has done a tremendous amount in two years, with an investment of $10 billion for so many programs. I believe we are on the right trajectory.

[Business of Supply, February 15th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Winnipeg North.

I rise today to speak to the opposition day motion and put the record straight.

Our Prime Minister did indeed pledge to Canadians to do more to support our courageous and valiant veterans and their families.

In August 2015, he said:

For 10 years, Stephen Harper has been nickle-and-diming our veterans, lacking the respect and the support that Canadians have earned through service to country and that's something that we have to fix as a priority.

He promised that the government would ensure veterans received the respect, support, care, and economic opportunities they deserved and he tasked the Minister of Veterans Affairs to deliver on that promise. Our government acted right away.

In two years, our Liberal government has delivered on a number of measures to accomplish this. With Budget 2016, we enhanced the financial security of veterans and their families, putting more money into their pockets. This included increasing the disability award from a maximum of $310,000 to $360,000, which saw more money for 67,000 ill and injured veterans and increased income replacement from 75% to 90%.

Budget 2017 supported the health and well-being of veterans and families by investing in mental health supports, educational opportunities, and career transition services. These new and enhanced services are about to take effect.

April 1, will be the day that six new and two enhanced programs and services for veterans will go into effect: career transition services; the veterans' education and training benefit; the caregiver recognition benefit; a veteran and family well-being fund; a new veteran emergency fund; the end of time limits for vocational assistance for survivors; expanded access to military family resource centres for all veterans and their families; and a centre of excellence on post-traumatic stress disorder and related mental health conditions.

There is one unifying purpose of these initiatives, in fact, for everything Veterans Affairs Canada does, and that is the well-being of veterans, and their families as well. If a veteran cannot do well, the family does not do well either. Not only do these new programs add resources and services, they form an integrated, complete package that provides financial security and promotes and supports well-being of the veteran's whole life.

For example, as of April 1, all medically released veterans and their families will have access to the 32 military family resource centres across Canada. Up until now, the MFRCs have been available only to current members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families.

This independent organization provides a wide range of services, including community orientation, parenting workshops, child care, information and referral, employment and educational assistance, and a host of personal growth and development programs. Having access to these will help veterans manage their successful transition to post-service life and integrate into their new community.

The new caregiver recognition benefit recognizes the vital contributions of those who look after ill and injured veterans, with up to $1,000 per month, tax-free, paid directly to them.

Also, as of April 1, the one-year time limit for survivors, spouses, and common-law partners to apply for the rehabilitation services and vocational assistance program will no longer apply. This change removes unnecessary pressure and gives families more flexibility for getting the training they need while they are caring for ill and injured veterans.

For urgent, unforeseeable situations that might arise in the life of a veteran and their family, there is a new veterans emergency fund to help cover the costs of unexpected expenses.

For many Canadian Armed Forces members, finding meaningful employee will be key to establishing in life after service. While Canadian Armed Forces members have extensive training and skills tested under high pressure, finding a career to put these skills to use outside the military can sometimes be a challenge. The new career transition service will provide eligible veterans aptitude testing, training in job search skills, resumé writing and interview techniques, and other services they may need.

There is also new support for veterans who want further education or training. Those who have six years of service can receive up to $40,000 for college, university, or technical education. Those with 12 or more years of service can receive up to $80,000.

Another essential part of establishing a post-service life is physical and mental health. Over the past two years, our Liberal government has invested significantly in improving health support and services for veterans. We are investing $17.5 million over the next four years, and continuing with $9.2 million per year after that to establish a centre for excellence on PTSD and related mental health conditions.

The government, under the leadership of the minister, is ensuring the department is committed to providing comprehensive, integrated, and consistent mental health care. The centre for excellence will therefore focus on research and development into new tools to support professional treatment of PTSD, and then transfer the knowledge to professionals across the country.

All the programs reinforce each other: physical and mental health services for the veteran and their family to support well-being; education support to help establish a new career after service; career transition services to help find meaningful employment; support for families, including money when they need it; recognition for caregivers; and counselling and support to help integrate into their new community. All can be tailored to meet a veteran's unique needs.

It is a journey this government continues with legislation that will fulfill the promise this government made in 2015 to restore the option of monthly payments for veterans with service-related illness or injury, an option taken away from veterans by the previous government. The pension for life option will become another integral part of the well-being package for veterans when it comes into force, and will substantially improve the financial benefits veterans receive.

Pension for life will represent an investment of nearly $3.6 billion in support of veterans, in addition to nearly $6 billion this government committed in the previous two budgets. This government has invested significant time and resources to ensure the men and women who have served our country receive the respect, support, and care they deserve.

This government listened when military and veteran families, advocates, and communities raised concerns about the benefits and programs they were receiving. We listened, we heard them, and we responded with a comprehensive plan to restore and enhance benefits with plans and services designed to make lives better for our veterans and their families.