Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, as we draw ever closer to the holiday season and the end of the year, there is still no end in sight for public service workers who have been caught up in the boondoggle known as Phoenix. The government has missed its own deadline of October 31, and 15,000 cases still have not been resolved.

Labour  Mr. Speaker, 4,600 financial professionals and accountants working for the public service have been fighting for pay equity for years, but tomorrow they have to go before the Public Service Labour Relations Board to defend themselves against a government that is trying to limit their case before they have even had a chance to be heard.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I want to let my colleague know that many in my riding believed the Liberals on the election trail, who are now the government, on the promises to small and medium-sized businesses, in particular the promise to reduce the small business tax rate to 9%. We now find that the government has not followed through on that promise and has moved it forward to almost the next election.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I want to remind my hon. colleague about something that many people were counting on in my riding. It was talked about a lot on the election trail. Many small business owners in my riding really counted on the promised tax reduction. In my riding and many others across Canada, small and medium-sized businesses are really the engine, the job creators, in our communities.

Poverty Reduction Act  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today in support of Bill C-245, sponsored by my colleague, the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, which would establish a national poverty reduction strategy. Poverty is, sadly, still very much a growing problem in Canada. Since the unanimous motion by Ed Broadbent in 1989 to eradicate poverty in Canada by the year 2000, very little has been done by successive Liberal and Conservative governments to actually reach this goal.

Canada Pension Plan  Mr. Speaker, I want to make one point and then ask one question. I think it is important that much of the discussion from the government, when we are talking about pension benefits, relates to the maximum pension benefits people will get. However, only about 10% of the folks who actually receive CPP get the maximum benefit.

Canada Pension Plan  Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for her passion about pensions and the importance they play in the lives of people. What does the member think about the fact that people with disabilities who live on disability income and women who choose to leave the workforce to raise children will not be granted the CPP enhancement that all other workers will?

Canada Business Corporations Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for her work, not only on the Status of Women committee but also in her community and in Ottawa. I would like to hear a few more comments from her on why it is so important we take every opportunity to walk the talk and get our own house in order.

Canada Business Corporations Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her comments and reminding us of some of the things we are working towards. I want to draw her and House's attention to the Canadian Board Diversity Council, which stated, after reviewing where the “comply or explain” approach has been applied, that it really is not leading to meaningful disclosure or a consistent improved pace of change.

Human Rights  Mr. Speaker, the NDP can be counted on to defend the rights of the LGBTQ community here and abroad. However, it is not so clear with our Prime Minister, who while in Liberia, refused to condemn the country's criminalization of homosexual activity. According to him, different countries have different paces of evolution in recognizing the rights of LGBTQ persons.

Living Wage  Mr. Speaker, it will come as no surprise to the many Canadians living paycheque to paycheque that workers are not being paid what they need to support themselves and their families with confidence. They are not making a living wage. Four Saskatoon-based employers, however, are leading the way by pledging to pay their employees at least $16.68 per hour, the wage a two-earner family of four in Saskatoon needs to meet its basic needs.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, recently I met with housing advocates to discuss recommendations for what must be included in a national housing strategy. Safe, affordable, and adequate housing can fight poverty and improve the qualify of life for all Canadians. In its March budget, the federal government committed $253 million for new affordable social housing, and provinces and territories were to match that.

Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, my riding of Saskatoon West shares some of the same economic indicators as the member's. That is, there is a large service sector, where many of the jobs are. One thing I am trying to do in the debate today is get more than slogans on trade, such as “new jobs, new prosperity”.

Canadian Human Rights Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for sharing wise words and support for a very important bill, which would grant human rights to all Canadians. Today we are talking about making sure that transgender and gender-variant Canadians receive the same protection as other Canadians.

Canadian Human Rights Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague in the House and on the pay equity committee for reminding me of some of the broader issues that we talked about at the committee. However, the scope was very focused. Our ability to start looking at the intersection of sexism, and, in this case, transphobia, in a wage gap between trangendered people and non-transgendered people, I think most of the committee members agree is the next step.