Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition to the House this afternoon regarding a national strategy for Canada's seniors. The petitioners call upon the government to appoint a minister for seniors and to develop a national strategy for seniors.

Canada Pension Plan  Mr. Speaker, I was the minister responsible for seniors for five years. Our government did a lot for seniors. We increased the GIS to the highest amount in a quarter century. For single women who do not have any CPP, we really want the government to look at other ways, because i

Canada Pension Plan  Mr. Speaker, new graduates are finding it more and more difficult to pay back their student loans and find jobs after school. With higher payroll taxes and likely limited jobs coming from our small businesses, the CPP enhancement would only magnify these problems. New graduates n

Canada Pension Plan  Mr. Speaker, Canadians have already said many times that they want to have a say in their own retirement plans. The government has not consulted with real people who are working and paying into the CPP. I must agree that the CPP has its own value; however, the expansion that the

Canada Pension Plan  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to discuss the proposed changes to the Canada pension plan in Bill C-26. As has been mentioned by my colleagues earlier, this change would raise CPP premium rates. This plan would also increase the maximum level of earnings on which

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition on behalf of nearly 9,000 Canadians regarding birthright citizenship. This petition asks the government to introduce legislation that requires at least one parent to have Canadian citizenship or resident status before granting a chi

Small Business Week  Mr. Speaker, this week is Small Business Week. As a former small business owner, and the critic for small business, it is my pleasure to mark this important week celebrating our innovators and job creators from across the country. In the city of Richmond, small business and tou

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, our small business owners are our middle class and are being attacked by the Liberals' policies. With this week marking small business week, can the minister assure small business owners that the Liberals will do the right thing and reinstate the small business tax

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, first the Liberals cancelled the small business tax cut. Then they decided to cancel the hiring credit and raise CPP premiums, which will make it difficult for employers to hire new staff. To make matters worse, the Liberals' new tax on everything will make it harder

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition today regarding a national seniors strategy for Canada. The petitioners call on the government to appoint a minister for seniors and to develop a national strategy for seniors.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, the Liberals keep quoting millionaire CEOs in defence of the new carbon tax, but like their millionaire friends, the Liberals do not care about the real impact that a carbon tax will have on small business owners. This tax would drive up costs for restaurants and re

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1  Madam Speaker, I applaud my colleague's attempt to let us know what the true picture is in our public service. I have been consulting a lot in the private sector lately about the need for productivity and to create more jobs and to make sure that the government spends money wise

Food and Drugs Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for this bill. We will probably support this, mainly because we all know that one in five jobs is created by trade. The Asia–Pacific gateway is in my riding of Richmond Centre in British Columbia, so trade is very important t

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, in the last election, the Liberals promised to continue the small business tax cuts brought in by Conservatives. Instead, once in power, they broke their promise and raised its taxes. Also, just last night, the Liberals actually voted against a motion that would all

Richmond Multicultural Community Services  Mr. Speaker, I recently had the opportunity to attend a volunteer appreciation event hosted by Richmond Multicultural Community Services. RMCS welcomes newcomers to Canada and strives to assist them with needs, such as language development and job search skills. I was able to m