Pensions  Mr. Speaker, I do not think the member opposite got the latest talking points from the minister. Yesterday, the Minister of Finance said that boosting the Canada pension plan is “good in the long run for Canadians”, but still he is refusing to act. Increasing the CPP is the rig

Respect for Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, I should point out, ironically, if there is any issue of real estate, I am from the west coast. We do not need to be told about real estate values. They have gone up in Vancouver. They have gone up in the Downtown Eastside. I think it is a rather specious argument.

Respect for Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with my colleague's fundamental point that these strong social programs, as he puts it, do help alleviate community concerns. Let me give the House some examples of that. In a study by Wood et al in 2004 about the Vancouver situation, there was a

Respect for Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the parliamentary secretary about the concerns she has about real property. I have concerns about real people's lives. I live in a community where people are dying every day on the streets. I am concerned about that. Residents of Victor

Respect for Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to Bill C-2, An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. I am deeply saddened that the Conservative government has seen fit to introduce such a retrograde bill, and, as I will discuss, a bill that flies in the face of the unan

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from Thunder Bay—Rainy River for his excellent remarks. My question to him would be based on his reaction to the following: Would he agree that the Conservative policy has been to subsidize the fossil fuel industry by $1.3 billion, and t

Ocean Science  Mr. Speaker, today a crucial report was released focusing on the vital importance of ocean science in Canada. The report, sponsored by the Canadian Consortium of Ocean Research Universities, rightly asserts that the health of our oceans is fundamental to our precious environment

Retirement Income Bill of Rights  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-513, the so-called retirement income bill of rights. As I will describe in greater detail later, I have very serious reservations about supporting the bill even at this stage, but on balance, I believe that it is more important that th

Retirement Income Bill of Rights  Mr. Speaker, I guess my first question to the member would be as follows. She said that the bill would just set goals to which governments should aspire. I think those were her words. How exactly would the bill legally compel any change of government behaviour? Where are the ju

Pensions  Mr. Speaker, Canadians want the Canada pension plan improved. They do not want more studies. The provinces agree. Seniors agree. Experts agree. Why are the Conservatives standing in the way of progress? With Canada's population rapidly aging, ensuring a secure retirement is a ma

Pensions  Mr. Speaker, between 2010 and 2036 the number of seniors in Canada will double, and Canadians are facing a crisis of retirement insecurity. The provinces are in agreement that increasing the Canada pension plan is the very best way to ensure that Canadian seniors will have a sec

Access to Information  Mr. Speaker, yes, Conservatives have set a number of records, but none I would brag about. The Conservatives committed to spend $50 million, they say, on access to information matters, but the Information Commissioner says that she does not know where the money was spent. She sa

Access to Information  Mr. Speaker, the Information Commissioner pulls no punches in her report on access to information. She writes about failure and even says that “the integrity of the federal access to information program is at serious risk”. I repeat, “serious risk”. At the very least, can the go

Electronic Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to speak in the strongest terms possible in support of Motion No. 428, moved by my colleague, the member for Burnaby—Douglas. He has been a leader in Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in trying to come up with measures to improve Canadi

Tax Conventions Implementation Act, 2013  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the hon. member has put these cuts in the personnel of the Canada Revenue Agency in a very interesting context and much broader context. She talked about parks, climate change, family farm regulation and so forth. The cuts the government has made t