44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 11, 2022 10:00AM
- Feb/11/22 12:06:30 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, to be clear, there are long-standing arrangements that exist between the federal government, the provinces and the municipalities. Of course, we remain in very close touch with them to ensure that there is fair and equitable support when it comes to the RCMP.
We will always be sure that the RCMP are properly resourced so that they can provide public safety in communities across the country, which is something that we need now more than ever as we see illegal blockades. It is important that those blockades end and protestors go home so that Canadians can get back to their normal lives.
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- Feb/11/22 12:07:08 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my constituents in Etobicoke Centre consistently share with me that they expect us to do all we can to fight climate change. Transportation accounts for one-quarter of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions and many Canadians are reducing their carbon footprints by making a switch to zero-emission vehicles.
Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources please explain what our government is doing to ensure that Canada's charging and refuelling infrastructure is keeping up with and anticipating the growing adoption of zero-emission vehicles?
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- Feb/11/22 12:07:46 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Etobicoke Centre for that important question about zero-emission vehicles and the infrastructure across our country. Expanding Canada's infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles is important to making sure that we support Canadians to make that choice for these vehicles.
We have invested in expanding the network. People can now drive from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Victoria using a zero-emission vehicle. However, we are doing more, including a recently opened program in Toronto and the GTA that will expand the network by up to 300 new chargers to support—
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- Feb/11/22 12:08:19 p.m.
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The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.
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- Feb/11/22 12:08:24 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, last week, reports emerged that the government has been polling to see if it could get away with cutting back the Canada Post services Canadians rely on. Across the country, hundreds of thousands of people including seniors and people with disabilities rely on door-to-door delivery.
While he says he is a friend to labour, the Prime Minister continues to undermine union rights and good-paying jobs. He failed to restore the door-to-door mail delivery cut by Stephen Harper despite a 2015 campaign promise to save the service.
Will the government confirm today that it will not cut the Canada Post services and the jobs that Canadians rely on?
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- Feb/11/22 12:09:03 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, from coast to coast, Canadians rely on Canada Post and its employees. Canada Post works to ensure its services are available to every Canadian in a timely manner. As the member said, we imposed a moratorium on removing home delivery back in 2017. We are going to continue to provide excellent services to all Canadians through Canada Post.
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- Feb/11/22 12:09:43 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the pleasure to table, in both official languages, the annual report on activities from 2019 to 2021, as prepared by the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise.
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-254, An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (change of political affiliation).
He said: Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to address the issue of floor crossing, with great thanks to the hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley for seconding this bill.
Elections are an essential opportunity for voters to express their democratic preferences, but when parliamentarians cross the floor they unilaterally negate the will of their electors. This is a betrayal of trust of the first order. For example, in my riding of Vancouver Kingsway, David Emerson ran as a Liberal in the 2006 election, only to cross the floor to sit in the Conservative cabinet within weeks of being elected. Kingsway citizens of all political persuasions were incensed. They know that the only people who have the right to determine which party represents them in the House of Commons are the voters themselves.
This legislation would not prevent MPs from leaving their caucus or changing their political affiliation, but it would require members who wish to join another party's caucus either to obtain the consent of their constituents or sit as an independent until the next election.
I urge all members to support this important measure to protect the fundamental democratic rights of Canadian voters to choose how they wish to be represented in their House of Commons.
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- Feb/11/22 12:12:51 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise today to present a petition signed by over 100 Canadians about the site of a new Ottawa hospital.
The National Capital Commission ran a six-month consultation, consulted with the hospital to evaluate 12 different sites and recommended the release of 53 acres of surplus federal office space at Tunney's Pasture for this new hospital. The City of Ottawa seemed to accept this, but within 72 hours summarily changed its mind and recommended that the new hospital be built on a site of precious green space that included Queen Juliana Park and the Central Experimental Farm.
These petitioners ask that the Government of Canada restore the National Capital Commission's recommendation of Tunney's Pasture as the site for the new hospital. They ask that Queen Juliana Park and the Central Experimental Farm be preserved as green space, and they ask the federal government to support the request for a public inquiry, led by the Province of Ontario, into why this site recommendation was changed so quickly and so summarily.
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- Feb/11/22 12:14:21 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I also rise today to present a petition signed by Ottawa residents. Over 8,000 Ottawa residents have also signed a petition on an alternate site called change.org on this very issue.
I will summarize the petition. In response to the inexplicable decision without consultation to change the location of where the new hospital should be built from the previously recommended site at Tunney's Pasture, which was recommended by the National Capital Commission, to a site that involves cutting down and destroying an area of forest of over 750 mature canopy trees, ironically at a time when the government says it wants to establish more urban parks within Canada, a panel was put together of eminent Ottawa residents including former Ontario Supreme Court judge Madame Monique Métivier, internationally celebrated Canadian medical physicist Dr. David Rogers, distinguished Canadian environmental engineer Dr. Frank Johnson and award-winning international investigative journalist Dr. Declan Hill.
That panel sought answers from the City of Ottawa and received none, and the panel unanimously called for a public inquiry.
The petitioners call on the government to restore the National Capital Commission's original recommendation to preserve Queen Juliana Park, respect the memory of the Canadians who died in the liberation of the Netherlands, the over 7,600 Canadians in whose honour this park was created originally, and support the panel's request for a public inquiry as soon as possible.
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- Feb/11/22 12:16:07 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, forgive me for interrupting the business of the day. I was just wondering if the Speaker had called for reports from committee, or motions from committee.
It is my first week as the deputy House leader on the opposition side, and I did not hear the Speaker say that.
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- Feb/11/22 12:16:20 p.m.
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I did call it, and have been following the orders of the day. As well, we checked the video and it has been confirmed that I did call it.
I presume the member is referring to presenting reports from committees, which I absolutely called. I remember calling it.
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- Feb/11/22 12:16:40 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In the matter of a committee report that is incidentally overlooked, I wonder if the hon. member might seek unanimous consent to be able to present his report at this time.
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- Feb/11/22 12:16:58 p.m.
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I believe there is confusion with the orders of the day, because the hon. member was asking if I had called for motions, which I did as well. The video confirms this. We are not going to go back on orders of the day.
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- Feb/11/22 12:17:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for giving me a terrific idea. I ask for unanimous consent to return to earlier in Routine Proceedings so we can accept a report from a committee.
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- Feb/11/22 12:17:34 p.m.
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All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.
Some hon. members: Nay.
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- Feb/11/22 12:17:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand at this time.
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- Feb/11/22 12:17:59 p.m.
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Is that agreed?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
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moved:
That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-12, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (Guaranteed Income Supplement), be disposed of as follows:
(a) the bill be ordered for consideration at the second reading stage immediately after the adoption of this order;
(b) when the House begins debate at the second reading stage of the bill, two members of each recognized party and a member of the Green Party may each speak at the said stage for not more than 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes for questions and comments, provided that members may be permitted to split their time with another member;
(c) at the conclusion of the time provided for the debate at the second reading stage or when no member rises to speak, whichever is earlier, all questions necessary to dispose of the second reading stage of the bill shall be put without further debate or amendment, provided that, if a recorded division is requested, it shall not be deferred;
(d) if the bill is adopted at the second reading stage, it shall be deemed referred to a committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at report stage, and deemed read a third time and passed;
(e) during consideration of the bill, the House shall not adjourn, except pursuant to a motion moved by a minister of the Crown;
(f) no motion to adjourn the debate may be moved except by a minister of the Crown; and
(g) upon completion of proceedings on the said bill, the House shall adjourn to the next sitting day.
She said: Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak virtually in the House from my constituency of Brampton West, which is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinabe, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, Ojibwa and Chippewa people, and the land that is home to the Métis and is the territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.
I will be sharing my time with my colleague, friend and excellent Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors.
It is my pleasure to speak to the House today to discuss Bill C-12, an Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (Guaranteed Income Supplement), and why we should move quickly to adopt it.
The motion to expedite this matter reflects both the urgent nature of this bill to support the most in-need Canadians and the ongoing collaboration and agreement between parties on this, as well as the simplicity of the policy content.
On the day I was appointed minister, I began discussing this issue, recognizing there were low-income, working seniors who were having trouble making ends meet and that the pandemic benefits they received should not have been a penalty against them, especially not in the subsequent year as the system was set up.
Nothing about this pandemic has been normal, and I would argue that therefore neither should this be. They received CERB and CRB in 2020, but they spent it on things they needed at the time. It helped them to pay for their rent or the groceries or medicine they needed at the time.
I recognize that we cannot go back in time to exempt that income and that, at the time, we were 100% focused on moving quickly to set up benefits and save Canadians' livelihoods. We did that.
This bill would do one thing. It would exempt pandemic relief benefits from the calculation of guaranteed income supplement or allowance benefits beginning in July, 2022.
It is a very short bill. I could quickly read it out, and still have plenty of time in this speech. In fact, the bill is the product of much collaboration among parliamentarians and parties already. I want to take an opportunity to give credit to all the members who represented their constituents by raising the stories of seniors affected, both here in the House and with me directly through my office.
Further, I would like to also thank the stakeholders and the affected seniors themselves for raising this very important issue.
We all understand that this is an extraordinary situation. Working, low-income seniors deserve to be given a break from worrying if the pandemic benefit income they received will impact the low-income supplement they receive.
As mentioned, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit was put in place very quickly in 2020 to help people avoid catastrophic income loss during COVID. An unprecedented pandemic required an unprecedented response.
The CERB and the Canada Recovery Benefit did just that. They allowed Canadians who did not know what was next to not have to worry or choose between a roof over their heads or food on the table.
I will speak more about the merits of the bill during the second reading debate, which I hope we can get to quickly. Today, I am here to say that we need to adopt this motion to quickly move through the stages of the bill. I understand the importance of Parliament's time to scrutinize bills and debate ideas; however, this is one that we have all said we agree on. All parties have said they agree with the bill's content and intent. We all have limited time before officials would no longer be able to effectively implement this and ensure the best results for affected seniors.
Further, we have to consider our colleagues in the other chamber, who also have to consider this matter. We ask a lot of them when we send them emergency pieces of legislation, and I believe it is fair to try to give them adequate time as well.
However, it is clear from what has been said in this place that this matter is urgent. It is urgent that we remove the worry seniors have, and prevent this possible reduction of the guaranteed income supplement due to pandemic benefits.
This has been an extremely challenging time to navigate. Seniors, especially low-income ones, need the security and surety to know that the government will not be counting these pandemic benefits as income when it comes to their GIS calculations. It is simply not a normal time still.
Every July, entitlement to the GIS or the allowance is reassessed based on an individual's income, or the combined income of a couple as reported on the tax return. However, the CRA and ESDC have a lot of work to do together in the months leading up to July. We need to give them the time to make major system changes to make this exemption possible.
The Income Tax Act technically defines pandemic relief benefits as taxable income, which has meant that they are also considered as income when determining entitlement to the GIS or allowance benefits. In order to exempt that income, and to prevent lower benefit payments to some guaranteed income supplement and allowance recipients because of the income they received from these pandemic benefits, Parliament has to pass this bill by early March. Every day thereafter causes immense challenges for the system, and will have an impact on seniors' files. We need to move quickly to rectify the situation.
This is the unprecedented aftermath of an unprecedented response to certainly an unprecedented crisis. During my speech at second reading, I will further discuss our government's one-time payment that would help seniors affected by 2020 benefits as announced in the economic fiscal update. I recognize—
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- Feb/11/22 12:26:52 p.m.
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Order. If I could interrupt the minister for a moment, I know you had wanted to share time with the parliamentary secretary. Since this is the opening round, you have unlimited time, plus you cannot not actually share that unless there is unanimous consent to allow the parliamentary secretary to take his time as well. The hon. parliamentary secretary may make that ask.
The hon. parliamentary secretary.
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