44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 28, 2022 02:00PM
- Sep/28/22 2:13:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Easter Seals is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year, representing 100 years of advocacy, support and service for hundreds of thousands of Canadians living with disabilities in our country.
With its head office in Don Valley West, Easter Seals is Canada's largest local provider of programs and services for the disability community. Easter Seals provides summer camps, scholarships, employment programs, accessibility services and so much more to over 46,000 Canadians each year.
Celebrations have been held coast to coast to coast marking this momentous occasion. This year, the Easter Seals executive, some of the amazing youth ambassadors and the board of directors are in Ottawa for a national 100th anniversary celebration.
I want to thank the board, the ambassadors, the staff and volunteers from all over our great country for their advocacy and for their work. I congratulate them on this significant milestone. We look forward to the next 100 years.
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- Sep/28/22 2:14:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent my community of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, which is a rural farming community. Like my family, many of my constituents, friends and neighbours are farmers who work hard each and every day to feed Canada and the world. They often work on tight timelines, working against Mother Nature to bring in the harvest.
With Thanksgiving upon us, I would like to remind everyone that the food we will all be enjoying on our tables comes from the hard work of our farming families, not just from the grocery store. If we want to secure local, healthy food to eat, we need to support Canadian farm families, growers and producers. After all, “No Farms, No Food”.
That is why today and every day we should all be thankful for our farmers and give them the support they need. This Thanksgiving, I urge members to take time to thank a farmer and learn from them how we can support food sovereignty in Canada.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in Lambton—Kent—Middlesex and beyond. I thank farmers for all they do to feed us.
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- Sep/28/22 2:15:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I address this House on behalf of the Canadian Association of Parliamentarians for Population and Development.
Today, on International Safe Abortion Day, I want to recognize the tireless efforts of health care providers and community groups across Canada and globally who work to support the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health and human rights.
Globally, 45% of abortions are unsafe. Unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal death and hospitalizes millions of individuals every year. Therefore, we welcome the 2022 World Health Organization's Abortion care guideline, which recommends full decriminalization and universal access to abortion and self-management options for birth control.
Canada must continue the life-saving work of increasing access to abortion care in our own country and championing the issue globally. Let us all commit to ending preventable deaths and illness from unsafe abortion worldwide.
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- Sep/28/22 2:16:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our new Conservative leader will put the people first: their paycheques, their savings, their homes and their country.
People feel like they are losing control of their pocketbooks and of their lives, as the government has doubled the national debt and is driving up the cost of everything. With prices on gas, groceries and other essentials skyrocketing, many people are struggling to get by. In fact, families are now downgrading their diets, seniors are watching their life savings evaporate with inflation, and many 30-year-olds are now trapped in their parents' basements because of housing costs.
These are fellow Canadian citizens. These are the people we have been sent here to serve, and they deserve much better. It is time this government got its inflationary spending under control, committed to no new taxes and gave struggling Canadians some much-needed hope.
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- Sep/28/22 2:17:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from 1896 to 1948 the British Home Child program saw over 100,000 boys and girls shipped from the United Kingdom to Canada to serve mainly as cheap labour for the families they were placed with here. While some of these children were treated well, many others were seen as no more than indentured servants and suffered horrible abuse at the hands of those who were supposed to care for them.
In spite of this, many British home children would go on to serve Canada with distinction in the Canadian Forces throughout the 20th century. It is estimated that four million Canadians are descendants of British home children, including me. My great-grandfather, Sheriff Atcheson Thompson, came to this country as a British home child in 1915, at the young age of 12.
I would like to thank people like my grandma, Carol Bateman, who continue to keep the stories of British home children alive and who continue to call upon the government to apologize for the program these children suffered under. Today, on British Home Child Day, let us pause to remember them and their legacy to our country.
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- Sep/28/22 2:19:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I rise, Nova Scotia is remembering and honouring a wonderful human being: Dartmouth’s John Young.
From an early age, John understood the importance of getting involved in politics, that the power of politics was about doing good and taking care of others. After graduating law school, he spent four years working alongside Liberal cabinet minister Allan MacEachen and had what he called a “fascinating education”. It was here in Ottawa that John met the love of his life, Carol. Together, this dynamic political duo helped shape politics back home in Nova Scotia for decades.
One would be hard pressed to find a current or former Liberal politician back home who has not received brilliant and caring advice from the Youngs. John had an incredible legal career, helping Boyneclarke grow from a modest little firm on Queen Street in Dartmouth into one of the largest law firms in Atlantic Canada.
John always gave more than he took, and I can tell members that John’s absence is already being felt deeply in our community, and especially by Liberals across Nova Scotia. I ask all members of this House to join me in honouring John Young.
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- Sep/28/22 2:20:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, gender inequality costs lives.
Tomorrow, survivors and researchers from Ovarian Cancer Canada will be on Parliament Hill as part of their awareness month. I raise my hands to their work. Ovarian cancer has historically been under-researched due to gender bias, but with strong ongoing advocacy, awareness has been raised and new research is under way, which is also unlocking insights into this highly fatal disease.
Canada has an important challenge ahead to increase survival rates; we are not keeping pace with other countries on improving outcomes. Sadly, only 44% of people diagnosed with this cancer live more than five years. The journey with ovarian cancer is difficult, and the side effects of treatment interfere significantly with quality of life.
I want everyone living with or going through ovarian cancer to know that I see them and I see how strong they are.
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- Sep/28/22 2:21:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it was two years ago today.
It has been two years since the heartbreaking death of Joyce Echaquan; two years since her shocking, yet preventable death; two years since she recorded and streamed racism in its most tragic manifestation.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I want to tell Joyce Echaquan's husband, Carol Dubé, her seven children and her loved ones that we stand with them as they gather to honour her memory in Manawan.
I want to tell all members of the Atikamekw community that we are with them, that we remember her, that we are with them in the fight against racism; against racism in all its forms, including within our institutions, as evidenced by so many accounts by first nations people.
Justice for Joyce, but also justice for all indigenous people in Quebec.
Let us continue to work together to ensure respect, dignity, security and empathy for everyone, whether Quebecker or Atikamekw, in society as well as in their relationship with the state.
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- Sep/28/22 2:22:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our new Conservative leader will put people first: their paycheques, their savings, their home and their country.
Trevor Neiman, director of digital economy and legal adviser of the Business Council of Canada, stated, “Immigrants often have the training, experience and qualifications to work in booming industries where Canada truly, desperately needs help, but newcomers are being denied a chance to contribute because of restrictive admission rules to these professions.” These are our doctors, nurses and engineers.
A combination of factors, such as the cost of living and recognizing core credentials and experience, is leading new immigrants to consider leaving Canada after resettling for only two years. Under our new Conservative leader, we will team up with the provinces to guarantee that within 60 days, an immigrant applying to work in their profession will get a yes or no based on their tested abilities, not based on where they came from.
Let us take action for all Canadians and remove these restrictions.
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- Sep/28/22 2:23:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to raise awareness today of a devastating disease.
Ovarian cancer is a difficult beast, yet I have met so many inspiring Teal Sisters who have faced it. This is the most fatal cancer disease for women in Canada. It is difficult to detect and uniquely agile, with variations, mutations and migrations that can complicate treatment. While 3,100 Canadians are diagnosed each year, outcomes for patients have not improved for decades, which is why supporting research and fundraising is critical.
In 2020, my provincial government invested $1 million in ovarian cancer research, building on our federal government's first-ever $10-million investment in 2019. Earlier this month, I heard first-hand how that funding is supporting pioneering research at Dalhousie University.
I encourage colleagues to register for Ovarian Cancer Canada's Fall Symposium in November and learn more about the disease until we find a cure.
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- Sep/28/22 2:25:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the cost of government is driving up the cost of living. The $500‑billion inflationary deficit has doubled our national debt. The Parliamentary Budget Officer said yesterday that Canadians will have to pay twice as much in interest on our national debt. They will end up paying $46 billion, which is more than the cost of the Canadian military.
The Liberals' solution is to increase taxes on seniors and workers. Will the government cap spending so that it can cancel its inflationary deficits and taxes that Canadians are paying for?
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- Sep/28/22 2:26:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as usual, the Conservatives are not bothering to even acquaint themselves with the facts. The facts show that the federal government is currently running a surplus of $6.3 billion. The IMF forecasts that Canada will have the lowest deficit in the G7 this year.
We have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7 and our AAA credit rating was reaffirmed this year.
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- Sep/28/22 2:26:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in fact, the Prime Minister has added more debt than all previous Canadian prime ministers combined and doubled the national debt. Those inflationary deficits have bid up the cost of the goods we buy and the interest we pay. Now, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, we will have to pay twice as much for interest on that national debt, $46 billion, which is more than the cost of the entire Canadian military. What is the Liberal solution? It is higher taxes on paycheques, gas, groceries and other expenses.
Why will the government not cap spending and cut waste so that it can cancel its inflationary deficits and taxes?
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- Sep/28/22 2:27:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as usual, the Conservatives are not bothering to even acquaint themselves with the facts. Had they bothered to read the latest fiscal monitor, they would know that so far this fiscal year, the federal government is actually running a surplus of $6.3 billion. The IMF forecasts that Canada will have the lowest deficit in the G7 this year. We have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7 this year, and our AAA credit rating was reaffirmed earlier this year.
We believe in fiscal responsibility, and that is why we are doing this.
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- Sep/28/22 2:28:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, they are doubling what Canadians must spend on national debt interest, and they are tripling the carbon tax, tripling that tax on gas, heat, groceries and basically every good that has to be transported from one place to another. Now, at a time with 40-year highs in inflation, Liberals want to raise those taxes even further. Our young people who are going to school are living in homeless shelters because they cannot afford the cost of living.
Will the government cancel this heartless tax increase?
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- Sep/28/22 2:28:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, actually, for middle-class Canadians we have cut taxes and made them better off. Today, a single parent in Ontario with two kids under six and earning $60,000 a year pays nearly $5,600 less in taxes than she did under the Conservatives. She will receive nearly $8,900 more from reduced child care fees and the dental benefit. She will be more than $14,400 better off than she was under the Conservatives.
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- Sep/28/22 2:29:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals will tell Canadians they have never had it so good. They have never had it so good. Listen, the government is out of touch and Canadians are out of money. Here are the facts: “Food bank use triples, hits record almost every month: Daily Bread Food Bank”, “GTA food banks say they are facing the highest demand in their history”, “Inflation is driving Ottawa food bank use to record highs, with no end in sight”, and students are literally living in homeless shelters while they go to school.
The Liberals think that now is the time to raise their energy costs by tripling the carbon tax. Will they cancel this heartless tax hike now?
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- Sep/28/22 2:30:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, do colleagues know who is out of touch? A Conservative leader who thinks that now is a good time to slash pension savings. The reckless Conservative scheme would cost $3.8 billion a year, so that means the Conservatives are planning to either increase our deficit by $3.8 billion or slash the retirement income of our seniors.
They need to come clean. Do they plan to slash pensions and increase the deficit, or did they just not bother to think that far ahead?
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- Sep/28/22 2:30:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the answer is neither, just like when we were in government. We froze CPP taxes and protected the CPP, increasing its benefits to seniors every single year we were in office.
Now the government wants to raise taxes on those very same seniors. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, in every single province where the carbon tax applies, Canadians pay more in costs than they get back in rebates, and it is especially high in provinces like Quebec, where there is no rebate whatsoever and people will have to pay the increased costs the government is imposing.
Will the government cancel this heartless tax hike today?
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- Sep/28/22 2:31:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us talk about a centrepiece of the Conservative economic agenda. Recently, the member for Kingston and the Islands asked the Conservative leader directly if he was finally ready to flip-flop on cryptocurrency and Bitcoin. In response, the Conservative leader could not even bring himself to utter the words “crypto” or “Bitcoin”. Maybe that is because since he offered his reckless advice, Bitcoin has fallen by 56%.
It is time for the Conservative leader to apologize to those Canadians who made the mistake of listening to him.
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