44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 1, 2021 02:00PM
- Dec/1/21 3:00:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the poorest working seniors have been plunged into poverty by Ottawa. Those who lost their jobs during the pandemic and who had to apply for CERB ended up having their guaranteed income supplement cut because CERB benefits are treated differently from work income, even though the benefit is designed to replace work income. For example, a worker who earns $10,000 in income would normally lose $100 of their guaranteed income supplement, but someone earning $10,000 of CERB loses $400. That is $300 less every month.
Will the Prime Minister correct this injustice?
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- Dec/1/21 3:01:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is not what we are talking about.
The Bloc Québécois alerted the Minister of Seniors and the Minister of Finance months ago, and nothing has been done. We need the Prime Minister to get involved. The CERB should be treated like employment income and seniors need to be able to have their benefits recalculated based on their current income. It is simple. This administrative mess is plunging people into poverty and some are suffering a decline in their health. Some seniors are having to choose which of their medications to skip because they can no longer afford them.
Is the Prime Minister going to take charge of this matter?
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- Dec/1/21 4:23:59 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, as the critic for status of women, I would like to congratulate you. I am very happy to see a woman in the chair.
That being said, I would like to make a comment. Then, I will ask my colleague from Regina—Qu’Appelle a question.
He spoke about what the U.S. President did about the Keystone XL pipeline after he was elected. Perhaps the U.S. President understands something that even the Conservatives do not seem to understand, namely that it is important that we make a green shift toward using less oil, not more. It is important to invest in a green recovery, a recovery that will truly allow us to develop new green technologies. Perhaps that is it. That is my comment, but, at the same time, my colleague spoke about investments.
I would like us to invest in green technology. I would also like my colleague to reassure me; in times of fiscal restraint, if there is a sector that should not suffer cuts, it is the health care sector. Unfortunately, both the Liberals and the Conservatives have had a tendency to make cuts to health care in times of fiscal restraint, and that is why we are in this situation today.
Does my colleague not think that it is important to reinvest massively in health transfers, up to 35%, just as it is important to invest in green technologies? Regardless of the state of the economy at the end of the pandemic, these two sectors will need investments.
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- Dec/1/21 6:10:36 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I too would like to congratulate you on your re-election. As a woman, I will say it is always nice to see women serving as Chair.
My colleague briefly touched on the issue of violence against women when he spoke about housing. Yes, having more housing is critical to breaking the cycle of violence against women, but I would like to come back to one aspect that he did not bring up.
In the throne speech, there is a 10-year plan to study violence against women. Ten years is far too long when there is already a national action plan. If the Liberals do not know what to do with the money to help women who are victims of violence, they should transfer it to Quebec, which knows what to do with it in its health care system. We already have a lot of expertise in Quebec. Furthermore, we have a multi-party committee that has proposed measures to help women and break the cycle of domestic violence.
I would like to hear what my colleague has to say about how important it is to transfer these funds to Quebec, which knows what to do with them and will not need to do more studies and wait another 10 years.
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- Dec/1/21 8:42:57 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, given the urgency and the speeches in this evening's debate, it is apparent that the softwood lumber issue could affect several areas, especially in our regions in Quebec. I am naturally thinking about Abitibi and Lac-Saint-Jean, but I have to say that even back home in the eastern townships, there are mills that will be affected. This has an impact on our overall land use. This is a major industry. The Bloc Québécois has a good idea for developing tertiary processing. When I was campaigning, I met some forestry producers. It is a major part of our regional economy. We have to do more.
I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts about the importance of protecting these forestry producers.
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- Dec/1/21 10:30:21 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I listened to this evening's debate. The Prime Minister boasted that Canada was back on the international stage. However, I am once again struck by the fact that we are realizing that this is not true, and that when we sign international agreements, the sectors that are important to Quebec's economy are the ones that get sacrificed.
The investments in lumber are not the same as the investments in oil. Why can the government not invest more money in lumber, when it can invest so much money in western Canada's oil industry?
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- Dec/1/21 11:10:20 p.m.
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Madam Chair, 1982 is the year I was born, so this has obviously been languishing for a while.
I had the opportunity to be a parliamentary assistant for a member of Parliament who was named one of the first green architects in Canada and who advocated for green architecture and the use of high-quality wood in buildings, including federal buildings. I was able to work on this project from 2006 to 2011, and that project is languishing as well.
Could the member tell us why this issue has been languishing for so long? Is it because Canada has not been able to build credibility on this issue with the United States? Again, this issue is very important for Quebec, which is why it is so important that the government sign good international agreements.
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