SoVote

Dec/2/21 3:36:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, during the vote, one member left the House after voting and did not take their vote away. I would ask you to remind the House that we are still practising the same rules and that if members are in the House to vote, they should stay until the vote is completed.

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Context: House Hansard - 9 - Dec/2/21

Ms. Rachel Blaney (North Island—Powell River, NDP)

Dec/2/21 6:59:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is really happening in Canada. The poorest seniors in our entire country are losing their ability to support themselves. Just to be clear, and so that all Canadians understand, single seniors who are receiving the guaranteed income supplement make an income of just over $19,000 a year. Couples make just over $25,000. Regardless of what part of Canada they live in, they are below the poverty line. My office is hearing from seniors across Canada. They are scared, desperate and afraid. A few have come forward to share very personal stories and to express their concern about the realities they are facing. I want to point out their tremendous bravery. They are terrified that by speaking out, their voices will mean that they are punished further. I certainly hope that the minister is listening. I received an email yesterday from a 71-year-old senior who had been working. He applied for pandemic relief because he was no longer working due to the pandemic. Now his GIS has been cut off, and recently he was diagnosed with cancer. The reality is he cannot afford the medication he needs for his treatment. He is also facing eviction on December 23. I hope the minister puts that in her calendar. A 71-year-old senior in this country, sick with cancer, will be homeless on December 23, this month. This is what is happening to an estimated 88,000 seniors across the country, according to the PBO's report. It is one story of far too many. I have heard the Prime Minister and minister say in the House that they are working on it, but I am here to say that is not good enough. This is a crisis. The most vulnerable are seeing their lives go up in smoke. When they do not know where they are going to live, and they do not know what is going to happen to their health and well-being, how can we ask them to wait? For me, this is about a bar of dignity. All of us as Canadians should collectively decide the bar, and if we see anyone fall below it, we are going to stand up and say that is too far and we must do better. Imagine my shock when I heard the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, in response to a media question on this issue, say, “It's a more complicated issue than one would think because there's serious kind of fairness and equity issue for people who may have earned similar amounts in employment income. If a senior worked last year and made an equivalent amount, they too would have lost their GIS or had their GIS potentially reduced, and so we're working on a path forward that recognizes this.” It appears that for the government, the bar of dignity needs to be lowered more. May I remind the House again that single seniors receive just over $19,000 a year and couples just over $25,000. May I also remind the House that these seniors were working, and when the pandemic happened, this was the only source of help they could receive. Is it the plan of the government to punish the poorest? It certainly appears to be a plan to punish the poorest and protect the rich, such as the big corporations that received tremendous amounts of taxpayer dollars and wage subsidies and then gave their shareholders significant payouts. Here is a quote from The Globe and Mail. Perhaps it will help the minister understand. The article states, “Beyond a handful of hedge funds, some of the largest wealth managers in the country - household names such as Franklin Templeton, CI Financial, Gluskin Sheff & Associates - collected CEWS. Collectively, these three companies manage close to $110 billion of assets in Canada.” The Scotiabank Canadian Hedge Fund Index, which measures the monthly performance of Canadian-domiciled hedge funds with assets under management of at least $15 million, shows an average return of 11% in 2020, the best year for the industry in the decade. The government owes seniors some respect.

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Context: House Hansard - 9 - Dec/2/21

Ms. Rachel Blaney

Dec/2/21 7:07:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I definitely respect the member's role as a health care provider and the work she may have done, but I do not understand in any way how the member is proud of her government right now. I know that less than 8% of those living in the member's riding are seniors, but there are many seniors across the country who are at a point of total crisis. They are going to lose their homes. They are being evicted right now. They cannot afford their medications, which means they are in and out of the hospital because they are getting sicker. Seniors used their pandemic funds to fix their cars, fix their teeth and pay off a bit of debt. It is so wrong that we are punishing the poorest while rewarding the wealthiest. This should not be a debate in the House and I am totally embarrassed that it is. The government needs to do better by the seniors who built this country.

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