44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 15, 2022 10:00AM
Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague.
I agree with him that it would be more appropriate to study the Liberals' bill in committee.
He mentioned the importance of talking about the $750 million in additional expenditures. My biggest concern is figuring out how we can speed up the process. The Bloc Québécois has already proposed moving the date from June to March. These are things we could discuss in committee. My colleague referred quite often to all the seniors who are falling through the cracks and who are the most vulnerable. I wonder if there are ways to provide seniors with assistance more quickly.
I would really like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.
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Mr. Speaker, I really like my colleague from Winnipeg North. Unfortunately, he has been known to engage in overblown rhetoric. I think he has a reputation for that in the House.
In his speech, he admonished the opposition at length by saying that our Conservative colleagues often engage in political partisanship, and he presented himself as a great defender of seniors.
However, since I arrived here in 2019, my political party has repeatedly made three very simple proposals, as follows: increasing the old age security benefit by $110; increasing the guaranteed income supplement by $50 for single people and by $70 for couples; and, most importantly, increasing health transfers, because seniors are the ones who have paid the price for the underfunding of health care during the crisis.
The government has never paid any attention to us. That is the perfect example of partisanship. Why? The government cannot seem to handle acting on a good idea from an opposition member because it would have to give that member the credit.
If the Liberals care about seniors, why have they never increased the old age security benefit? Why have they never increased the GIS and why did they wait so long to address the issue before us today?
I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to point out to my colleague that we also introduced a bill to ensure that retirees are the first creditors in line. We support my colleague.
However, I have a question about something else. Earlier, a Liberal colleague asked her a question about national standards for senior care. She responded that the thing that matters most is the health transfers, which need to be made quickly. I would just like her to refine her answer and clarify whether she agrees that health is a provincial jurisdiction.
I do not see why the federal government would impose such standards. That would be as absurd as having a province impose standards for national defence. I would like my colleague's opinion on that.
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Mr. Speaker, today, I have heard a number of Liberals talk about standards for long-term care. If they want to create care standards, they are going to have to put their money where their mouth is at some point.
I am not sure if my colleague realizes that the federal government covers just 22% of health care costs. The government wants to set standards, but it never increases funding. On top of all that, health care is not a federal jurisdiction.
Do the Liberals not agree that the best way to help seniors is to increase health transfers to 35%?
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- Feb/15/22 5:00:16 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I enjoy listening to my colleague, but he is really pushing it when he blames the opposition parties for all of the government's own sins with respect to seniors. He has some nerve.
Since 2019, we have been constantly telling the government that it needs to increase OAS and the GIS. We even held opposition days on the topic. We have talked about health transfers. If anyone has been affected during the pandemic, it is seniors.
Our health system is falling apart because of a lack of support from his government, and now he is blaming the opposition parties for not acting quickly enough.
The member has a lot of nerve.
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Mr. Speaker, I was listening very closely to my hon. colleague who pointed out that the government has been slow to respond.
As everyone knows, because the Bloc Québécois members have repeated it about 12 times today, we warned the government last March of the impact this was going to have on people receiving both GIS and CERB payments.
Throughout the day, I have heard the Liberals say that we are simply trying to delay the problem because we did not support closure. I think that is a bit rich coming from the Liberals, after they have been putting off the problem since last March and now they are introducing closure, especially since closure is not the normal way of proceeding in the House. Members are generally allowed to speak.
The NDP members supported closure, but I do not hold it against them. I do not know whether my colleague could balance the rhetoric from my Liberal friends and point out that the delay is their fault. We have been telling them since March that they should have done something.
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