44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 17, 2023 10:00AM
- Oct/17/23 10:25:56 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Carleton has regularly made videos going after the poor and people with addictions, further dehumanizing people already left out. The member for Carleton says he stands with workers, but I have never seen him stand on the front lines on the picket line. In fact, he has voted for back-to-work legislation. At the national inquiry, he was at the cabinet table when former prime minister Harper said that we were not on his radar, so how does one like them apples?
My question is about seniors. Does the member for Carleton plan to stand with his Conservative colleague Danielle Smith and cut the CPP of seniors, sinking them further into poverty, seniors who are currently living in terror and becoming more poor? Is his common sense plan to take down people who are already down?
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- Oct/17/23 12:27:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it saddens me to say that, yes, I did speak to several constituents during the past riding week. I was saddened to hear of seniors who are in their mid-to-late 70s having to go back to work just to make ends meet. They cannot afford this additional carbon tax. They cannot afford to pay their utility bills. They cannot afford to buy groceries. They cannot afford to do the things they once enjoyed. Now, with this additional tax and the burden that this government has placed on our Canadian population, when does it end?
I will tell us when it ends, when our leader and the Conservative Party form government.
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- Oct/17/23 1:07:33 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, in today's debate on a plan to balance the budget, I keep hearing the government, its representatives and its members say that they are investing in Canadians, that they will always be there for Canadians and that they are here for them.
Under the current circumstances, I wonder if someone can explain to me why the government is not investing in a robust EI program when there are workers who are struggling. That is a federal program. It is a federal jurisdiction. It could take action. I also do not understand why the government is so reluctant to significantly increase old age security for seniors starting at age 65. That is also a federal program.
Are you willing to invest in this area and make a significant contribution, Madam Speaker—
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- Oct/17/23 1:08:46 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, there were many questions in there and I could spend a lot of time responding to them. She first mentioned our deficit. I do want to mention that our deficit is down from a projected 1.5% of GDP last year to 1.4% this year. I know that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance is going to give a fall economic statement, so we will get the latest numbers some time very shortly.
The hon. member ended off with a question on old age security. When we were first elected, we ensured that we reduced the retirement age to 65, so Canadians could have access to the old age security and GIS at that age. That was a huge benefit for our seniors. We have also increased GIS. We have also increased, by 10%, the OAS for those 75 and older.
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- Oct/17/23 3:02:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the poverty rate among seniors has gone down significantly since we formed government in 2015, and that is because we increased the OAS, increased the GIS and reversed the Conservative policy of increasing the retirement age to 67.
This was a policy that was not announced here in this chamber, nor was it announced in this country. It was announced by the prime minister of the day in Davos at the World Economic Forum, where the former prime minister also added in his speech that the Canada pension plan does not need to be changed. On this side of the House, we agree. The question is, do they?
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- Oct/17/23 5:05:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is very important to support our seniors. I agree wholeheartedly.
I disagree with the opposition that we are causing inflation through government spending. These are investments in people. At the same time, we do need to watch government spending right now, because we have a AAA credit rating and the cost of debt has gone up. We need to be careful with spending, and we are doing that. We are being fiscally responsible.
While I agree with the member opposite, I am not sure this is the time to put in place that policy given the other policy we are putting in place to support seniors and all people. We are trying to be very selective and targeted with our supports at this time.
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Mr. Speaker, I hear the Conservatives' concern. I agree that we need firm control of our public finances. Obviously, predictability is a must.
However, we also need to recognize that some people require extra support because of inflation. Apart from the carbon tax, what seniors want, especially those who are affected by inflation, is a 10% increase in old age security benefits for all seniors starting at age 65. The Conservative critic for seniors said it was unfair not to provide the 10% increase to all seniors at age 65.
I am reaching out to my colleague and urging her to take the first step and provide a little extra help to seniors in need. I am asking her to vote for Bill C‑319 tomorrow.
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- Oct/17/23 5:37:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Portneuf—Jacques‑Cartier. I have the pleasure of talking to him regularly in a relatively constructive way.
I am wondering about the Conservative narrative. They are claiming to have a magic wand and, once they are in power, they will be able to snap their fingers and build housing and balance the budget without any austerity measures.
On the one hand, we have a Prime Minister with outrageous spending habits and no budget plan. On the other, we have an offer to cut everything and build it all back up again without any impact on the support offered to our constituents.
I would like to hear what my colleague has to say about supporting seniors. I think that seniors are the ones who are being hit hardest by inflation, as they were by the pandemic, yet the government is doing practically nothing to help them.
Will the hon. member support my colleague's bill with that magic wand?
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