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Decentralized Democracy

Member of Parliament

Rachel Blaney

  • Member of Parliament
  • NDP
  • North Island—Powell River
  • British Columbia
  • Voting Attendance: 65%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $145,542.18

  • Government Page
Context: House Hansard - 273 - Feb/1/24
Ms. Rachel Blaney (North Island—Powell River, NDP)
Madam Speaker, I am, as always, proud to rise on behalf of the amazing people in North Island—Powell River. Today, we are here talking about a private member's bill from the member for Bay of Quinte, Bill C-365. This is a very interesting bill. It is about consumer-led banking systems and Canadians. Happily, I have had some constituents come and visit me about this very issue, from the Coastal Community credit union in my riding. They talked about some of the really significant issues, especially for people living in rural and remote communities. People may not have access to a bank at all in their community, or it may be a long distance to go to a bank. They may also be in a situation in which they have only one banking institution in their community and they want to go to a different one but cannot, because sharing that information can be incredibly complex. This is really key in this issue. It is making sure that people's personal banking information is accessible, so that if they find another bank that is going to meet the needs they have, they will be able to get that information sent in a way that is more transparent for themselves and for the banking system. This PMB asks the Minister of Finance to table a plan for the implementation of open banking within 30 days of this act's coming into force. I think it is really important for us to all understand that in 2018, which is a while ago, the finance minister did create an advisory committee to look into this. In 2021 it delivered a report that included a plan for implementing consumer-led banking in Canada as early as 2023. Here we are in 2024, and it is still not happening. Again, it really is about making this more accessible. I have heard from some of my constituents, and this is a particularly concerning area for me, who have apps that allow them to take multiple banks they are using and look at the information in a way that is comparable. The problem with these apps, of course, is that individuals are sharing all their banking information and all of their passwords and hoping that the app does not take that information or get hacked by somebody who might use it in a very negative way. This is very concerning, and it is something my constituents have been very concerned about. This is the other part of this bill: If the minister cannot produce a bill within the associated timeline, within the first six months of the act's coming into force, the minister must table a report. That is so there is transparency and we understand what the holdup is and what the problem is. We need to see these things done. When it comes down to it, I think what we have to assess very clearly is that competition is the key here. I have to thank my friend, the member for Windsor West, who has been doing a lot of work on competition. On our cellphones, some of the highest rates on the whole planet are here. Why is that? It is partially because we do not have appropriate competition. It is the same thing that we are seeing in our grocery stores. The gouging that is happening in our grocery stores correlates very clearly with the fact that big, wealthy CEOs are making huge profits and getting huge bonuses, and their shareholders are walking away with a lot of money. At the same time as that is happening, everyday Canadians are struggling to feed their families. People who work in those grocery stores are often not being paid well enough to afford the food in the store they work in. I think Canadians know instinctively that it is just not a fair system anymore. What we are seeing in our system is more and more gouging. We are seeing it with the oil and gas industry, which is seeing record profits like it has not seen in years at the same time as people are trying to figure out how they are going to fill up their tanks. I come from a rural riding. Some of our communities are extremely isolated, and it is not just putting gas into cars. It is putting fuel into boats to get to the places we need to get to for grocery shopping and for the basic necessities of life. I really appreciate and see a lot more people in my riding buying electric cars. There are plug-ins, and I have seen them working in places like Wasa, which is a very small community but already has a plug-in station. People are using that, which is fantastic, but we still have a long way to go. When people are suffering, we know that competition is at the very core of the issue. This is something that we actually start to take steps on, moving forward, to address the issue. When I think about competition, I have to think about basic human rights and the fact that some people are unable to afford the basic things. However, I have to say that, at this point, without a cellphone, a person might be able to get away with it if they are retired and in their 80s, but for most people today, it really leaves them unable to access things. I work with a lot of seniors in my riding who are still figuring out how to use computers, and they are certainly not interested in any way in going to the public library to do their taxes. Therefore, we do things to help and support them. However, young people today know how to use everything. They know that, if they want to sign up for anything, make an appointment with a doctor or any of those basic things, they must have access. If it is too expensive, and if we have less and less competition, then the consumer pays, and that is a big problem in Canada. Whether it be banking, grocery shopping or buying gas, it is all about the fact that we have let the ultrawealthy, with wealth that most Canadians can never even consider, walk away with lots of cash in their pockets as we are struggling. That is why the NDP continues to do the work that it does to make sure that there is more fairness. Yesterday, I was left with a lot of fear and anger in my heart. I think that, when things happen to our country, as parliamentarians, we should always stand up in this place and talk about them. What is making me afraid and very angry is the fact that, in Alberta, the premier is now putting forward legislation to say that children who want to identify as who they are in school have to get permission from their parents. I think that is a horrifying reality of attacking the basic human rights of people. If we look at our system in Canada, there are no things known legally as “parents' rights”. There are parents' responsibilities, and there certainly are children's rights. I hate to see any step in this country that will put children in a place where they are not safe. We know from statistics that children who come from the queer community are not always safe at home. They cannot always be honest with the people they love about who they are. If we do not give them a place where they can identify as they want to identify, we risk their very lives. I think all Canadians have to stand up against this. In closing, last year, I read a beautiful Canadian book titled Falling Back in Love with Being Human, by Kai Cheng Thom. She is an amazing, powerful trans writer who does a beautiful job of articulating the power and fierceness of the trans community, as well as amazing beauty, strength and solidarity. I hope that, as we face this challenge, we remember that not only are these children and young people vulnerable, but they are also powerful and strong, and they are going to be pushing back really hard. As they push back, we must do our duty and make sure that they are not damaged. I hope all people in the House consider the safety of children. I will conclude by reading Kai Cheng Thom, who wrote: “To build a better future, we need to learn how to transform in response to one another. We can't build a better world by getting rid of people; we can only build a better world by bringing them in.”
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