- Member of Parliament
- Deputy whip of the New Democratic Party
- NDP
- Victoria
- British Columbia
- Voting Attendance: 61%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $127,392.53
- Government Page
- May/28/24 2:16:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize two disability rights champions in my community.
Lembi Buchanan has worked for over 20 years to ensure that people living with severe mental health challenges receive the supports they deserve. She has helped improve the application form for the disability tax credit to include thousands of people who were previously left behind.
Joanne Neubauer passed away this year. She worked tirelessly for nearly 50 years to establish national policies and programs that emphasize justice and self-determination. As the founder for the Action Committee of Persons with Disabilities, Joanne lived her life with true compassion. May her legacy inspire us all to continue this important work.
We need a disability benefit that will truly meet the needs of Canadians with disabilities, too many of whom are living well below the poverty line. We need legislation that removes barriers for people with disabilities. We must keep working to ensure they get the dignity and the respect they deserve.
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- Mar/20/24 2:20:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Donna, Sheila and Julie are three women who have given me permission to share their stories. They are among the 27 screening officers at the Victoria airport who recently lost their jobs. CATSA, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, disqualified these workers, forcing their employer to fire them, despite the employer wanting to keep them on. Donna is a single mom with two kids. She is extremely worried about how she is going to make rent next month. Sheila has had to search for a new home for her family in a housing crisis. Julie lives with a disability. She has been a loyal employee with CATSA for 16 years. She was given no right to appeal.
The infractions cited were as small as not looking under a bottle lid. They were never given any warnings. They were not offered more training. These workers deserve better. CATSA's decision to disqualify unionized workers without due process undermines collective bargaining. All of these screening officers are keen to return to work.
I am urging the labour minister to investigate this matter, and find the answers that these employees deserve.
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Madam Speaker, I had a meeting with two of my constituents from Victoria. They are seniors with disabilities, and they came with two big questions when they heard about the disability benefit. One of them has already been asked: Why are they being left out? They are living below the poverty line. Even with the supports offered in old age, they are struggling to make ends meet, and they wanted to know why they were left out of this bill. How would the member respond to these two seniors with disabilities? They also brought up the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the importance not only of having income supports but also really creating a barrier-free Canada.
Does the government have plans to put into law some of the incredible provisions in that convention?
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Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Over a million Canadians right now are living in poverty. Having a disability benefit is so critically important, but the government has failed people with disabilities again and again. It is now asking people with disabilities to wait three years. It has presented a bill that does not actually tell us how much people will get or who will be included.
Can the member speak to how vital it is that people with disabilities know how much they will be receiving, who is going to be receiving this benefit and when this benefit will come?
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Madam Speaker, I am going to focus on the very beginning of the member's speech when he talked a bit about the need to support people with disabilities in the workplace. I have had disability advocates, including people with lived experience, come to me and talk about how this is not only discrimination in hiring, but accommodation and accessibility in the workplace. If we want people to feel welcome in the workplace, we need to ensure that we get rid of ableist policies and that we do everything we can to accommodate people with disabilities.
The House of Commons is an ableist workplace. For people with disabilities who want to run to become members of Parliament, virtual Parliament would be a huge step in ensuring that we have policies that support accommodation and accessibility. I am curious as to whether the member can respond to those comments.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to share a story of a couple, with three kids, in my riding. She is a person with a disability. He is making under $50,000. When they heard about this announcement, he said that it could not come fast enough and she said that it would be life-changing. Last year, when the Liberals and Conservatives voted against dental care, they made this family struggle for another year.
We have three approaches in the House: the Conservatives, who leave these families to fend for themselves; the Liberals, who have to be forced into doing the right thing; and, the New Democrats, who are going to keep fighting for people.
Could the member please speak about the people with disabilities, the seniors and the families with kids under 18, for whom we will keep fighting?
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Madam Speaker, the disability community has been clear: It needs help now.
How did we get here? It is consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments that have failed the disability community. After seven years in power, the Liberal government has dragged its feet and now tabled a bill that is empty on the critical pieces and critical details of the bill. Who is eligible? When will people get the benefit? How much will the benefit be?
Could the member comment on how, after seven years, a government could table something without details?
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