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Context: House Hansard - 232 - Oct/16/23

Oct/16/23 10:33:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I too want to thank my hon. colleague for the strength she brings to this debate. Knowing her background as a Jewish Canadian, I cannot even imagine this, so I appreciate that. She spoke a lot about the local impact. I come from London, where we are still dealing with a lot of the impacts of what happened to our London family. To move forward, I have been asking about concrete actions we can take in this place and that the government can take to continue to support all of our communities when we are dealing with such tragedy and acts of violence and hatred.

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Context: House Hansard - 220 - Sep/19/23

Oct/16/23 9:50:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague spoke about Canadians hurting. She spoke about the people in her own community, the fear they have and ensuring that we are protecting them. In my community, it was just reported that there was a sign in an apartment building for everyone to see that said “Kill all Muslims”. What do we need to do today to ensure that anti-Palestinian and anti-Semitic messages are really addressed here in this place?

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Context: House Hansard - 220 - Sep/19/23

Sep/19/23 9:48:58 p.m.
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Madam Chair, earlier today in the debate, it was mentioned that there are those in this place who are putting trade policy before human rights. I would like to hear my hon. colleague's reaction to that and thoughts on it.

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Context: House Hansard - 220 - Sep/19/23

Sep/19/23 9:27:48 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I know a lot of us, and I mentioned this before, have probably been reaching out to those in our community who are greatly impacted by this, members of the Sikh community. I was having a conversation tonight, and one of the community members asked me, “What will it take for us to be considered as first-class citizens in this country?” It really just broke my heart, and I did not know what to say to him. I said it is about solidarity. It is about that non-partisan coming together and speaking out against what we know is wrong. As a member of the government, could she speak to my constituents as well on how we are all working together, for the most part, to do just that and to make their lives safer and better, as much as we can?

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Context: House Hansard - 197 - May/15/23

Sep/19/23 8:33:59 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I want to thank the hon. member for her speech and commitment tonight to this take-note debate. As so many of us have, I am sure, I have been trying to reach out to folks in our own communities, our own ridings, from the Sikh community. I had a really moving conversation with one fellow who was very specific, and he spoke to the fact that he has felt threatened. He tries to brush it off and say that it is not about him, that it is about a bigger community. Throughout my community in London, the London Sikh Society gurdwara works so hard and contributes so positively to the community. He does so as well, but he said he feels threatened. Some of the things that we are calling for are additional supports and protections from the RCMP going forward for those community members who also feel threatened. Could she talk about that and whether the government will support that?

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Context: House Hansard - 114 - Oct/20/22

May/15/23 12:00:39 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move: That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House, during the debate on business of supply pursuant to Standing Order 81(4) later today: (a) the time provided for consideration of the Main Estimates in committee of the whole be extended beyond four hours, as needed, to include a minimum of 16 periods of 15 minutes each; (b) members rising to speak during the debate may indicate to the Chair that they will be dividing their time with one or more other members; and (c) no quorum calls, dilatory motions or requests for unanimous consent shall be received by the Chair.

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Context: House Hansard - 114 - Oct/20/22

Oct/20/22 10:17:52 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I am always so grateful for my colleague's incredible advocacy on housing. She is also our critic in our caucus for immigration. One of the things I am constantly hit with in my riding are folks who are dealing with mental health issues and who are desperately trying to turn to family who may live in another country. Unfortunately, because of a lot of the problems we are seeing in our own immigration system, they cannot have family visits and they cannot go and visit. It is soul crushing. I find it cruel to keep families apart. Could the member briefly describe some of the fixes that we have been putting forward and some of the things she has seen in the relation to that, and how that impacts the mental health crisis that we are talking about today?

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Context: House Hansard - 114 - Oct/20/22

Oct/20/22 9:09:27 p.m.
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Madam Chair, one of the things I was surprised about, and I was approached by a constituent about this, was that counsellors, therapists and psychotherapists have to charge GST and taxes on their services, whereas other mental health professionals do not. This is actually a classification from CRA. It is a very simple change the government can make. It is a drop in the bucket of what is necessary, but it would help those who are struggling to pay for some of these services. Until they are made far more available and without the idea of having to pay for them, which is also my goal, it is something that the government could do very quickly. I have a private member's bill on that. It is Bill C-218. Would the member be open to supporting that bill?

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Oct/20/22 8:29:30 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I appreciate my hon. colleague's impassioned speech. I know the member knows about my colleague from Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke's bill on changing the National Defence Act and some of the wording in regard to members of the armed forces who commit self-harm. It goes back to some archaic language and, ultimately, when there was conscription. It was to prevent soldiers from harming themselves so they did not have to go to war. We know now, in this present modern context, that it holds a much bigger mental health issue. The army, the navy and the air force all treat it in a way that is punishable, so we are looking to change that. The New Democrats have a bill. I would like the member's opinion on that bill and to know if she will be supporting it.

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Ms. Lindsay Mathyssen

Feb/15/22 6:17:07 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-12

Mr. Speaker, I absolutely agree with my hon. colleague. I am not here to make excuses for government mismanagement, for the Liberals' inability to manage their calendar, or for calling an election that certainly stood in the way of seniors receiving the money that they desperately need. If I had a time machine, there are things I would do. Certainly, if New Democrats were in government, things would look very different. I wait for that day and work very hard for it. By no means do I make any excuses for this government. The Liberals have to live up to their obligations to seniors, especially, and to the people who need their support.

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Ms. Lindsay Mathyssen

Feb/15/22 6:15:03 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-12

Mr. Speaker, I, too, enjoyed working with my hon. colleague along the way. She was an excellent Chair, and very fair. We certainly learned a great deal about how women have had to endure through this pandemic in extraordinary ways. The delays in these payments have absolutely been so incredibly hard. Specifically, I know of a woman in my riding who was eligible for supports. She was struggling with the government to get those supports. The day after she was evicted from her home and living in her car, we were able to get them for her, but that was too late. So many things are lost at that point. We need a far more reactive government that will listen to the people who need the help that they deserve.

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Ms. Lindsay Mathyssen

Feb/15/22 6:13:16 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-12

Mr. Speaker, I agree to support this motion, but unfortunately the problem was created by the government and that I cannot support. On an ongoing basis, in the future, when these issues are brought forward by New Democrats, I would hope it would listen. I know that to react in such an emergency situation is not always easy and we constantly learn from those mistakes. I certainly hope that will be something that the member and his government colleagues will learn from in the future and will craft legislation that would think about everyone who would be impacted with equality and concern.

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Feb/15/22 6:04:36 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-12

Mr. Speaker, before I get started, I just wanted to let members know I will be splitting my time with the member for Victoria. Everyone deserves to be able to live and age with dignity as a valued member of their community, but for more and more Canadians the prospect of retirement is a cause for anxiety. As costs keep rising and wages fail to keep up, people are struggling to save for their retirements during their working years. Seniors across the country were shocked to learn that the benefits they rely on, such as the guaranteed income supplement, had been cut because they received pandemic supports like the CERB. For months now, the Liberal government has ignored calls to address the intensifying financial crisis for many of Canada's poorest seniors. Over 183,000 seniors across this country were impacted, 610 in my riding of London—Fanshawe. This crisis is a direct result of the government choosing to count emergency pandemic income support in the calculation of eligibility for the guaranteed income supplement. I, along with my New Democrat colleagues, have heard from seniors from across the country who were being evicted just as winter was setting in. This situation, created by the government's own mismanagement, has left many seniors worried they will not be able to afford their rent, food or medications. I am supporting this motion, because I have heard from so many seniors who are desperately looking for a solution to this problem. Many do not know where to turn now, and they have lost a vital part of their incomes. In the House, I have repeatedly asked for the government to show more compassion for people who find themselves in this desperate circumstance. On December 7, I asked the government to take action. I spoke of Emanuel Benjamin, a 71-year-old senior from my riding, and his GIS benefit that was clawed back by the government because he accessed the CERB in good faith. Before the pandemic, because of the abhorrent way we treat our seniors, Emanuel was living below the poverty line. Now, because of more abhorrent treatment by the government, his income was reduced from $1,500 a month to just $600 a month. Emanuel cannot afford his rent, his food or his medication, and it was only through the generosity of strangers in London, who were able to pool some money, that he could continue to hold on. Emanuel needs a legislative fix for this situation, a situation created by the government, which we must now fix immediately. Every day I see such selfless acts in London, like the one that helped Emanuel. We are a community that truly stands up for each other, but Emanuel's story is not a unique one, and it certainly is not a happy one. It is the story of a government that is so out of touch with the struggles of Canadians that it ignored the pleas for help for so long that, in some cases, the damage is irreparable. My colleague, the MP for North Island—Powell River, has brought to our attention many stories from seniors in dire need. One example of the personal devastation wrought by the government was of a senior who committed suicide because he could not face the stress of losing his home and living on the street. There is a restaurant near my constituency office on Dundas Street where the server noted they have a huge rush every morning for breakfast, and it is often the only meal community members, seniors, can afford. That breakfast is $5.99, and it is the only meal they will have that day. A breakfast special at a local restaurant is not an acceptable substitute for a social safety net, a safety net that was already full of massive holes, which were made even larger by consecutive government cuts and clawbacks. I had one senior reach out to my constituency office, and they wanted me to know how expensive life had become. This constituent buys the same items from the grocery store every week, and she wanted me to know that those same items that she relies on weekly have increased by $8. To many that does not seem like a lot, but to someone who is living on a fixed income, it can mean the world. Last Parliament, the Liberals voted in favour of a motion that said, “those who have applied in good faith for and received benefits through CERB or other programs to support them through this crisis will not be unjustly penalized”, yet the government did just that. It is penalizing people who can barely make ends meet. These seniors were not told that accepting emergency benefits would disentitle them to their regular income supports the following year. Among the seniors I have talked to are some who used that bit of extra income to pay bills that were long overdue. They got dental work they had not been able to afford for years, and they had been living in constant pain. They spent the money to restock their pantry, because it was empty and they could not afford to fill it before. In addition to the sudden reduction in their GIS benefit amount, they are now being denied other services and supports from various levels of government that tie their eligibility to the GIS. We have also heard from people who believe that these seniors should not have received the CERB benefit or somehow should have known better than to apply for it in the first place. New Democrats disagree. Canada's cash-strapped seniors should not be punished for legitimately receiving emergency pandemic supports. These are elderly Canadians who already live below the poverty level who were working to supplement their meagre incomes. They were eligible for pandemic income support, just like any other working Canadian, and the GIS clawback was cruel, unnecessary and is still having deep impacts on the poorest of seniors. While we view this bill as a step in the right direction because it capitulates to our demand to fix the GIS problem moving forward, it does not address the urgent need to provide immediate greater financial support to seniors. These seniors cannot continue to wait for the government to figure itself out. New Democrats will work to ensure the government issues the immediate emergency payments to affected seniors to help them bridge the gap until the budgeted one-time payment is released in May of 2022, but we will also fight for permanent supports. That is why I am proud to have seconded my colleague from Winnipeg Centre's private member's bill with respect to the provision of a guaranteed livable income, to ensure they no longer have to live below that poverty line. Too many seniors who have gone hungry, missed or split their medications or faced eviction because they live in poverty need a permanent solution and it is the responsibility of the government to provide that. I support this motion because we have to fix this problem, but I certainly hope the next time the government receives a warning that its policies will cause serious hardship to Canadian seniors it acts immediately, without months of political pressure to convince it to do the right thing. In closing, I have a quick message for those seniors in London—Fanshawe. Both I and my amazing team in the constituency office, without whom I could not do the work that I try to do here, are here to help them. We might not be able to get them everything they need, but we will fight as hard as we possibly can to make sure they get as many supports as we can find. In this House, I will continue to make sure their voices are heard. Please know that Canadians will always be able to count on New Democrats to fight for them.

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Jan/31/22 10:53:46 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would also like to ask the question in French, but I do not know if I would communicate as effectively, especially at this late hour, so I am going to stick to English. Forgive me; I will work on it. One of the questions that I asked my Conservative colleague on the defence committee earlier in the debate is one I would like to ask my hon. colleague in the Bloc, and I do appreciate her work on the defence committee as well. Working together has been good so far. Ultimately, there has been a huge lack of Liberal leadership when it comes to the men and women who are serving in the armed forces. There is a lot of doubt about whether it is safe. Women who have served are giving up their entire careers because they cannot go forward. We have talked about that retention and recruitment problem. An additional stress is put on the women as we expand and amplify the Operation Unifier mission. I would like to hear her comments and her thoughts on what we need to do from our end to better support the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces and to ensure that the Liberal Party and the Liberal government do the same.

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Jan/31/22 10:03:16 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we have talked a lot in the House about the failure of the Liberal government to provide leadership especially for women, but for both men and women, in the armed forces, and the toll this has taken on retention and recruitment in the armed forces. We talked about the additional stress of expanding Operation Unifier, which I agree with entirely. Could the member maybe address the additional stresses this is going to put on the men and women in our armed forces?

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Jan/31/22 9:12:34 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, New Democrats have called for and support many of the actions that are being taken by the government. One of the things we have called for is the use of Magnitsky sanctions. This has not been used by the government since 2018. It is a clear and strong tool that Canada could use against human rights violators. Why is the government not going forward with this reaction?

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Jan/31/22 8:31:15 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I have quite a strong community in London from the diaspora, the Ukrainian folks there. Daria, the president of the London chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, brought her concerns directly to me. Considering the member has such a diverse community, I would like to hear some of the concerns he is hearing directly from his community members as to what is ultimately going on and the government's response to it.

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Jan/31/22 8:21:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as New Democrats, we support the extension of Operation Unifier, but we remain concerned about reports of extremism within small parts of the Ukraine military and problems in our own military. We feel that our own forces should not train or support any far-right extremist groups. Does the member agree that we should assist the Ukrainian military to become more democratic and accountable, and how are we doing that currently?

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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21

Jan/31/22 7:50:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while New Democrats support the non-combat military training, we do not support the provision of arms or lethal military gear, as my colleague so adequately put forward. I noticed the member across the way reacted quite well, so could he expand on his thoughts to the pushing from Conservative members on that provision of lethal military gear and what the consequences of that are.

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