Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, what the Conservatives are talking about is cutting EI and cutting the Canada pension plan. These are two of the most important programs that we have in the social safety net in Canada. They support workers who lose their jobs and they support retirees. As we go into this Thanksgiving weekend, I hope that Conservatives can think about families and can think about the people that the…
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Madam Speaker, let us be clear on what the member opposite and the Conservative Party are talking about. They are talking about employment insurance, and they are talking about the Canada pension plan. When we are talking about employment insurance, that is insurance that workers pay into in the event that they lose their jobs. The Conservatives are talking about slashing that fund. When we talk a…
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Madam Speaker, what the Conservatives continuously fail to understand is that climate change is the single biggest threat to Canadians and Canadian families. I do not know if they missed what happened recently in Atlantic Canada or what happened recently in B.C. with the floods. These are significant events that have had huge impacts on families. They all ran on having a price on pollution in the …
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Madam Speaker, if the Conservatives want to talk about having a heart, they actually have an opportunity to have one. We have measures on the floor of the House to help low-income Canadians with rental support and to help kids who need access to dental support to get it. For some reason, the Conservatives are against kids going to the dentist. For some reason, they are against helping low-income r…
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Madam Speaker, on this side of the House, we absolutely care about Canadian families and Canadian farmers. We know the vital role that farmers play in feeding Canadians, and we value that tremendously. Let us be clear, on this side of the House, we have taken meaningful action, whether it was creating the Canada child benefit for families, lowering taxes for the middle class or bringing in early l…
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Mr. Speaker, our record on supporting children, families and seniors is an important one. Do members know the first thing we did? We lowered income taxes for middle-income Canadians. Do members know what else we did? We reversed the age increase on pensions for seniors while the Conservatives wanted to raise the age of eligibility to 67. We increased the GIS, we increased the OAS and we created a …
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Mr. Speaker, when we compare our record with that of the Conservatives, there is a clear difference on which side of the House has been there on behalf of Canadians, whether it is with the Canada child benefit, the middle-income tax cut, child care, which in Alberta is now reduced by 50%, or dental. We are trying to get it through this House, but for some reason the Conservatives do not want child…
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Mr. Speaker, let us lay the facts on the table. The first thing that our government did in 2015 was lower taxes for the majority of Canadians. What did the Conservatives do? They voted against that tax cut. On this side, we will continue to respond to Canadians' expectations. The Conservatives can say what they like, but we will let our actions speak for themselves.
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Mr. Speaker, I see the Conservatives are doubling down on their bad math today. Let us be clear. The government, in partnership with the Government of Saskatchewan, where that member is from, is helping families right now. In fact, the Government of Saskatchewan announced that through the Canada-wide early learning and child care initiative it has reduced child care fees by up to 70%, well ahead o…
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Mr. Speaker, we understand that the cost of living is high for families. That is why we introduced the Canada child benefit in 2015. Since then, it has lifted 450,000 children across the country out of poverty. We are here for families, we have been here for families, and we will be here for families.
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Mr. Speaker, we understand that the cost of living is high for Canadian families and for Quebeckers. That is why we brought in the Canada child benefit for families, which has lifted 450,000 children across the country out of poverty. It is simple. If the Conservatives are truly concerned about poverty and about the people who are suffering right now, they will support our efforts to help the most…
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Mr. Speaker, it would be my pleasure to provide the House with that update. First, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her tremendous years of advocacy on this issue. I was in Vancouver and Burnaby last Friday with the provincial government to announce of doubling of $10-a-day spaces in British Columbia, as well as savings of up to 50% by this December for families in registered child care…
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Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely compassionate when it comes to families in this country. In fact, I was in British Columbia on Friday making a really important child care announcement. British Columbian families are going to save up to $6,600 a year on the cost of child care by the end of this year. We are there for Canadians, but what the Conservatives are talking about will hurt Canadians further…
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Mr. Speaker, let us be clear on the record. When we brought forward the Canada child benefit, who voted against it? The Conservatives did. When we brought in the tax decrease on middle-income Canadians, who voted against it? The Conservatives did. When we are bringing forward dental benefits, the GST rebate and housing benefits, who is planning on voting against them? The Conservatives are. Let us…
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Mr. Speaker, let us put some numbers on the table, such as the 450,000 children who have been lifted out of poverty since we brought forward the Canada child benefit. Instead of sending cheques to millionaires, we are sending benefits to hard-working Canadian families who need that help. We understand the high cost of living. We understand the high cost of raising a family. That is why we have put…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. I can assure him that the people at Service Canada are serving Canadians, whether it is for help with employment insurance, pensions or passports. We will continue to ensure that Canadians receive these services. As for the employment insurance, I can assure my colleague that everyone is busy dealing with these changes and people ar…
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Mr. Speaker, since we have come into government, we have done everything we can to support Canadian families, which is the exact opposite of what the Conservatives have done. In fact, they voted against the tax cut for middle-class families. They voted against the Canada child benefit, which sends thousands of dollars to Canadian families in need every single year and they are against the national…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for Sudbury for all of her hard work advocating on behalf of early learning and child care. I am really pleased to announce that the City of Sudbury is moving forward with the Canada-wide early learning and child care agreement and has already begun issuing rebates to families in Sudbury. This is excellent news for families in Sudbury. I had the opportunity to vis…
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Mr. Speaker, again the Conservatives are wrong. There are no tax increases. We are talking about EI and CPP, and we are helping families. In fact, families in Alberta, including in that member's riding, are already receiving a 50% reduction in child care fees. Economist Ricardo Tranjan said today that this is helping families pay for the high cost of living. It is helping them pay for groceries, a…
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Mr. Speaker, just because the Conservatives repeat something does not make it true. We are not raising taxes. In fact, this government has given more money back to families than any previous government. Let us talk about the Canada child benefit. That could return up to $7,000 for children under the age of six for low-income families. That is different from the $100 in cheques the Conservatives se…
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Mr. Speaker, we understand the high cost of living. In fact, when we came into office in 2015, we got rid of the universal child care benefit that the Conservatives were sending to millionaires and instead brought in the Canada child benefit that can provide up to almost $7,000 a year for children under the age of six for the lowest-income families. In fact, we raised the Canada child benefit this…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, it is important to talk about the fact that the member is talking about EI and CPP, things that are important for people who have lost their jobs or for seniors when they are planning for retirement. However, let us talk about real solutions. We have brought in 13 agreements on child care across the country. By the end of this year, families will be saving 50%. That is t…
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Mr. Speaker, this year, we signed 13 agreements with the provinces and territories to lower the cost of child care across the country. That means putting thousands of dollars back in the pockets of parents so they can give their children what they need, cover the high cost of living and buy the things they need. Our agreement is helping families. That is great, and that is what we will keep doing.
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Mr. Speaker, passport offices are open weekends in the busiest urban centres to make sure that people who urgently need their passport can get it. We have hired 600 people since January and we are in the process of hiring 600 more. We are reassigning hundreds of employees from Service Canada and other organizations, including the Canada Revenue Agency, Statistics Canada and Immigration, Refugees a…
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite owes the hard-working public servants an apology, because they have been working day in and day out to serve Canadians. I understand that Canadians are frustrated. There are a lot of challenges right now and this government is working hard to serve them. The only thing that I can conjure up from that member's response is that, unlike hard-working people across this…
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Mr. Speaker, I think the member opposite owes the hard-working public servants an apology, because when it comes to Service Canada, they have been back in the office for months serving Canadians. These are the same people who delivered—
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Mr. Speaker, we have already done all of those things that my hon. colleague is calling for. It takes 15 weeks to train a passport officer. This has already been going on for months. The first class of passport officers starts on Monday. This is not something that changes overnight. It is already in place. The situation in Montreal improved today. In Laval and in Saint‑Laurent, everyone was given …
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Mr. Speaker, Service Canada employees are already working 12, 14 or 16 hours a day. They are there first thing in the morning. They are serving Canadians. They are also working Saturdays to process passports. They receive applications during the day. At night, they process them and print the passports. They are working extremely hard in this extraordinary situation that is happening in Montreal.
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Mr. Speaker, the situation in Montreal is truly unacceptable. That is why, since yesterday, teams of 10 managers have been going down the line to ensure that everyone gets a chance to have a conversation and get an appointment ticket. Service Canada offices will be open until midnight today to serve people. We have a new strategy in place, and people lining up today who will not be travelling in t…
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Mr. Speaker, we are taking the situation very seriously. That is exactly why we adjusted our approach in Montreal. The situation in Montreal is exceptional. It is not like anywhere else in the country. Every day for the past seven days, between 1,500 and 2,000 people have lined up outside passport offices. Each person in line today got an appointment card for either today, tomorrow, Saturday or ev…
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Mr. Speaker, I understand Canadians' frustration with the passport situation. We implemented a new strategy as of yesterday. We saw the lines of people forming outside of the Saint-Laurent, Laval and Guy-Fravreau offices, so they received tickets and appointments. Today, 250 people who were outside the Laval and Saint-Laurent offices spoke with managers and got appointments. There are 10 or so man…
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Mr. Speaker, a passport is a secure document. We must ensure the integrity of the process, which involves stringent screening measures. This document confirms Canadian citizenship, and the integrity of the process is paramount. In addition, nearly 85% of the passport applications we have received are from first-time applicants, and that process is much more complex than a simple renewal. That said…
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Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, today, we adopted a new strategy to deal with applications in Montreal in particular. Hundreds and even thousands of people are waiting outside Service Canada offices. We gave out tickets for appointments. The director for Quebec assured me that senior management will be there all day to make sure that everyone in line gets the information they need and that those who …
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Mr. Speaker, I have good news for the hon. leader of the NDP. We are providing assistance right now in the 13 provinces and territories, right across the country, through the child care agreements. Families with young children will save thousands of dollars every year. We are talking about real dollars to help families cope with the rising cost of living. We are there for families, children and ou…
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Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to congratulate the hon. leader of the NDP for bringing his little person in here. It is wonderful to see children here as well. I am so thrilled to hear the members opposite be so excited about child care, because there are 13 agreements right across the country that are helping families today. In fact, in many of those provinces, families are already receiving 50% off …
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Mr. Speaker, I welcome the hon. leader of the NDP's little person. I am glad he brought her in. This government is delivering for families. In fact, across the country, we have delivered 13 child care—
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Mr. Speaker, I see that all the other parties in the House agree that the Bloc Québécois could never form the government here. We will ensure that Canadians receive their passports. It is a difficult situation. After two years, we know that Canadians want to travel and that they need to get their passports. The demand is huge, and Service Canada employees are working extremely hard, day and night,…
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Mr. Speaker, the situation in Montreal is unacceptable and does not reflect what is happening in other places in the country. For the past four business days, more than 1,000 people have been waiting in line, and we do not want people to be forced to do that. That is why, starting a 7 a.m., senior management teams were there to talk with people and ensure that they were receiving the necessary inf…
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Mr. Speaker, the situation in Montreal is unacceptable. That is why we are changing things up as of today. We will ensure that people who are travelling in the next 24 hours receive their passports on time. For people who are travelling in more than 48 hours, we have another strategy. Senior management is there to speak with those waiting in line, because what people are going through in Montreal …
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Mr. Speaker, first I want to clarify something. The members opposite keep saying that public servants need to get back to work. Public servants at Service Canada have been in offices for months. They have been working around the clock. The people they are talking about who are working from home are the same people who delivered CERB to nine million Canadians. They are the same people who have deli…
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Mr. Speaker, the situation in Montreal right now is like nowhere else in the country, with hundreds of people lining up at the three passport offices. With the Saint-Jean and Canada Day holidays coming up, we know that many Quebeckers want to travel. We have now changed our strategy to ensure that people receive the services and information they need. We will continue to respond to the situation t…
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Mr. Speaker, it is extraordinarily important that we get the integrity of passports right. That is something that I have been communicating, and when someone is applying for a passport for the first time, it is one of the reasons that we ensure we are getting this right. When we are looking at children's passports, it is another reason that we want to make sure we have permission from both parents…
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Mr. Speaker, the situation in Montreal is completely unacceptable. I have heard about this situation and it is clearly not what should be happening. I assure my colleagues that anyone in Montreal who is travelling in the next 48 hours is getting their passport. Applicants are being triaged in line. Senior management is on the ground to help manage the situation, and although the volume of applicat…
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I will tell my colleague that the instruction given to all Service Canada employees is that if passports are issued outside the standard service times, there is no additional charge. We will say it again. It is clear and the directive has been given across the country. We are going to make sure it is enforced on the ground.
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Mr. Speaker, I understand Canadians' frustration. We are doing our best to fix this situation. I have to correct my hon. colleague. All the employees who work on passports at Service Canada are in the office, and have been for months. When he talks about public servants working from home, they are working. They are the same public servants who got the Canada recovery benefit out to Canadians. In a…
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague points out, this is not a situation unique to Canada. In fact, people in the United States, the U.K., France, Australia and Sweden are waiting for 10, 11 and up to 27 weeks. This is precisely something that is happening right around the world. It does not make it acceptable here, and that is exactly why we are throwing everything we have to fix this situation and to en…
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Mr. Speaker, we are currently triaging people in line because of the unprecedented volume to ensure that people do not miss their flights. We have ensured that, when people get to the passport office, they are receiving their passports. The member opposite can certainly work with my office to support that constituent. I have been pleased to work with many members opposite to support their constitu…
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Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned several times in the House, we are experiencing an unprecedented volume in terms of passport applications. We have, in fact, been planning for this surge and that is why 600 employees were hired since January. Another 600 are in the process of being hired. We are rearranging and reallocating resources within Service Canada and also within other government departmen…
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Mr. Speaker, I understand Canadians' frustration, but the Conservatives misunderstand. They are not talking about the same people. Service Canada has nearly 30,000 employees nationwide and provides various services. The people meeting the needs with respect to passports, including the need for in‑person service at Service Canada, are already back at work. It is a question of volume. We can process…
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Mr. Speaker, I feel the Conservatives need to understand that throughout the pandemic people in the private sector and the public sector worked from home, and they were working. The vast majority of Canadians who were working from home were working very hard, and Conservatives owe those employees an apology. When it comes to the fees, those should be waived. That has been the directive. I will rei…
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