Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, transitioning 7 million Canadians to a system without a hitch would not be my definition of failure. Do members know what would be? It would be not investing in the modernization of systems when there was a chance to and voting against bringing all our systems up to date. Not only are we modernizing OAS, but we are also modernizing EI and CPP for all Canadians. Canadians ought to have…
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Davenport is a tireless advocate for seniors and housing across Canada. Our government is working to ensure seniors can age in place with dignity and the supports they need. Indeed, Dunn House provides rent-geared-to-income units for at-risk seniors in Toronto, which helps them live safely and independently. The Conservatives are asking how many. Over the past month alo…
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Mr. Speaker, I keep saying the same thing every day. The system was very old. We invested to modernize the system, and the vast majority of recipients were transferred without a problem. In some more complex cases, the department is working diligently to resolve the situation very quickly. I would gladly meet with the member if she would like to learn more.
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Mr. Speaker, I have worked very well with the MP opposite, and I invite him to come and be briefed on the Cúram system. As we have been saying in the House, this is a very old system that needed modernization. In fact, one of the aspects of that modernization is that people can now apply for their benefits online, without personal assistance. That is going to relieve the load on the entire departm…
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Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to sit down with the opposition member, but what he said is not true. We are actually under budget for this modernization of a 60-year-old system, migrating more than 7.5 million Canadians to this new system. Of course, as we see challenges with specific applications, where maybe information is incorrect or maybe there are paper applications, the department is working…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful to the public servants who are working hard to learn a new system very quickly. It is very important that we talk about these civil servants with the respect they deserve. In fact, at the beginning, of course it was challenging to learn that system. These workers have worked extremely hard to get better and more proficient at a brand new system. It is replacing a 60…
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Mr. Speaker, the only party fighting against workers is the party opposite, whose members voted against the budget, wherein we outline the work we have been doing to protect workers for exactly this situation. Thanks to the proactive vision of the government to protect workers in these situations, workers who are separated from their employment can now keep their last pay. They do not have to wait…
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Mr. Speaker, what the government is saying to young people is that they can help us build big things in this country, and Canadian young people are stepping up to help. All across the country, Canadian youth have been taking advantage of skills training, in partnership with provinces just like Ontario, to make sure that as we build big things, they are on the frontline in the skilled trades, build…
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is simply incorrect. There are not cost overruns. In fact, the project is on budget and 7.4 million OAS clients were migrated in March of 2025. Seniors can apply directly online. This is a 60-year-old system. Indeed, Canadians expect us to keep our IT systems modernized, and that is exactly what we are doing. If the member opposite has a constituent who needs help,…
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Mr. Speaker, every step of the way as the government has supported Canadians in what undeniably is an uncertain time, the Conservatives have fought against. Conservatives have stood up time and time again against Canadian families, against Canadian workers and against Canadian children. They have been voting down things like the school food program, enhancements to EI, work and support for familie…
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Mr. Speaker, do members know what is insulting to the constituents of Thornhill? It is when that member votes against the very things that they themselves are saying are useful. In fact, it is not just her constituents. Certainly the food banks in her riding would say that the announcement the Prime Minister made on the GST, on the essentials benefit, on strengthening our food security, on support…
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Mr. Speaker, the department is making every effort to quickly resolve issues related to claims. This involves improving training so that staff are able to process claims more quickly. We are already seeing some positive signs that this training is producing results. Our office has reached out to the members opposite. If they know of any urgent cases, I encourage them to contact my office so we can…
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Mr. Speaker, we are happy to help any seniors who finds themselves in dire need. As I said, we are making progress. They are a very small percentage of the over seven million Canadians who have been successfully transferred to the Cúram system. This system brings us into the modern age, which is what Canadians want. In fact, seniors can now apply online and have a fully automated process to get th…
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Mr. Speaker, I do read the francophone media, but I also work in English and French, as do many people in the House. I will also say that we have focused all our resources on making sure that we get through the waiting list. It is shrinking every day. I thank the civil service for making the effort to learn this system and learn it well. As I mentioned, we have been in contact with these members o…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member of Parliament for Mississauga East—Cooksville for his unwavering support for auto workers and the sector. Canada's auto workers and all workers are the backbone of our economy. When our auto sector workers come under attack, our government stands with them and protects them. Today the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Industry announced Canada's new auto strat…
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Mr. Speaker, transforming a 60-year-old system is not an easy task. I want to start by thanking the employees at ESDC who are working so hard to make sure seniors get their benefits on time and with accuracy. In fact, that is exactly what has happened, as 98% of the cases have gone through. I will say that we are working diligently on the remaining outstanding cases where people who have signed up…
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Mr. Speaker, the average family is saving $16,000 a year on child care. Who refuses to support young families with the cost of living? It is the Conservatives across the aisle. Families are saving $800 a year in food costs for their children at school. Who refuses to feed hungry children at school? It is the Conservatives. Every step we take, they obstruct. They get in the way of the very things t…
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Mr. Speaker, our office has contacted the member opposite, but has yet to receive a response. If they have urgent cases to resolve, I would ask them to contact my office so that we can answer their requests. I am ready to help my colleague's constituents.
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Mr. Speaker, rolling out a new benefits delivery platform requires an adjustment period. The department is working tirelessly to ensure that staff have the tools they need to familiarize themselves with the new system and deliver benefits efficiently. If anyone is experiencing problems with their benefits, I encourage them to contact Service Canada. I also invite them to contact my office directly…
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Mr. Speaker, last fall, all the Conservatives did was quote Food Banks Canada. Over and over, they talked about Food Banks Canada. They failed to notice that Food Banks Canada recommended exactly what we are doing right now, which is to put more money in the pockets of those who need it the most. Conservatives say they want to co-operate. Can they stop obstructing legislation that is helping Canad…
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Mr. Speaker, this is not an easy fix. The department is in the process of modernizing systems that are more than 60 years old so it can better serve more than 7.5 million people every year. If the member opposite is aware of any instances where seniors are having difficulty accessing their benefits, I would ask her to please share them with me so that my department can resolve these issues as quic…
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Mr. Speaker, all we hear from the opposition are imaginary taxes that they—
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Mr. Speaker, all we hear from the opposition members are conversations about imaginary taxes that theoretically are impacting the price of food. They do not want to work with evidence. They do not want to listen to experts who are telling us that the very thing we need to do is increase the money in people's pocketbooks. That is what we are doing, whether by cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians,…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives would need to start having some good ideas for us to steal them. We are always interested in good ideas on this side of the House. The member for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake just said that nothing is working in her province. Let me tell her that the national school food program is feeding 58,000 children in her province. In fact, parents in her province are saving up to …
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Mr. Speaker, here we go again, talking about imaginary taxes instead of the real things that help Canadian families. Last week I met with provinces and territories from across the country, who all agree that, for example, the early learning and child care system is saving families in all of our jurisdictions, sometimes up to $14,000 a year. That is the kind of thing that Conservatives vote against…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister is working diligently to resolve the cases of people who are having trouble getting their benefits. Over 98% of OAS applicants are receiving their benefits promptly. The department is working to overhaul an old system in place for decades and replace it with a system built to last for generations. I invite the member opposite to give me the names of these people and we wi…
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Mr. Speaker, the Daily Bread Food Bank, Food Banks Canada, Food, Health and Consumer Products of Canada, and Roots Community Food Centre, in my own riding, are all food centres that have praised the work of the government and the new groceries and essentials benefit, which many are saying will provide relief exactly when people need it. Across the aisle, Conservatives talk, but do they ever suppor…
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Mr. Speaker, all fall, the Conservatives across the aisle quoted Food Banks Canada time and time again in their litigation on the cost of food. Now, when the government steps up to help 12 million families with up to $1,900 to pay for those very costs of food, the Conservatives are fighting against it. Why can Conservative MPs not listen to their constituents, get out of the way and help those ver…
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Mr. Speaker, Conservatives like to talk about making life affordable, but every time Canadians ask for help and the government provides that help, whether it is through affordable child care, which, by the way, saves families up to $16,000 a year; the school food program, which reaches families all across the country; or this new tax benefit that will help 12 million Canadians, they say, “Oh, that…
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Mr. Speaker, my department is in the process of transferring benefit delivery to a more modern system. The delay in the processing of applications affected 1.2% of OAS applicants. The department is committed to delivering the OAS swiftly and accurately. My department and I are working tirelessly to resolve these problems. If anyone is having difficulty accessing the OAS, we encourage them to conta…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member of Parliament for their advocacy for northern Ontario, a topic I am always happy to get up to talk about. As the member knows, we have been there for northern Ontario in many difficult and challenging ways. Most recently I have been working with Kap Paper to support the mill as it reorients its product to a product that will be sellable across the world. We will be …
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Mr. Speaker, every person in this country deserves to receive their benefits on time and error-free. Our department works very closely with individuals all across this country to make sure that if there are challenges in receiving their benefits that we fix those challenges and we get the benefits out the door as quickly as possible. We will continue this work to make sure those benefits are deliv…
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Mr. Speaker, for a party that talked about costs of living and helping families for months and months to stand up and fight against things that will help families is kind of hard to believe. Canadians are watching. They are watching from the riding of that member, who is fighting against the very things that will help. Let me tell members, the Roots Community Food Centre in my riding said that as …
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Mr. Speaker, the benefit is good news for Canadians who are struggling today. In fact, there will be up to $1,900 more for a Canadian family to help with those costs of living, which the Conservatives have been talking about all fall. The MP for Edmonton Manning told a story about Enide, who was struggling with the cost of groceries. Is he going to vote against Enide's desire to have more money to…
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Mr. Speaker, rather than focusing on imaginary taxes like the opposition does, we stay focused on helping Canadian families. It is why Canada child benefit cheques will be delivered early this month, so families can have the money when they need it most, as they get ready for a happy holiday and merry Christmas. We are focused on supporting Canadians and Canadian families, something that I would h…
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Mr. Speaker, we have good news, and just in time for Christmas. Tomorrow we will be signing the extension of the early learning and child care agreement with Alberta. Now all the provinces and territories have agreed to continue this important program. This means that in Alberta, child care costs have been reduced to $15 per day, which saves families, on average, $7,600 per year. That is money tha…
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Mr. Speaker, the opposition wants to talk about nonsense taxes that do not exist on food instead of supporting the very things that Canadians have told us, time and again, that they want. They want a Canada child benefit that is indexed to inflation. They want seniors' benefits that are indexed to inflation. They want to make sure, as do all mothers, that children get healthy food in schools. Howe…
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Mr. Speaker, while the member opposite talks about imaginary taxes, Canadians know exactly what is going on, and it is related to climate change. Our thoughts are with the cattle farmers in the western provinces this year, who have faced unimaginable loss of crop and loss of cattle as a result of drought. That is driving up the price of beef, something that we cannot actually control right now. Wh…
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has said he does not want to do anything about climate change and he wants to talk about imaginary taxes, but when we want to do things for Canadians who are really struggling, as he points out, such as, by the way, indexing the Canada child benefit to inflation; ensuring we have a strong school nutrition program; and signing agreements on child care that …
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Mr. Speaker, actually what I said was that it is all in the member's head. There are no taxes on food, and there are no taxes on farms. Rather than look for solutions, the Conservatives just throw roadblocks in the way of every single Canadian who knows they need supports in difficult times. By the way, what Canadians are counting on is a government that will stand with them; that will make sure t…
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Mr. Speaker, if we listen to the Conservatives over there, there is no solution. The solution is to sink or swim. If a person cannot afford to feed their family, too bad, the state's not there to take care of them. Here in Canada, we have always believed in taking care of each other. That is why we are known for our universal health care system around the world. We have built on that. We make sure…
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Mr. Speaker, while the opposition focuses on imaginary taxes, we are focusing on real supports for Canadians, and that includes the Canada child benefit that keeps up with inflation, seniors benefits that keeps up with inflation, and a dental care plan that allows Canadians to get their teeth fixed, for God's sake, which is something the Conservatives vote against time and again. I ask myself what…
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Mr. Speaker, the opposition party likes to talk about farmers, but let us talk about what farmers were going through last year, when 66% of agricultural land in Canada was experiencing drought, extreme drought, which drove up the price of beef. Not only that, but all across the world, prices for imports like coffee and tea and cocoa and strawberries and oranges went up as a result of climate chang…
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Mr. Speaker, we are not focused on imaginary taxes. We are focused on what actually helps Canadians. Do members know what helps Canadians? More money in their pockets helps Canadians. A decade ago, the Canada child benefit was worth up to $6,000. It is now worth up to $7,200. It has kept pace with inflation. It has made sure that families have what they need to buy those children the food they nee…
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Madam Speaker, I find it interesting that the member from Saskatchewan failed to reference the historic agreement to extend $10-a-day child care to Saskatchewan. My colleague, the Secretary of State for Rural Development, made that announcement with his counterpart from Saskatchewan. This is $10-a-day child care for families in Saskatchewan. In fact, the premier and province are working collaborat…
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Mr. Speaker, that is another example of the opposition's using a report without actually taking the time to read it. In fact, the price of beef, one of the prices that is going up most dramatically, is directly linked to climate change. In fact, the report says challenges persisted for producers throughout the year in western Canada as they experienced a drought and as input costs like feed rose. …
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Mr. Speaker, instead of focusing on imaginary taxes, we are working to control the things we can, which is putting more money in the pockets of Canadians. That is how we help Canadians with affordability challenges. We make sure they have the money so they can adjust to whatever happens in the market. One would think Conservatives would understand market pressures. It is clear they do not. Today w…
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear the Leader of the Opposition has not read the report because, in fact, the report predicts that inflation is actually going to stabilize and go down. Here is what we are doing on this side. We are putting money in the pockets of Canadians, whether it is through the Canada child benefit, which, by the way, is indexed to inflation and that they voted against, whether it is a…
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Madam Speaker, I note that the member opposite quoted Feed NB. I wonder if he could comment on the recommendation by Feed NB to ensure healthy school food programs, including breakfast programs, and why he would vote against the very thing that Feed NB recommends as part of its strategy to feed hungry folks. I also wonder why the member voted against the packages for trade-affected workers, like s…
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Mr. Speaker, while the member opposite talks about affordability for Canadians, I just want to remind the House that it is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and we have members here in Ottawa today who work so hard to make sure that people with disabilities have full opportunities to participate in the workforce, something we should all take seriously. That member voted against t…
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