Scott Duvall

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, October 6th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, my hon. friend mentioned many times, and I have heard this many times in the House from the Liberals' side, that nobody is to be left behind. I find I am having difficulty with this, because it has been seven months now and people are still waiting for disability payments. They have been left behind, and they have had increases also. This is something that was supposed to happen in June.

The Liberal government talks about seniors and how much work it has done, but it wants to give them an increase in benefits for those aged 75 or older. What do we do with the seniors who are over 65 and only get the OAS and the GIS? Could my hon. friend tell me why these people are being left behind?

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, October 6th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. friend talked about seniors and what was in the throne speech, and how good the CPP survivorship pension would be. That is a good thing, but it does not cost the government a dime as that is not its money, it is the workers' and employers' money. I do not know why the Liberals want to take credit for that.

Also, people at 75 and over would be getting that raise. If a person at 68 years old is receiving the same amount of money on OAS and GIS as a person at 75, then can the member please explain to me why the person at 68 does not need that kind of bump up?

[National Seniors Day, October 1st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on National Seniors Day to honour and thank older adults across our country for the many contributions they have made and continue to make to our families, our communities and our country. However, if we truly want to honour our seniors we need to also protect them, and the recent pandemic has shown all of us that we have some serious work to do.

Too many of our seniors are on long waiting lists for affordable housing. Too many of our seniors are dependent on food banks on a weekly basis, and too many of our seniors are still rationing their medication. The list goes on.

Today, I am asking the government to finally implement what our NDP caucus, the National Association of Federal Retirees, numerous health care organizations and others have been calling for: a national seniors strategy. A national seniors strategy would boost seniors' financial security and improve their quality of life. Seniors deserve no less. This would show our seniors that they are important, valuable members of our society, every day, not just on National Seniors Day.

[Petitions, September 30th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present this electronic petition, e-2607, with 1,845 signatures on behalf of my constituents in Hamilton Mountain and many other Canadian residents. It is regarding the situation in Kashmir.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, September 24th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, my colleague spent a lot of time talking about seniors. I know the government wants to take a lot of credit for what it has done for seniors, but if you talk to the seniors themselves, they are not very happy at all.

You can talk about all of these little programs, but they are wondering about the benefits they need for surviving and living without having to go to food banks. With all of the increased costs, they are wondering when it will happen. You said it in 2015, you said it in 2019 and you are saying it again.

Seniors want to know when their benefits will be increased so that they can live with dignity and no longer have to go to a food bank to survive.

[COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters, July 8th, 2020]

Madam Chair, I was hoping that the Minister of Labour was listening. They are not in force. It is on your website. It has been done by parliament legislation. Tell us when you are going to put it into force. Quit with the pretty words and put it into action.

[COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters, July 8th, 2020]

Madam Chair, but it is not in force. The problem is that many people have already been ineligible because the government has been dragging its feet on when it is going to put the order in council.

However, this is not the only time the Liberals have let Canadians down. In last year's budget act, the government included amendments to four different acts that it said would enhance retirement security. The labour minister likes to refer to this as proof of her government's commitment to workers, but nearly half of these amendments are not even in force. Again, the Liberals dragged their feet and failed to do the necessary orders in council.

Why does the government keep turning its back on Canadian workers and instead helps corporations?

[COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters, July 8th, 2020]

Madam Chair, the government has expressed many times in the House that it has the backs of workers. However, thousands of Canadian workers and their families could be put at risk in the coming months because they will be ineligible for benefits under the wage earner protection program if the company they work for claims bankruptcy in a foreign country like the United States.

In 2018, Parliament passed legislation to fix this program, but the Liberals have not bothered to do the order in council that would bring it into force. Why are they putting Canadian workers at risk and when will they fix the problem?

[Health, May 26th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, thousands of laid-off Canadian workers are being denied supplementary unemployment benefits they had negotiated with their employers, and the government has failed to explain why.

Families need these benefits to pay their bills. These are not handouts. These are benefits negotiated by workers as an insurance policy when laid off, and paid for by the employer. Now the government is stopping workers from collecting this taxable insurance. Unions and employers are asking the government to fix the loophole that denies workers this much-needed income.

Why is the government denying workers their supplementary benefits, and when will it fix this problem?

[Proceedings of the House and Committees, May 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the member mentioned all of the good things the government has been doing. Yes, I agree it has been doing some good things, especially with the CERB. However, if I were an auto worker, steel worker or a building tradesperson who was laid off on March 15, I would now be forced to go into a system in which I would lose $72 a week and be denied the collective right to collect supplementary unemployment benefit from my company, which is about $150 a week. That totals about $900.

New Democrats have brought this to the government's attention, and I am hoping it was an honest mistake. Will the government correct this to make sure that people get the maximum benefit they are entitled to and worked all their lives for, instead of being denied it because the government has taken away their negotiated right?