Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government was forewarned in 2023 that its new system, intended to enhance OAS and GIS payments, was already going over budget. This project has ballooned to $6.6 billion. The taxpayer is now responsible for the failure of a system that was supposed to guarantee better access for our seniors. At a time when seniors are struggling to make ends meet, how does the government …
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Mr. Speaker, that is just another excuse from the Liberal government. Seniors are already struggling with the cost of living, and delayed payments are causing seniors to fall behind on rent, skip groceries and worry about how they will pay for their medication. It is unacceptable that this project went from $1.7 billion to $6.6 billion. Who is accountable for this massive cost overrun? Who will be…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' recycled rebate does not address the high cost of groceries. Some seniors would receive only $10 a week, which is less than the cost of a cup of coffee per day, which is up 33.6%. The $10 savings is like receiving another coupon. The rebate is an admission of the failed policies of the Liberal government, and it would not change much for our seniors. Again I will ask the…
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Mr. Speaker, seniors built this country, and now they must make the tough decisions between buying groceries or medication. They cannot absorb these costs, and they cannot afford to skip meals. Three years ago the finance minister promised to stabilize food prices, which is another broken promise. Canada has the worst food inflation in the G7. The Conservatives have the solution: Cut the industria…
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Mr. Speaker, seniors are choosing between medication and groceries. Food Banks Canada has reported 2.2 million visits in a single month, and 8.3% are seniors, up from 6.8%. Food inflation is the highest in the G7. Canadians need our help. Conservatives have proposed real solutions: eliminate the industrial carbon tax, eliminate the fuel standard tax and cut red tape for farmers. Will the Prime Min…
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Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of seniors in this country, both those from my community of King—Vaughan and the many seniors from coast to coast who have shared with me that they feel completely abandoned by the Liberal government's latest budget. These Canadians expected a plan that addressed affordability, housing, health care and dignity for older adults. Instead they received a document…
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Madam Speaker, I recently visited my colleague from Cambridge's riding and we were shocked to find out that from 2015 to 2024, there was 50 million dollars' worth of scams toward our seniors. The government has done nothing to protect them. I received a note from an individual named Kathy. She said, “Thank you for being a voice for seniors as it is heartbreaking what seniors have to endure to surv…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians he should be judged by the prices at the grocery store. Under his watch, the weekly grocery bill has doubled and the food price report of 2026 says it will get even worse. Families in my community cannot even afford a healthy meal, not even a modest Italian dish like pasta e fagioli, yet the government keeps stirring the pot with higher spending, the …
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Madam Speaker, seniors call me because they are worried. They are worried about where they are going to get their next meal, how they are going to pay for their heat and how they are going to find the money to pay for their medications. The choices they have to make should not have to be that way. After all, they came to Canada for the promise and the opportunity to live a comfortable life. The Li…
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Madam Speaker, the member across the way obviously did not listen to what seniors have expressed to me. Had he been listening, he would have understood that seniors are working beyond the age of 67 because they do not have a choice. I visited a factory in my riding and half of its employees are between the ages of 65 and 74. Tell me why they are still working. It is because of your failed governme…
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Madam Speaker, I understand and I agree with what my hon. colleague is saying, but we have to do more than that. We have to cut taxes. We have to stop spending. I come from a financial background and we were taught that we cannot spend more than we make. The Liberals do not understand that policy. Maybe they need to go back to school. They need to understand that if they expect balanced budgets ev…
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Mr. Speaker, we are so happy to have the hon. member for Markham—Unionville on our team. I recently spoke to Carole from the Seniors Tin Cup and she quoted these numbers. She said that the poverty line in Canada is $25,252, and that 28% of senior women are living in poverty through no fault of their own. The government has nothing in the budget for seniors. Single seniors are struggling every sing…
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Mr. Speaker, food bank usage is at a dangerously high level with over one million people using the food bank in Ontario. This past year, usage has skyrocketed 165%. Parents take pride in providing for their families. However, in the cost of living crisis, 29% of food bank users are children. When will the Liberal government stop playing games with their Brookfield buddies and stop the industrial c…
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Mr. Speaker, 75 years ago, a bricklayer arrived on Canadian shores from Italy seeking a better life, and 75 years later, the granddaughter of that bricklayer serves in Canada's Parliament. As a daughter of Italian immigrants, I am proud to represent my community of King—Vaughan. On Tuesday, I had the honour of being elected chair of the Canada-Italy Interparliamentary Group. I look forward to work…
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Mr. Speaker, I had the pleasure of visiting my hon. colleague from Middlesex—London to speak with some of her seniors. I have also heard from the seniors in my community and across this province. The number one thing they are concerned about is the fact that inflation is dipping into their fixed incomes. They cannot afford it. They cannot afford food. They cannot afford to heat their homes. They c…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned seniors. I recently had a conversation with Carole from Seniors Tin Cup, which is an organization that supports seniors. One of the things that really shocked me is that 11.5% of single seniors live below the poverty line, which is an increase of 6.3%. How can the member justify that this budget would support seniors when there is absolutely nothing in it for th…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's comments on the importance of our police officers and the work they do to keep us safe. What does the member think of his colleague from Victoria, who is calling to defund the police?
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Mr. Speaker, we met with the parents at our town hall. This individual was let out four times, and he went and killed their only child. We have to toughen those laws to make sure that someone who continually repeats crimes is kept in jail if we are going to keep people alive.
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Mr. Speaker, I apologize. I am a little under the weather today, but I want to state something clearly. My community of King—Vaughan is very upset because police officers have no jurisdiction when they arrest someone. Police officers put them in jail, and they are out before we know it.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for bringing that question to the forefront. I will tell you that I met with the parents. I will tell you that the problem is—
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour today to speak to Bill C-14, an act that proposes a long-awaited reform to Canada's bail and sentencing framework. For too long, the system has focused more on the rights of offenders than on the safety of our communities. Together with police associations, provincial governments, victims and survivors, we have listened to our communities and advocated for stronger bai…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said earlier that the Liberal candidate from Victoria is on the record calling to defend the police, to disarm most police and promote drug decriminalization. If they believe that—
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Mr. Speaker, I would like the member to look in the faces of the people in my community and tell them that they have made everything possible. I believe that the Carney Liberal candidate for Victoria—
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Mr. Speaker, I want to let the hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge know that we need to protect our citizens. We currently have a citizen who came back to Canada today to testify in committee, and she has to leave because the law did not protect her. She has death threats every single day. We need to make sure that these individuals stay behind bars so that women and children can live in this count…
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Excuse me, Kevin. Defunding the police—
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Mr. Speaker, it was an excellent speech. The hon. member mentioned human trafficking. Yesterday, York Region, along with Hamilton police, arrested a man for the human trafficking of children under the age of 18. Could the hon. member please tell the people watching today that our children are our future? Canada has no future without them. Would she agree?
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Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister keeps spending more and more on his inflationary budget, seniors on fixed incomes are being forced to choose between medication and food, with 8.3% of food bank users being seniors, up from 6.8% in 2019. Fitch Ratings, which gives the government its credit score, has warned that because the Liberals are ignoring their own fiscal limits, federal finances run a hig…
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Mr. Speaker, the very people who built this country and taught us the value of hard work while managing our budgets are having to line up at the food bank. Food Banks Canada reports that almost 10% of food bank users are seniors, which is up 22% from 2019. The Liberal government's reckless spending has driven up prices and left our seniors behind. When will the Liberal government respect our senio…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my new hon. colleague from Newmarket—Aurora. They voted her here today to represent her community. Seventy-six per cent of seniors are having to support their families today because of the Liberal government's affordability crisis. They do not understand budgets. My colleague does. She comes from the banking sector, so I would like to ask my colleague how she mig…
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Mr. Speaker, we have a serious situation in this country, with 86,000 people out of work. Earlier today, during question period, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that they are going to support the Canadian population with EI. The people in my community do not want EI; they want jobs. They want to work. How would the member address that?
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Mr. Speaker, after a lifetime of hard work raising their families, seniors deserve to enjoy their retirement, but under the Liberal government, that dream is slipping away. Every dollar the Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians in higher Liberals taxes and inflation. A new report shows that one in three grandparents is now supporting their adult children and grandchildren, an…
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Madam Speaker, welcome back. According to CBC, 33% of food bank users in my colleague's province are children. There were over two million visits to food banks in March 2024. This is due to the high cost of living. The Liberals can talk about their wonderful plans. They can talk about how they are supporting children at schools, and their dental plans. Why is this number so ridiculously high with …
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Mr. Speaker, I enjoyed being on the status of women committee with the hon. member. As the critic for seniors, I have a question we need to address. According to Statistics Canada, there were 6.8 million seniors representing 18.5% of the population in 2021, and this will grow to 25% in 2036. In my riding, seniors have to look for work because they cannot afford their expenses and have to choose be…
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Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity this past summer to visit Nova Scotia, and it is a beautiful province. I was in Acadie—Annapolis, where I met with a group that assists seniors. One of the stories I heard was very troubling to me, because this particular senior had to choose between heating her home and buying food. She could not afford both. Let us be honest. There has been a 68% increase in pe…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised Canadians that he would be judged by the cost at grocery stores, yet, in August, food inflation soared 70% higher than the overall inflation. Denise, a senior in Quebec, is now forced to skip meals to survive the crushing cost of living. This is another broken promise from a Prime Minister who has let our seniors down time and time again. Will the Prime Min…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask a question, but I want first off to state something from the PBO. He estimates that oil and gas production caps will lower real gross domestic product in Canada by 0.39% by 2032, reducing nominal GDP by $20.5 billion. Here is the other part that concerns the people of Canada. The PBO estimates that achieving the legal upper bound will reduce economy-wide employment…
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Mr. Speaker, that was one of Cait Alexander's concerns when she came to committee. She made that exact point about the Jordan law. Her partner, who brutally left her for dead, got off because of the Jordan law, and it was not the first time. We need to make sure that these cases are swiftly brought to the attention of the judges and that these criminals and these scum-buckets are left to stay and …
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Mr. Speaker, I recently did a ride-along with a police officer, and these are comments that police officers have shared with me: Criminals are laughing at us. They are not even resisting arrest. Why? It is because they know that weak laws created by a weak Liberal government are going to allow them to get out. Why would they care? We need to ensure that police officers have the tools and the laws …
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Mr. Speaker, I have proof right here from citizens of my community who are tired of failed Liberal government policy. What is it that the government does not understand? Thirteen hundred people in my community are out on bail and ready to commit another crime. We need to stop this to protect everyone.
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Mr. Speaker, I will bring forward a question and a comment. My comment is that, in 2024, I was part of the status of women committee, and Cait Alexander, a very vibrant and strong woman, came forward to tell her story. Unfortunately the Liberals decided to shut her down. She did not have the opportunity to explain why she felt the law that we want to bring forward would help protect women from vio…
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Mr. Speaker, it is nice to see you in the chair again; welcome back. Communities across York Region are facing a surge in violent crime, leaving my constituents terrified for their safety. The crime statistics in York Region are staggering and are an example of the trend that has occurred throughout all of Canada. Here are the stats from a York Region police report. From 2020 to 2024, failures to …
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Mr. Speaker, my constituents are saying to me that they are going to go to bed with a loaded gun, in case someone comes in to hurt their family, like that criminal who pointed a gun at a four-year-old whose father paid the most courageous price by defending her with his life. I would like the member to look at this family and explain to them why he did not do the right thing. The people in my comm…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised to fix the Liberals' broken criminal justice system and did nothing all summer. Meanwhile, seven shootings have occurred in Vaughan in less than three weeks. A father, Abdul Aleem Farooqi, was shot dead protecting his family. Families across Canada are terrified. Repeat violent offenders are still on our streets because of weak Liberal laws like Bill C-5 an…
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With regard to the Canada Pension Plan, and broken down by year, for each of the last five years: what was the number and percentage of new Canada Pension Plan recipients, broken down by their age at the time that they received their first Canada Pension Plan payment, starting at age 60?
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With regard to Canada Pension Plan payments: (a) has the government conducted any analysis of (i) how much it would cost to allow individuals, who continue to pay into, and don't start collecting, Canada Pension Plan payments until an age later than 65, such as 70, to defer those payments and receive larger payment when they do start collecting Canada Pension Plan payments, (ii) any proposal simil…
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With regard to government action taken following the concerns raised by the Auditor General in Report 11 "Programs to Assist Seniors": (a) what specific changes is the government making to the New Horizons for Seniors Program in response to the concerns; (b) how will the government measure the number of seniors benefitting from each of the grants provided under the New Horizons for Seniors Program…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a question for my hon. colleague. I listened to his speech, and he continues to discuss what happened in the past. The Liberals have been in power for 10 years. Over two million people are using food banks. Seniors are living on the street. What is happening? The housing minister's own issues in Vancouver increased homelessness for seniors by 40%. You have been in power for 10 …
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Mr. Speaker, auto thefts are up 46%, and violent crime is up 50%. Just yesterday, York Region police arrested four suspects in a violent auto theft in Vaughan, where two of them were repeat offenders. This is a result of failed Liberal laws like Bill C-5 and Bill C-75. Even the mayor of Vaughan and the chief of York Regional Police are calling for an end to catch-and-release madness. Would any Lib…
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Mr. Speaker, June is Italian Heritage Month, a time to honour the dreams and sacrifices of those who came before us. I am a proud granddaughter of Italian Canadians. My grandfather came to Canada, with hope in his heart, to build a life rooted in hard work, family and faith. I am deeply proud of my Italian roots and incredibly honoured to represent the almost 40,000 Italian Canadians in King—Vaugh…
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Mr. Chair, can the minister tell us what age group has the highest rate of chronic homelessness?
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