Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives want to know why we are not adopting their plan, the answer is simple: The only person who thinks it is going to work is their leader. We are following the advice of Food Banks Canada. We are following the advice of experts. Let me tell the other side what seniors are saying. Dava Houston says, “Seeing a lot of talk about the Grocery Rebate helping ‘no one.’ As a …
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Mr. Speaker, the OAS transition is complete, and it came in under budget. More than seven million seniors are now receiving their benefits on time thanks to a modern system. The total cost of Cúram covers four separate projects. The $6.6 billion is the amount that was allocated and approved for the project's life cycle.
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Mr. Speaker, what will make a real difference in fighting food insecurity is ensuring that seniors have the money in their pockets that they need in order to be able to buy groceries and to buy toilet paper, coffee and these kinds of items over which the government has no control. We are controlling what we can, and that is ensuring that seniors have the money they need in order to afford the esse…
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Mr. Speaker, it is funny that on the one hand the Conservatives chide the groceries and essentials benefit, but on the other hand they are upset that it is not for everyone. When I was the Minister of Service Alberta and had just had my new baby, I suddenly started getting child care benefit cheques that I did not need, but families that did need the money were not getting as much. We are ensuring…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, these delays are too long, but more than 98% of all claimants received their benefits without delay. The department is actively working to quickly resolve any issues clients may encounter. We continue to improve the benefit delivery process.
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Mr. Speaker, our government protects seniors. We increased the old age security pension. We are providing dental care and building housing for seniors. Now, we are modernizing the digital benefits system so that seniors can enjoy better services. I invite the member opposite to share their names with me, and we will assist them.
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Mr. Speaker, one delay is one too many, but over 98% of applicants have received their benefits promptly. The department is working hard to quickly resolve any issues that users might encounter. We will continue to improve the benefit payment process.
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Mr. Speaker, I am a millennial and my friends are millennials. What millennials want is for homes to be built. We want this plan to go forward, our plan to build hundreds of thousands of homes, in my riding and in that member's riding. I just do not know why the member wants to take the hammers and nails out of construction workers' hands and the electrical wires out of the hands of electrical wor…
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Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, our actions are compassionate. Our actions show compassion for seniors. We increased OAS for seniors over age 75 when the Conservatives wanted to bring it down to below age 65. We have protected OAS, ensuring that it is indexed to inflation, and we just guaranteed that low-income seniors will get the help they need to fight rising food costs, which is somethi…
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Mr. Speaker, like many of my constituents in Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, I grew up in a single-parent household. I had a single mother and a handicapped sister, and making ends meet was really challenging. It is families like this that we have in mind, like the one I grew up in, like the ones that exist in my riding and in that member's riding. They are the ones we want to feed, and Food Banks Canada…
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Mr. Speaker, the National Institute on Ageing's fourth annual report was just released, and it commends the actions the government is taking. It agrees with us, and its data shows that reducing expenditures in one area can result in an overall reduction in hardship as money is freed up for other household needs. That is why organizations like Food Banks Canada agree that the groceries and essentia…
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Mr. Speaker, low-income seniors in Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke have been asking their government to take action to help fight the rising cost of groceries, and we listened. We are helping with up to $950 of food and goods for low-income single seniors with the groceries and essentials benefit. We are also tackling the root causes by developing a national food security strategy to improve seniors' acce…
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Mr. Speaker, we are controlling what we can, and we are helping Canadians where they are. We have increased OAS for seniors who are over 75 years old. We have protected OAS, ensuring that it is indexed to inflation, and we just guaranteed that low-income seniors will get the help they need to fight rising food costs with the new groceries and essentials benefit. It would buy up to 950 dollars' wor…
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Mr. Speaker, as Christmas approaches, I am reminded that there are 143 Conservatives over there who might as well be named “Scrooge”. British Columbians in my riding of Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke know that Scrooge from Battle River—Crowfoot does not want to feed hungry children in schools, that Scrooge from Thornhill does not want money going to seniors through old age security and that Scrooge from …
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Mr. Speaker, I was in Rachel Notley's New Democrat government when, in partnership with the federal Liberals, we got the first pipeline to tidewater built in generations. This is a pipeline that helps pay for schools, hospitals and environmental investments and supports good union jobs. Now, as a Vancouver Island MP, I support our Prime Minister's vision to build Canada strong with indigenous peop…
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Mr. Speaker, as 2025 winds down and we are reviewing our Spotify wrapped, let us look at the Conservatives' 2025 wrapped. In 2025, the Conservatives lost their fourth election in a row, spent Alberta's money on a by-election so they could say they created at least one job, invented imaginary taxes and presented a platform with no plan to support seniors or families. Conservatives need to work on t…
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Mr. Speaker, those Conservatives clearly can talk until the cows come home, but they are all hat and no cattle. When their own platform had nothing in it for food affordability, did they vote to put money in the jeans of Canadians? No. Did they vote for the national school food program? No. Did they vote for old age security? No. Did they vote for the Canada child care benefit? No. Did they vote f…
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Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke and on Vancouver Island, folks know that the government has the back of the softwood lumber industry and its workers, whereas the Conservatives would do nothing. Their plan is simply to get out of the way, whereas we are providing real support.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative member needs to take several seats. In my riding on Vancouver Island, people know that we are supporting the softwood lumber industry. Whereas the Conservatives' plan is to get out of the way and to do nothing, our government is investing in—
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Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives voted against budget 2025, they voted against old age security and the guaranteed income supplement. They voted against the New Horizons for Seniors program. They voted against a personal support workers tax credit. They voted against dental care for over six million Canadian seniors. Canadians want to know whom—
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Mr. Speaker, we are supporting seniors and individuals across Vancouver Island to ensure that they have an affordable life. For example, I met with the Mustard Seed in my riding of Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, where they are running several food programs to ensure food security. This includes a food program called Flourish for children that ensures that they are fed. This takes advantage of the nation…
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Mr. Speaker, what Canadians and Vancouver Islanders need to ensure an affordable life is money in their jeans. They need things like the old age security. They need things like the guaranteed income supplement. They need things like the child tax benefit. These things put money in folks' jeans. These are initiatives that the Conservatives have voted against time and time again.
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Mr. Speaker, these Conservatives voted against lowering the cost of living when they voted against budget 2025 because they voted against food in schools for children, against a tax cut for middle-income Canadians, against $75 million in apprenticeship training and against a refundable tax credit for personal support workers. They also voted against $45 million in funding to address gender-based v…
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Mr. Speaker, these Conservatives voted against lowering the cost of living for seniors when they voted against budget 2025. They voted against old-age security. They voted against the guaranteed income supplement. They voted against the new horizons for seniors program. They voted against anti-fraud measures that would protect seniors from scams. They voted against a tax credit for personal suppor…
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Mr. Speaker, what will make a real difference in fighting food insecurity is seniors being able to access the benefits they are entitled to. That is why we are going to make it easier for one million lower-income Canadians to access the benefits they worked so hard for, with automatic tax filing. We are going to make sure Canadians, especially older Canadians, keep their hard-earned money, with th…
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Mr. Speaker, Halloween has come early for the Conservatives this year with their imaginary taxes and their ghoulish views on Canadians. They are calling Canadian school food programs disgusting, calling the RCMP despicable and demanding a $56-billion cut that would gut the OAS and the GIS that seniors rely on. Today, seniors will see in their bank accounts an increase on the OAS and GIS deposited …
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians know there are no taxes on their food, so while the Conservatives talk about imaginary taxes, the government is taking real action to support seniors in this country. We are cutting red tape. We are building homes faster. We have introduced dental care, which more than two million seniors now have access to. We are building an economy that works for everyone. The Conservativ…
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Mr. Speaker, Food Banks Canada has highlighted the importance of federal government action that is helping Canadians, such as the national school food program and the Canadian dental care program. This is helping more than two million seniors. We are building an economy that works for everyone. Conservatives have a record of pushing the retirement age higher, cutting benefits and leaving seniors b…
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Mr. Speaker, this government is the only party in this House that can be trusted to have seniors' backs. We returned the age of retirement to 65 when Conservatives wanted to push it up to 67. Through this government's actions, we are ensuring that Canadian seniors have access to one of the largest social programs in the country, and that is old age security and the guaranteed income supplement. Th…
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Mr. Speaker, the government has taken, and continues to take, real action that supports the people of Canada. We have instituted the national food program. We have instituted the Canadian dental care program. We have instituted a number of things that help Canadians, whereas the Conservatives cannot be trusted to help anyone. They use this as a speaking point instead of really caring about Canadia…
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Mr. Speaker, Halloween is coming up, but the only thing scary in here is the misinformation coming from the Conservatives. We are cutting red tape. We are building homes faster, and we have introduced dental care that now more than 2 million seniors have signed up for. We are building an economy that works for everyone, while Conservatives have a record of pushing the retirement age higher. I cann…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives keep talking about cuts they want to make to programs Canadians rely on. They keep expecting us to make decisions that would take food out of children's mouths and would ensure that seniors have no old age security. We know from their record that they vote against increases to seniors' benefits. We know they have a record of pushing the retirement age higher, cutting…
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Mr. Speaker, we are investing in Canadians. We are investing in the future to ensure that Canada is at the top of the G7 countries fiscally, whereas the Conservatives want us to achieve their economic goals, which would ensure that children do not have food in their bellies when they are at school. They want us to achieve the economic goal that they are looking for on the backs of Canadians. These…
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Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives continue to suggest that imaginary taxes exist on food, we are ensuring that there is real food for real bellies, that children in schools get fed. The Conservatives vote against feeding children, while on this side of the aisle we are ensuring that children have the food they need and that Canadians have the support they need. The Conservatives continue to sug…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a background in law, and I started my career doing criminal defence work. I also had the good fortune of spending a summer in the Crown prosecutor's office as a law student. During that time, I had the opportunity to volunteer with a great organization called the Elizabeth Fry Society, an organization that helps women who are at risk of becoming criminalized. Through that exper…
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Mr. Speaker, this government is taking action to empower Canada's seniors. With the Conservatives' plan, folks would not have been able to retire until 67. I think it is important to point out that on this side of the House, we are ensuring a strong, stable future for our seniors. We have crucial programs that provide more than $1,000 per month to the most financially vulnerable seniors, and we ar…
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Mr. Speaker, today we mark National Seniors Day. I want to point out that our government has taken action to ensure seniors in Canada can age with dignity. We are cutting red tape. We are building homes faster, and we have introduced dental care, which more than two million seniors have signed up for. We are building an economy that works for everyone, while the Conservatives have a record of push…
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Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to take a moment to recognize the tremendous contribution of seniors in this country. They built this country, and we assure them that this government is working hard to deliver the benefits they deserve. Service Canada is streamlining applications, increasing automation and improving communication with clients. We have an action plan to improve the speed and quali…
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Mr. Speaker, I am so glad the Conservatives are showing interest in Canada's seniors. This new government is taking action to empower Canada's seniors, and we are steadfast in our mission to protect the dignity and security of those who built this country through a lifetime of hard work. That is why we are taking action to ensure that low-income seniors receive the guaranteed income supplement. Th…
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Mr. Speaker, seniors who built this country should never have to choose between paying for groceries or heating their homes. I speak to seniors in my home riding of Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke in British Columbia all the time, and they are proud of what this government is doing, that we have taken action that actually helps seniors in this country to age with dignity. We are cutting red tape. We are b…
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Mr. Speaker, seniors, who built this country, should never have to choose between paying for groceries and heating their homes. That is why our government has taken action. We are cutting red tape, and we are building homes faster. We have introduced dental care, and more than two million seniors are already signed up to get benefits. We are building an economy that works for everyone. Let us be c…
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Mr. Speaker, this government is protecting Canadians, and that includes seniors: their safety, their right to housing, their retirement security. Seniors are living longer. They are living healthier lives than ever. This government will always support and empower Canadian seniors. They are an important part of this economy. We are showing action, such as cutting red tape and constructing purpose-b…
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Mr. Speaker, our new government continues to build a strong system for Canada's seniors. We know that seniors deserve to retire with dignity, and we work closely with our provincial counterparts to ensure that they have access to long-term care beds, as well as other forms of housing, and are able to age in place. We are working really closely with the Minister of Housing to ensure that seniors ar…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the House that Thursday, September 18, shall be an allotted day.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her advocacy. Our government is committed to ensuring that seniors can age with dignity. We have introduced several initiatives that are making a real difference in the lives of seniors. We have provided an OAS increase of 10%, increased the guaranteed income supplement for low-income seniors, made dental care available to seniors aged 65 and older and inve…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in this House for the first time as the member for Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke. This government is doing important work to ensure that we are protecting vulnerable Canadians, including vulnerable seniors, and that is why we continue to stand up for seniors. We are restoring eligibility to age 65 with the old age security program, and this is an important step to de…
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