Mr. Speaker, I want to correct the record on an answer I gave earlier when I said we would eliminate student debt. I would like to correct the record to say that we will eliminate interest on student debt.
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Points of Order March 30th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I want to correct the record on an answer I gave earlier when I said we would eliminate student debt. I would like to correct the record to say that we will eliminate interest on student debt.
Post-Secondary Education March 30th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise the member that until at least next March of 2024 students do not have to pay debt on their student loan payments, and we made a commitment, which we will make good on, to eliminate permanently student debt for students so they can go off into their careers in a position to excel, to flourish and to prosper, like every Canadian has a right to.
Persons With Disabilities March 23rd, 2022
Mr. Speaker, no one should live in poverty, and far too many Canadians with disabilities do. Since 2015, we have taken historic steps towards building a disability-inclusive Canada and we have learned that the lives of persons with disabilities have also been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic.
We are committed to reintroducing legislation to establish a new Canada disability benefit that would address the long-standing financial hardship felt by persons with disabilities. I look forward to working with the member opposite to achieve that goal.
Employment Insurance March 4th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, we understand the situation these mothers are in. It is very difficult. This is my motivation for changing the EI system. We can absolutely do better.
The system simply has not kept up with the way Canadians work, which is why we are spending so much time and effort on our modernization efforts for EI. We have heard from many mothers in this situation, and we are working to make things better, more equitable and fairer for women and for all workers in Canada.
Employment Insurance March 4th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, we know it is very hard for women who do not have access to employment insurance.
The Social Security Tribunal is an independent tribunal, and it made a decision. The Canada Employment Insurance Commission, which is also independent, opted to appeal the decision.
None of that changes our government's commitment and our focus on modernizing and adapting the EI system to the realities of the 20th century.
Employment Insurance March 3rd, 2022
Mr. Speaker, as I said, the Social Security Tribunal is an independent tribunal, and it has ruled.
The Canada Employment Insurance Commission, which is also independent, made the decision. However, we understand and are working very hard to adapt and modernize the EI system to better meet the needs of all workers, especially mothers.
Employment Insurance March 3rd, 2022
Mr. Speaker, the pandemic exposed major disparities in our EI system. That is why the government is working on modernizing it.
We have met with many partners across the country to gain an understanding of how we can reform EI so that it better meets the needs of workers, including mothers.
The Social Security Tribunal is an independent tribunal, and it made a decision. The Canada Employment Insurance Commission, which is also independent, opted to appeal the decision.
None of that changes our government's commitment, and we will keep working to adapt the EI system—
Persons with Disabilities February 10th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his ongoing commitment to raise up the hundreds of thousands of Canadians living below the poverty line who are working-age Canadians with disabilities. I thank him also for working with members in all parties in the House and, indeed, the other place to secure and build common ground around the introduction of the Canada disability benefit legislation.
We are working hard on this. It was a platform commitment, and it is a mandate commitment. We will deliver.
COVID-19 Economic Measures February 10th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, we acted quickly and brought in the Canada emergency response benefit when Canadians needed it most.
Although the Canada emergency response benefit is only available to individuals living in Canada, there were some recipients who work in Canada but have a mailing address in another country.
One example would be people working in Canada through the temporary foreign worker program. If an individual in this situation met all of the other criteria for the CERB, they were entitled to it.
COVID-19 Economic Measures February 10th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, what we will not apologize for, and in fact are extremely proud of, is having helped over eight million Canadians who received the CERB when they needed it most at the beginning of this pandemic. Verifications are ongoing to identify individuals who received the CERB but may not have been eligible, and claimants who are found to have received the benefit improperly will be required to reimburse the payment.