Damien Kurek

[Petitions, December 16th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to stand before Christmas and table three petitions in the House of Commons today.

The first is from Canadians who are concerned about the politicization of charitable status, which was promised by the Liberal Party in the 2021 election. Canadians are very concerned about that and have signed a petition accordingly.

[Liberal Party of Canada, December 16th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have been losing control for years. It has just been behind closed doors. Now, they have lost control for all to see.

The deputy prime minister and minister of finance resigned today in a shocking move, saying that she no longer had the confidence of the Prime Minister. She left on the day she was planning on tabling a Titanic-sized deficit. I wish I could say this was a shock, but it is par for the course for a government that is in perpetual chaos. The irony is that the NDP and its sellout leader now have more confidence in the Prime Minister than his own inner circle does.

The real tragedy of it all is that it is Canadians who are hurting. Nine years of their wreaking havoc has been absolute devastation to our people. Canadians need an election now, so we can end the chaos, the corruption and the economic destruction brought about by the Liberal-NDP government, and let Canadians elect common-sense Conservatives to fix what that costly coalition has broken.

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I am proud to represent, as I mentioned before, camp Wainwright, many active servicemen and servicewomen and veterans. On Remembrance Day, I stopped by the Drumheller legion and had some great conversations. Veterans want us to make sure we are removing the barriers that exist currently, especially the bureaucratic barriers, to ensure they get the benefits they deserve.

In my final words, in case I do not have an opportunity to rise again, I wish a very merry Christmas to the Speaker and everyone in this place. Because we are talking about veterans, I wish a very merry Christmas to our past and present serving men and women in uniform.

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, it was the now Leader of the Opposition, at a time when spending was spiralling out of control and hundreds of billions of dollars of cash were being injected into the economy, who very clearly articulated the consequences of that would be the inflationary situation we find ourselves in today and the long-term impacts we will have, even as the target inflation increases come into what the Bank of Canada considers a target zone.

What is an indisputable fact is that the Prime Minister and the Liberals, supported by the NDP, have made life unaffordable for all seniors. The consequences of that have a devastating impact on Canadians' ability to make ends meet, to afford the food, heat and fuel they need in order to survive. It is the Liberals who are taking away the Canadian promise that, not so long ago, Canadians could count on.

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, Canadians do not have confidence in the government and the Prime Minister. Conservatives are ensuring that when it comes to matters of confidence, of which, if that member is not aware, every spending bill is a matter of confidence, it is time for a change. It is time for a carbon tax election because Canadians do not trust the Prime Minister, the government and the member.

Conservatives are taking a stand to make sure that the perspective of Canadians is increasingly being made known. I know that for a fact because people in Kingston are reaching out to us and sharing that exact opinion. They are tired of the member, they are tired of the government, and it is time for change. That is what Conservatives are offering.

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, as always, it is an honour to rise and talk about the important issues facing Canadians.

Before I get into the substance of my speech, let me first thank, on behalf of the people of Battle River—Crowfoot, and, because I represent a military base, camp Wainwright, the thousands of serving men and women who don our nation's uniform and do the hard work that is required to keep our nation safe. In spite of the challenges we face, these dedicated men and women are absolutely an incredible example of what it is to be the best of our country. Along with that, because of having a military base in Wainwright and the small towns and communities that surround it, there are many veterans whom I have the honour to represent.

As we go into the Christmas season, especially at a time when often emotions run high, and times can be difficult, whether because of economic circumstances or emotional circumstances for those who have faced loss, let me start by thanking the men and women who have served and who are currently serving our nation. All those veterans and servicemen and servicewomen are the best of what our country is.

We are here talking about an interesting subject, which reminds of the early months when I was first elected. I heard from a veteran, Tom, who shared a bit of his story with me. He reached out to my office before COVID, which seems like a long time ago. As a newly elected MP, I heard from Tom and he described a little bit about himself. He was a technician in the armed forces. He had served in a number of overseas deployments, had retired and was now doing contract work with DND. However, he had spent much of his life, as is the story of so many who have served our country, travelling and did not call any one place home for very long. He had just settled down in a small town in rural Alberta, which is, of course, the greatest place on the planet. After getting settled there, he bought his first house, which he was very proud of. He then found love and got married, but much to his surprise when wanting to make sure that his wife was taken care of, while updating the pension documents and associated paperwork, he learned about this clause that would eliminate the ability of his spouse to be entitled to his pension. If memory serves correctly, he was just over the age of 60, and so had just fallen out of the qualification range. He was now having to make difficult decisions in terms of long-term planning for his family, because of the implications of this clause.

I remember very specifically the grace with which his request was made, as Tom explained that he wanted to see that this was fixed so that others did not have to go through what he went through. I would highlight that while this was part of the mandate of, I believe, two or three consecutive ministers of Veterans Affairs, there were some proposed changes, which were clarifying changes that did not actually fix the substance of the issue, but clarified some of the rules around marriage versus common-law in the superannuation acts affected. However, this is still a concern that many veterans have to face.

We deal with this on other public policy issues, such as CPP, OAS and other seniors' benefits. At the time when many of these things were brought into effect, the average life expectancy of Canadians was significantly lower than it is today. As a result, the calculations associated with these programs were based on a life expectancy that was generally much lower. Thankfully, because of advancements in health and whatnot, we see that the average life expectancy now of men and women in Canada is pushing 80, and I believe for women it is a little above 80, which is good news for Canadians, but it has also changed the way that many of these things are calculated. The context in which that happens has in fact changed.

In 1901, this policy was brought forward. Circumstances were very different in terms of what an average Canadian family life would look like. We couple all of those things together and now we have individuals who are simply falling through the cracks.

Let me highlight how important it is that we honour and respect our veterans because they are putting their lives on hold. It is not that they get into the military. I do not know that I have ever heard of a military serviceman or servicewoman who gets into the military because they want to serve for the pay. They get into it because they want to serve our country; they want to do what is best for our country. I am proud to serve in a caucus with a number of veterans, and get to hear their perspectives, including the member for Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, who spent some time in military service. I think he does not boast enough about his time with the Snowbirds, the pride of the Air Force. Those incredible men and women put their lives on hold and not for financial gain. There is a sacred obligation that the government has to ensure that they are taken care of.

When it comes to what is really a technical issue of ensuring that family members are able to have peace and security, as life can be unpredictable, we need to ensure what should be predictable at a time when men and women face circumstances that so often are, by nature of their service, unpredictable, and the consequences that go along with that. I know about that very well from some of the things that happened in my own life last fall.

I would just highlight that this is, I believe, incumbent upon all of us. Camrose is the only city that I represent, a small city, about 18,000 people, where my main constituency office is. I remember John, who lives in Camrose. He was a veteran who was very outspoken and very stereotypical in terms of the demeanour we would expect from a military man. He had very strong opinions and was not afraid to share them with me. I knocked on his door in the 2019 election, again in the 2021 election, and we had great conversations. He pointed out to me, which I am highlighting again today in the House of Commons, the irony that an MP qualifies for a pension after six years, but that is certainly not what is afforded to our veterans, although they have put their lives on the line for our country.

I think that highlights how quite often there is a disconnect in the way we approach thinking about what public service is. We must do everything we can to ensure that our men and women who put their lives on the line are, in fact, given dignity and respect. It highlights how difficult it is for all Canadians, specifically those who are on fixed incomes, like those who are pensioners, and the fact that someone may have a pension that may increase by 2% or 3%, sometimes less, sometimes, if someone is fortunate, a little bit more than that, but yet their costs are significantly more than that.

I asked the parliamentary secretary earlier if he could explain to Canadians how celebrating the rate of inflation coming down does not actually mean cost savings. It is important to highlight that and just highlight another important aspect here, which is the help that veterans need.

I want to give a shout-out. During the first week of September, I had a great conversation with members of the Worthington branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in Wainwright, Alberta. That is home to camp Wainwright, one of the army's training facilities. I am very proud to represent that. I had a great conversation with the president of the legion and other representatives, including some veterans, who shared practical steps that the government could take and, in some cases, not even steps that would cost much in terms of the dollar amount, but just to help make sure that barriers are removed and that veterans are respected.

Something interesting came up which I will put on the record here, just as I wrap up my speech. We need to make sure that, when a veteran calls for help, it is a veteran who answers the phone. That seems to me like common sense. Sometimes when a veteran is facing a difficult circumstance, making sure they have somebody who answers the phone who is in fact a veteran would give them the calming security they need and help to ensure they get the response that they need.

When it comes to the important issue of this particular clause and the larger issues surrounding veterans, I am glad to have had the chance to intervene today.

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, it sounds like the member for Kingston and the Islands also has an opinion on the matter.

Would the parliamentary secretary acknowledge that prices have not gone down when it comes to what Canadians are actually paying for things at the grocery store?

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity, as always, to be able to stand and ask important questions.

When it comes to the specifics, this is related to pensions and survivors benefits for veterans and military servicemen and women after the age of 60. However, it does open up the bigger conversation about many of the challenges that so many Canadians, in particular veterans, are facing when it comes to food insecurity, homelessness and, in particular, the cost of living associated with those things.

A comment was made yesterday by the Prime Minister that inflation was down. Would the parliamentary secretary acknowledge that is misleading, especially to individuals on fixed incomes, like pensioners? Inflation is not down. The costs of things are not going down; it is the rate at which costs are rising that has slowed.

Would the parliamentary secretary—

[Business of Supply, December 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the speech that my colleague from Ontario just gave. When it comes to calling out the leader of the fourth party in this place, the leader of the NDP, it truly is one of these examples where the talk comes to action.

I am wondering if my colleague from Ontario could expand a little bit on how the vote that will take place in just a few days is an opportunity for the fourth party to decide whether they are all talk or whether they are willing to take action and actually put these ideas to the test before Canadians.

[Privilege, December 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I would simply say to the member for Saint John—Rothesay that it is time for the Prime Minister to do what he is legally allowed to do under the Official Secrets Act, which is to release the names. In fact, there are very clear provisions that allow him to release the names in the public interest. He refuses to do it. The question I think many Canadians have is what does he have to hide.