Connie Cody

Mr. Speaker, every G7 country faces global headwinds, yet only one is choosing to make inflation worse through domestic policy. Canada now leads the G7 in food price inflation, carries the only shrinking G7 economy and faces fuel costs nearly 20% higher than the United States, because the Liberal government is adding an industrial carbon tax and a fuel standard tax that will reach 17¢ per litre. [more]

Prime Minister Mr. Speaker, Canada's auto industry is in crisis. Since the Liberal government took office, production is down 50%, exports are down 50%, and thousands of jobs are gone. The Liberalthinks we should surrender, but Conservatives say we should act. We put forward a new auto pact, with real solutions to make it easier to build and buy Canadian, restore free trade and protect [more]

C-16 Do you feel that Billgives enough tools to identify and respond to those situations?

C-16 I'd also like to ask Ms. Kim this. From a legal perspective, do you see any gaps in Billwhen it comes to protecting seniors, particularly in cases of coercion or financial abuse that may not fit traditional definitions of intimate partner violence?

Thank you to the witnesses for coming today. I also want to give my condolences to Ms. Irons on the loss of her daughter. In my work on the status of women committee, I've heard concerning testimony that the trafficking and exploitation of seniors are increasing. I've also heard, through conversations with the chief of police in a northern community, that elder abuse is now ranking third, behind [more]

Ms. Silverstone, are there barriers that might make it harder for seniors to access these protections?

Mr. Speaker, Unifor has been approaching a lot of members of Parliament, and its theme has been, “Buy Canadian, sell here and build here.” That is our policy. Why does my colleague think the Liberals are fighting it?

I would like to move to Joanne Blinco. Just recently, I was up in northern Ontario. I had a really long conversation with the chief of police up there. I was very surprised to hear how much elder abuse has increased. It's third on their list, next to intimate partner violence and child exploitation. In your research, what is the primary source of abuse and vulnerability for senior women [more]

You mentioned caregivers a lot. Nearly 40% of caregivers are at a breaking point due to distress, yet the wage budget of $347.8 million continues to fund theoretical research rather than direct respite. How would a shift toward direct, refundable caregiver benefits reduce the risk of elder abuse by alleviating the financial desperation that so often precipitates domestic conflict?

Thank you. I'll go back to Pierre Lynch. CMHC data show that the gap in core housing need between men and women widens as they age, hitting 14.6% for women over 75. Effectively, the government has ignored the age-gender dynamics in its national housing strategy. What things do you see that need to change to adequately address this?

I'd like to move to Rose Joudi for a question. There are a lot of challenges that affect only women or have a much higher effect on women, such as leaving the workforce to care for children and women-related health issues, to name just a few. What are some ways these women-specific challenges manifest themselves later in life and in retirement?

Another way widowed senior women are disadvantaged by government policies is through the CPP survivor's pension. When a woman's partner passes away, she becomes eligible for the survivor's pension, but it can never exceed the maximum individual CPP payment. Effectively, a household could go from nearly $3,000 in CPP down to $1,500 when a spouse dies, and the government takes back the deceased [more]