Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2008-03-31 18:45:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP)",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"997527\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, I want to take this rare opportunity to follow up on a question I asked the minister recently about an error admitted to by Statistics Canada in calculating the rate of inflation.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997528\" data-originallang=\"en\">As members will recall, I have been raising this issue in the House on behalf of seniors since it first became public in August 2006. I would like to remind members of the House and people who may be watching us tonight on television what is at issue here.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997529\" data-originallang=\"en\">Between July 2001 and March 2006, Statistics Canada underestimated the consumer price index by one-tenth of one percentage point in each of those five years. This means that recipients of the old age security, Canada pension plan and the guaranteed income supplement were shortchanged on their cost of living adjustments for a period of five years. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997530\" data-originallang=\"en\">When the error was discovered, the correctly calculated CPI was implemented but it was not implemented retroactively. Rather, it was implemented effective mid-2006. Seniors were never reimbursed for the intervening five years and therein lies the rub.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997531\" data-originallang=\"en\">When I raised this question on a previous occasion, the parliamentary secretary to the minister acknowledged the mistake but said that the government was obliged to act based on published CPI data, even if those published data were wrong. The member said:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"997532\" data-originallang=\"en\"> The Department of Human Resources and Social Development is required by law to use the published CPI data in the indexation of the Canada pension plan and old age security benefits. Human Resources and Social Development Canada acted correctly and according to the law. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"997533\" data-originallang=\"en\">However, as I and, indeed, seniors and newspapers from around the country have been asking: Where does that leave the seniors who were underpaid for almost five years? Should they not get a retroactive payment? It was not their fault. It was not the fault of the government department concerned. It was Statistics Canada's fault but it does not have that amount of money to pay out.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997534\" data-originallang=\"en\">The government has acknowledged the error and corrected the current rates but so far it has dodged the issue. In fact, the government has continued to dodge the issue in question period, in correspondence and in response to petitions that I have tabled in the House.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997535\" data-originallang=\"en\">The former minister of human resources and social development dodged the issue. The parliamentary secretary to the minister dodged the issue. The Secretary of State for Seniors dodged the issue and the current <a data-HoCid=\"105827\" href=\"/politicians/269/\" title=\"Monte Solberg\">Minister of Human Resources and Social Development</a> has dodged the issue.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997536\" data-originallang=\"en\">Instead, they all tried to avoid taking responsibility by talking about other issues that have impacted seniors.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997537\" data-originallang=\"en\">Tonight let me put the question as simply as I can with no more opportunities for fudging. Will the government do the right thing and reimburse seniors for the money that is owed to them as a result of Statistics Canada's miscalculation of the CPI between 2001 and 2006, yes or no?</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"997527\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, je veux profiter de la rare occasion qui nous est donn\u00e9e pour revenir sur une question que j'ai pos\u00e9e au ministre r\u00e9cemment au sujet d'une erreur dans le calcul du taux d'inflation que Statistique Canada a admis avoir commise.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997528\" data-originallang=\"en\">Les d\u00e9put\u00e9s ne sont pas sans savoir que je soul\u00e8ve la question \u00e0 la Chambre au nom des personnes \u00e2g\u00e9es depuis que l'erreur a \u00e9t\u00e9 rep\u00e9r\u00e9e, soit depuis ao\u00fbt 2006. Permettez-moi de rappeler aux d\u00e9put\u00e9s et aux Canadiens qui suivent notre d\u00e9bat ce soir \u00e0 la t\u00e9l\u00e9vision de quoi il retourne.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997529\" data-originallang=\"en\">Entre juillet 2001 et mars 2006, Statistique Canada a sous-estim\u00e9 l'indice des prix \u00e0 la consommation d'un dixi\u00e8me de un pour cent \u00e0 chacune des cinq ann\u00e9es. Cela signifie que les b\u00e9n\u00e9ficiaires de la S\u00e9curit\u00e9 de la vieillesse, du R\u00e9gime de pensions du Canada et du Suppl\u00e9ment de revenu garanti ont perdu du terrain pendant cinq ans au moment des rajustement fond\u00e9s sur le co\u00fbt de la vie.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997530\" data-originallang=\"en\">Lorsque l'erreur a \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9couverte, l'indice des prix \u00e0 la consommation correctement calcul\u00e9 a \u00e9t\u00e9 mis en vigueur, mais sans effet r\u00e9troactif. C'\u00e9tait au milieu de 2006. Les personnes \u00e2g\u00e9es n'ont jamais obtenu de remboursement pour les cinq ann\u00e9es pendant lesquelles il y a eu une erreur. C'est l\u00e0 le probl\u00e8me.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997531\" data-originallang=\"en\">Lorsque j'ai pos\u00e9 la question, le secr\u00e9taire parlementaire du ministre a reconnu qu'il y avait eu une erreur, mais a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 que le gouvernement \u00e9tait oblig\u00e9 de se fonder sur l'indice des prix \u00e0 la consommation officiel, m\u00eame si le chiffre \u00e9tait erron\u00e9. Le d\u00e9put\u00e9 avait alors d\u00e9clar\u00e9 ceci:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"997532\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Le minist\u00e8re des Ressources humaines et du D\u00e9veloppement social est tenu par la loi d'utiliser l'IPC aux fins de l'indexation du R\u00e9gime de pensions du Canada et des prestations de S\u00e9curit\u00e9 de la vieillesse. Ressources humaines et D\u00e9veloppement social Canada a fait ce qu'il fallait, en conformit\u00e9 de la loi. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"997533\" data-originallang=\"en\">Toutefois, comme les a\u00een\u00e9s et les journalistes de partout au pays et moi-m\u00eame l'avons souvent demand\u00e9: qu'en est-il des personnes \u00e2g\u00e9es qui, pendant pr\u00e8s de cinq ans, n'ont pas re\u00e7u l'argent auquel elles avaient droit? N'ont-elles pas droit \u00e0 un paiement r\u00e9troactif? Ce n'\u00e9tait pas de leur faute. Ce n'\u00e9tait pas non plus de la faute du minist\u00e8re en cause. C'\u00e9tait la faute de Statistique Canada, mais le gouvernement n'a pas les fonds n\u00e9cessaires pour les rembourser. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997534\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le gouvernement a reconnu l'erreur et corrig\u00e9 les taux, mais il continue d'esquiver la question. En fait, le gouvernement a toujours esquiv\u00e9 la question, tant au cours de la p\u00e9riode des questions que dans la correspondance et dans les r\u00e9ponses aux p\u00e9titions que j'ai d\u00e9pos\u00e9es \u00e0 la Chambre \u00e0 cet \u00e9gard.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997535\" data-originallang=\"en\">L'ancienne ministre des Ressources humaines et du d\u00e9veloppement social a esquiv\u00e9 la question. La secr\u00e9taire parlementaire de la ministre a esquiv\u00e9 la question. La secr\u00e9taire d'\u00c9tat aux A\u00een\u00e9s a esquiv\u00e9 la question et le <a data-HoCid=\"105827\" href=\"/politicians/269/\" title=\"Monte Solberg\">ministre des Ressources humaines et du D\u00e9veloppement social</a> a \u00e9galement esquiv\u00e9 la question. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997536\" data-originallang=\"en\">Ils ont tous plut\u00f4t tent\u00e9 d'\u00e9viter d'en assumer la responsabilit\u00e9 en parlant d'autres probl\u00e8mes qui ont eu des r\u00e9percussions sur les personnes \u00e2g\u00e9es. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"997537\" data-originallang=\"en\">Permettez-moi ce soir de poser la question le plus simplement possible, de fa\u00e7on \u00e0 emp\u00eacher toute esquive. Le gouvernement prendra-t-il les mesures qui s'imposent et remboursera-t-il aux personnes \u00e2g\u00e9es l'argent qu'il leur doit par suite des erreurs de calcul qui ont \u00e9t\u00e9 commises par Statistique Canada?</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2008/3/31/chris-charlton-1/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/chris-charlton/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/372/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "2382918",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Adjournment Proceedings",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "h3": {
        "en": "Seniors",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2008/3/31/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2008%2F3%2F31%2F"
    }
}