Debates of April 24th, 2006

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Susan Kadis, Liberal, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am in a quandary myself, wondering why the member's party continues to support a government that is going completely in the opposite direction. The government is deviating entirely from the member's most important so-called principles. I fail to understand how the member could compromise that of which he speaks about so fervently. I fail to understand how the member could say one thing and do another. I guess there is a consistency here. It is happening with the government and it is happening with the NDP.

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have this opportunity to take part in this debate and to air my views on the Speech from the Throne.

I would like to begin my remarks this afternoon by thanking the people of Nipissing--Timiskaming for their overwhelming support during the recent election campaign. It was a very long and many times challenging campaign; however, thanks to the outstanding efforts of countless volunteers I have the great honour and privilege of representing Nipissing--Timiskaming for a second term.

Since I was first elected to the House of Commons in 2004, I have consulted with literally thousands of constituents to discuss the issues that matter most to them. These issues include: productivity, the environment, aboriginal Canadians, education, agriculture, and infrastructure funding for cities and communities.

When the Prime Minister laid out his agenda for the 39th Parliament in the Speech from the Throne, he reiterated his five campaign promises, but he offered no comprehensive vision for the future of Canada. What struck me most about the Speech from the Throne was not so much what was included in it but rather what was left out. None of the issues that I cited moments ago, as being priorities for my constituents, were addressed by the Conservative plan.

Canada, as most countries, faces complex and wide-ranging issues, both nationally and internationally. We need a government that is prepared to face these challenges head on, not ignore them for the sake of the Prime Minister's partisan desire to control the message. The hope, of course, is that by working cooperatively with the Liberals and the other opposition parties, the Conservatives will acknowledge the need to develop a truly national vision that reflects the priorities of all Canadians.

The Liberal opposition was recently successful in amending the throne speech to stop the Conservatives from raising taxes. We did this by including an amendment that recognized that the Conservative government inherited one of the strongest economies and by far the best fiscal position of all the G-7 countries. Therefore, there should be no reason for Conservatives to raise income taxes and reduce child care spaces to accommodate their GST cut and payments to parents.

We were also successful in including aboriginal Canadians, seniors, farm families and new Canadians, all of whom were left out of the Prime Minister's five point vision. These amendments illustrate how we can work cooperatively to ensure that the policies and actions of the government better reflect Canadian values. We must note however that there is still much work to be done.

Given that the Liberals have handed the Conservatives the strongest economy and best fiscal position in the G-7, why is the government not implementing the historic Kelowna accord which will raise the standards of living for Canada's first nations, Inuit and Métis people? Why is the government cancelling the child care funding agreements with the provinces? Why is it reneging on Canada's Kyoto commitments to deal with climate change and the environmental degradation to Canada's air, land and water? Why is the government rolling back investment in research and development that would help Canada better compete in the 21st century's knowledge-based global economy? Why is the government ignoring the infrastructure and environmental needs of Canada's cities and communities?

As the member of Parliament for Nipissing--Timiskaming, I must ensure that the needs of my constituents are being properly assessed. As the FedNor critic I also have a responsibility to make certain that the Conservative government remains committed to all of northern Ontario. Prior to the most recent election campaign, the current Prime Minister made countless comments making it very clear that he did not believe in the effectiveness of regional development programs such as FedNor and COMRIF, among others.

During the campaign itself however the Conservative leader had a sudden about-face on the issue and tried to assure voters that a Conservative government would in fact remain committed to regional development. He even went so far as to dismiss claims to the contrary as nothing more than Liberal propaganda.

Since then, the Prime Minister and his Conservative government have done very little to demonstrate their so-called commitment to regional development or the people of northern Ontario for that matter. This is just one of several promises that seem to have been conveniently shelved, forgotten or broken since the Conservatives assumed power.

When I was first elected as MP for Nipissing--Timiskaming, I made it clear to my constituents that my goal was to work with them in order to revitalize our economy, promote growth through job creation, and to do so within the context of a sound environmental framework. During the past session of Parliament, I worked very hard in partnership with community leaders, businesses, organizations and individuals throughout the riding to help realize these goals together.

To that end, I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish together. Northern Ontario benefited greatly from the previous Prime Minister's leadership and Nipissing—Timiskaming in particular benefited from the Liberal government's commitment to regional development.

My concern is that much of the successes we achieved under the previous government will now be lost or severely hindered under the current regime. Quite frankly, there is no good reason why we cannot build and maintain a strong, vibrant economy in my riding and throughout northern Ontario, and all of Canada for that matter. Whether it is domestic or international business, it can be done from anywhere in the world and that includes Nipissing—Timiskaming.

In this case, our ability to succeed depends largely on the federal government's ability to identify the priorities and meet the needs of the people who live and do business in northern Ontario. This begins with investment in infrastructure through programs such as COMRIF. COMRIF is a partnership between the Government of Canada and the government of Ontario, designed to help improve and renew public infrastructure in municipalities all across the province.

Last year, the Government of Canada and Ontario announced over $249 million in projects funded under COMRIF intake one, including over $16 million for municipalities throughout Nipissing—Timiskaming. At that time, the city of North Bay in my riding received the single largest COMRIF investment of $15 million from each of the two levels of government toward a new water filtration plant.

This past week the minister responsible for FedNor released a list of infrastructure projects for COMRIF intake two. I was pleased to learn that two projects from Nipissing—Timiskaming received funding, but I was very disappointed that more applications from my riding and throughout northern Ontario were not even considered.

Without the necessary infrastructure investment in northern Ontario, building and sustaining a vibrant economy is made increasingly difficult. Add to this the rising cost of fuel, the ongoing softwood lumber dispute, inadequate funding for farmers and producers, and many other issues in northern Ontario communities, it is easy to understand why my constituents feel abandoned by the Conservative government.

In the weeks and months ahead, I intend to continue to work very hard alongside my caucus colleagues and members of other opposition parties to ensure that the people of northern Ontario are treated fairly. Furthermore, I also remain committed to working hand in hand with the people I represent to ensure that their needs are being put front and centre. They voted for integrity and determination, and I intend to deliver.

[Lloyd St. Amand, Liberal, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to the speech from my hard-working and dedicated colleague. He mentioned many issues important to Canadians which are not mentioned in the Speech from the Throne or are touched upon in a very scathing way only.

He mentioned in particular first nations. He talked about the bare mention or reference to our aboriginal Canadians, 1.3 million of them. Five months ago today the historic Kelowna accord was signed. My concern is that aboriginals across Canada are thinking yet again there will be another delay of another five months. Ideally, they would at least have received from the government a commitment to implement the Kelowna accord. Five months later that commitment is not there.

Bare reference has been made to aboriginal issues in the Speech from the Throne. I have heard about it in my riding. I am wondering if my hon. colleague has heard comments in his riding from his constituents about the inadequacy of the Speech from the Throne vis-à-vis our aboriginal brothers and sisters.

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's question is very pertinent and important because native issues are very important not only in my riding but in much of northern Ontario and northern Canada.

When we hear what was said about the Kelowna accord, there is one comment that comes to mind. I cannot think of who the member was from the Conservative Party but he or she said it was written on the back of a napkin and was kind of thrown together in one weekend. The grand chief from my region was there and worked for 18 months, that is just on his part, getting it together. A lot of work and discussion went into it to ensure that it served the needs of our native Canadians.

With one fell swoop, it was thrown aside. One of the great disappointments for all the natives in northern Ontario is that the Conservatives plan on disregarding and marginalizing them to the point where they will not have sufficient funding to go day to day in their operations. There was a good talk from the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development on how the government was going to take care of a lot of problems. Some of the problems that exist in northern Ontario are not being addressed by the government and I do not believe they will be addressed by the government.

[Ken Epp, Conservative, Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB]

Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals talk about the current government's approach to native issues they so totally misrepresent what we stand for that I am really disappointed in it. It just does not serve the dignity of the House or the government of the country.

The fact is that no one has a monopoly on compassion and care for other people in our society. We in our party are very dedicated and committed to doing what is best for our first nations people in the long run. However that does not mean that we immediately jump into some deal that has been struck by the previous government. We are now the government and we will investigate. We will see what has been done, what needs to be done and we shall do it with the greatest dispatch. I really wish that members opposite would stop mischaracterizing our view on these issues.

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what the question is but the question was on monopolizing compassion. I am not saying that anyone in this Parliament has any monopoly on compassion but one thing that I have seen from the other side is a complete lack or even understanding of compassion. It is all very much to the right wing and everyone stands up and does whatever he or she wants and to heck with our fellow neighbours.

What the hon. member on the other side lacks understanding on is compassion toward other people who are in this country with us.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about regional development because my colleague is the critic for FedNor and I am the critic for ACOA. It is very important in these parts of Canada that the Government of Canada play a role.

In my case, the minister for ACOA also happens to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs, a pretty busy portfolio. I believe that in his case the minister for FedNor happens to be the Minister of Health which is also a pretty busy portfolio. I think that shows a lack of respect. Nobody could really do both of those jobs and do them very effectively. Regional development in Atlantic Canada has played a very important role as I know it has in northern Ontario.

Could the member comment on how optimistic he is that it would continue?

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the words that keep coming back to me when I think of regional development are the words that came out of the Prime Minister when he was the opposition leader. I think the words he used were, “it breeds defeatism”.

What happens is that certain areas of the country deserve to have certain infrastructure so they can compete on a level playing field. I think it is important that we allow that infrastructure to develop so that any business or group competing on a national level is not put behind the eight ball. One of the key things about regional economic development is allowing that to happen, otherwise if we just take a laissez-faire attitude we end up with a concentration of population in certain areas.

Maybe what they are thinking is that we have five major centres, which are the five cities, and everybody should crowd in. I do not think that is the right way to look at it and that is certainly not my view of Canada. My view of Canada is having people right across Canada, up into the north, into the south and to both sides, east and west, so we can all work together and develop the country to be all that it can be.

[Dick Harris, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my colleague, the member for Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington.

This is my first speech in the 39th Parliament. I am not exactly a stranger to the House and it seems just a few short 13 years ago that I showed up as a greenhorn MP, which is nothing compared to your longevity, Mr. Speaker.

I am really grateful for the opportunity to thank the people of the great riding of Cariboo—Prince George for the confidence and trust they have placed in me by giving me the great honour to represent them for a fifth consecutive term of office. I see some of my colleagues on the other side who arrived here in 1993 as well. I am still happy to see them here and am thrilled they are all on that side.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my tremendous staff who over the last 13 years have redefined the meaning of client service to an extent that the quality of our constituency service is unparalleled in Canada. I thank Barb, Jeanne, Walt, Shelley, Donna and Gloria from the bottom of my heart for all they do for the people of my riding and for all they do for me.

This weekend sadly we learned that four Canadian soldiers had made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. These men were working to bring security, democracy, self-sufficiency and prosperity to the Afghan people and to protect Canada's national and collective security. We will not forget their selfless contribution to Canada. I express on behalf of myself, my family and the people of the riding of Cariboo—Prince George our deepest condolences to the families, friends and co-workers of these four brave men. Our thoughts are certainly with them.

The work the Canadian military and CIDA do for Afghanistan is most significant. Canadians can be proud that we are delivering humanitarian assistance, demonstrating international leadership and defending our national interests in a most dangerous world.

Canada has significant strategic interests in a secure, self-sufficient and democratic Afghanistan. At the request of the Afghan government, this Conservative government led by our great Prime Minister has made a commitment to helping the Afghan people restore stability, reinforce governance and reduce poverty in that country.

This year Canada has allocated $100 million for Afghanistan's development. The fact is that the security provided by the Canadian soldiers creates an atmosphere in which development can increasingly take place, and it does. It is so important for the world, for the Afghan people and of course for Canada's leadership on a global basis.

In March 2006 Canada announced new initiatives and renewed contributions to enhance security, address the drugs challenge, create economic opportunities and build confidence in government. These include: anti-personnel mine and ammunition stockpile destruction; disbandment of illegal armed groups; mine action national development budget; counter narcotics integrated alternative; livelihoods programs in Kandahar; counter narcotics trust fund; vocational training and food aid for war widows; national solidarity program; national area based development program; and Afghanistan reconstruction trust fund. Those are some of the things Canada is providing.

Let me give some examples of results which demonstrate that Canada, our great country, can make a difference around the world.

Afghanistan has a new constitution now and has held democratic presidential and parliamentary elections. These are things which just a few short years ago would have been unheard of in that country. There was so much strife. It was a war-torn country with civil wars, large and small, going on for decades.

Twelve thousand villages have access to funding for water needs. Imagine, 12,000 villages in a country that has had a problem getting safe clean drinking water. Living in Canada we turn the taps on and we get fresh water that is safe to drink and safe to bathe in. There are villages in Afghanistan that have not seen that for decades or that have never seen it.

Over four million children are now enrolled in schools in Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of Afghans, a large majority of whom are women, now have access to credit through which they can secure funds to have the opportunity to build better lives for themselves.

I am so proud of the bravery displayed by our forces in Afghanistan and the work we are doing to ensure that Afghanistan is secure and stable with a democratic government. Mr. Speaker, I know you share those thoughts. I know you have shown your concern for the Afghan people and appreciate the role Canada is playing in Afghanistan.

Canada has had a commitment around the world to show leadership in securing peace, in keeping peace and in providing training so that peace can continue. We have done that in so many cases. I am so proud of the role that our soldiers, our police and CIDA are playing. I believe that Canadians are most appreciative of the role that Canada is playing led by our Prime Minister and the Conservative government.

In our throne speech we laid out five priorities that Canadians have told us are at the top of their list, things that they want the government to demonstrate.

At the very top was accountability. We have brought in the new federal accountability act which will give Canadians once again the confidence that the government is being run in a prudent and conscientious manner with honesty and integrity, something that has not been seen for many years.

The prior Liberal government destroyed so much of the confidence and the trust that Canadians had in their government and we have set about to restore it. The new federal accountability act is a great step. It will set the bar for how governments in this country must behave for decades to come. I am so proud of our Prime Minister and my colleagues who all helped put this federal accountability act together. It is something we as a Conservative government under the leadership of our Prime Minister have placed before Parliament.

I know that my colleagues on the other side of the House are going to support the accountability act as well. They realize the importance of restoring the confidence that Canadians once had in their government and which was so sadly taken away from them over the last 13 years.

The GST reduction will benefit all Canadians by providing good tax relief. There will be child care that works. It recognizes that families all across this country, whether they are urban or rural, who have preschool children need help to provide care for those children while the parents try to provide for the family financially.

Cutting wait times at the hospital for critical care is another priority and Canadians have supported that. We are proud of our government and the leadership of our Prime Minister.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member spent quite a bit of time talking about foreign affairs, so I thought I should ask him a question regarding foreign affairs.

There is a report that a concentration camp has been found in China for Falun Gong practitioners and there is much concern about that. There is also a case about a gentleman whose name is Huseyincan Celil, a Canadian citizen from Burlington. He was detained in Uzbekistan and is facing extradition to China where he has been sentenced to death in absentia. Once extradited he likely will face the death penalty.

In the last election the Prime Minister asked Canadians to stand up for Canada. I wonder if the member would agree that maybe the question the people would like to ask the Prime Minister now is will he stand up for Canadians and intervene when there are Canadians abroad who are in difficulty?

The case of Mr. Celil is supported by Amnesty International, the Coalition of Muslim Organizations of Canada and other NGOs and the Celil family. They are pleading for the life of this Canadian abroad who is being held against his will. This is an issue of standing up for Canadians.

Will the hon. member, as a member of Parliament for 13 years, ask the foreign affairs minister and the Prime Minister to intervene immediately before this becomes another Maher Arar case?

[Dick Harris, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am not familiar with the Celil case, but I am familiar with the article regarding the alleged concentration camp where practitioners of Falun Gong have allegedly been held and there have been some tremendous human rights violations reported. It caught my eye because of the gravity of the article and the alleged human rights violations.

I want to assure the member that I am concerned about it. I will indeed bring it to the attention of our foreign affairs minister. I know that he is already aware of it, but I will make it my duty as a Canadian, someone who respects human rights in our country and around the world and someone who believes that countries that do not have respect for human rights should be taken to task in the strongest fashion. Canada with its record of human rights has a right to demand that countries we have a diplomatic arrangement with respect human rights in the same manner that Canada holds them so dearly in this country.

I will make that commitment to the member. I know he will join me if we have to pursue that cause in the House of Commons.

[Bill Siksay, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Cariboo—Prince George talked about the accountability act, the importance of it and the important material included in it, but there is one thing that is missing. It is the thing that fails to address the first major accountability crisis of the government, which is the defection, the floor crossing of the Minister of International Trade and the disrespect that he showed to the voters of Vancouver Kingsway who elected him as a Liberal, only to find him sitting as a Conservative in the House.

The NDP had proposals that we voted on in the last Parliament. In fact, some Conservatives supported that legislation in the last Parliament to ensure that when someone changed parties in this place, he or she would either sit as an independent or resign and submit to a byelection to give his or her constituents the ultimate choice about which corner of this House he or she would sit in.

Could the hon. member comment on the failure of the Conservative government to include floor crossing legislation as part of its accountability package?

[Dick Harris, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure that when the accountability act comes into the House for debate, members of opposition parties will put their views forward, both in the House and in committee, and propose some amendments. It is a work in progress. We welcome input from the members of the NDP, the Liberal Party and the Bloc. We look forward to their amendments being put forward and we can have a lively debate on them.

At this point, I would remind the member from the NDP that there is no such legislation in place at this time. Maybe at the end of the debate and the vote there will be.

Regarding the member for Vancouver Kingsway, who is now a member of our party, we made a darn good catch. The member, who decided that the Conservative Party was the best place for him, is going to serve our country well. It is good for British Columbia, it is good for the government and it is good for Canada. I am glad we have a catch like that member.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is my maiden speech in this Parliament and this gives me the opportunity, despite the limited time that I have, to take a moment to thank the voters of my riding who returned me with an substantially increased mandate and who turned out in great numbers this election. I am very appreciative to them.

I am appreciative to the fantastic campaign team that worked for me, headed by Mike Firth, my campaign manager. In particular, I am grateful to the folks who work with me in my office at Parliament Hill as well in my offices in the constituency in Carleton Place and Napanee. I thought I might just mention them by name. Shandy, Sonia, Steve and Brad work here on Parliament Hill, all of whom do a fantastic job. Anita and John work at my Napanee office, who do great constituency work. Sam, Andrea and Carol work at the Carleton Place office. Then there is my executive assistant, Mindy Conlin, who has been my pillar of strength and who also served as my memory very often for the last four and a half years, and has just been poached from me by the justice minister. All of them have been fantastic supporters for me and have done a great deal to make me a more successful representative in my riding.

I wanted to talk a bit about the fact that this is the shortest Speech from the Throne in living memory, but it is also the most focused Speech from the Throne in living memory. As everybody knows, there are many fewer words in this Speech from the Throne than there were in the one produced by the former Liberal government in the 38th Parliament, and there is a reason for that. We have an agenda and we can state it briefly and succinctly. It often takes many more words to say that one has nothing to say than it does to simply state what one's priorities are.

By now I suspect that many Canadians are familiar with the five priorities of our government, which we outlined in the election, again in the Speech from the Throne and subsequently, we are starting to demonstrate in our actions.

I am referring, first, to the new ethical standards laid out in the law, the federal accountability act; second, to the reduction in the GST from 7% to 6%, which will be included in our budget; third, to the legislation regarding the security and safety of our streets, our towns and our neighbourhoods, particularly with regard to toughening the offences for the misuse of firearms in the commissions of crime; fourth, to the giving of choice to parents in child care through the $1,200 payment that will be given annually to all parents of children under the age of six; and finally, but definitely not the least important, to the action that we are going to take, which was outlined in the Speech from the Throne, with regard to achieving shorter waiting times in conjunction with the provinces.

In short, if we put things a little differently, the Speech from the Throne is about higher ethical standards, lower taxes, safer streets, better and more accessible child care and faster high-quality public health care.

Is that focused? Absolutely, but it is also, from our other point of view, extraordinarily ambitious, particularly given the small number of words in which it was laid out.

I only have a few minutes and, therefore, I will turn my attention to the one aspect of the Speech from the Throne and of the government's agenda that matters the most to me. I think this is a metaphor for how in a very few words we have summarized a very ambitious agenda. This is the democratic reform agenda. I was the critic for democratic reform in the last Parliament. I now serve as the deputy House leader and, therefore, as an assistant to the Minister for Democratic Reform. On the one hand, what we say in the Speech from the Throne on the subject of democratic reform is very brief. We say this:

Building on the work begun in the last Parliament, this Government will seek to involve parliamentarians and citizens in examining the challenges facing Canada's electoral system and democratic institutions.

However, look at what this means. In terms of that part of the government's agenda that has already been laid in the legislation, and there is more to come, it means we are taking the financial reforms in the federal accountability act which are going to permanently remove the influence of money on federal politics. We are taking this element of our system out of it completely.

We will be removing all corporate and union donations, not merely to federal parties but to candidates, leadership campaigns and for nominations. We will ensure that only individuals can donate. To ensure that no individual can buy influence, we will be reducing the amount that individuals can donate down from $5,000 per individual to $1,000 per individual per annum.

Another important issue arose in the last Parliament from a private member's bill. We will ensure that senior electoral officials in every riding in the country will be people who are appointed based on merit not on partisan considerations. This was an idea brought forward by the Bloc Québécois, supported by the New Democrats and is now incorporated into the legislation. This is a tremendous step forward and will do a great deal to ensure we have a fair electoral system.

We also talked about changes to the Senate. We had many other elements in the Speech from the Throne or elements that were hinted at which will be coming forward in our government's agenda.

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Bill Blaikie]

It being 6:15 p.m., it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings.

Pursuant to order made Tuesday, April 11, 2006, the question on the motion as amended is deemed put and agreed to.

(Motion as amended agreed to)

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, I move:

That the Address be engrossed and presented to Her Excellency the Governor General by the Speaker.

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Bill Blaikie]

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Bill Blaikie]

(Motion agreed to)

It being 6:16 p.m., the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 6:17 p.m.)