House of Commons Hansard #88 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was election.

Topics

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4 p.m.

NDP

The Acting Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

I would just like to remind members not to mention the names of sitting members of Parliament again.

The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake, MB

Madam Speaker, I am sitting here somewhat in disbelief listening to the rhetoric coming from the member for Malpeque.

In his comments about where we are heading with the agricultural industry, he blames it all on this government, when we know that the world is going through an economic recession that is driving down commodity prices worldwide and is no doubt hurting cattle and hog prices.

I am a cattle producer myself. I represent a large rural area. I have been to the cattle sales over the last couple of weeks and they have not been good, but that is not just because of things that are going on with the border and with the government. It is because of an oversupply of animals, high feed grain costs and high input costs. Those things are having an impact on price.

There is no question that country of origin labelling has had a major impact on trade going to the south. It presents some opportunities for us here to do more in processing locally and feeding more cattle locally, and we are starting to see a lot of initiatives. Just recently two processing plants in Manitoba got a $50 million program to help with loans to expand their plants and convert them into federally inspected plants that will help with regional processing there.

However, the member is completely wrong in some of his comments. I wonder why he went and voted against farmers in my riding. The other night on our ways and means motion, he voted against tax deferrals for farmers facing drought and flooding. My area has been hit really hard with flooding. He voted against that. Rather than standing up for farmers, he stood up for his leader.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE

Madam Speaker, I believe that tax measure, if I am correct, passed this House and we are glad to see that the tax measure in fact goes to producers, but if he would follow my remarks, he would understand that there is just no way. Farmers are suffering. I find it unbelievable that the member from Manitoba can stand up in this House again and again and support the government.

The fact of the matter is that the minister from 2003 to 2006 put in place a program to get processing capacity and slaughter capacity up in this country and we could slaughter all our own. Since the government came into effect, that has eroded away and we are in the same situation again.

Maybe the Minister of Public Safety had it right in terms of the government's position relative to farmers. He is closing down the Frontenac prison farm in Kingston and here is what he had to say about why he was doing it:

We felt that that money could be more adequately redirected to programs where people would actually gain employable skills, as virtually nobody who went through those prison farms ended up with employable skills.

Obviously the government does not think farming--

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

NDP

The Acting Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

I regret to interrupt the member, but resuming debate, the hon. government House leader.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

Prince George—Peace River B.C.

Conservative

Jay Hill ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to rise today. I would like to address this motion, not only from my point of view as government House leader, but as a member representing the interests of British Columbians. As House leader, I am proud of what our government has delivered in Parliament for Canadians and I might say, just look at what we have accomplished in this week alone.

However, before I get to this important list of the things we have accomplished, I would like to indicate to the Chair that I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Blackstrap.

On Monday, we tabled in the House of Commons the third report to Canadians on our economic action plan. It reports that 90% of the stimulus funding for this fiscal year has now been committed to more than 7,500 infrastructure and housing projects. Over 4,000 of these projects have been launched in the first six months of our 24-month plan.

On Tuesday, Bill C-50 was adopted at second reading and sent to committee. The bill will provide additional employment insurance regular benefits to unemployed, long-tenured workers.

On Wednesday, the government introduced the second economic recovery bill. The bill will implement the home renovation tax credit and includes other measures from our very successful budget 2009.

The government is making this a productive Parliament for all Canadians. Even as the House adjourned for the summer, this sitting of Canada's 40th Parliament had seen more government bills introduced than in any Parliament's first sitting since 1993, 54 pieces of legislation in total. Yet what is especially remarkable amidst a Parliament that this motion we are debating today is attempting to kill is that 26 of those bills attained royal assent or passed into law. That is the second highest royal assent rate for a first sitting of a parliamentary session since 1993, and as members know, that was a majority government.

The legislation passed has been diverse, meaningful and ambitious including the legislation that allowed us to implement our economic action plan. It is that very plan that has inspired greater confidence in our government among British Columbians and my constituents in Prince George—Peace River amidst this global economic recession.

The resource sectors in B.C. were among the first to be hit by the global downturn, yet throughout the past several months our government has taken targeted, tangible action that addresses the economic needs of British Columbians. The forestry sector in B.C. is benefiting from the $1 billion green transformation fund which will help struggling pulp and paper producers become more energy efficient and competitive in tough economic times. The fund provides forest companies with 16¢ per litre of black liquor produced by mills in the 2009 calendar year so that they can lower their energy costs and their carbon emissions.

We also enhanced the employment insurance work-sharing program which is used by mills to avoid layoffs during adverse market conditions. This has been incredibly successful right across the country, but especially in my riding of Prince George—Peace River where the expansion of the work-sharing program has meant the retention of hundreds of jobs. Thanks to these improvements, thousands more forestry workers will remain gainfully employed until market conditions improve.

Furthermore, we significantly expanded training opportunities under the EI program to ensure laid-off British Columbians can get the training they need to transition into a new career or industry. Older workers, long-tenured workers, aboriginals, contractors, the self-employed and those just entering the workforce are getting more training and skills assistance from this government than they ever have before. Just as workers must diversify and expand their skills during this downturn, communities must also adapt and restructure their economies.

Our government has partnered with the provincial government, municipal governments, local economic development organizations and businesses to ensure our hardest-hit communities emerge from this recession stronger than before.

The $1 billion community adjustment fund alone has brought tremendous hope to struggling towns and villages throughout the province of B.C. and things are happening quickly. In central and northern B.C., the federal government partnered with the Northern Development Initiative Trust to deliver $30 million in community adjustment funds to support local projects that are creating jobs and restoring economic stability now in communities heavily reliant on resource-based industries such as forestry and mining. I would like to pay special tribute to the Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, my colleague from Blackstrap.

The Northern Development Initiative Trust, or NDIT as it is known, identified projects, many of which are already under way, that will create or preserve over 1,400 jobs in central and northern B.C. NDIT has also been instrumental in helping municipalities and businesses access federal and provincial funding by teaching them how to write better grant applications. The result has been that some of the smaller communities in central and northern B.C., especially my riding, which have limited resources and staff, have been able to secure the funding they need to sustain their infrastructure. These are opportunities they may have missed in the past. These opportunities are offered through the expanded building Canada communities component, through the recreation and infrastructure fund, through the national trails partnership, through the stimulus fund, and the list goes on.

Last week I was joined in Vancouver by B.C.'s premier to announce the latest round of Canada-B.C. infrastructure investments, a further 174 projects totalling $719 million, which will add to the frenzy of construction activity that B.C. residents have been witnessing throughout the past several months.

A week earlier, B.C. residents celebrated the Prime Minister's announcement in Washington, D.C. that the Government of Canada will contribute up to $130 million toward the construction of B.C.'s northwest transmission line. I think it is important to note that this project is located in the riding of the NDP member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley. Financed through the green infrastructure fund, this project could advance a connection between southeast Alaska and the North American transmission grid, via B.C. The transmission line will ensure a more efficient electricity grid and increase the use of clean and renewable sources of energy.

Our government is investing in projects that ensure both economic stimulus and environmental stewardship in the long term. I am proud that the Bear Mountain wind park, located in my constituency, just outside of Dawson Creek, will be B.C.'s first operational wind farm, thanks in part to a $20.5 million investment by our federal government. The Bear Mountain wind project has created hundreds of local jobs during construction, and when it comes online it will create more employment and training opportunities. It will also power up to 25,000 homes with clean, renewable, greenhouse gas-free and pollution-free energy.

The government has earned the confidence of Canadians by getting job-creating projects like these under way in communities all across our country, helping to cushion us against the impact of the global economic downturn. What is more, these activities will ensure that our cities, towns and villages possess critical energy and infrastructure, highways, roads, bridges, recreation facilities, sewers, water systems and more, so that communities and residents can thrive and flourish for decades to come.

This brings me to the question: Why are the Liberals proposing a motion of non-confidence in our government today? We are getting things done in Parliament. I have explained that. We are getting things done now, good things, throughout communities right across the country. No one wants an election. It would be irresponsible to go to the polls just as our economy is beginning its fragile return from the recession. Who in their right mind would want to interrupt that?

What is scary is that while our government and the rest of the country are focused on economic recovery, the Liberal Party and its leader are focused on prompting an unnecessary election. In the motion itself, the Liberals provide no reason for their lack of confidence in the government. That is because they simply have no reason, other than their opportunistic attempt to grab power.

I have not been able to find a single Canadian who wants an election, and I have travelled across our land. The leader of the Liberal Party was asked in the chamber to name a Canadian who wants an election. Presumably he could not name one this morning, because he did not name any. He should set aside his desire for an unnecessary election and a premature return to Harvard, and instead commit to working with our government for the betterment of all Canadians. With the help of the opposition, we can stay the course to the betterment of all Canadians.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Shawn Murphy Liberal Charlottetown, PE

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member across for his questions, but as he has been reading in the media over the last couple of days, this spending that he elaborated on seems to be an elaborate pork scheme if we look at it. Especially in the province of British Columbia, the funding in Conservative ridings is about four times what it is in non-Conservative ridings.

I want to point out to the member across that the deficit now is $56 billion. A year ago the Prime Minister was on TV promising Canadians that there would be no deficit. In January he said it was $34 billion. In February it was $45 billion. Now it is something like $55 billion or $65 billion. No one knows.

This is my question to the member across: Is this $56 billion deficit, which has to be paid back by our children, by generations to come, not just an elaborate reward scheme for Conservative ridings across Canada?

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Jay Hill Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC

Madam Speaker, that is quite interesting. The opposition members have been trying to tag us with what they perceive to be an inequity in how these funds are allocated across the country. Whether it is in question period, on panels, in discussions or in interviews, we have seen time and time again that they are unable to provide the evidence of that.

I named just a few programs. There is a myriad of programs. He is quite right in his assertion that our country is facing a large deficit. It is of concern to all of us. That is why we have done everything we can to ensure it is not a structural deficit, that it will come to a close at the end of the two-year period and that we provide stimulus for the Canadian economy.

Specific to his allegation, and I will call it that to be kind, of the inequity of funding, I mentioned in my speech the $130 million that I fought hard for to get to the northwest corner of British Columbia, not into my riding.

I have a list of other projects, but I see you are about to rise and cut me off before I get to them, Madam Speaker. Hopefully the next question will provide me with the opportunity to answer my hon. colleague.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:15 p.m.

NDP

The Acting Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

The hon. member may undoubtedly continue. I am trying to be fair in allocating time.

The hon. member for Elmwood—Transcona.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:20 p.m.

NDP

Jim Maloway NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB

Madam Speaker, over the last couple of weeks, not one person has phoned my office to ask me for an election. In fact, it has been the opposite. One hundred percent of the people I have talked to are in opposition to what will amount to a $300 million expense that no one wants. That would reset the clock on all the legislation we have been debating, for the third time in some cases.

Earlier today, the member for Wascana was criticizing the $56 billion deficit when only a few months ago he and his party asked the government to spend more in the stimulus package. When we spend money, we will have a deficit. It just makes sense. The money is being spent for good causes.

I appeal to the Liberals to use their opposition days more constructively to improve housing and consumer affairs and for other really good ideas in which I know they believe and support.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

Jay Hill Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC

Madam Speaker, I could not agree more. As I said in my remarks, not one Canadian I have found, other than a Liberal, would want the election the Liberals are trying to force on our country.

I do want to reply to the colleague who spoke before him. The member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca was looking to try and rise. I point out that I have three projects that have been approved for his riding. The city of Langford's City Centre Park sportsplex is going to get $13.4 million. Esquimalt's Archie Browning Sports Centre will get $1.99 million for upgrading. The city of Langford will get $1.8 million for stormwater flood hazard protection.

Those are just three that are in the hon. colleagues's Liberal riding.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:20 p.m.

Blackstrap Saskatchewan

Conservative

Lynne Yelich ConservativeMinister of State (Western Economic Diversification)

Madam Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to speak on the results of our government's economic action plan.

Our government has been taking action on the economy, while also thinking of Canada's future. We are investing in communities right across the country, and we are already beginning to see the positive impact of these investments on Canada's economy.

Our government's plan is very clear. Through Canada's economic action plan, we are making short-term investments to create jobs and stimulate economic activity. In every case, our long-term goal is to lay the groundwork for Canada's future prosperity.

One of the measures we have taken to move Canada forward is the recreational infrastructure Canada program, or RInC as it is known. Over a two year period, this new infrastructure program is investing $500 million to improve recreational infrastructure in communities across the country.

As of September 24, federal funding of over $46 million has been invested through RInC towards 277 projects across the west. That makes for a total of almost $153 million invested in RInC projects across the west.

Another program included in our economic action plan is the community adjustment fund, or CAF. This is another measure that will help communities across the west prosper. CAF is a $1 billion Canada-wide two-year economic stimulus designed to create jobs and maintain employment in communities hardest hit by the global recession.

This fund supports affected communities in western Canada such as those that rely on forestry, mining, agricultural, fisheries, as well as communities that depend on the manufacturing sector. As of September 24, our government has invested well over $158 million in 147 CAF projects across the west.

CAF and RInC are more than just numbers. The real results are the positive impacts these projects are having in our communities. In the city of New Westminster, B.C. our government invested over $900,000 through the RInC program to upgrade and expand their new centre for activity living. This recreation facility will now be able to provide expanded programs and services that are used primarily by older adults.

In the province of Alberta, through our CAF program, we partnered with the Government of Alberta and each invested $15 million towards the firesmart initiative. This initiative is putting loggers back to work and reducing the fire risk in Alberta communities. To date, more than 14 projects across the province have been funded and this is helping sustain more than 24 businesses and treat an estimated 1,700 hectares of forest that are currently exposed to wildfire threats.

In Manitoba, the Winnipeg Soccer Federation received $300,000 in RInC funding to install two internationally approved soccer fields. This project will benefit not only a local community but it will attract games and tournaments that could not be hosted there before.

For my home province of Saskatchewan, the first round of RInC is complete and a second round is already being worked on. In Saskatchewan RInC is proving to be a success through projects such as in the town of Allan. Allan will now be able to move forward with rehabilitation of the town's swimming pool, thanks to the funding of over $191,000 provided through RInC. Funding will go towards the reconstruction of the Allan and district swimming pool basin, deck and mechanical systems around the basin. These improvements will reduce operating costs through the use of solar water heating.

What does this mean to a community like Allan? It means that a pool that was closed for several years due to disrepair can now reopen for the families and children in Allan next summer.

Mayor Larry Sommerfeld had this to say about our government's investment in his community:

The Town of Allan and surrounding community are overjoyed to have the Recreation Infrastructure Canada program approved for our Swimming Pool Retrofit...Our community has spent three years fundraising for the project and this helping hand from the Federal and Provincial Governments will enable us to have an operating pool next summer, a great way for Allan to celebrate our 100th birthday.

I am proud of our government. I am proud of how we can deliver opportunities to impact communities like the community of Allan. This is an essential short-term response. It will help maintain Canada's economic strength by creating jobs right now when they are needed most.

RInC will provide more than a short-term economic stimulus. It will also provide a long-term investment in the quality of life for Canadians. Recreational facilities such as ice rinks, pools, soccer fields, basketball and tennis courts are the hearts of Canadian communities from coast to coast, providing places where families, friends and neighbours can gather together to get fit and have fun.

Many of our country's recreational facilities were built to celebrate Canada's centennial in 1967. It was a time of great national pride and enormous optimism for the future, so it seems fitting that we should reinvest in those facilities today.

RInC is just one of a broad range of initiatives announced in Canada's economic action plan. Not only will these initiatives stimulate and sustain economic activity during this international crisis, but it will also advance our country's long-term economic objectives.

Our government is creating and protecting jobs, building infrastructure, easing the tax burden on families, supporting Canadians who have lost their jobs, helping threatened industries and laying the foundations for our future prosperity. By making investments like this, we are seizing opportunities to revitalize our economy, create jobs and ensure that when the recovery comes, our economy will emerge stronger than ever.

Canada's economic action plan is in action. Our plan is delivering priorities for westerners. Our plan is delivering for Canadians across Canada.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:25 p.m.

Liberal

Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC

Madam Speaker, if 90% of infrastructure projects are under way, as the government claims, how would an election really affect something that would essentially be on automatic pilot, if it were true?

We believe the government is sitting on projects. Is it doing so in order to have an excuse, if there is an election, to say that the projects have not begun because of an election? In other words, is it doing with infrastructure projects what it did with the home renovation tax credit, which was not to pass it when it could have been passed, but to hold it in abeyance as a threat?

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap, SK

Madam Speaker, it just goes to show how badly the Liberals want an election if that is the only question they can ask about my speech. They are more interested in an election than they are in helping us deliver the economic action plan.

If the Liberals continue to push for an election, I think there will be some very angry Canadians. They will be so angry, because of the impact on the economic action plan, that they will probably ensure the Liberals never get into power.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:30 p.m.

NDP

Chris Charlton NDP Hamilton Mountain, ON

Madam Speaker, what is at stake for me in this debate is what is happening to the innocent victims in my community of Hamilton and, indeed, across the country who have lost their jobs as a result of this recession.

I certainly wish the EI reforms were much more comprehensive. I had the privilege of tabling a motion in the House that dealt with comprehensive EI reform, such as increasing the benefits, decreasing the hours of eligibility, taking away the two-week waiting period and helping those who desperately need training and retraining. One of the other elements of that motion was to provide the opportunity to get EI to those who were self-employed.

As a minister of state and therefore a minister who is privy to discussions in cabinet, could she let the House know whether the government is still committed to living up to at least that part of the EI package, which was part of the government's campaign pledge? Also, and more important, could she tell Canadians, particularly those who own small businesses or home businesses, when they might finally get the support of the government as they are losing their jobs as a result of this recession?

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap, SK

Madam Speaker, it was in our election platform. It is a change to employment insurance, and everyone knows these things are not done easily. They take a lot of work, a lot of study, a lot of committee work. It is difficult to get these deep changes in government policy done when every day an election is looming over our head.

I would suggest that the NDP speak to the Liberals and they get serious about sitting down to work on changing EI as the member suggested. It is something that I have been interested in. Our party put it in our last election platform.

We cannot do legislation that takes so much in-depth work and committee work when we are facing a non-confidence vote every day because the Liberals want an election.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:30 p.m.

Bloc

Gérard Asselin Bloc Manicouagan, QC

Madam Speaker, I do not know if the member is aware, but this is quite a dilemma. The Liberals introduced a motion of non-confidence in the government, and up until now, the NDP has accused the Liberals of keeping the government in power.

This evening, in a few minutes, the NDP will support the Conservative government. The NDP probably looked at the polls and realized that if there were an election, they could disappear.

The dilemma is this. The Liberals do not have confidence in the government, the NDP is trying to save itself by voting with the Conservatives, and Canadians do not have confidence in the Liberals, the masterminds behind the sponsorship scandal.

Is this not proof that the federal system does not work? It is high time Quebec became a sovereign nation.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap, SK

Madam Speaker, the chair of the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary said that it is federal government funding that makes projects possible for small communities, otherwise they would not be able to carry out these programs. The lights in the town of Vauxhall's community complex will burn brighter and more effectively in the near future.

They want to thank the federal government for what we have done with the stimulus package, which allows small rural communities across the country to access funds to make their communities more viable.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Toronto Centre.

“That this House has lost confidence in the government”. This is not something that is said lightly. It is something the Liberal Party is saying after serious thought, after consulting with Canadians from coast to coast and after seeing to what extent this government is unable to provide Canadians with the help they need in these difficult times.

It is not a matter of wanting an election. It is simply that the Liberal Party cannot say it still has confidence in the government and does not believe that this government is up to the task that Canadians entrusted it with.

Being in this House used to mean something. It used to be a place of real debate, of real discussion on how to help Canadians participate more fully in our economic prosperity and how to help Canadians move forward with their hopes and dreams. It was a place where we had real conversations about how to articulate our values into policy and address the big challenges on the horizon, looking at where we are going as a people and as a country.

My grandfather, the member for Vancouver North, was here 70 years ago when this House was debating the rise of fascism in Europe and through the years that we were dealing with a post-World War II Canada, industrializing and strengthening our manufacturing base. There were real conversations. My father, 40 years ago, was here in this House to tackle bilingualism, to look at how Canada could be a force for good in the world, a balance in the rise of cold war conflicts. There were issues that defined their times.

Now, on the defining issues of our time, we seem to be nowhere to be found. Where is the government on the environment, how it affects Canadians here at home, how it affects the world that we are shaping, all of us together in this civilization? Where are we?

Where is the government on the fight against poverty, the extreme poverty that exists around the world but also in our own communities, particularly our native communities? The fight against poverty is one that the government has not brought forward; it has not responded to the prodding from this half of the House to address.

The government has been totally absent from the defining issues of our time.

The irony is that at a time when the Liberal Party is saying that this House has lost the confidence of the government, Canadians are suggesting that perhaps they have lost confidence in the capacity of this House collectively to deal with the important issues.

No one has all the answers. The 308 of us who gather from every corner of this country have been entrusted by our constituents to try to work out compromises, policies that will help us through, that we will come together and be worthy of the trust that Canadians have placed in us. Time and time again the government has pushed us to fail Canadians in those responsibilities.

When the government's perfect, culminating achievement has been to create an atmosphere in this House of Commons that is based on attacks, on division, on extreme partisanship, it has succeeded in the one thing we know the right-wing Conservative ideology is all about, which is making Canadians believe less in their government, expecting less from their government, and convincing Canadians that governments should not be in the business of anything other than short-term responses to immediate, pressing electoral problems.

That is not what Canadians need. Unfortunately, it has been demonstrated that the politics of division can be very effective: to pick one's votes, to pander to them, to discard those who were not going to vote for that person anyway. The current government is proof that this is a good way of getting elected, but it is also proof that it cannot govern a country as richly diverse as Canada: east to west, north to south, urban, rural.

We cannot govern a Canada that is strong, not in spite of its differences but because of them, by playing on divisions. That is the great failing of the government.

I have just completed a tour of the CEGEPs and universities in eastern Quebec and, like everywhere else in Canada that I have talked with young people, the same question keeps coming up. Young people are wondering why they would bother being interested in what is happening in Parliament. Why should they get involved or even vote when they hear that a program like the Youth Skills Link Program to help young people get into the labour force gave 75% of its assistance to young people living in Conservative ridings; when they learn that out of a $260 billion economic action plan, only 0.04% was designated for youth programs despite the fact that young people make up 37% of our population; when they know that the student unemployment rate is almost 20%?

When over 200,000 young people have lost their jobs over the past year, the highest job loss of any age group, our youth have serious questions for the government that the government has been unwilling or incapable of answering so far. The tactics and tone of the Conservative government are all designed to make Canadians believe less in their government, less in their society and to expect less of themselves. Nowhere is this more devastating than in the pernicious impact on our youth.

Our young people have the talent, the intelligence and the motivation to truly change Canada and the world. But we are not inspiring them; we are not involving them enough, we are not providing them with the tools they need.

Young people are getting involved in record numbers with their communities, with international and domestic NGOs. They are caring deeply about how they shape the world, how they can make a better community and a better future for all of us. The fact that they could not care less about what happens in the House is, for me, the most glaring indictment of the visionless government.

The dominance of short-term pandering for votes, electoral strategies, has shortchanged all Canadians. The fact that we have been conditioned over the past four years to believe less of our government, to believe less in the capacity of all of us to propose large visions for this country, to say who we are, where we want to go, for me, is the greatest failing here.

There has been no articulation from these Conservatives of where we are going as a people and as a country. That, for me, is the final failure in a long list that ends today for the Liberal Party of Canada.

Let us be very clear that we do not want an election any more than any other Canadian, but the Liberal Party simply cannot pretend that the government is doing a good enough job at serving Canadians and building our future.

This is not about politics. This is beyond politics. This is about demanding a Parliament and a government that is worthy of the hopes and dreams of all Canadians.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:45 p.m.

Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont Alberta

Conservative

Mike Lake ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry

Madam Speaker, the hon. member asked who we are e and what do we stand for and I would point out some things that people have said about who we are.

Newsweek has said:

If President Obama is looking for smart government, there is much he, and all of us, could learn from our...neighbor to the north.

The Economist said this about our Prime Minister:

...his government has taken prudent measures to help Canada weather a storm it cannot duck...

The New York Times said this about Canada:

Why not emulate the best in the world, which happens to be right next door?

The Daily Telegraph in London, a publication that the member's leader ought to be fairly familiar with, says:

...the Canadian Tories are a model of how to behave during a downturn.

Here is what the hon. member had to say about his own leader, the leader of the Liberal Party. He said:

...maybe he has the intelligence, but maybe not the wisdom required.

Is it possible that today is the perfect example of his leader's lack of wisdom?

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:45 p.m.

Liberal

Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to see all those clippings about how strong the Canadian banking system is and would like to remind the hon. member that it was his leader who fought hardest and said that we should be more like Citibank in this country and that we needed to unite our banks and try to create it. It was Liberal policies that we had.

It is also nice to see that it was the Liberal opposition that pushed the government into responding to stimulus when it came forward with an economic update that was absolute fabrication when it promised a surplus in the last election.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:45 p.m.

Bloc

Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC

Madam Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague from Papineau, who is extolling the virtues of his own party, as compared to the government, where is the $3.3 million that the Liberals pocketed during the sponsorship scandal and that is still missing? Where is it? Why has it still not been put back into the government's coffers? Where is the $50 billion that was taken from the employment insurance fund? Workers and employers had contributed that money to create a fund so that workers would have adequate income if they lost their jobs. Where is that money that was misappropriated from the EI fund? It started with Jean Chrétien, then Paul Martin—

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:45 p.m.

NDP

The Acting Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

Order, please. I would ask the hon. member for Papineau to answer.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:45 p.m.

Liberal

Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC

Madam Speaker, I can understand where my hon. colleague from Gatineau is coming from, because he can see that the Liberal Party is popular in Quebec. People are interested in what we have to offer. They want us back in government. If he wants to talk about the past, he should try telling the truth—

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:45 p.m.

NDP

The Acting Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

Order, please. I would like to give the hon. member a chance to respond while not being heckled by other members.

For a brief question, the hon. Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Opposition Motion—Government PoliciesBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

4:45 p.m.

Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam B.C.

Conservative

James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages

Madam Speaker, I find it interesting that the member says that this was not about politics, but he wants to trigger an election campaign. He says that this is about Canadians and policies. He stood there for 10 minutes and did not put one single idea forward. He says that employment insurance is very important and yet the Liberals walked away from the negotiations and conversations this summer. He says that the budget and the economy is so important but the Liberals offered no amendment to our budget. He says that our government is about division. This Conservative government is the longest serving minority government in Canadian history. We get that record by working with other political parties and getting things done.

We were elected because Liberals failed and we were re-elected because we are getting the job done. The fact is that the vote tonight, and the member knows it, the NDP is doing the Liberals the biggest favour they have ever had in the history of their party.