House of Commons Hansard #1 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was canadas.

Topics

Procedure and House AffairsCommittees of the House

4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Gordon O'Connor Conservative Carleton—Mississippi Mills, ON

Mr. Speaker, it was an error. The missing paragraph should read:

(b) review the laws and procedures governing the use of operational and national security exceptions for the withholding of information from Parliament, the courts and the Canadian people with those responsible for administering those laws and procedures, to ensure that Canadians are being provided with ample information on the conduct and progress of the mission.

Procedure and House AffairsCommittees of the House

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Is the last paragraph, as read by the Chief Government Whip, agreed to?

Procedure and House AffairsCommittees of the House

4:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Paralympic Flame Torchbearers

4:30 p.m.

Prince George—Peace River B.C.

Conservative

Jay Hill ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I move:

That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, the House resolve itself into committee of the whole in order to welcome torchbearers carrying the Paralympic flame; that the Speaker be permitted to preside over the committee of the whole and make welcoming remarks on behalf of the House; and, when the proceedings of the committee have concluded, the committee shall rise.

Paralympic Flame Torchbearers

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Does the hon. government House leader have the consent of the House to propose the motion?

Paralympic Flame Torchbearers

4:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Paralympic Flame Torchbearers

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

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

Paralympic Flame Torchbearers

4:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Paralympic Flame Torchbearers

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

(Motion agreed to)

Accordingly I do now leave the chair for the House to resolve itself into committee of the whole.

(House in committee of the whole to welcome Paralympic flame torchbearers, Mr. Peter Milliken in the chair)

Paralympic Flame Torchbearers

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Order, please. Today, in celebration of the upcoming Paralympic Games, we are proud to welcome the Olympic flame and torch here in the chamber of the House of Commons.

The flame was lit on October 22, 2009, at the ruins of Olympia in Greece, the ancestral home of the Games. At the original Olympic Stadium in Athens, the flame was handed over to Canadian Olympic and Paralympic organizers.

Since touching Canadian ground in Victoria, British Columbia on October 30, the Olympic flame has visited many communities across our country. Today, a new flame begins a new journey, a 10-day, 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay that will give more Canadians a chance to discover the unique and inspiring stories of Paralympians and other Canadians who defy the odds.

Carrying the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic torch is Paralympian multiple gold medallist Arnold Boldt, the first torchbearer for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, who only a few hours ago took up the flame from the Paralympic cauldron in a lighting ceremony here on Parliament Hill.

Mr. Boldt won three gold medals in the high jump and long jump at the Toronto 1976 Paralympic Games and participated in four subsequent Paralympic Games winning other gold and silver medals and breaking high jump records in the process.

Arnold Boldt and Jim Richards are here.

Honoured guests, I want to congratulate you on behalf of all my colleagues.

[And the Paralympic torchbearer having entered the chamber:]

On behalf of all members of the House, I offer the Vancouver Organizing Committee our sincere congratulations for an immensely successful Olympic Games, and our best wishes to all the Canadian athletes for great success at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games.

Paralympic Flame Torchbearers

4:35 p.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear!

The House proceeded to the consideration of the speech delivered by Her Excellency the Governor General at the opening of the session.

Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to speak today in reply to the Speech from the Throne delivered by the Governor General. I want to thank the Prime Minister for giving me this opportunity.

Before talking about my constituency and the actions of my government, I would be remiss if I did not say a word about the truly exceptional performance of our athletes at the Olympic Games in Vancouver and Whistler that ended on Sunday.

I would like to acknowledge in particular the performance, courage and determination of figure skater Joannie Rochette, who, despite the sudden passing of her mother, delivered a brilliant performance that won her a well deserved bronze medal. Congratulations to Joannie.

Congratulations to skier Alexandre Bilodeau, who was the first to win a gold medal on Canadian soil. Congratulations to Jasey-Jay Anderson for his fine gold medal in snowboarding.

Congratulations as well to our short track and long track speed skaters, more specifically to Guillaume Bastille from my riding, who thrilled the crowds with his lightning-fast performance.

And of course, congratulations to the men's and women's hockey teams who, once again, proved that Canada is a hockey superpower.

Unfortunately, I cannot mention all the athletes who distinguished themselves at these games because there are too many. However, I would like to congratulate and thank the entire Canadian Olympic team for giving us some unforgettable moments. Fourteen gold medals—that is a record we can be proud of.

When the Paralympic Games open, I am certain that the paralympic athletes will sustain the momentum and, once again, make us proud to be Canadians.

I would now like to talk about my riding and the people who live in my part of the country.

I was elected on November 9 by the voters in my riding of Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, which was held for 16 long years by other parties. I can say that the voters in my riding are as pleased as I am to have chosen a party and a Prime Minister that are taking action to grow our country, particularly our province and our riding.

I would like to take a few moments to describe my beloved corner of the country. There is no hiding the joy and pleasure it brings me to represent my riding.

I come from Kamouraska—the centre of my riding—where the people, like me, are proud and hard-working and love life. The scenery all along the magnificent St. Lawrence River, the paths that wind through the woods in their autumn splendour, all are part of the reason we are happy to live there.

The Rivière-du-Loup region is famous for the most beautiful sunsets in the world, according to the renowned magazine National Geographic.

There is no lack of inspiration for charting our future in an even better living space. Our quality of life is decidedly one of the best in the world and those who live in the region are proud Canadians contributing to the emancipation of our beautiful country.

The many islands across from the Montmagny and L'Islet RCMs are extraordinarily beautiful. One of them, Grosse-Île, an historic site that is a tourist destination, was the gateway to Canada for the Irish and other immigrants. Just like snow geese, these overseas refugees broke their journey on this island. These immigrants helped shape our country and we are very proud of them.

Many small and medium-sized businesses have been set up on the south shore, alongside world-class companies like Bombardier.

Our workers are well trained and aware of their impact on our quality of life. They do an outstanding job of creating, producing and processing products.

Our educational institutions, technology transfer centres and research establishments are among the best in the country. We are proud, once again, to contribute to Canada's quality of life. This is a good country to live in, and we help make it so every day.

My constituents talk to me. In addition to meeting with them regularly, I obviously consulted them about the upcoming budget. The people in my riding were able to express their opinions by answering a survey I sent them, and a great many of them did.

What my constituents and probably my colleagues' constituents want most is for us to strike a balance between continuing to spend in order to emerge completely from the recession and finding solutions to wipe out the deficit.

We must find that balance in order to make life easier for many Canadians hit hard by the recession. That is what came out of our survey.

Moreover, the people in my riding were happy that their member of Parliament took an interest in what they had to say. It was the first time in a very long time that a member from the region had asked them for their opinion on the next federal budget. It is very interesting to see that our constituents are much more interested in politics than we might think. These are the people who elect us, and they deserve our respect. It is important to consult them. That is what I did, and that is what I will continue to do.

The main role of every member of Parliament is to give his or her constituents a voice. I will keep on defending my constituents' interests in the House of Commons. One of my most important tasks is to improve the quality of life of the people around me by creating high-quality permanent jobs. Canada's economic action plan is so effective that, despite Canada's economic difficulties, the regional unemployment rate has remained relatively low and roughly 135,000 jobs have been created across the country since last July.

For the great benefit of our constituents, the effects of the economic action plan in terms of job creation will continue to be felt in 2010, as the government will stay the course and pursue the implementation of the economic stimulus measures. Much remains to be done. We on this side intend to work twice as hard to ensure that Canada comes out of the current recession stronger than ever. I sincerely believe that the role of elected representatives is to represent their constituents well. That is why I am always anxious to hear from, listen to, read or meet with all those who talk to me, write to me or come to see me. I tell them about my commitment to our great country of which I am so proud. I also tell them about my colleagues who are working so hard to ensure that Canada becomes stronger and more vibrant.

I would like to take the last few minutes I have left to talk about our economic action plan, which was tabled in this House in January 2009, just over one year ago. This plan was developed by our government in response to the deepest global recession since World War II. Our plan is working very well. All in all, almost 16,000 projects are currently putting people to work across the country. Thanks to that plan, I was able to secure funding for the construction of a bio-methanization plant in my riding, allowing me to help businesses that were experiencing difficulties. Together with our provincial and municipal partners, I was able to announce improvements to our local infrastructure. With the home renovation tax credit, families in my riding have been able to make improvements to their homes at a lower cost. EI benefits have also been enhanced to help laid-off workers. In addition, we are investing in training. In a word, our economic action plan is working as intended.

It is important to stay the course and to complete the second year of this plan. The time has come to ensure that the recovery has indeed started. We must concentrate on job creation and economic growth. During the coming months, our government will continue to put in place measures that will create jobs for Canadians. Job creation is our priority. We will do that through various means, including by developing new markets for Canadian products, by creating a greener economy and by maintaining our tax reduction measures for businesses.

We must also think about the challenges that we will be facing in the next few years. That is why we must also plan to return to a balanced budget to ensure the long term prosperity of our country. We will also continue to support Canadian families. Since we came into office, we have given $100 a month to Canadian families to help them pay for child care. We reduced taxes, thereby allowing the average family of four to save thousands of dollars. We also created the tax-free savings account, and the list goes on.

Each time the opposition asked us to raise taxes, we refused, and we will continue to do so because Canadian families deserve to keep their hard earned money. They can count on us to defend their interests. Our government will pursue its efforts to strengthen the food safety system. We will also work in partnership with non-governmental organizations to launch a national strategy on childhood injury prevention. Other measures will also be implemented to support Canadian families who helped build our country.

I would like to draw my colleagues' attention to other important measures in the throne speech: measures related to justice. Our government will introduce legislation to increase the penalties for sexual offences against children. Our government will also crack down on white-collar criminals who destroy the lives of honest investors. We will also give families of murder victims access to special benefits under employment insurance. In short, Canadians can count on us to tackle crime, which is still taking far too great a toll on our society.

In closing, I want to say how proud I am to be part of a team that is making the right decisions for Canadians. A year ago, Canada was dealing with a serious recession. One year later, we are on the right track toward economic recovery. Our economy weathered the global recession much better than that of other developed countries.

Just a few weeks ago, our brothers and sisters in Haiti needed our help. We did not waste any time answering the call. Within hours of the earthquake, our troops landed on the island to help the people there deal with the massive natural disaster that struck the country.

Later this year, Canada will once again play a key role in international affairs when it hosts the North American Leaders’ Summit and the G8 and G20 summits.

I predict that 2010 will be Canada's year. We will build on the momentum of the Olympic Games by focusing on job creation and growth, and Canada will own the podium yet again.

To that end, it is my honour to move the following motion, seconded by the hon. member for Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley. I move:

That the following Address be presented to Her Excellency the Governor General of Canada:

To Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY:

We, Her Majesty's most loyal and dutiful subjects, the House of Commons of Canada in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Excellency for the gracious Speech which Your Excellency has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.

Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC

Mr. Speaker, the government took almost three months, including the prorogation, to produce next to nothing.

For the meagreness in the content of this throne speech, for the thinness of the substance of this throne speech, the government could have tweeted it and it still would have had 12 characters left. It would have saved countless trees and our environment.

This is a rehash of the 2008 Speech from the Throne. Today's speech contains many sentences and statements that were in the previous one. We are told about recession and job creation but not about any new initiatives to help the workers or to create jobs. There are no such measures to be found. The Speech from the Throne contains nothing about investments in research and development, nothing to protect pensions, nothing for culture and nothing new for our veterans.

The Liberals had proposed three new incentives. Why did the Conservatives not take them into consideration? All the experts agree that these could have created jobs. We proposed incentives to hire young workers. We proposed increased support for manufacturers through the accelerated capital cost allowance and through tax incentives for investments in business startup.

The Conservatives seem to be just repeating their old Speech from the Throne. Even the title comes from the defeated Conservative prime minister of Australia. Quite frankly, the Canadian Conservative government shows no creativity at all.

I would then ask why it does not recognize its lack of innovation and creativity—

Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

The hon. member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup.

Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member feels we have produced next to nothing. I, on the other hand, believe we have accomplished a great deal. Really, we just delivered an excellent Speech from the Throne, and everything she just pointed out is what we are going to be doing. So there is no problem.

Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

4:55 p.m.

Bloc

Pierre Paquette Bloc Joliette, QC

Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, after two months of prorogation, everyone was expecting the government to review and recalibrate its agenda. In fact, that is what the Prime Minister had said the government was going to do. Sadly, it is clear from this throne speech that the December 30 prorogation was nothing but a tactic to prevent the opposition from asking legitimate questions about the economy, the environment, the federal government's unacceptable behaviour in Copenhagen and Afghan detainees.

Not only was it an undemocratic political manoeuvre to prevent the opposition from asking questions, but this throne speech contains the same old unpalatable Conservative measures. Even worse, the member is telling us that the government is going to work extra hard. For Quebeckers, that means more misery and hardship.

There is nothing in the throne speech for the forestry sector. The member should be aware of that because the F.F. Soucy plant in his riding, Rivière-du-Loup, is threatened.

There is nothing in the speech for the forestry sector, nothing for manufacturing and nothing for employment insurance. People in his riding who will run out of EI benefits will have to apply for social assistance and others will lose their employment and not be entitled to employment insurance.

Nothing. Nothing for the environment, but everything for the oil companies. Nothing to give Quebec its due. Take for example the harmonized sales tax. There is nothing to indicate that Quebec will be adequately compensated.

Worse yet—and I will close on this before getting to my question—they insist on creating a Canada-wide securities commission against the wishes of Quebec and against Quebec's recognized jurisdiction in this area. This is totally unacceptable.

I would now like to ask the hon. member a question. Unless he is just another token Quebecker in the Conservative caucus, how can this hon. member defend a Speech from the Throne that so clearly goes against the interests of the nation of Quebec?

Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC

Mr. Speaker, as far as I know, the members of the Bloc voted against the Government of Canada's action plan.

Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5 p.m.

An hon. member

Shame on them. They abandoned Quebeckers.

Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC

I do not know how they can tell us today that we are not working extra hard to lead Canada out of the recession.

There is no doubt that we are doing the work.

Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5 p.m.

NDP

Fin Donnelly NDP New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member made some good points, however I find the lack of commitment to addressing seniors' poverty troubling. Since 1990, seniors' poverty in Canada has doubled and today nearly two million seniors live below the urban poverty line. Eight months ago hon. members of the House unanimously adopted a New Democrat motion to increase the guaranteed income supplement in order to help lift Canada's poorest seniors out of poverty.

Does the hon. member believe it is right that Canadian seniors continue to wait to hear how the government will honour its commitment?

Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is written in black and white in the throne speech that we will further strengthen Canada’s retirement income system. I do not know why the NDP member asked that question. We are doing the work. I sincerely believe that our government's work is achieving the desired results and that Canadians have no reason to doubt that we will achieve our goals.

Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Armstrong Conservative Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured and privileged to second the motion for the address in reply to the Speech from the Throne. I would like to thank Her Excellency the Governor General for her eloquent delivery. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the right hon. Prime Minister for the honour of this opportunity. Most of all, I would like to thank the people I represent, the people of Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley for the extraordinary honour of representing them here in Ottawa.

Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley symbolizes the very heart of rural Canada. We are very proud of our past and we are eagerly embracing our future. Speaking of our proud past, I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of many historic figures from my riding. Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley was the home of no less than five of the 36 founding Fathers of Confederation: Edward Barron Chandler, Robert Barry Dickey, Jonathan McCully, Sir Adams George Archibald, and of course, Sir Charles Tupper. As many hon. members know, Sir Charles Tupper was the premier of Nova Scotia in 1867 and led our province into Confederation. He went on to serve as the sixth prime minister of Canada.

I rise in the House keenly aware of the many political giants who have been elected from my riding, great public servants like Mr. Frank Stanfield, a great entrepreneur and political figure who represented Colchester county in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly and later went on to serve as the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. Frank's son, Robert L. Stanfield, became premier of Nova Scotia, was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and was a member of the House.

At this moment I am reminded of the words of Robert L. Stanfield which he penned in a letter to his federal caucus on March 24, 1974 when he spoke about his vision for our land and our nation, a Canada that was orderly and stable, a Canada that, while stable, not static. Mr. Stanfield stood for integrity and humility, and humility “is a valuable strength provided it does not become an excuse to resisting change, accepting injustice or supporting vested interests”. That philosophy is still embodied in the fabric of Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley.

Our riding is over 10,000 square kilometres and contains the gateway to Nova Scotia, the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. It was our Prime Minister who recognized the contributions of Robert L. Stanfield and was pivotal in renaming the Halifax international airport in honour of his legacy to our nation.

Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley touches on two waterways: the Northumberland Strait and the Bay of Fundy, the bay that contains the highest and most powerful tides in the world. Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley already harnesses wind. In our town of Springhill, mines that once provided coal to power our homes and industries have since filled with water, and we are tapping this great source of geothermal power.

As an educator and a believer in the future of Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, it is tidal power which I believe will help make my riding an international centre for clean and green energy.

It was my pleasure this past January to be in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia to announce on behalf of our government the construction of a 3,500 square foot visitor and operations centre. This complex will showcase the harnessing of the Fundy region's promising natural asset. It will build an international profile for our riding, our province and our nation.

Also in January I had the great pleasure of joining the Prime Minister as he announced a major economic action plan investment that lets us build the Central Nova Scotia Civic Centre in Truro. This project has already put people to work, a lasting legacy that will promote a healthier, more active lifestyle for present and future generations.

As I move from local to national, I would like to take a minute to thank our Olympic athletes. We have just seen a spectacular Olympic Games hosted so admirably by Vancouver and Whistler. We saw our athletes rise to the occasion and very often rise to the podium. In fact, we witnessed Canada's best ever performance.

I was moved by the skill, the dedication and sheer determination of these Canadians who compete against the very best and more than hold their own, including one young man with ties to my riding who now plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins and for Team Canada. Sidney Crosby at one time played for the Truro Junior “A” Bearcats, which was perfect preparation for scoring the winning gold medal goal.

During the Olympics, all Canadians came together, from coast to coast to coast, to cheer our athletes, and our athletes performed magnificently. The spirit of unity that Canadians showed from St. John's to Alert to Victoria should guide us in Parliament to rise above partisanship and work together to address the concerns of our constituents, and above all, to focus on jobs and growth.

That spirit of dedication, that spirit of “we can do it” that brought our athletes such success, should guide us as we confront our challenges and seize opportunities of this coming year. Canada must continue, like our athletes, to compete against the very best, but more, hold our own.

Over the past year Canada has confronted a global economic recession but Canada has fared better than almost any industrialized nation, a testament to the resiliency of Canadians, the prudent regulation of our financial sector, and above all, to the unparalleled effectiveness of Canada's economic action plan.

Funds have been committed to almost 16,000 stimulus projects across Canada of which 12,000 have already begun or have been completed, creating employment and building essential infrastructure for the future, like the civic centre I mentioned being built in my own riding.

As excited as we get about big infrastructure projects, we also cannot forget the other parts of the economic action plan. Tax cuts let Canadians keep and spend their own money. Tax credits like the home renovation tax credit spurred economic activity. Enhanced employment insurance benefits provide direct support to Canadians who have paid into the system year after year and now face hard times.

Among our key reforms is allowing self-employed workers to finally opt in to the EI system.

Statistics Canada announced on Monday that Canada's economy grew almost 5% in the fourth quarter of 2009, the strongest quarter in almost a decade, and a testament to Canada's economic action plan. Canada is being well served by the plan. We can see the affects at home in Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley just as we can from coast to coast to coast.

The first year of the economic action plan has seen the beginning of our economic recovery, but still far too many Canadians remain unemployed. Now, when the plan is bearing fruit, it is time to stay on course. It is time to implement the second and final phase of the plan to safeguard our recovery and to maintain our focus on jobs and growth. However, it is also time, as we finish implementing the economic action plan, to prepare for tomorrow's challenges and also tomorrow's opportunities. We must plan to balance the budget in order to sustain Canada's long-term economic prosperity.

Just as paying down the debt before the global recession gave Canada the flexibility to implement a swift and effective stimulus plan, returning to balanced budgets will help Canada emerge stronger than ever.

We must build on the jobs and industries of the future. We will keep taxes competitive and we will cut red tape. We will continue to sign new trade agreements and open new markets for Canadian goods. We will make Canada a clean energy superpower, a leader in green job creation on the planet. I already mentioned the great potential in my own riding, but leadership in developing clean energy is something that is coming to characterize our entire nation.

When we get things done, Canada will emerge stronger than ever, a great place to live, a great place to work, a great place to start a business, create jobs and grow the economy.

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few other measures from the throne speech that are particularly deserving of the support of every member of the House.

Canadians believe in the rule of law, in a justice system that delivers justice, protecting Canadians young and old and holding those who commit crimes accountable for their actions.

While this government has passed important legislation like the truth in sentencing reforms that came into effect just last week, it is essential that we do more and avoid repeating delays and obstructions that have so often frustrated Canadians in the past.

As just announced in the Speech from the Throne, our government will introduce strong new legislation to combat organized crime and ensure that life means life for people who commit multiple murders. We will give Canada's police officers the vital tools they have asked for, investigative powers for the 21st century. We will not continue the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry that burdens law-abiding citizens, law-abiding hunters, law-abiding farmers.

This government's record of standing up for Canadian families is clear.

I would like to highlight that the government is reintroducing the consumer safety legislation which was passed by this House in the last session but unaccountably rejected in the other place. This legislation confers vital powers to keep consumers safe, provides tools to respond quickly to unsafe products, and gives parents assurances that their children are protected from harm. It should be passed in its original strong and unaltered form.

We have cut taxes for every Canadian. There are tax-free savings accounts that let us save our money, and income splitting for pensioners that gives them a well earned break. We have cut the GST by two per cent, the only tax measure that reaches and helps all Canadians. We utterly reject the opposition's musing on tax increases. We will continue to stand up for Canadian families.

I call upon all members of Parliament to support the Speech from the Throne. Canadians are not asking for another election. They expect the government to work for them, to focus not on partisanship but on jobs and growth.

This is a year of opportunity if we act and seize the moment. The Vancouver-Whistler Olympics showcased Canada to the world. We are hosting the summits of North American leaders, the G8 and the G20. Her Majesty, the Queen of Canada, will be in our nation's capital on Canada Day.

This throne speech invites all Canadians from coast to coast to coast to embrace our future. As Robert Stanfield said so memorably in 1974, we must be stable but not static. This is our government's vision, and the foundation of this vision was laid by the Fathers of Confederation. Our nation, like Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, is stable and far from static. We are proud of our past and we are embracing our future. Passing the Speech from the Throne and the important legislation that will come from it is essential for Canada to seize the great opportunities of this year, Canada's year.

Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB

Mr. Speaker, before I make a brief comment and then pose a question to my fellow maritimer, the member for Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, I want to begin by congratulating him on his win in the byelection. His riding is a neighbouring riding to mine. We meet at the border of Amherst, Nova Scotia and Aulac, New Brunswick. I sincerely congratulate the member on his election and welcome him to this House.

In the throne speech, it would appear that the government's only serious commitment to the environment is the recycling of throne speeches. The government simply reannounced and regurgitated old legislative commitments. There was very little in terms of recalibration, but a great deal in terms of regurgitation.

This government is afraid of being held accountable, and is not interested in strengthening the Canadian democracy. On the contrary, this government is ignoring the very clear expression of the will of this House regarding handing over the documents that our committee on the Afghanistan mission needs to do its very important work.

The member for Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley spoke of economic policy. He spoke of small business and unemployment in his constituency, which certainly is not dissimilar to my riding of Beauséjour.

I am wondering if the member could explain to us how small businesses in his riding are reacting to the job-killing payroll taxes that the government is imposing in the form of hikes to employment insurance premiums, hikes that have been estimated to eliminate up to 200,000 jobs. If he were serious about helping unemployed people, perhaps he would want to explain how this tax does something other than destroy jobs in his riding.

Finally, I have a very specific question. Could he give us three specific examples of recalibration which were important enough to take a couple of months to hide from Parliament? Could he give us examples of recalibration that are not in fact regurgitation?