George Proud

[Interparliamentary Delegations, November 4th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the second report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association which represented Canada at a meeting of the subcommittee on the future of the armed forces held in Turkey on June 27 to 30, 1999.

[Speech From The Throne, October 14th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his questions. Yes, I have seen those headlines. I happen to live in an area where some of those problems are taking place. I have confidence that the government, as it has always done, will take care of those problems.

The member heard in question period today the question on agriculture. That has been taken care of. The question of the native and non-native fishery is a very volatile problem and I hope that cooler heads will prevail and that the government, the native fishermen and the non-native fishermen can get together to work out a solution.

I said that we live in a great country and that things are great. Things have never been so good, but there are still a lot of people suffering. That is why the government has come forward with programs to help these people, with tax cuts, with child tax benefits and with all of the things that will happen over the next couple of years.

[Speech From The Throne, October 14th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. The government has laid out a plan for the future and the next budget in February will lay out the details on the tax cuts and other issues that have been raised.

He asked me if I would intervene. I am always intervening on behalf of my constituents and on behalf of all Canadians to make sure that the government does things as quickly as it can, but there are rules it has to go by and it is going by those rules.

However, I am sure, as I have read in the headlines of the papers over the past few days, that the people in Canada are very pleased with the throne speech.

[Speech From The Throne, October 14th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I am sharing my time with the hon. member for Guelph—Wellington.

It is an honour for me to speak today to show my confidence in the government and the programs set out in the Governor General's Speech from the Throne. I would like to offer my humble thanks to Her Excellency Madam Clarkson for the gracious speech which she addressed to both Houses of Parliament and to all Canadians.

There is much to talk about the millennium and what the next century holds. After hearing the Speech from the Throne I am certain we will enjoy a fruitful millennium, one which the Canada we know today will continue on its course of greatness in the next century and beyond, the Canada we know which looks after all citizens and creates a positive environment allowing them to maximize their potential as individuals and as collectivities.

I could go on for days describing the wonderful state in which we live, but I am here today to show my support for our government and its plans for the coming years, its plan that will lay the foundations for generations inhabiting this great land.

I see the Speech from the Throne as a symbol of the incredible progress we have made over the last six years. We have gone from inheriting a Canada where the future looked bleak to being well prepared for the challenges a new world brings us. It is by far one of the most promising and well thought out programs I have had the pleasure to be part of. I would like to commend the government on its foresight. We are honoured to be part of a plan that takes into consideration not only the needs of middle class Canadians, but also recognizes those Canadians who may be in a less fortunate position.

We see before us a government that is ready to commit to children and youth, to rebuilding communities, strengthening the environment, increasing disposable income through tax relief and improving our place in the world. We should be proud of our commitment to Canada and proud we are.

I am also greatly pleased that so much of what our program entails is going to directly benefit my home province of Prince Edward Island. Children are going to enter the millennium with a better education, better standard of living and a better future than has ever been seen in our history as a nation. New parents are going to have an edge over my generation. Mothers and fathers alike will be able to raise a family without having to worry about the future.

I remember a time not so long ago when the thought of raising a family in the 21st century concerned a lot of people. It concerned us because under the last government we were headed toward a society where families would have been ignored. Today we can look forward with hope.

We can be hopeful because we are taking steps to invest in the future. Children are the future of our nation. Without them our liberal democratic tradition will not continue. They represent our legacy.

This government will help parents spend more time caring for young children while ensuring that they have the resources to meet their children's needs. Our plan will do this by reducing income taxes for families, extending employment insurance parental leave benefits and adding an additional $1.7 billion a year to the national child benefit making it easier for low income families to break the cycle of poverty.

We must also invest in today's youth. They are acquiring knowledge and skills at an earlier age. They are at home in the wired world using tools that are rapidly changing the way we think. We are experiencing a technological revolution.

When I was younger we used to use our two feet to look for a job. We would pound on the doors. We would pound the pavement. Now our young adults can use the Internet to look for employment. They can also shop, trade stocks, say hello to a relative, all with the flick of a mouse. It has changed the way in which we work. These youth need to be given the tools to succeed under these conditions. Our plan will give Canadian youth an edge as the technological revolution continues so that we will surpass all other nations in the world when dealing with technology's challenges.

Our plan will help Canada's youth realize their potential as leaders. The government will help them learn about their country and its citizens, use their skills to help others and use their creativity to contribute to Canada's culture. This will be achieved by drawing on the expertise of young Canadians to help connect rural and urban communities to the information highway by hiring our youth to put in place additional Internet access sites for public use. This will increase the participation of rural Canadians on the Internet while giving our youth valuable work experience.

We will also give 100,000 young Canadians every year a chance to learn about another part of the country through exchanges Canada. This will solidify our youth as knowledgeable Canadians while increasing their awareness of regional issues. Clearly technology investment is a thoughtful investment for the future of a strong Canadian federation and a strong Canadian youth.

But all of this investment in youth, in family and children which I just spoke about is worthless if we do not have safe strong communities, communities that are free of crime, and a strong voluntary sector to tie them together.

Strong communities rely on the participation of all members. Our government is committed to strengthen this partnership with communities and the voluntary organizations which contribute to them. We will do this by developing a national accord with the voluntary sector to lay the foundation for stronger partnerships with voluntary organizations.

If I may take this a step further, our investment in communities is part and parcel of our long term economic and social well-being. Our investment in children and families is also a long term investment. We are however at a loss if we do not include the environment in our long term goal to enter the millennium with force.

A clean and healthy environment is central to our quality of life and as time progresses the demands that are made on mother nature will become even more severe. The government recognizes this and will continue to build partnerships at home and abroad which focus on sustainable development and improve the quality of the environment in our communities. We will set and enforce tough pollution standards, reduce greenhouse gases, clean up contaminated sites on federal lands and support innovative clean-up technologies.

Canada has always symbolized a nation that appreciates the environment. As we enter the 21st century we will continue this tradition of environmental preservation by extending Canada's national parks system.

The financial stability of Canadians is also very important as we enter a new century. Financial freedom allows Canadians to maximize their potential, gives them the freedom to grow and to put something back into the country. Having said this, I cannot stress how important it is that we receive tax relief. This is the best way to give our economy a kickstart and to give the children of the future a solid foundation on which to grow. We cannot just provide children with a positive learning environment; we must also give them the financial support in which to flourish. To give our families more disposable income so they can provide their children with the foundation to grow will certainly make Canada the place to be in the 21st century.

Just recently I sent out questionnaires to my constituents asking them what they thought we as a country could do to increase our standard of living. I also asked them how we could increase our productivity. Over 80% of the responses I have received so far demand that the tax burden be reduced. It is clear that we must give Canadians an incentive to build. I look forward to our government's response to the overwhelming demand that exists for tax relief.

In the Speech from the Throne Her Excellency the Governor General addressed tax relief issues. Our government will put more dollars in the hands of families with children. Our government will also continue to create a better environment for economic growth and enhanced productivity by reducing the debt burden, initiating more tax cuts and making strategic investments. The economic spinoff from a tax cut will add to the economy. People who have more money at their disposal will stimulate the demand for goods and in turn will create more jobs. It is a win-win situation.

I would like to join the millions of Canadians who have embraced our program. May we enjoy its benefits and grow as a nation as we enter the 21st century.

The Speech from the Throne is an ingenious formula for success. It contains measures that will strengthen elements of society so that as we enter the millennium we will be the best country in the world. Let me explain this.

Our families need a dynamic economy in which to raise their children. We are giving them this through tax relief. Our children need strong, safe communities in which to learn successfully. Our government is giving them this. To learn successfully children need a strong health care system and our government is giving them this. Each of these realms promotes individual development. Our plan promotes the maximization of individuals' potential, young and old. Once we achieve success in every realm of individual maximization our quality of life as Canadians will improve and in turn our place in the world will improve.

It is quite clear that we are responding positively to the daunting task of preparing Canada for the new millennium; and yes, we are prepared.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, October 14th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the first report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association which represented Canada at the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly held in Warsaw, Poland, May 27-31, 1999.

[National Defence, October 13th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence.

In light of its embarrassing performance and inability to get to East Timor in time, could the minister tell the House when the government will replace the old and unreliable Hercules aircraft?

[Supply, June 7th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, many of the recommendations in our report deal with tax breaks to individual families. We all know how Reform views amateur sport funding as a waste of money. We just have to look at the May 1998 edition of the waste report produced by Reform member for St. Albert in which he listed all the examples the Reform Party considered to be wasteful government spending. He included the $9,720 grant that our government provided to a particular athlete in 1996.

Yes, I believe there has to be more tax breaks for people to get their children involved in amateur sport. We put that in our report. I think we will see it come to fruition in the days to come.

[Supply, June 7th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a bilingual country. Anyone can have the sport of choice in the language of choice.

On the international scene English is the international language. We did make recommendations that all these sporting events be made bilingual.

[Supply, June 7th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey.

It is a pleasure for me to rise today to speak to this motion. I want to congratulate the mover of the motion. Allow me to inform the House of the hard work that the Subcommittee on the Study of Sport in Canada has done and to say that I was honoured to be a member of that committee. I also want to talk about the government's continued commitment to sport in Canada.

This afternoon I would like to emphasize the value of sport in Canadian society and to look at the government's role in sport, all that we must do as we approach the 21st century and all that we have done.

The Subcommittee on the Study of Sport in Canada put the interests of Canadian culture and health on the discussion table. It was interesting to deal with policy that affects both health and culture. I do not think there is any other issue that connects health issues with cultural issues.

Sport is culture and sport promotes healthy lives. Sport is the point at which the game and fitness merge. It is where health, through increased fitness, meets tradition. We as Canadians have a long tradition of sport.

That is why I consider this subcommittee and its mandate to be so important. We investigated the potential scope of and rationale for federal involvement in the promotion of amateur sport in Canada and we determined that we must give amateur sport a push.

I have a true appreciation for amateur sport. I think that is a result of being from a maritime province. In my home province of Prince Edward Island sporting events provide a place where we can get together socially, catch up on the latest news, tell stories and see friends.

For example, the first thing many families do when they relocate is to seek out a sports club. They join these clubs because they already know and like the activity and want to socialize with others who share common values. Sport encourages social interaction. It also increases a healthy society, both mentally and physically.

Sport involvement is vital in improving the chances of youth at risk. These young people are not only at risk because of a passive health risk posed by an inactive lifestyle, but the lifestyle also drives them toward actively destructive or self-destructive activities such as substance abuse, anxiety, depression and violence.

Sport and physical activity offer an inherent sense of direction as well as a safe and constructive outlet for youth energy. In addition, the regular physical activity which sport provides naturally makes young people physically, mentally and emotionally healthier. Ask a friend whose son or daughter is involved in amateur sport and more often than not they will tell us that their child does not smoke, does well in school, is motivated, is energetic and is going to or has already enrolled in some form of post-secondary education.

It is interesting how physical activity is less prevalent today than it was 30 or 40 years ago. It is obvious that as our society becomes more technological we as a nation are becoming more inactive. I have often wondered where our inactivity comes from. One possible explanation is that when Canada was formed as a nation people had to be active in order to function in their daily lives.

Up until the post-war period people relied much more on manual labour to make a living. Technology has now made it possible for us to choose to lead less active lives. Street hockey has been replaced by video games. The Internet is making us more insular. Television is becoming a leisure activity, taking a huge chunk out of our recreation time, from 17 to 19 hours a week for children between the ages of 2 and 17. Ironically, much of it is spent watching sports events.

As we approach the 21st century and information technology, the Internet and computers become more common, the tendency of people to be inactive will increase. We will be able to shop from home, talk to our friends and play recreational games over phone lines. It all points to a more insular and less active society. Frankly, this scares me.

This sort of inactivity is deadly. Inactivity is a primary factor for cardiac disease, affecting one in five Canadians. Often an inactive adult was an inactive child and that is why we as a committee recognized the need for continued support for amateur sport and for children.

Obesity is also a result of inactivity, which in turn increases the likelihood of stroke, hypertension and diabetes.

These diseases cost the Canadian health system millions of dollars each year. It has also been proven that girls who participate in physical activity will be less susceptible to osteoporosis as adults. According to the Canadian Olympic Association, Canadian children are 40% less active than their parents were at the same age. A survey of grade two students found that one in four children cannot touch their toes.

As I mentioned earlier, sport is one avenue of achieving a physically and mentally healthy population. Promoting physical activity is an investment that increases the well-being of Canadians while reducing health care costs. As the chairman of the committee just said a few minutes ago, according to the committee's report reducing the number of inactive Canadians by just 10% would result in an additional saving of $5 billion in health care costs. There are very clear benefits to increasing the number of Canadians actively involved in physical activities.

How do we increase the number of active Canadians? We must guarantee that sport and fitness are accessible to all Canadians. I have spoken on my occasions in my constituency on the value of sport and fitness and what it means to be active. I often refer to Canada as having a system of amateur sport that is truly accessible, a system where anyone can play as long as he or she has the interest and the talent.

Increasingly this is not the case. Our system looks more like it did when class distinction determined if one was involved in sports. Some families have children registered in sports organizations. Some families do not. Some teams have sponsorship. Some teams do not. The government understands the benefit of increased participation.

Accessibility is key to increasing the participation of Canadians in physical activities. Our committee recognized this and recommended that an incentive for individuals to donate to not for profit sports organizations was needed. We suggested that eligibility for charitable tax deductions be given to provincial sports organizations. Imagine if we could give a donation to a sport club and receive a tax receipt. This would make it an awful lot easier to donate money. The donator would be happy. The government would be happy. Most important, the sport club would be happy.

Special tax treatment allowing provincial non-profit organizations to issue tax receipts is a clever idea. The government has decided that this proposal will be put into existing government efforts through a joint government-voluntary sector round table process.

When the committee looked at all the issues facing Canada as a whole we found that certain segments of society were underrepresented and we recommended that something be done. In January 1998 the Minister of Canadian Heritage announced a program called the new funding for sport. This program would inject $10 million per year for three different initiatives.

One initiative set targets to ensure that underrepresented groups have fair access to opportunities to participate in sport. A system of accountability has been developed that will track funding to ensure that opportunities for underrepresented groups are increased. These groups include aboriginals, women and athletes with disabilities.

The government has responded so that the playing field will be level, so that the values which result from involvement in sport are offered to everyone, not just the financially secure, and so that all teams young and old have a chance to thrive.

Another part of guaranteeing this is making sure that coaches and volunteers are looked after, that sponsors are given incentives so they can fund local amateur sports, and that we formally acknowledge the importance of amateur sport as a positive influence in the community and the country.

The Government of Canada will continue its policy and funding support of sport in Canada. For example, Sport Canada has been awarded an additional $10 million per year for new funding for sport programs as outlined in a red book commitment.

Our commitment to sport is demonstrated through our annual contributions through Sport Canada. It has been said many times today that over $57.8 million in total are allocated for Sport Canada contribution programs, $26 million of which are contributed to national amateur sports organizations.

As we suggested in our committee work, national coaching institutes are very much a part of Sports Canada's ongoing interest. A portion of the $2 million in annual support to the Coaching Association of Canada goes toward national coaching institutes across Canada. This is not enough but it is what is there today and much more is needed. In 1999-2000 the government will spend an additional $3.5 million specifically targeted for coaching support as part of the new funding for sport initiatives.

In the area of coaching support our objective is to provide increased support to high performances coaching and to create new full time positions for high performance coaches in order to enhance international athlete development and improve athlete development programs.

Like coaching, the government is also committed to creating competitive venues for amateur athletes. Canada's amateur sport is celebrated when the Canada Games convene. The Canada Games with its motto “Unity Through Sport” has been a mainstay of the Canadian amateur sport system since its inception in Quebec City in 1967.

Since that time successive federal, provincial and municipal governments working together with the corporate sector have supported the Canada Games. The government is a partner in this undertaking and currently provides approximately $4 million annually in contributions for team travel and for each host city for capital development and operations.

I represent an Atlantic constituency that has a great deal of amateur sports clubs and events within it. My home province of Prince Edward Island has its own culture and its own values. A lot of what we as Islanders do socially has to do with sport, amateur sport. Whether it is junior hockey, sailing, golf, whatever it is, sport in P.E.I. is a form of social interaction.

I understand the value of sport—

[D-Day, June 7th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, in the wee hours of June 6, 1944, while 450 Canadian paratroopers rained down on France behind German defences, 109 vessels of the Royal Canadian Navy sailed for France as part of the massive allied armada.

Canadian aircraft engaged the enemy in the sky and on the ground. That was 55 years ago. By the evening 14,000 Canadians had landed in Normandy and had gained more ground than any of our allies. The liberation of Europe was under way.

Between the morning and the evening there was the heroic but bloody story of D-Day, of troops striking mines hidden by high tides, of others landing in plain view of enemy strong points and of house to house combat with the enemy. On that day 340 Canadians died, 547 were wounded and 47 were taken prisoner.

The Canadians who helped smash German defences did so with unflinching courage and unflagging energy, a kind of spirit and commitment that few of us could even fathom.

We must not allow time to diminish this magnitude of sacrifice, nor complacency to fade the importance of the day.