Charmaine Borg

[Youth, September 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, in Halifax, it is French language teaching in that community that will suffer as a result of that “easy” decision.

Every single organization has expressed its disappointment. The Katimavik program made the pool of available volunteers more diverse. They became real youth ambassadors by giving up their time during their holidays and they did so in order to organize activities for all Canadians.

The continued pursuit of integration and sharing was also appreciated by the people and communities that were given an opportunity to grow through hard, but rewarding work experiences.

Maybe this decision was “easy” for the minister, but it has not been easy for people to accept. Cancelling the Katimavik program has meant cuts to our future and to the services provided to the public. It also demeans the admirable work done by our community organizations, by refusing to support them and prevents our youth from learning, maturing and becoming engaged citizens for the rest of their lives.

This so-called “easy” decision is quite simply shameful.

[Youth, September 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, today, I have the opportunity to discuss the minister's dismissive response with regard to the cancellation of the Katimavik program. The Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages said the following: “Ending funding for Katimavik is one of the easiest decisions I have ever made.” This is the same minister who described how proud he was to support this program in the organization's 2009-10 annual report, stating that:

—[Katimavik] encourages our youth to get to better know and understand Canada, its history, its citizens, and its communities. Katimavik prepares the younger generation to demonstrate their civic engagement today in order to ensure a better tomorrow.

This same minister congratulated youth on making such a significant contribution to the vitality of our country.

This summer, I travelled across Canada trying to understand why this decision was so “easy” to make. I met with hundreds of organizations and individuals across the country to discuss the impact of the program on their communities and their lives. I saw the extraordinary projects that were carried out and I understand the huge loss that this “easy” decision has caused.

In Whitehorse, youth breathed new life and new energy into a number of organizations that did not have the resources necessary to provide services to members of the community.

In Calgary, Katimavik made a major contribution to helping new immigrants in Alberta whose language was that of the minority by providing them with services in their mother tongue.

In Lethbridge, youth in the Katimavik program created tools for life that were distributed in an employment centre that aboriginal youth and other young people in the region go to in order to obtain services, find jobs and become independent.

In Winnipeg, among other things, volunteers even planted gardens and shared their crops with disadvantaged people in the community.

In Sioux Lookout, this program is at the heart of the town. It helped all the organizations to offer more services. I am thinking in particular of Out of the Cold Sioux Lookout, which helps homeless people and where a young volunteer decided to stay for the summer, after the program had ended, because she saw how desperate the needs were and how little help was available.

In Charlottetown, this “easy” decision meant that Habitat for Humanity was unable to build a house for families that really needed it.

In Moncton, volunteers were true mentors for young people in difficulty.

In Wolfville, this “easy” decision put a stop to projects, including one involving the creation of a “Youth Booth” in the public market and another involving the intergenerational transfer of knowledge through computer training sessions at the library.

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of noise in the chamber. Could you please ask those who are talking to stop?

[Petitions, September 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition I wish to present expresses support for the national public transit strategy proposed by my colleague from Trinity—Spadina.

[Petitions, September 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I wish to present opposes Motion M-312, which is an attempt to reopen the abortion debate and could compromise the status of women.

[Petitions, September 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present here today.

The first petition calls on the government to bring back the Katimavik program, because it is an excellent program for all Canadians, and particularly young Canadians.

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 17th, 2012]

With regard to the 700 MHz Spectrum Auction: (a) has the Minister of Industry announced his intent to set aside a portion of the auction proceeds to deliver high-speed Internet access to rural and remote regions; and (b) does the Minister have a plan to introduce measures that would provide for the health of Canadian telecommunications companies in the face of new regulations allowing foreign telecommunications companies with less than 10% of the market to enter the Canadian market for the first time?

[Petitions, September 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls for a national public transit strategy. I am sure that my constituents support this too.

[Petitions, September 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present two petitions today.

The first is from people in my region who are calling on the Minister of Canadian Heritage to reinstate the Katimavik program for young people, especially for future generations.

[Government Programs, June 21st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, in March, the Conservatives got rid of the community access program, which provided Internet access to the less fortunate. Once again, they are attacking society's most vulnerable people. They should be ashamed of themselves. They are reducing the number of public servants providing services to the people and replacing them with machines. This decision makes no sense at all.

Now that half of Canada's poorest people no longer have access to the Internet, how can the minister justify his decision?

[Petitions, June 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to present another petition calling on the government to maintain funding for Katimavik and to recognize all its valuable contributions to the Canadian people.