Colin Mayes

[Battle of Hong Kong, December 7th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, this week marks a sombre anniversary for Canadian veterans. It was 68 years ago this week that imperial Japan engaged Canadian troops in Hong Kong. “C Force”, as they were known, provided much of the Commonwealth forces in the Battle of Hong Kong that lasted 17 gruelling days.

This weekend the Prime Minister paid tribute to the sacrifice of young Canadians who never returned from the Battle of Hong Kong by laying a wreath at the Sai Wan War Cemetery. The ceremony was also attended by Patricia Osborn, daughter of company Sergeant-Major John Osborn, a Canadian hero who died in combat in Hong Kong. He received a posthumous Victoria Cross for his actions in protecting his fellow troops, Canada's first in World War II.

Canadians today remain proud defenders of freedom, democracy and justice around the world. I agree with the Prime Minister's remarks, “It is the men and women of the Canadian Forces who defend our way of life and keep Canada, the true north strong and free”.

[Olympic Winter Games, December 2nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, our government has supported all aspects of the Olympics, from the torch relay to our athletes, but at every turn the Liberal Party has attempted to politicize the games.

Will the Minister of State for Sport please share with the House the Liberals' latest attempts to make the games about them and not about the athletes?

[Community Spirit, December 2nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, every community has its pioneer families who have contributed to the spirit in the community in which they live.

In the city of Salmon Arm, in the riding of Okanagan--Shuswap, the family I wish to celebrate today is the Askew family. Lloyd and Dorothy Askew founded a meat shop and later expanded it to a supermarket.

Their legacy in the community of Salmon Arm is not only the great business they and their children operate but it is their generous support to every community event and project undertaken to build the great community of Salmon Arm.

Lloyd passed away some time ago and Dorothy died on November 2 of this year, but today, through their children, this legacy still continues.

On behalf of the citizens of Salmon Arm, I thank the Askew family and their staff for all that they have contributed to the community in making it a better place to live. They are truly a shining example to all of us as to the essence of community spirit.

[Canadian Paralympic Ski Team, October 21st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an avid skier and member of the Canadian para-alpine ski team from my riding of Okanagan—Shuswap, Josh Dueck.

Josh, one of the top skiers in the world and the reigning 2007-08 Canadian champion, started skiing at age 13. At 23, while doing a test jump, he overshot the landing hill, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. This did not stop John from doing what he loves: skiing. In just nine months, Josh was back on the ski hill.

In 2005, he was named to the provincial disabled alpine ski team and, in 2006, to the national development team.

Josh is an international gold medal winner for the Canadian para-alpine ski team, winning the world championships in 2009.

An RBC Olympian, the sit-skier extraordinaire, Josh is representing Canada at the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver. He will be speeding down the ski hill with one goal in mind: winning gold for Canada.

[Business of Supply, October 19th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, the member for Lévis—Bellechasse, for sharing his time with me.

The current economic situation and its impacts upon our nation are well-known. Our government has taken a number of short-term and long-term actions and investments to support the forestry sector through tough economic times and, more important, to help communities and workers who depend on the forestry industry.

In the short-term, we provided a total of $2 billion to support communities facing transition and those affected by the economic downturn. The $1 billion community development trust announced in 2007 and the $1 billion community adjustment fund announced in the economic action plan provide support to create jobs and maintain employment in affected communities, such as the forest-dependent communities.

I had a great experience last summer where I made an announcement of the community adjustment fund in Grand Forks in the southern interior of British Columbia. That is a community that lost its mills and was more than happy to see that investment in its community.

In addition, we have taken measures to secure a more sustainable forestry industry by supporting forestry industries develop new products, processes, and take advantage of emerging opportunities in the international marketplace. Building on the $127.5 million forestry industry long-term competitiveness initiative announced in 2007, Canada's economic action plan provides $170 million to support the transformation of Canada's forestry sector.

However, to fully take advantage of emerging opportunities, Canadian forestry companies need to have access to credit. Through Canada's economic action plan, the government has taken bold and unprecedented measures to improve access to credit for Canadians and Canadian businesses, as we work closely together through these challenging times.

Access to credit is key for all businesses and sectors of the economy. This is especially the case in industries that are capital-intensive and export-oriented, such as the forestry and the mining sectors.

A key measure taken in the economic action plan of 2009 to address issues in credit markets was to provide Export Development Canada with more financial flexibility to support businesses during the current economic downturn. Export Development Canada has working relationships with more than 90% of the Canadian forestry industry and has new flexibility for firms in the forestry sector and across the economy to address financing gaps in the credit markets.

In 2008, EDC provided financial services with a total value of $85.8 billion to over 8,300 Canadians businesses. Forestry industries received serviced worth $14 billion.

During the first eight months of this year, EDC provided an additional $50.84 billion to businesses in Canada, more than $9.6 billion of which went to forestry industries across Canada. Forestry industry clients have grown from being less than 7% of EDC's total portfolio, in 2008, to being nearly 20% now in 2009.

Finally, the Business Development Bank of Canada provided support, over the same period, to more than 1,100 small and medium-sized businesses in Canada operating in the forestry sector.

We have also taken a number other measures in the economic action plan, including investments in infrastructure that will benefit the forestry industry across Canada.

For example, the economic action plan provides $4 billion in new funding for local and regional projects; $2 billion for urgently needed repairs to our universities and colleges; and $1 billion for a green infrastructure fund to support projects such as sustainable energy.

This is in addition to the $33 billion for longer-term projects our government has already committed to under the building Canada fund.

The new home renovation tax credit is also good for the forestry sector as it provides eligibility for up to $1,300 in tax relief for Canadians undertaking home renovations. Each time Canadians undertake a home renovation project, they are helping to create jobs in construction and building supplies in their communities.

In fact, the economic action plan provides as much as $7.8 billion to help build high-quality housing and to promote construction in home renovation, two areas that will directly help stimulate demand for Canadian wood products.

To provide economic opportunities to first nation communities, our plan provides $400 million over the next two years to support on-reserve housing dedicated to new social housing projects, to remediate existing social housing stock and complement housing activities.

Given the importance of wood in construction and renovation, these actions will stimulate additional domestic demand, perhaps more than one billion board feet of lumber and hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of wood panels for Canadian wood and wood products.

Through these measures, Canada will mitigate the effects of the global economic downturn on business, workers and communities. At the same time, measures in the economic action plan lay a strong foundation for our forestry products and mining sectors, and the communities that depend on them to emerge from this period of economic turmoil more prosperous and sustainable than ever.

Despite global economic turbulence, Canada's resource industries continue to make significant contributions to our economy. Given their importance to Canada's wealth and Canadians' well-being, the economic action plan provides additional help specifically to encourage industry to upgrade and retool its equipment. Through the extension of the accelerated capital cost allowance until the year 2011, we continue to improve Canada's tax advantage in order to help attract investments in the forestry industry, as well as other resource and manufacturing sectors.

We also intend to permanently eliminate tariffs on a range of machinery and equipment. This measure is expected to save Canadian industry, including the forestry sector, about $440 million over the next five years.

Our government is determined to help forestry communities through difficult times while enabling the forestry sector to renew itself and lay the foundations for a more prosperous future. This is why the economic action plan provides $8.3 billion in Canada's skills and transition strategy to help Canadian workers and their families in the forestry sector and across the economy in a variety of ways: by strengthening benefits, by enhancing the availability of training, and by keeping employment insurance rates low for 2009-10.

In conclusion, all members know that today's economic challenges are significant. Even before the global recession, Canada's forestry sector was in a difficult period of transition and our government was responding.

Many of our forestry sector initiatives began well before the current economic downturn. We can be confident that our forestry sector will be well equipped to lead as competitors as the world emerges from this recession and the measures included in Canada's economic action plan will help support and advance Canada's recovery.

[Vernon Vipers, June 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate the Vernon Vipers, who secured their place in Canadian Junior A hockey history with their fifth national title, on May 10, with a 2-0 victory over the Humboldt Broncos of Saskatchewan.

Bear Mountain Arena in Victoria was filled with energy as two of the best Junior A hockey teams in Canada took to the ice.

The Vernon Vipers secured their victory in the final game with goals scored by Braden Pimm and Kyle Bigos, winning the Royal Bank Cup.

The latest victory for the Vipers is in addition to winning the Interior Championship Cup, the Fred Page Cup and the Doyle Cup.

On behalf of my constituents of Okanagan—Shuswap, I applaud the Vipers, their management, their coaches and the entire staff for their hard work, which has led to another Vipers successful hockey season.

[Petitions, May 14th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition totalling 100 signatures from concerned citizens calling on Parliament to pass legislation for the protection of human life from the time of conception until natural death.

[International Aid, May 12th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, today marks the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan province. It killed and displaced thousands, damaged and destroyed property and livelihoods. Many continue to rely upon aid and struggle to get back on their feet. Nearly a year ago, this government committed to matching, dollar for dollar, the contributions of Canadians to alleviate this suffering.

Could the Minister of International Cooperation please tell us how much money Canada contributed and how this money has been used?

[Air Passengers' Bill of Rights, May 8th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to contribute to the debate on Bill C-310, An Act to Provide Certain Rights to Air Passengers.

This bill was introduced by the member for Elmwood—Transcona, and at the outset, I would like to commend him for the intent of this bill. All members, including those on this side of the House, share his concern for strong consumer protection, whether for airline passengers or for other consumers.

Pressure has been mounting from many different sources for parliamentarians to address consumers' complaints against the airline industry. As a member of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, I can tell the House that we have received a number of pieces of correspondence from airline industry representatives and other Canadians regarding this issue, and this private member's bill in particular.

Complaints have become even more frequent and action is more urgently needed. Given the delays many air travellers have faced in the past two Christmas seasons, and by the travellers who encountered difficulty in leaving Mexico following the H1N1 crisis, while many of their stories are unfortunate, both of these instances serve as reminders that there are many aspects of air travel, including blizzards and outbreaks of disease, which are completely out of our control.

The bill before us proposes that we address these concerns by imposing a range of obligations on air carriers, as well as stiff penalties should the carriers fail to meet those obligations.

The bill is well meaning for consumers, in the sense that it clearly intends to address some of the concerns that they have raised, but well meaning is where it ends. Its appeal to populism is punitive and it is potentially devastating to Canada's airline industry.

This bill would place some very serious financial constraints and penalties on airlines in this country. We on this side of the House have a duty to be mindful of this during a time of economic uncertainty.

At the transport committee, we have heard from a number of airlines and other industry representatives, many of whom believe that Bill C-310 is highly punitive and will cause adverse consequences. For example, the Air Transport Association of Canada, which has approximately 185 members, had this to say about Bill C-310:

The financial “compensation” paragraphs of Bill C-310...bears no relationship to the economic realities of air transport in Canada. Where is the equality in paying a customer who purchased a $99.00 ticket to Florida $1200.00 in “compensation”? Canada has an open market place. If a particular carrier routinely delays or cancels flights there generally are alternatives available to customers. There are no similar strictures on other transport modes that have delays or cancellations. Why air transport? Why not let passengers vote with their wallets?

The Air Transport Association of Canada went on to say that if this legislation moves forward, we can expect to see the following consequences: it will lower passenger safety in Canada by encouraging more risk taking; air carriers will have to increase ticket prices substantially in order to recover costs contemplated by this bill; and service to some communities, mostly remote, and segments of the population, for example, unaccompanied children, will be reduced or eliminated.

These serious concerns from industry should make it very obvious that this legislation was drafted without consultation with the industry.

There is an old saying that we should beware of what we wish for. Should we pass this legislation, I believe we may well find that consumers will not be better off. In fact, they may face bigger problems.

There are many unanswered questions still lingering about this bill. What would it cost for the airline industry to implement the provisions? What would the consequences of their implementation be? Who would enforce these provisions? Because of this uncertainty, our government cannot support this bill.

We have heard from industry. The Canadian Airports Council specifically said, “Passage of C-310 would directly add costs to air carriers that would have to be passed on to consumers”. This is counter to the intention of the bill. Consumers would not be better off with higher fares.

I would also point out that if Canada were to adopt the provisions in Bill C-310, we would be seriously out of sync with the regulatory regimes of our trading partners at a time when we should be seeking regulatory harmony.

The penalties in the bill are harsher than those in the European Union air passenger bill of rights. The United States, our largest trading partner, does not impose such strict obligations and harsh penalties on its carriers.

The member for Elmwood—Transcona has at heart the same interest that we share on this side of the House. We all want better consumer protection for air travellers, but ultimately, the bill before us would not serve the best interest of the consumer. This bill would almost certainly result in the unintended consequences of fewer choices and higher prices. Moreover, it could produce an air transportation system that is less safe.

We need a more thoughtful and nuanced approach to passengers' rights. I am sure that members on both sides of the House join me in supporting the intent of the bill. However, due to its adverse consequences, I would ask that all members join me in voting against Bill C-310.

[Top Cadet Musician, March 30th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the Army Cadet League of Canada has named the top cadet musician in Canada to be Cadet Master Warrant Officer Blythe Heywood of the 1705 British Columbia Dragoons Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps of Vernon for her accomplishments on the violin and the French horn.

Originally a member of the Enderby Cadets, Heywood later joined the Vernon squadron where she has performed in numerous band competitions. She was 1 out of 1,600 cadet musicians from cadet bands in 70 B.C. communities to join the 50-member group.

Heywood trained at the Vernon army camp for three summers and has spent two years in Quebec playing in the advanced band at the Eastern Region Cadet School of Music. She will be presented the Lieutenant General J.W. Quinn award at a later date. In addition to the trophy, there is a $250 cash award and a $500 award toward her cadet corps' music program.

On behalf of the constituents of Okanagan—Shuswap and my colleagues in the House, I congratulate Cadet Master Warrant Officer Heywood.