House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2021, with 69% of the vote.
Address in Reply January 26th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, as I am sure the hon. member is aware, it would be inappropriate for me to speculate on specific items within the budget that are to be announced by the Minister of Finance tomorrow. However, I can reassure the member that Canada will be taking serious, substantial and multi-year action to protect workers, businesses and families during this global recession throughout all of Canada.
Address in Reply January 26th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the throne speech states:
Acting on the constructive thoughts and suggestions that have been received, our Government will tomorrow present Canada's economic stimulus plan.
The economic stimulus plan will be a plan of action.
Our Government is taking immediate action to build Canada through new investment in infrastructure.
Our Government is acting to protect the stability of our financial system.
Our Government is acting to ensure access to credit for businesses and consumers.
Our Government is acting to support Canadian industries in difficulty--including forestry, manufacturing, automotive, tourism, agriculture--and to protect the families and communities who depend on those jobs.
Our Government is acting to protect the vulnerable: the unemployed, lower-income Canadians, seniors, Aboriginal Canadians and others hit hardest by the global economic recession.
Address in Reply January 26th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, these are unprecedented times that need to be taken care of in an unprecedented way. I can reassure the hon. member that Canada will be taking serious, substantial and multi-year action to protect workers, businesses and families during this global recession. The Minister of Finance will provide more detail on our action plan when he introduces a new federal budget in the House tomorrow.
Address in Reply January 26th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the government has listened to Canadians, who are concerned about the worldwide recession and how it is affecting their jobs, their savings and their communities. The government has reached out to Canadians in all regions.
The government is putting forth a stimulus package that will be a plan of action. The government will be stimulating the economy, both through direct government action and by encouraging private expenditure.
Address in Reply January 26th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, these are unprecedented times. The government is listening to Canadians. Canadians were anxious and needed answers to alleviate their concerns regarding our economy. As I am sure the hon. member is aware, it would be inappropriate for me to speculate on specific items within the budget that is to be announced by the Minister of Finance tomorrow, or to reflect back. We want to look ahead.
Address in Reply January 26th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Governor General for her gracious remarks. I also thank the Prime Minister for offering me the opportunity to second the motion in reply to the Speech from the Throne.
I want to thank my colleague from Miramichi for her eloquent opening address and I am delighted and honoured to second her motion. She and I represent very different parts of the country. Saskatchewan and New Brunswick are miles apart geographically: different places, different traditions, different ways of life. However, I am confident that if we compared the constituents of Miramichi with the good people I have the privilege of representing in Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, we would find many similarities. We would find hard workers and people who believe in personal responsibilities but are also generous and kind. We would find people who want to raise their families in safe communities, free from crime and intimidation. We would find people who are proud of Canada and believe in the limitless possibilities of our country. We would find people who disagree on many issues. Indeed, just as we would find many people within a given community, a given province or a given party who disagree but still share values. They would agree on the things that matter: health, happiness, security, peace of mind, a stable livelihood, a bright future. I believe we could take Canadians from any province or region of Canada and find these shared values.
It does not matter whether we live in B.C., in Newfoundland, in southern Ontario's wine country or the beautiful reaches of Canada's north or whether we live on a farm or in an urban centre, people still want to have peace of mind in their jobs, incomes and livelihood. It does not matter on which side of Canada's traditional linguistic divide one lies. A farming family in Quebec and a farming family in Saskatchewan may not speak the same language but they share many of the same values, hopes and dreams: a chance to make an honest living doing what they love.
What unites us all also transcends cultural divides. We are a large, diverse country filled with Canadians of every conceivable background but across different cultures and regions people still want to build a better future for their children and they are proud to call Canada home.
In my own riding, my constituents are divided into those in the urban community of west Saskatoon and those rural communities that spread out across our beautiful prairie province. However, urban or rural, I know that my constituents want their children to grow up and raise their families in their own communities. This is no different from anywhere else in our great country.
I believe what unites us also crosses the partisan divide. Good people and optimistic people vote Conservative just as they vote Liberal, Bloc and NDP. While Canadian voters may disagree on the given issue, there is more that unites us than divides us.
Tonight, somewhere in this great country, a Liberal will be having a Conservative over for dinner. A Conservative is helping his or her NDP neighbour and a Bloc supporter is having a lively debate with a New Democrat.
The point I am making is that throughout Canada good people might disagree on their politics but still manage to successfully live, work and enjoy time together and they will stand together when it counts. If Canadians of different political persuasions can disagree on politics and still work together when it really counts, why can their representatives not? Why can we not?
The most disheartening thing about this point is not that MPs of different persuasions are more divided than everyday Canadians. It is that if we are not careful we will increasingly become divided from Canadians. This risk does not just extend to MPs. It extends to staff members, lobbyists, journalists, academics, interest groups and even public servants. MPs must work hard to ensure that the concerns of their constituents come first.
For all of the Governor General's eloquence, her real gift to this Parliament was allowing us the opportunity to return to our constituencies and be reminded of what is really important to all Canadians.
Beginning in December, I took the winter break as an opportunity to conduct community consultations in my riding of Saskatoon--Rosetown--Biggar. These consultations provided an opportunity for me to learn more about each community, as well as listen to their concerns. A number of individuals, as well as members representing various organizations, took the opportunity to call my office and meet with me. In total, I held meetings in or visited more than 15 communities within my riding.
If any of my hon. colleagues' experiences were like mine, they know what is on people's minds. People are worried about the economy, and rightfully so. Canada, like every other country around the world, is being buffeted by the global recession. Unlike other countries around the world, we are well prepared to weather it. Our real estate market is well regulated. Our banking system is strong. Our debt to GDP ratio is low. We entered the recession late. We are not plunging as deep as other countries and we are expected to come out of the recession early.
Relatively speaking, that is very good news, but for many Canadians there are still plenty of reasons to worry and we must not forget them: workers who have lost or are in danger of losing their jobs; Canadians living in single industry towns who are wondering what is next; pensioners worried about their income and savings; and small business owners concerned about the tight credit market and whether they can stay afloat.
The worries of Canadians cannot penetrate the bubble of Ottawa unless their representatives listen. Canadians' priorities cannot shape our policies and actions unless we are prepared to hear what they have to say. We need to reach out and we need to consult across regional lines and party lines to anyone who has a good idea that they are willing to share.
Tomorrow the Minister of Finance will introduce an action plan that addresses the priorities of Canadians. We know this because our government has made an unprecedented effort to consult far and wide and to give all Canadians the opportunity to have their say.
Here is what we have been doing. The Prime Minister and ministers have personally made 88 separate visits to cities, both large and small, from Toronto, Montreal and Halifax to Fort McMurray, Saskatoon and Kenora, to listen to Canadians. Ministers have held 74 round tables to solicit the views of business and community leaders.
Our government has met with 836 organizations, big and small. Our government has solicited online submissions from the public and received more than 7,400 responses from interested and concerned citizens and organizations who wanted to get involved, while another 5,400 wrote to our government directly with their ideas and thoughts.
Our government has had 102 discussions and face-to-face meetings with representatives from our provinces and territories and has met with representatives from 76 Canadian cities, counties and towns. These numbers do not even begin to include the number of Canadians, organizations and businesses that took the time and effort to contact their individual members of Parliament.
Furthermore, we have consistently reached out to the opposition parties as well. Those opposition parties that took up our offer in good faith and made suggestions, however broad, will hopefully see an action plan that at least, in part, respects their ideas and their priorities.
Tomorrow, members of Parliament and all Canadians will hear our Conservative government's action plan, which is what Canadians elected us to provide, but it will not be an exclusively Conservative plan. It will reflect the input we received from Canadians from all political persuasions and it will reflect the extraordinary character of these times. Rather than be a Conservative plan or a Liberal plan or so forth, it will be first and foremost a Canadian plan.
It will be a plan for protecting and creating jobs today and for helping Canada to create jobs for the future, a plan that provides strong fiscal leadership and delivers a meaningful action in a very uncertain time, a plan that will help to preserve the quality of life enjoyed across this country in both urban and rural communities, a quality of life that is worth preserving.
No plan can satisfy all the demands of all the people, but this action plan will get the big things right. It will be Canada's action plan for uncertain times. I invite all my colleagues to use their very best judgment when reviewing it.
Mr. Speaker, it is my honour and pleasure to second this motion.
Opposition Coalition Proposal December 2nd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I stand today to thank the voters of Saskatoon--Rosetown--Biggar for democratically electing me as their member of Parliament.
We all know elections matter. During a campaign, the leaders and the parties draft platforms, debate ideas and seek a real mandate from the public.
Just a few short weeks ago, the Leader of the Opposition campaigned on a platform that was rejected by the Canadian people. While campaigning, he rejected the idea of a coalition government. In fact, he said that the NDP would damage the economy. Now, as the price of power, he is inviting that party to do just that.
Back then he was fighting the separatists. Today he wants to give the Bloc a veto over all federal legislation.
He simply must not impose a radical government without the people's consent. This cannot happen. Not in the middle of a global crisis. Not any time. Only the people can decide. Only--