Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to have this opportunity to stand and speak about this year's budget.
There could have been a lot more big initiatives in this budget, but the government has left the cupboard bare. The federal government has no money and no power to help fund health, education and infrastructure. I fear that the government has done more damage to the federation with its budgets than it ever could have done by reopening the Constitution.
My riding has serious challenges that have to be addressed. The government has put $10 billion on the debt, which is $10 billion that would not have been there, were it not for the 10 good years of solid Liberal fiscal management.
It is a good thing to pay down the debt, but it seems to be a waste when we look at the infrastructure deficit in this country. Canada has the lowest debt to GDP ratio in the G-8. Does it make sense to pay down so much of the debt given the challenges that we face on infrastructure? In my riding alone, the government could spend a billion dollars on infrastructure and probably the job still would not be done.
For example, the CBRM, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality is the largest municipality in my riding. The CBRM is in debt to the tune of $90 million. How is the CBRM going to pay for its infrastructure? At the same time, there are new national guidelines which will require secondary sewage treatment in the next decade. Without federal and provincial help, the municipality will never be able to afford the infrastructure. The council and the mayor are not spending money on frivolous projects. The money is being spent on basic sewage, water and roads, but they are only scratching the surface.
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment is planning a new national standard for municipal waste water treatment. Once it is implemented, it will require secondary level treatment of all sewage being discharged into rivers, lakes and oceans. This will happen as early as the next decade.
Recently I met with a group of citizens from the New Waterford and Lingan area who were very concerned and upset because of the inadequacy of their sewage treatment plant. Sewage is running into the drains. They want something done. Those people pay their taxes. Also at the meeting was the CBRM's engineer who really wants the project completed, especially with the new guidelines that are coming up. However, there is not enough money coming from the federal government to help with this much needed infrastructure. Everyone has to wait. What will happen when the new guidelines are implemented? The CBRM will be caught in a big bind.
The municipality will not be able to plan for the future. Certain projects should be done every year in order to meet the guidelines. The guidelines are important in this day and age; we have a rich country and Canadians should have safe sewage and drinking water standards.
The CBRM has to comply with the new standards. It could cost $400 million for the sewage and water projects that must be completed. How will the municipality come up with the money to pay for these projects?
Another municipality in my riding, Victoria County, faces challenges. Victoria County is large and encompasses the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. There is also Pleasant Bay. It is the whole region on the northern part of Cape Breton, which has a small population. It will be very difficult to service some of the needs of this region.
The north side of my riding is badly in need of a new rink. Leo Steele and the North Sydney rink committee are doing a great job. They have raised over a million dollars from volunteers and have commitments from the business sector and local community members. The CBRM has also done its best to put a million dollars on the table. As many in this House know, a basic rink cannot be built for under $10 million these days. More money is needed for infrastructure.
Recreation facilities right across my riding, and right across Nova Scotia and the country are in desperate need. Many of these were built in the 1970s and the condition they are in now, whether they be refrigeration equipment, bathroom facilities or the structures themselves, some need to be repaired and others need to be replaced. There has to be an infusion of money to help these recreation facilities.
The only bright side I see about infrastructure for municipalities in the budget is the gas tax transfer payment. Again, that was a Liberal initiative. The member for LaSalle—Émard announced it in Sydney a few years ago. It was greatly received not only by the province but also by the municipalities. I guess I have to say that the Conservatives did one good thing in this budget, which is to continue on with the Liberal initiative to leave the gas tax with the municipalities where it is greatly needed, but one wonders why the government has no new ideas of its own to deal with infrastructure or recreation.
Let me talk about roads. The roads in my riding are deplorable. During the break a few weeks ago I visited rural areas. I started in Pleasant Bay and travelled to Cape North, Ingonish, New Haven and Neils Harbour. Everywhere I went, the roads were in deplorable condition.
One might say that roads are a provincial issue, but they are not really, because the national park system is in much of my riding. Many of the residents of small fishing and tourist communities have to travel through the park system and the road are in much need of repair. Again, many of the roads were built in the 1970s and have to be fixed.
On my tour when I travelled the rural areas, including Iona and Middle River, the issues that need attention in those areas are roads and water. There is a new water line going in to Iona but it is not going far enough. The railroad is causing a problem. As we can see, the rural areas need a lot of help.
Many in the House will recognize the village of Baddeck. This year Baddeck is celebrating its 100th anniversary. One hundred years ago the village was created and there will be some celebrations, but next year is going to be a very important year for the community of Baddeck. It will be the 100th anniversary of the flying of the Silver Dart by Alexander Graham Bell. It was done on a cold February day on the ice of Baddeck Bay 100 years ago. It was the first flight in all the Commonwealth. It is going to be a big event next year that will be held in Baddeck and all over Cape Breton.
It is not going to be just a Cape Breton celebration. It is going to be a Canadian celebration of the great inventor Alexander Graham Bell, who lived at Beinn Bhreagh and did much work not only for the deaf and hearing impaired but for the aviation industry. There is going to be a big do next year. It is going to kick off in February. There will be special events and will close off with the Celtic Colours, which is a big musical festival in my riding. People will come from all over the world.
My point is there is an ask in to the government to help the communities out with some infrastructure and facilities, but they have not seen anything yet and this could have been in the budget.
The city of Sydney is the largest community in my riding and it has some great economic opportunities. It used to be one of the busiest ports on the east coast with steel and coal. In World War II it was very busy. Right now it has big potential. There are cruise ships coming in. Coal is going to be hauled from Donkin. However, the port needs to be dredged. That is another thing.
Marine Atlantic is on the north side and the ferries go to Newfoundland. It was announced in the budget that it will get $17 million, which sounds like a lot, but it is chartering a new ferry. It is not building a new ferry like we had in our plans. We also need new facilities there.
Also, there have been hardly any announcements in the last while from Enterprise Cape Breton, which is an offshoot of ACOA. We are very concerned about Enterprise Cape Breton because it is under review, especially when there has been a cut to the ACOA budget. We are wondering where the government is going on that.
In closing, as we can see, this budget is missing many major initiatives that could be done in Cape Breton and right across the country. The government needs to step up to the plate and get it done.