Finance Committee on Oct. 23rd, 2006

[Mervin Wiseman]

It's the same thing with vegetables. We produce 10% of the consumption of vegetables in this province. We just can't get fair market return and we have no structure to get fair market return. The supply-managed commodities, of course, exclude vegetables, so again we have to import.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Wiseman.

Ms. Rowe, I believe you said government services are being delivered at random. Can you give us an example?

[Penelope Rowe]

I talked about the relationship between individual government departments and programs and individual organizations.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Can you give us just one example?

[Penelope Rowe]

For instance, if I look at getting a contract, grant, or contribution within the Department of Human Resources Development, the way they work with me is not necessarily consistent. The contracts are different, the length of time for my funding is different, and the amount of information I get all vary based on individual project managers and the directions they get from somebody in the department.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

That happens even within the same department?

[Penelope Rowe]

Yes. So this is very confusing to both the government and the non-profit sector. One way to try to streamline that relationship, which is part of the work being undertaken by the blue ribbon committee that was appointed by Mr. Harper, is through technology. Then we could provide similar information across departments, and between government and the non-profit sector, which has relationships with government departments.

[The Chair, Conservative, Brian Pallister]

Mr. Wallace.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you for joining us this morning.

Ms. Creates, can you tell me what kind of visual art you produce?

[Marlene Creates]

I do photography-based installations that include text and objects, and sometimes maps drawn by other people.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

I was on the board of our visual arts centre, and I've also created a group to try to bring a performing arts centre to Burlington. My wife is self-employed and I've been self-employed in the past.

How are artists treated any differently, particularly visual artists--which I have no talent in whatsoever--from any other self-employed person?

[Marlene Creates]

They aren't treated differently. When I'm filling out my income tax return, the category I'm in is the arts, but there is no distinction or tax relief for me compared to any other self-employed business person. My work is in the public domain. It's not the kind of work that is—

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

I'm confused. My wife is self-employed and she doesn't pay CPP and all that stuff, so why are you any different?

[Marlene Creates]

She doesn't pay CPP? No, she pays twice as much as someone who has an employer.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

Yes. But why are artists any different from any other self-employed business person? That's what I'm trying to get at.

[Marlene Creates]

Not all arts are in what you would call the marketplace. A lot of what artists do is in the public domain, and the public gets the use of artist's work in public galleries. It isn't necessarily the kind of art that is sold and taken home to be put in someone's private collection.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

I appreciate that.

To the doctors, I'm actually from Port Elgin, not too far from Goderich. We have a Kincardine guy here too. I don't think I've heard about this before, and I don't represent a rural area, but you'd like to see us move doctors based on the income tax system, or financial contributions, or just have a better distribution of the money that's already in the health budget? I'm trying to be clear about how we get trained physicians to go to rural areas.

[Dr. James Rourke]

There can be a whole variety of incentive programs, but we are specifically looking at five key things that will make a difference: provide rural access scholarships to people from rural areas so they have a better chance to meet the financial obligations of medical school and be more likely to go back to rural areas; provide more training in rural areas to train people where they come from and where they're going to go with the best skills they have; provide advanced skills for people going into rural practices so we can give the best care possible; provide leadership in medical schools connected to the community by funding chairs of rural medicine and chairs of rural health research to focus on the rural communities like Kincardine and Port Elgin.

All of those items need some funding, and some is provincial and some is federal. We focus on the federal-facilitated funding to make a difference in the short term to kick-start it and get things going to make sure we get more rural doctors into the system.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

Thank you.

I just want to thank everybody for coming. I didn't really get a chance to see St. John's, and I won't now, so I hope to come back.

I was not really active with the artists. I was more of a champion, which I think the dean mentioned, on the municipal side to make sure the centre got money. I think it has the largest ceramic collection in Canada--I keep calling it dishes and the director goes crazy.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

But anyway, thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Brian Pallister]

Thank you, Mr. Wallace.

I did have the chance to enjoy very much the hospitality of the province, and of St. John's in particular. So I thank you and will urge all my colleagues to come back. I will certainly be back.

Thank you for your time. Your presentations were very good and very stimulating. We appreciate it very much.

We are adjourned.