Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to respond to the Speech from the Throne which opened Canada's 36th Parliament. I begin by thanking the people of Guelph—Wellington for the trust and confidence they gave me and the Liberal Party on June 2.
The June 2 general election marked the first back to back victories for a Liberal Party candidate in 45 years in my riding. I am honoured to have the opportunity to serve the people of Guelph—Wellington for a second term, a term that will end in the next century.
Before I begin to speak about the present and the future I want to quote a newly elected member of Parliament, speaking in the House for the first time on May 23, 1963. I quote from the members own reply to the Speech from the Throne when he said “I am very glad to be a member of a party which has a leader of the calibre of the prime minister”. Those words were spoken almost 35 years ago by our current prime minister. I am proud to echo those words, and as they were used to describe Lester Pearson they apply quite equally to the prime minister.
Some parties in the House like to refer to the Speech from the Throne and the government's agenda as a return to the past. Let us compare their record to ours. Was it not the same parties that said we could never balance the budget? We will and our country's finances are currently in the best position in decades.
Did these parties not predict when the Liberals were elected in 1993 that there would be more of the same? Instead we have witnessed in four short years record low interest rates and low inflation, the restoration of public confidence in our finances, and the beginning of hope for the unemployed. I will compare our record of hope, opportunity for growth and confidence against their dire predictions any day, for we have delivered.
We can always point to the positive results of records in the 35th Parliament. Exports have increased to records never before imagined. Social programs have been maintained and Canada has been judged by the United Nations, time and time again, to be the best country in the world. Still there is something happening in my community which goes far beyond enthusiastic forecasts and strong growth. I have witnessed a transformation of the people of Guelph—Wellington in the years between 1993 and 1997.
The people of my riding are optimistic again. Let me quote from the September 16, 1997 edition of the Toronto Star and an article written about the technology triangle which includes Guelph—Wellington. It says:
What's so often overlooked is that communities and regions have enormous human resources capable of providing the energy, commitment and leadership skills needed to create a new attitude and direction.
The article continues by saying that Guelph—Wellington:
provides one example of how people at the local level in business, government, education, social agencies and unions helped this region make a transition from old industrial Ontario to a new knowledge based one.
Sadly these communities are often overlooked for their leadership and commitment but not, however, by the Liberal government.
In knocking on doors throughout the general election of 1997 I experienced that transformation of optimism. That optimism is witnessed every day by Guelph—Wellington citizens like Luiz Danninger, president of Trodat Canada Inc., producers of self-inking office stamps. Luiz employs more than 30 people and works hard to succeed. This summer he became a Canadian citizen and represents the spirit of co-operation and partnership underlined in the Speech from the Throne.
Another example is former Guelph Liberal member of Parliament, Jim Schroder. Jim has given up some of his retirement time to raise funds for the new River Run Centre, an arts and entertainment complex which will officially open this week.
Jim represents our support for the arts, which was announced in the Speech from the Throne. Dr. Larry Peterson of the University of Guelph was recently awarded the Helsinki medal for his work and represents the support for knowledge promoted by our government.
There are more examples. Paul MacPherson is president and general manager of Valcom, a growing and successful company in Guelph—Wellington. Paul and his employees know firsthand the importance of the Technology Partnerships Canada and represent the support for technology that has been committed by our government.
Recently Constable Wayne Hummell of the Guelph police force was awarded a Canadian banks law enforcement award for his efforts in combating crime against banks. Constable Hummell and members of the police forces that help protect Guelph—Wellington can only serve better because of our commitment to building safer communities.
Finally, the work of Mindy Ternan, the campaign director for the United Way community services in Guelph and Wellington county, can be helped through our commitment in investing in children and young people and the equal commitment in quality care and good health.
The people of Guelph—Wellington have rejected the doom and gloom spouted by the nay sayers. On June 2, 1997 they said yes to hope, growth and opportunity. They understand that Liberals throughout the history of Canada have never looked back, except to remind the opposition time and time again of the realities of Liberal success. We have always appreciated and comprehended the present while looking forward to the future. We have always worked with Canadians to find solutions to our problems.
The government will face many challenges in the 36th Parliament. We must still eliminate the deficit spending and we must still tackle an enormous debt. We must continue the transformation of our social programs in response to new and difficult circumstances. While investing in our future we must still ask for sacrifices to secure a quality of life for our seniors, our families, our young people, and each and every Canadian.
I look forward to those challenges. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve with the Minister of Labour as his parliamentary secretary. However, most important, I look forward to serving the people of Guelph—Wellington, a community that I describe as the best in Canada.
In conclusion, I again quote that newly elected member of Parliament speaking in 1963 and saying: “The people of Canada will find in the Liberal program the solution to their problems”. I believe that is true today, a solution that can only be found through optimism, co-operation, partnerships, hope in our future and belief in ourselves, a solution that will keep Canada the best country in the world.