Mr. Speaker, I begin on a congratulatory note. I extend my congratulations to all previous speakers and leaders. I also extend congratulations on behalf of the party to the new governor general, Madam Adrienne Clarkson, and offer our best wishes to the outgoing governor general, Mr. LeBlanc. Some congratulations are also in order with respect to the Speech from the Throne which broadly and vaguely stated the government's willingness to look to the future.
It is necessary to compliment the Liberal government for finally recognizing that the modern economy exists, for showing an awareness for the next century and for spending some time in the throne speech telling Canadians that new technologies will play a larger role in all our lives. These are penetrating statements of the obvious, yet it marks a shift in simply following the policies of a previous Conservative government and reaping the benefit of those visionary initiatives.
We are on the verge of the 21st century; that is an undeniable fact. The Liberals acknowledge it, and that is encouraging. They may have taken six years to do so, but finally the government has taken the risk of stating that the country is in a period of transition and that there are a number of challenges ahead on the horizon. Yet there is nothing in the Speech from the Throne that helps Canadians understand the direction in which the Liberals wish to steer Canada. Nothing in the throne speech assures Canadians that the country is going in the right direction. The Speech from the Throne says nothing about all the complicated workings of governmental affairs.
I compliment the government for making a grand gesture to the Canadian public yesterday, a gesture that exhibited supreme confidence in the future of the country and the ability of Canadians to respond to future challenges. Unfortunately it was an empty and shallow gesture, one which offered no vision and no leadership. This was not a blueprint of where the country is headed. It was a pencil sketch or connect the dots. Sadly it showed a government with no ideas, no focus and no sense of how we move the country forward, only vague notions of what the future might look like.
Canadians want some serious issues addressed, issues like increasing the tax burden, the agricultural crisis in western Canada, the issue of immigration, or the consequences of a hostile takeover resulting in a single national airline. Those looking for these issues to be addressed in the throne speech were sadly disappointed.
There were a lot of right sounding words in the throne speech, words like knowledge economy, building a higher quality of life, technology and advancing Canada's place in the world. These are all important issues that this parliament will have to address, but beyond the catch phrases themselves there was nothing, nothing new and nothing that explains the purpose of the government.
It is disheartening to see over the course of several months that the federal government failed to prepare itself for this new parliament, even with the three-week delay in the opening. It failed to meet the demands of Canadians for a responsible government and for the delivery of a vigorous new plan for this parliament.
It has also failed to anticipate the Supreme Court decision in Marshall, the void that it would create and the chaos it would initiate.
It is appropriate now to quote a respected Canadian philosopher, John Ralston Saul, who wrote:
The modern tools of communication become the tools of propaganda. And fear of the consequences of non-conformity is propagated.
This statement takes on a wonderful clarity and irony in the context of yesterday's throne speech. What was the meaning behind the promises we heard? Were they one line promises with little if any detail on how exactly these promises were to be implemented? It was much like we have seen from previous throne speeches from the government. Much of what we heard were ideas generated by the PC Party of Canada or ideas that have been long media tested, words that sound wonderful and warm people's hearts but do not amount to much.
No one would deny that we need to improve our commitment on children's issues, to a stronger economy, to a quality health care, to aboriginal peoples amongst other issues. These we can all agree on but where were the details? When can Canadians count on the government to explain its vision in a manner that provides answers rather than more questions?
We have heard much about the Liberal's concept of diversity. We heard it many times in yesterday's speech. How can the government speak of respecting diversity when it chooses to antagonize Quebec, when it chooses to antagonize Atlantic Canada, the west and other regions and when it chooses to antagonize every region of the country with alienating provocative approaches to federalism?
When the government boldly states that the supreme court decision on the clarity of the referendum question must be respected it makes clear that the goal is to provoke Quebec. The Liberal plan B approach has done nothing but antagonize Quebec and is completely unconstructive.
We need to encourage Canadians if we are to evolve as a strong and united country. When the government ignores the plight of western farmers or Atlantic fishers it shows that it respects diversity only when it falls within the Liberal agenda. It demonstrates that it is only a true crisis that evokes a response and even then the government responds slowly and inadequately.
It is heartening to know that the government has finally recognized the priority that needs to be given to environmental issues, six years too late, I might add. And still the Liberals have done nothing more than to affirm and reaffirm Canada's commitment to the Kyoto protocols and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The government speaks of a children's agenda but it has not taken any meaningful action to protect the environment in which our children will live. Thankfully, some industries have stepped up the challenge and have taken meaningful steps to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and to do so from their factories. Others have not been so noble. The government needs to stop talking about the reduction of harmful greenhouse emissions and start meaningful implementation of those commitments.
I talked about what was in the throne speech. What we uncover more about the government is in discussing what was left out of the document.
The throne speech delivered the message of the new economy, of high technology and of the Internet, but here we have a government that has abandoned the country's traditional industries, industries that have powered our economy for more than a century, industries such as forestry, fishing, oil and gas, mining, farming and shipbuilding. These industries continue to play an invaluable role in keeping our communities alive, prosperous and thriving, traditional industries that have sustained Canadians and provided not only income and occupation but also pride and purpose. They continue to do so. They continue to be a part of Canada's overall economy despite Liberal government indifference. Where on earth was the commitment to our brave men and women of the armed forces for equipment and resources to ensure their safety and success? This glaring omission speaks volumes.
Within the pages of the speech there was a flavour of the abandonment of the past. While the push to the future is a noble ideal, we cannot forget the fact that our traditional industries continue to provide meaningful work in areas of high unemployment. The speech was littered with reaffirmations of previously unfulfilled promises or commitments.
As a Maritime member, it becomes obvious that the lack of focus on significant industries will have a negative impact. It sends a message to Atlantic Canadians and others that they are not a high priority for the Liberal government. One only has to look at the results of the last federal election and two recent provincial elections in the Atlantic provinces to know how Atlantic Canadians react when ignored.
When the Liberal government speaks of high technology and of the knowledge based economy bringing a higher quality of life to Canadians, it neglects to mention that the costs to the quality of life in our smaller communities amongst fishers, farmers and miners will be hurt. Let us build a stronger future by encouraging and connecting Canadians from coast to coast. Let us not disconnect from the important industries that continue to drive the economy.
It is appropriate tonight that we in the House will be participating in a debate on the crisis emerging in the commercial fishing industry between native and non-native fishers. The government has tiptoed around this critical issue for weeks allowing it to fester and grow to the point of confrontation and violence.
Let us hope that the government uses tonight's debate as an opportunity to reset its priorities and focus on the necessity of finding a swift and long term resolution to this crisis. This must be an inclusive focus on consensus building and it must avoid the base political antagonism that has been practised by some.
We have learned recently that aboriginal chiefs, including those who have until now supported the moratorium, have just left the meeting in New Brunswick and that the fisheries self-imposed moratorium is now off. This means that boats and traps will be put back in the water and there is a serious issue that needs to be addressed and addressed quickly.
Across the country other crises emerge. The crisis faced by the western farm families went literally and figuratively unnoticed in yesterday's throne speech. The low agricultural prices caused by subsidies among our trading partners threatens to put many Canadian farmers out of business completely. This issue needs government action before it is too late.
There is nothing in the throne speech that will stem the brain drain. The government must move to keep highly skilled Canadians from emigrating to the United States. As well, there is nothing to stem interprovincial brain drain. Far too many young Canadians are forced to move away from home and family depriving their communities of the knowledge and the skills necessary to build a strong foundation for the country in the 21st century.
We cannot wait for more Centres of Excellence to be established and more implementations of millennium scholarships. A focus on research and development and the improvement for our children is laudable. However, if our children are to simply grow up, become well educated, armed with skills and then move to the United States what have we accomplished and what have we gained?
We can do more than simply applaud the government's commitment to a free trade arena or area of the Americas by the year 2005. We can do that but it is finally heartening to see that free trade has become a government priority. Free trade is something that this party initiated. I would certainly like to see the Liberal government undertake this effort with as much vigour and tenacity as it did with its anti-free trade efforts in 1993.
It may have taken the Liberal government six years but it appears that it has finally realized that for Canadians to succeed they must be innovative and productive. They must invest in skills development and they must seek new opportunities around the world.
The reality is that the Liberal track record has been about declining productivity and investment, record levels of taxation and punishing regulations and red tape. Pie in the sky platitudes are not enough for Canadians and after six years they should and do expect more.
The Liberals are simply paying lip service to increasing our quality of life. Under this Prime Minister, Canadians have seen their federal tax revenues go up while their disposable incomes and revenues go down. At best, we have seen incomes decline. The Liberal government's lack of vision and leadership is actually destroying and undermining Canadians' quality of life not improving it as the throne speech would have us believe.
The government needs to cut taxes starting with personal income taxes and capital gains taxes. We must put money back in the pockets of those who have earned it and allow them to generate economic growth. The government must set firm, achievable debt reduction targets.
The PC Party of Canada has given specifics about where it stands on tax issues such as the decrease in the capital gains tax and a full indexation of tax brackets. The Liberal government has remained silent. Our party will continue to consult with experts and Canadians on this matter. Our federal government chooses to avoid consultation.
This reluctance to put forward a plan for tax cuts is part of a trend. We have not seen any ground-breaking initiatives in the last six years that would reverse the trend. The government's commitment to seasonal workers is abysmal. Agriculture, natural resource workers, middle class families and scores of other Canadians have been ignored and undercut by the government.
Tax reduction is fundamental to the economic well being of Canadians and tax relief, more dollars being left in the hands of families with children, would be a step in that direction. To help children, the government must help parents of those children with meaningful tax relief. In the throne speech, the government said it would make a third significant investment in the national child benefit but there are no details of exactly how much the government will invest nor are there any contingency plans should the provinces and territories choose not to co-operate.
Just as it has done with a series of other issues, issues such as poverty where the Liberals identified a problem that was obvious to all and then provided Canadians with false hope. Canadians are becoming cynical and despondent. The government even created a separate ministry aimed at poverty but with no budget and no mandate and then tried to convince Canadians that it had addressed the problem. Canadians will not be fooled.
There are more examples of more promises and no action. The government's day to day management of native issues contradicts the promise that aboriginal people will be able to more fully participate and contribute to Canada's economy. This paternalistic attitude flies in the face of the government's pledge to promote greater aboriginal self-reliance.
The government's attempt to present itself in a caring and compassionate way as a government that helps families and children in particular is a sham. However, in the Year of Older Persons nowhere was there even a mention of seniors. To quote my colleague from Saint John:
Too often in our society today, seniors are overlooked and ignored. Our society is aging, and as it does, more and more seniors are falling through the cracks—substandard housing, inadequate health care, and in many cases, just plain neglect. Yet this government didn't see fit to mention them even once in their blueprint for the new millennium.
Whether I speak of families, children or of the elderly, it is obvious that when it comes time to implement legislation that would be truly beneficial the government has constantly failed to deliver. One need only look at the government's chance to reform family law and strengthen support with the joint common senate committee on child custody in 1997. The government ignored its report and the justice minister has already indicated that she wants more consultations that will last until the year 2002.
Another area where the Liberal government has failed to deliver has been with the new Youth Criminal Justice Act. It has called this legislation a priority yet it has refused to acknowledge how it is going to pay for this when it is already not living up to the monetary commitments under the old young offenders act.
The lack of attention to youth crime has spilled over into other areas of law enforcement. An abysmal lack of funding for the RCMP has constantly forced our Mounties to do more with less. This has literally endangered the officers and the public at large. Bowing to public pressure, the government is now expecting the already overworked members of our national police force to combat high tech crimes such as money laundering, organized crime and the smuggling of people, guns and drugs.
The government speaks of public safety as its number one priority yet it continues to release dangerous offenders into our communities.
Finally we have more Liberal rhetoric regarding the future of health care. It is fine for Liberals to talk about improving our health care system but it cannot be forgotten that the dire straits of health care in the country was created by this government. By simply putting money back in when it does not even equal the amount of money that was taken out, our health care system will not improve.
This approach simply will not cut it. Accessible and universal health care is one of the things for which Canadians take the most amount of pride. We are very anxious to see how this government plans to keep the proud tradition of our health care system alive. Certainly this throne speech gives no hint. Medical research is vital. If the government intends to foster an international reputation as a world leader in this field, we cannot continue to ignore the daily health care needs of Canadians. They are sadly off course.
The Throne Speech represents a government whose vision is a mile wide and an inch deep. There were some fine platitudes about this country's potential but there was nothing that provided Canadians with an understanding of where this government is coming from, and where it is going.
With the dawn of the new millennium, this Liberal government had a golden opportunity to present a comprehensive plan on the path that the country should take. Sadly that opportunity was missed and the government has traded vision for vagueness at the expense of all Canadians.
Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Right Hon. Joe Clark and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, I thank you for the opportunity to present our response to the throne speech.