Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to speak to this motion. It is a very important motion so I am going to read it again.
That this House calls on the government to develop a new national shipbuilding policy to support the revitalization of the Canadian shipbuilding industry by maintaining and advancing the degree of excellence and the technologies for which Canada is historically renowned, given that Canada has the longest coastline of any nation in the world and that historically Canadians are among the finest shipbuilders in the world.
The motion has been very well crafted and it says a lot. It is important that all of us give serious consideration to it this afternoon.
Undoubtedly there is a need for a national shipbuilding policy. I say that in all sincerity. Many times I have questioned the government with respect to a shipbuilding policy and I have often got back the reply that we do not need a policy, that we already have a policy. Yet, this policy seems to be long forthcoming. I requested a copy of the policy quite some time ago through the standing committee. I was told that it would be made available but I have yet to see anything.
What the government has is not a shipbuilding policy per se but a mishmash of little initiatives here and there which it can remotely tie into the concept of shipbuilding and it calls this a policy. What we are looking for when we talk about a national shipbuilding policy is something that is very clear and concise, that sets a sense of direction and gives hope and optimism to the people who work in the shipbuilding field.
Ships have been sailing between Canadian ports for many years. We believe firmly that they should be built in Canada, crewed in Canada and serviced and repaired in Canada. We know that the U.S. has the Jones act which ensures this for its industry, but we in Canada for some reason seem to want to go in a different direction. We do not want to ensure a sound industry for our citizens.
On December 31, 1996 there were 2,589 ships on order around the world. Yet shipbuilders on both coasts of Canada sit idle. One has to ask oneself why this is so. When there are so many ships being built around the world, why is it that in Canada, which has been historically known for its shipbuilding and technology in that regard, the shipyards are idle?
The U.S. provides generous long term loan guarantees for buyers. There are many other initiatives it takes to ensure the industry survives in that country.
On October 29, 1990 the right hon. Prime Minister, while he was in opposition, wrote a letter to the marine workers federation in which he said “It is safe to say that most people recognize that something has to be done to create a much more competitive shipbuilding industry. The government should now, as they should have done long ago and indeed as they promised to do, take steps to alleviate the problem”. The Prime Minister wrote that when he was in opposition. We heard quite a different story today from the government side in terms of what has to be done and the importance of doing something now to maintain this industry and to help it survive.
Employment in this industry has plummeted from 12,000 workers in 1990 to fewer than 5,000 in 1996. I would venture that today it has probably gone even lower.
Why is it in this day and age when there is so much unemployment we cannot do something positive to aid people to find the necessary work to feed their families and look after themselves? Coastal communities are facing economic stagnation and chronic unemployment. We see it in the fisheries industry. Now the same thing is happening in the shipbuilding industry.
We should look at ways of making sure the shipbuilding industry survives and picks up. We can bring in tough environmental standards, such as calling for double hulls. That would create employment and work within this area.
We note that the Liberal red book in 1993 called for provisional funds for the shipbuilding industry. Today we do not see anything happening in that regard.
The premiers in August 1997 unanimously passed a resolution aimed at helping the Canadian shipbuilding industry become more competitive on the international scene.
Even more recently we had a meeting here on the hill with the shipbuilding industry, the workers, management, the associations and so forth. All the parties except the government joined with these people to look seriously at what could be done to help this ailing industry, what could be done to put men and women back to work, and what could be done to ensure that our children had a secure future in the Atlantic provinces and on the west coast.
We have to ask ourselves, what is the problem? Perhaps part of the problem is that the majority of the members on the government side come from a province where they do not appreciate the importance of our marine industry, where perhaps they do not appreciate the importance of shipbuilding to the Atlantic and Pacific areas. This may be part of the problem. We know certainly that where there is a will and an understanding, there is a way to resolve these problems.
We have the equipment and the skilled workers. This is the important point. We have a battery of workers who are skilled, willing and able and wanting to work. Nowadays people are criticized far too often for being on the welfare rolls as people who do not want to work, who have no industry, no ambition or whatever. This is not the case with the shipbuilding workers. They have indicated over and over again that they want to work. They want to be productive members of society. They want to put into reality their experience, technology and skills.
We have the equipment and we have the workers, but do we have a government with the will to stand up for Canada's shipbuilding industry? No. If we did have such a government, we would see this industry moving forward.
A national policy should include such things as loan guarantees, fixed and comparable interest rates, long term amortization, and regulations to ensure that ships that are delivered to or from Canadian ports are subject to Canadian rules on health, safety and environmental standards. This is very important.
The shipbuilding personnel and the people involved in the industry whom we met with made it very clear that they are not looking for any handouts. They do not want handouts. They want to contribute their skills in a meaningful way to help this country move forward. Those individuals are sincere when they say that. We know these individuals and we know them to be honourable people.
For some reason it appears the government has a distrust of the shipbuilding industry and the people involved in it. The Liberals are constantly saying that they cannot subsidize the industry, that they do not want to do this or that. I assure everyone this is not what these people are asking for. All they are asking for is a fair chance, a fair opportunity to put forward a program that they know, based on their experience, will work and help make Canada a more productive society.
We have the workers but unfortunately we do not have a government with the will to help them. Many countries have shipbuilding and industrial strategies and policies. For example, the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Spain, Korea and China all have their specific shipbuilding industry policies. Is Canada so backward that we cannot match these countries and come forward with a strong policy of our own to ensure work for our citizens? I would say we are not.
We need some leadership to be shown by the government to give this matter its due consideration. The government should work together with the industry, work with all those who are interested in supporting the industry and make sure we move ahead. We know that where there is a will, there will be a way.