Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with a colleague. It is my pleasure today to join this debate because it is a welcome opportunity for members of the government to reaffirm our philosophy in favour of a balanced approach to social policy in Canada.
Unlike members across the way, we believe that government has an important and necessary role to play in building the kind of society that cares about its people, not one that cares just for the well-off but one that cares for all Canadians including those groups within society that might need special help.
We believe in an approach that combines both grants and contributions and the Canada health and social transfer as a responsible balanced way to fund the social policy needs of Canadians. We do not believe in the kind of dogmatic all or nothing approach the opposition motion proposes.
Our approach to responsible social policy also recognizes the need to balance the jurisdictional concerns of the provinces and territories with the federal government's obligation to meet national social policy objectives. Our position is that both the federal and provincial levels have important roles to play. That is why we have substantially increased transfers to the provinces under the Canada health and social transfer. That is why we are also increasing funding for grants and contributions programs that meet specialized social policy needs throughout Canada. We understand the need for this balanced approach and so do Canadians.
Here is a good example. It is a quote from a letter written by the executive director of the Child Care Connection of Nova Scotia. It refers to a program that supports child care research and says:
Child care is the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories, but this research and development program is a significant means by which the federal government can provide leadership in increasing the quality of services and support the development of an infrastructure to deliver child care services to families in Canada.
This letter says it well. There is a role for both levels of government in social policy. This letter shows how important the federal role can be in contributing directly to the needs of Canadians. It also illustrates the kind of support we have for this approach from all across the country.
I have another example from the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada. The president and executive director of the organization have written a letter to the hon. minister. The letter talks about the support that HRDC provides to help persons with disabilities. The writers urge the minister to remain steadfast in pursuit of her mandate.
These are not government MPs I am quoting. These are caring Canadians who work with individuals that need are help. These people look to the Government of Canada and they recognize the value and importance of our program in providing it.
A motion like the one before us today will work against the interest of people like these. I am tempted to say shame on those who want to take back funding earmarked for grants and contributions, but I assume that those who propose motions like this one do not understand the role of federal grants and contributions in our system.
They should know that all across Canada these grants are working in partnership with concerned Canadians to help those who depend on the government for the support they need. From every part of the country we hear from people who know just how important grants and contributions are.
In Edmonton, Alberta, for example, we have heard from the Chrysalis Society about the value of our help to persons with disabilities who are trying to find work. We have heard from the Junction Day Care Centre in the west end of Toronto about how HRDC funding is improving the quality of child care there. An organization called the Literacy Partners of Manitoba, based in Winnipeg, has told us that improving literacy skills awareness and resources for adults in Canada is vital work for us all.
There are cases like this all across the country. These cases prompt me to ask the following questions. Would our hon. friends opposite suggest we cut back on helping to build the literacy skills as well as the technological skills required for us to remain competitive in the global marketplace? Should we forget about making it easier for a person with a disability to find work and participate fully in Canadian society? Should we stop funding the work to improve the capacity of our child care facilities to provide quality care for our children? Of course we should not, at least not as far as this government is concerned.
Investing in the development of our human resources is one of the most important things governments can do, and more important in this era of globalization than ever before. The government has no intention of eliminating the valuable support provided by the grants and contributions program. I doubt if the hundreds of thousands of Canadians whose lives have been improved because of our direct support would vote for this motion. I cannot support it either.
I am proud to be part of a government that shows its willingness to help Canadians who need us. I am proud to speak in favour of our grants and contributions programs and the benefits they bring to hundreds of thousands of individual Canadians who need our help.