Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join with my colleagues to speak to the motions that fall under Group No. 2 pertaining to Bill C-11. I want to raise three concerns this afternoon relating to those motions and Bill C-11 as a whole.
I will begin my remarks by commenting on the significant contribution by members of the New Democratic Party, particularly from Atlantic Canada, to this debate and to this very important question around the future of not only Cape Breton but the whole country. It is a very hard act to follow.
The member for Acadie—Bathurst made an impassioned speech. He spoke from experience as a former steel worker, as someone who was down under and who worked in the mines. He brought important lessons to the House that ought to be listened to by everyone, not just members of the Liberal government but also members of the Canadian Alliance.
It has become clear to me, after having listened to the debate today, that the Canadian Alliance is only too quick to join with the Liberal government on Bill C-11 and dismiss the concerns of those people who gave their lives and who sacrificed a great deal for the economy of Cape Breton. They should not to be disregarded now and cast aside in the interest of expediency but that is characteristic of this government and the Canadian Alliance.
I also want to single out the work of the two members from Cape Breton, the member for Bras d'Or—Cape Breton and the member for Sydney—Victoria, who have brought so much to not only this debate about Devco but to many other issues. They have both been vigilant on this issue and others pertaining to Cape Breton. We are very grateful for the valuable contribution they make to our caucus and to this parliament.
Those members have had to deal with a number of issues that have posed serious difficulties for their region. Day in and day out they have spoken out for the people of Cape Breton, whether we are talking about the serious situation of Westray and the failure of this government to ensure that the corporation in question is held responsible for the deaths of these miners, whether we are talking about the serious situation of the tar ponds in Cape Breton and the years and years of inaction by this government to deal with that serious health problem, or whether we are dealing with Devco and the whole question of having an economic development corporation that is regulated and run according to the needs and aspirations of that region.
Whether we are talking about any one of those issues, the impact by those members has been clear and their representation as members in the House has been noticed and has been important to all of us. I want to thank them for their work.
We also have a significant number of members from Halifax and Nova Scotia who have been very important in bringing these concerns to the House. We are very honoured and pleased with their participation.
I will now go to my three concerns. I want to note for the House that we are talking about Bill C-11. Is it not interesting that legislation from another jurisdiction, the province of Alberta, is also called bill 11? I want to point out the similarities between these two pieces of legislation. Maybe it is just a coincidence. Maybe it just happens that this number symbolizes the callous disregard of right wing governments everywhere when it comes to the needs of the people. Let me note the similarities. Bill 11 in Alberta really represents the nail in the coffin of health care, of medicare. In that regard, I note the failure of this government to deal for one second with the impact of that legislation and take seriously the concerns of people everywhere about how our entire hospital system could be opened up to private corporations.
Let us draw the parallels to Bill C-11 where this move to privatize, to deregulate, to dissolve the economic development corporation that has held Cape Breton in good stead over the years could also be the nail in the coffin for that region. It perhaps could symbolize every harsh, cruel measure taken by this government when it comes to the region of Cape Breton.
It is also very important to note that in both instances, whether we are talking about bill 11 in Alberta or Bill C-11 here in Ottawa, the government in question has chosen to disregard the interests and concerns of the people in those jurisdictions and has failed to allow for a democratic process to be involved.
Let it be clear that one of the reasons we are so concerned today is because of the way this government has brought down the heavy hand of closure yet again. How many times is it to date? This government has brought in closure over 60 times in three years. This is unprecedented, unheard of and unacceptable.
I speak with some authority on this question having just suffered through a few recent meetings at the health committee where the government has worked very hard to ensure that one of the avenues available to members to exercise their democratic right has been shut down and closed off. It has tried to control and manipulate the agenda so that this committee is not able to have an input on the most important issues facing Canadians today, health care, the number one priority of Canadians.
Each and every day we are faced with this kind of undemocratic, dictatorial, authoritarian measure by the Liberal government. I think it is something for which the Canadian Alliance members surely should be taking heed. It should be enough to make them question why they are supporting Bill C-11 and why they are not standing with us on this very important issue.
I will now go to my second concern in the few minutes that I have left which has to do with the general trend on the part of the government to lead the way in terms of undemocratic government. I also want to mention the path that the government has chosen in terms of privatization and deregulation.
Bill C-11 represents one more move after a whole series of assaults on the Canadian fabric, on our very identity as Canadians, whether we are talking about CN, Air Canada, the way in which the government is trying to dismantle the CBC, food safety and the Canadian food inspection agency, Canada Post or Revenue Canada, we could go on for hours just talking about all the agencies and corporations, all the aspects of government that are so important for the health and well-being of Canadians, and how this government has chosen to offload its responsibilities somewhere else, on to the private sector and individual consumers, outside of its purview, away from the ability of the Government of Canada to ensure that Canadians can count on their government when it comes to fundamental questions of health, well-being, safety and when it comes to questions of economic security and jobs for the future. This is the most serious issue that we are dealing with when it comes to the government. I think it is important to simply quote from today's National Post . I do not normally quote from the National Post because obviously it poses real concerns in the way in which the Calgary Herald situation is being handled. However this clipping came across our desk today because it pertains to Walkerton and the whole tragedy around water safety.
I want to quote from an article by Bill Tieleman. It states:
It is time for a reckoning with those who would put blind faith in ideology and the unbridled pursuit of profit above the health and welfare of the public.
So while apologists for privatization and downsizing public services in this paper and elsewhere seek to defend their patron saint—Ontario Premier Mike Harris—
I see the Liberal government is trying equal none other than Mike Harris. The article goes on to say:
—by attacking his critics, the facts continue to mount up to an indictment of the Conservative government's policies.
In this particular case it was the Liberal government's policies.
I raise this because this government tends not to listen to what we in the NDP have to say. It will not listen to what people in the progressive movements have to say. It will not listen to social justice coalitions. Maybe it will listen to the likes of writers in the National Post . Maybe it will listen to people on the progressive conservative end of the political spectrum who say that enough is enough when it comes to the government's agenda of not only an undemocratic, arrogant style of government, but also when it comes to its extreme, right wing, fervent commitment to the corporate agenda.
My third concern has to do with the impact these policies will have on the health and well-being of Canadians in general. No one needs to remind anyone in the House about how important economic security and job security are to the state of health and wellness in Canada today. We know that when individuals and regions are hit with hardships, they are also hit with ill health and the spread of disease.
Let it be a lesson to the government that investments today into such things as economic development, corporations and organizations that seek to preserve the dignity of Canadians will hold us in good stead and ensure that health care costs will come down in the future.