Mr. Speaker, it is certainly a pleasure to have the opportunity today to speak to the prebudget debate and reflect on what I am hearing in my own constituency with respect to the upcoming budget and what types of things the constituents are looking for in this upcoming budget.
Clearly, constituents are asking the government to take steps to ensure that our economy remains stable as a basic hypothesis. However, along with the funding of a security agenda, which is a priority for Canadians, constituents are also asking the government to maintain a balance both financially and in its approach. This means that along with funding the security agenda, we must also continue to invest some dollars in the areas of skills training and research and development which, going forward, would help to continue to build our economy.
I think Canadians and certainly my constituents are looking to the government to lay out some short term objectives and some medium term objectives, given the type of environment that we are in today. It is very clear that the immediate or short term objective is security, meeting the security challenge and ensuring the security agenda is funded effectively. This means an increased investment in CSIS, in the communications security establishment dealing with our policing, and in the RCMP to ensure we prevent the Canada-U.S. border from being held hostage by terrorists as a result of the September 11 tragedy. We must also work with the international community to bring terrorists to justice. All those things involve money but constituents are calling for some increased investment in those areas.
I think what constituents want is to have their confidence and hope restored as we move through this tragic time. We can restore confidence by restoring the free flow of goods and by pursuing an open and fair free trade with our largest trading partner, the United States of America. We can restore hope by investing in people and by ensuring people have access to education and to enhanced skills training.
We must ensure that stakeholders have an opportunity and a say in what kind of training is required in their particular sector. We must help apprentices who need to continue to improve themselves when they are engaged in training.
Those types of investments would send a signal that the government is investing in Canadians so they can improve their skills and continue to remain competitive, and improve productivity.
We also need to continue to invest in research and development if Canada and its economy is to continue to grow and innovate.
I heard directly from a representative of a university in my riding, McMaster University, who made it very clear that a challenge the universities are facing with respect to research are the indirect costs of research. I know the finance committee, in its travels across the country, heard that message. We need to respond to that type of request.
Health care concerns remain very high for the constituents of Stoney Creek. We are committed as a government to the over $20 billion transfer to the provinces. That type of stimulus is what is required as we move forward.
Security, the concept of security, being able to protect ourselves from the threat of chaos, from the threat of terrorism, is the underpinning of a strong economy. Knowing that we have open access to our largest trading partner is critical and security is the key to ensuring we have that open and free access.
Ultimately, what are constituents saying in this period of prebudget consultation? In my constituency they are saying that the major issue this budget needs to address is the issue of borders. It is border, border, border.
As a country we are dependent on trade: 87% of our trade is with the United States and 25% of that trade comes back. It is a two way flow of trade. It is important that we have access. Not only do we need to do work in terms of the international trade area and trade agreements such as softwood lumber, we have a section 201 action on steel. These are issues that we need to resolve and clearly we have a strong case. As a government we cannot for one second hesitate in putting forward a strong Canadian position. I think we have done that and we will continue to do that.
We also have to make sure that we have access to the North American economy through a free and open border. In fact I am told that Ontario's trade with the United States of America is equal to or greater than United States trade with the European Union, just to give members the sense of the size of the trade between this province and the United States.
Therefore the border is the number one economic issue as we go forward. We need more resources allocated along with a co-ordinated plan to co-operate with our largest trading partner. We need to understand those challenges and respond to them and we need to collectively resolve the issue.
Improved border infrastructure is required. Highway infrastructure improvements are needed as we get access to those borders. I am sure, Mr. Speaker, that you have a number of examples in northern Ontario with respect to highway infrastructure. Let me give the House one example in southwestern Ontario.
I was told today that between Toronto and Miami there are 15 stoplights. Thirteen of those stoplights are in Windsor. As we access the border and emphasize the need to get our products to market in the most efficient way, 13 stoplights is not acceptable. Along with dealing with the border infrastructure required as we respond to the security challenge and fund the security agenda, we must also ensure, in co-operation with the provinces, that we address the highway infrastructure improvements that are required, again focusing on the need to improve that trade flow and ensure open access, ensuring that our companies, those that create jobs for Canadians, can get their products to the United States of America as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
In summary, what are constituents saying? They are saying that the government cannot abandon Canadians' hard won progress. They are saying that the government must balance the budget, as it has, must pay down the debt, as it has, and must reduce federal tax, as it has. We cannot jeopardize the hard won progress Canadians have made in meeting those achievements.
As a government we should not shy away from reallocating, and we should be prepared to reallocate from low priority to higher priority areas where we need to. We should ensure that those high priority areas are clearly financed and properly financed.
Finally, what constituents are saying is this: absolutely no deficit financing.