Debates of Oct. 11th, 2002

The House resumed consideration of the motion for an address to Her Excellency the Governor General in reply to her speech at the opening of the session.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply

[Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Speaker, I listened quite attentively to the hon. member's comments. I appreciated a fair amount of what she had to say.

There is one question I want to ask her with regard to the Kyoto accord, which she spoke so passionately about. Clearly there are some concerns on all sides of the House. I think many people want to see an improvement in air quality and want to find solutions to be able to move in that direction for environmental reasons.

However, if it seems that the Kyoto accord is going to have really negative impacts on the economy and on the future for Canadians, especially for jobs, would the hon. member at least explore the idea of having a made in Canada solution? Hopefully it could solve environmental problems by using technologies and looking at other methods for clean air quality and perhaps not necessarily go ahead with the Kyoto accord, especially since we do not have any real facts and figures coming from the government as to the actual costs and the implementation plan that it has in place. I would like to hear her comments on that.

[Wendy Lill, NDP, Dartmouth, NS]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member has raised a very good point. For all of the time that this issue has been discussed, we are still without facts and figures and real work done on the implications that environmental work would have across the country and in different regions.

The NDP is of the belief there are hundreds of thousands of jobs available in the whole area of environmental cleanup, in diversification of our energy sources. We have to move ahead and realize that we are our own worst enemies if we are stuck in the past around the issue of what is now existing in terms of jobs. There are jobs in the future. We can see many conversion jobs in the future. We should move ahead with the rest of the globe on this issue.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Bras D'Or—Cape Breton, NS]

Madam Speaker, my colleague from Dartmouth has invested a great deal of effort, as has my colleague from Halifax West, with regard to the cleanup of Halifax harbour and the federal government playing its role.

Was she as astounded as the members on this side were when the Halifax harbour project was not identified as a priority in correspondence from the premier of that province? Certainly, it came as a great shock to the Nova Scotia members of the government. I would like her comments on that.

[Wendy Lill, NDP, Dartmouth, NS]

Madam Speaker, the Halifax harbour cleanup project has been ongoing for 15 years, I believe. It has had different faces to it. The structure now involves four cleanup facilities around the harbour.

For as long as I have been an MP there has never been the kind of commitment at either the federal level or provincial level that was necessary. I have seen the city struggling along trying to pick up the slack from both levels of government. It is a project that is much too big for a municipality.

I have to say that both provincial and federal levels have really dropped the ball. It is a tradition with large infrastructure projects such as this, of course, that a municipal tax base cannot carry it and that those two governments pitch in half and half. They have both let us down.

[Andy Mitchell, Liberal, Secretary of State (Rural Development) (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario)]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in the debate today. In looking at the time and realizing that we are in day six of the debate, we are close to the conclusion of the House's consideration of the motion in respect to the Speech from the Throne.

We have heard a lot of information, many points of view from all sides of the House about the Speech from the Throne and about the vision the government is putting forward to Canadians and about where we want to take the country over the next several months. It would be appropriate to take a moment to recap what was in the Speech from the Throne and to remind Canadians of the commitments and the ideas that were put forward in that document.

I should begin by making a point which perhaps has been lost a little bit, at least in the parts of the debate that I have heard. That was the commitment in the Speech from the throne to fiscal responsibility.

When the government came to office nine years ago, the country was in debt to the tune of $42 billion. Through the hard effort of Canadians from all walks of life, from all parts of the country, we now operate in a fiscal surplus. We have been able to pay down our debt.

One of the commitments that was made in the Speech from the Throne is that we would not go back into deficit, that we would not take the efforts that Canadians have put forward in all of those years and toss them aside. Yes, there are significant issues that we need to deal with as a government, significant issues that we need to deal with as a country, but we are determined to do it with the same fiscal prudence that has earmarked this government's administration over the last nine years.

I want to say to all Canadians that they can be assured that through the leadership of the Prime Minister, through the leadership of the Minister of Finance, of cabinet and of caucus, we will adhere to that principle.

There were a number of commitments and a number of important issues raised in the Speech from the Throne that we need to deal with as a nation and as Canadians.

Something which I believe will seize Canadians with debate in the not too distant future even more than it has over the last little while is the issue of health care. The Speech from the Throne talked about the issue of health care. It made some very important commitments. It talked about the process Roy Romanow has been undergoing for some time to make some suggestions about how we should reform health care, how we should make sure we have a health care system that is responsive to the needs of Canadians in the 21st century, and the types of things we need to do as the federal government, as provincial governments, and simply as Canadians to reform our health care system.

There were two very important commitments in the Speech from the Throne with respect to that. There was a commitment by the Prime Minister that he would bring together the first ministers from all the provinces and territories shortly in the new year after Mr. Romanow tables his report. They will discuss the actual content of the report and the types of strategies that ought to be undertaken to reform health care. That is the appropriate way to do it.

Health care is the responsibility of the provinces. Also there is a federal responsibility involved in it. Quite frankly, from Canadians' perspective, from what I have heard in my community and as I have travelled around the country, Canadians want all governments collectively to work together to resolve health care.

There was also another very important commitment in the Speech from the Throne. The Prime Minister said that after those consultations and those discussions with the provinces, we will make the necessary investments in order to have a sustainable health care system in the 21st century. That is something Canadians view as a priority and it was in the Speech from the Throne.

The second pillar that was discussed in the Speech from the Throne was Canada's place in the world. That is an important issue for Canadians. It is an important issue for the family of nations.

One of the commitments was that we would continue to work as we have in the past year in response to the tragic events of September 11 a year ago and that we would deal with security issues as we have in the last 13 months. We will work with our American allies both in terms of multilateral issues around the globe, but also in our bilateral issues dealing with issues on the border.

The Minister of Finance in his role with respect to security relationships with the United States signed a border protocol with Governor Ridge. It outlined many important steps that we would be undertaking in order to ensure not only that we have a secure border, because that is important, but also that we have a border that is effective in terms of the commerce that takes place between our two countries.

In talking about our place in the world an important component of it is the commitment to increase international assistance as a member of the family of nations. We are one of the family of nations that is fortunate in terms of the wealth we have been able to achieve as Canadians. We have a responsibility to others in the world who have not been as fortunate. Through our international aid program we are exercising that responsibility. I was pleased to see in the Speech from the Throne a commitment to continue to do that and in fact to continue to do it at increased levels.

The Speech from the Throne also spoke clearly to the issues surrounding the Africa agenda and making sure that we move forward with that.

The third pillar was in terms of the environment and a commitment to deal with those environmental challenges we face as Canadians. This is an important issue for all Canadians. It is a particularly important issue for rural Canadians as they deal with many of the issues as stewards of our natural environment. I was pleased to see the commitments. I was pleased to see the Prime Minister commit to the Kyoto accord.

We heard the opposition say that we need a made in Canada solution. I think I heard one of the members from Alberta say, “Kyoto isn't in Canada; it is in some far away country”.

We may have arrived at the objectives collectively as a group of nations. We may have met in Kyoto to come to the conclusion as to what those objectives will be. However the made in Canada part, the part that is essential, is how we go about achieving it in our nation. That is a made in Canada solution that will be made by the government. It will be made collectively in the House by Canadian parliamentarians through consultations and input from the provinces through consultations and input from business, from other organizations in society. Indeed it will be made collectively as Canadians.

It will be a made in Canada solution to achieve an objective and a goal that was collectively arrived at by the family of nations. That is an appropriate approach. Any suggestion that what we are going to do is something that is not a Canadian initiative is simply not accurate.

Also included in the Speech from the Throne was the issue of dealing with our children and those children who live in poverty and the importance as a government to take steps to alleviate child poverty.

One of the unique things the government has done was the creation of the national child benefit. That instrument has been very successful in alleviating poverty among children. It has not been eliminated. There is much that still needs to be done. There is more that needs to be accomplished, but it is a good initiative.

I was pleased to see in the Speech from the Throne that we are going to continue to build on that initiative. We are going to enrich the child benefit to make sure that even more and more Canadians have an opportunity to utilize and take advantage of that program. There are also commitments in terms of access to additional child care benefit and increasing it.

I was pleased to see in the Speech from the Throne, and I think I am probably joined by all members in the House, a commitment to increase criminal penalties for those who would abuse our children. I am sure that as that legislation comes forward from the Minister of Justice all members in the House will see that as an important legislative commitment that we need to deal with.

The Speech from the Throne also dealt with the issue of communities, the importance of having strong communities and the importance of ensuring that Canadians, whether they live in urban communities or in rural communities, have an opportunity for an increased standard of living and an improved quality of life. That was a clear and concise commitment in the Speech from the Throne. We are determined as a government to bring forward measures that will help us accomplish that objective. Some of those measures were suggested in the Speech from the Throne.

I was particularly pleased to see the commitment to a new national infrastructure program, a 10 year commitment to infrastructure for communities in things like transportation, environmental infrastructure and telecommunications infrastructure. All of these are critical.

As I have travelled around the country in my role as Secretary of State for Rural Development, one of the things that municipal leaders have said to me was that although they were very appreciative of the government's infrastructure programs in the past, that it was absolutely necessary to have some certainty and some sort of clarity so they could see how they should budget in the future and how they should do their commitments.

That is why I think it is particularly important in the Speech from the Throne to see a 10 year commitment to an infrastructure program so we can work in partnership, where the opportunities present themselves, with provincial governments and the municipalities to do some long term planning and deal with some of the infrastructure deficit that exists in the country. I was particularly pleased, in my role as Secretary of State for Rural Development, to see a commitment to do some of this infrastucture in the rural parts of the country.

I should also say that I was pleased, in looking at the Speech from the Throne and hearing the Speech from the Throne, to see some very specific commitments in respect of rural Canada and the needs of rural Canada.

First, we saw a commitment to implement the agricultural policy framework and the related measures that would give rise to that policy framework. That is something that I know members on this side have worked hard to develop. It was something that I know members of the opposition have often said that we need a long term vision in agriculture and that we need to know where we are going in agriculture.

I was pleased to be with the Prime Minister this past June when he announced the $5.2 billion toward the agricultural policy framework and related measures, and particularly pleased to see in the Speech from the Throne a commitment that we would continue to implement that.

I was pleased to see the discussion about regional development agencies and the importance of changing the programming in our regional development agencies in a way that will deal with the knowledge-based economy, with innovation and with learning. I think that is an appropriate approach for our regional development agencies. That is particularly important for the rural components of the country. I am so pleased to see a commitment to deal with our regional development agencies.

The infrastructure program, as I mentioned, is one that will also have very significant and positive impacts on rural Canada.

One of the smaller mentions in the Speech from the Throne, but a very important one from a rural perspective, is the work on two very large projects in rural Canada that will create or have significant job creation opportunities and also add significantly to the economic well-being of the country. In the east, it will assist with the development of Voisey's Bay to make sure that we have an opportunity to see that project move forward, to see the wealth that will be created in an area of the country that has historically had some challenges in creating wealth, and to see the jobs that will flow out of that wealth creation. I am pleased to see that commitment in the Speech from the Throne.

I am pleased to see the commitment toward assisting with the development and construction of our northern pipeline. This will help create jobs and wealth in a part of the country that historically has had more difficulty in creating that wealth.

Another pillar in the Speech from the Throne is the commitments toward our aboriginal communities, something to which the government has long had a commitment and something to which I know the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development has had a lifelong commitment. This is important, not just for Canada as a whole, but it has a particular resonance in rural Canada where many of our aboriginal communities are situated. We need to provide assistance and the legislative framework.

I was pleased when the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development tabled a bill last June in terms of governance, which will be brought back into the second session of Parliament. I think that is an important issue.

The Speech from the Throne also talks about rural issues and rural commitments. It is important for all members to understand, and I believe they do, that the challenges rural Canada faces are different than those faced by urban Canada, which is why it is particularly important that we see specific initiatives that are undertaken in respect to rural Canada.

If we think about those challenges, we have the issue of geography. One of the realities is that when we operate in rural Canada there is a great deal of geography. This is one of the reasons that many of us live in rural Canada. However that does create some challenges in terms of delivering government services and private sector services. Therefore programming has to be delivered in a rural context differently than in an urban context to deal with the issue of geography.

In terms of rural Canada we tend to have low population densities as compared to some of our large urban centres. That is an important difference. In a large urban centre where there are high population densities, the private sector may be willing to make those infrastructure investments totally on their own.

That same investment will happen in a rural area, particularly in terms of infrastructure, which all Canadians should have an opportunity to have access to. It is critical sometimes to have a private-public sector partnership to see those kinds of investments take place. That is why it is really important that we take into account that particular difference between our urban and rural areas and that we develop a policy that reflects those differences.

There is the whole issue of distance from markets. When we operate in a rural area very often there are larger distances to go to our marketplaces. I know members on the other side have talked about this, but when we want to encourage value adding to our natural resource industries we need to make sure that the distance to markets can be overcome so that these types of value added industries can be created in our rural communities.

So we often need to undertake policies in respect of, for instance, infrastructure to make sure we can overcome those distances. The initiative that the Minister of Industry announced not too long ago, the broadband initiative, will help ensure that there is broadband high speed Internet access to our rural communities.

[Gerry Ritz, Canadian Alliance, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

It is already there.

[Andy Mitchell, Liberal, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

The chap across the way says that it is already there. Well, I know he has to challenge sometimes to keep up with things so I will give him a hand with that. I imagine our television audience would also want to know this. I want to inform the House that there are 4,100 rural communities today that continue not to have access to high speed Internet. That diminishes their access to important things such as health care, education and lifelong learning and a competitive business environment.

That is why it is so important to have a Liberal government that understands there are differences between urban and rural Canada, that understands that if we are to be successful as a nation we need to have both a strong urban and rural component because we cannot move forward unless both parts of this nation are strong. We in rural Canada depend on urban Canada and urban Canada depends on rural Canada.

That is why I believe the Speech from the Throne paints a vision that would be good for Canada and good for Canadians.

[Gerry Ritz, Canadian Alliance, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Madam Speaker, it is hard to follow up 20 minutes of rhetoric with a minute of questions, but I will do my best. I hate to see people out there left with this sour taste in their mouths after six days of throne speech debate, so I will try to get some clear thinking going here.

The member touched on high speed Internet for everybody. There is not a community from Tuktoyaktuk to Timmins that does not have a satellite dish or the availability of satellite television or cable television. Programs are already there. This is a huge duplication. That really concerns us on this side of the House, and a lot of the backbenchers over there too. There are no nickels and dimes attached to this huge wish list that the government calls a throne speech. That is the biggest problem with this type of directive. Where is the budget? How will the money be allocated for all these glorious, wonderful nine years of a wish list that has been put together? It cannot be done.

[Andy Mitchell, Liberal, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Madam Speaker, to continue in this vein, there are 4,100 communities. The way it works is this. We have a Speech from the Throne and we outline our objectives. That is followed by a budget. In that budget we will see exactly how we will pay for it, in a balanced way.

[The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bakopanos)]

It being 2:15 p.m., pursuant to order made earlier today, every question necessary to dispose of the address in reply to the Speech from the Throne is deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred until Tuesday, October 22, at 3 p.m.

(The House adjourned at 2:15 p.m.)